Two Spiritual Realms

MARCH 24, 2021 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 4:2-3 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES TWO SPIRITUAL REALMS INTRODUCTION In the first verse of this chapter John said that we are not to “believe every spirit” He tells us to try the spirits to see whether they are of God or not There is one “True Spirit” which is the Holy Spirit of God But there are many false spirits which are also known as “false prophets” The Spirit of Truth is the Spirit of God and the spirit of error is Satan Satan uses the demonic forces to influence and give power to his prophets and teachers And there are many false prophets who have gone out into the world (verse 1) So, within the world there are “Two Spiritual Realms” In verse 2 we find the “Spirit of God” and in verse 3 we find the “Spirit of Antichrist” THE SPIRIT OF GOD 1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: “Hereby” introduces the way that we are to try the spirits It points us forward to the way John tells us to conduct the test of the spirits Telling us how we can recognize the true prophet and also how to identify the false prophet We are going to see that there is really only one test, what do the prophets say about Jesus Christ? The number one test is, what do they teach about Jesus Christ? Do they say the same thing about Jesus that God says in His Word? “Do they confess that Jesus is the Christ?” Find the answer to those questions and you will know which spiritual realm is speaking That is how you can tell which one of the spiritual realms they are coming from John says you can know when they are of “the Spirit of God” Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: That we can “know” represents a great doctrinal truth Christians can “know,” we can understand and recognize spiritual truth Christians possess a factual knowledge that comes to us through the Holy Spirit John uses this same word “know” in, 1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Because the Spirit dwells within us we know that we are “In-Christ” and Christ is “In us” Because of the Spirit within us we have an understanding and know the truth, 1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Paul said we can know, 1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Christians can know and receive the things of the Spirit of God, those who are lost cannot do that, 1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Page 1 of 5 There are two reasons the lost cannot know the things of God First, the Holy Spirit does not indwell them to teach them that which is spiritual, 1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Second, Satan has blinded their mind to spiritual truth, 2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Christians can do what the lost cannot do, we can receive and believe prophesying Paul speaking to the Christian said, 1Th 5:20 Despise not prophesyings. Prophesying is the spoken Word of God under the leadership of the Holy Spirit Prophesying is the telling forth of the Word and Will of God It is the speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God, the instructions from God to man Today it is the proclamation of God’s written Word through the illumination of the Spirit “Despise” means to regard as nothing, to set no value on something, to make it of no account That is what false prophets want you to do with the Word of God There are those who lay the Word of God aside, thinking that they do not need it for their life Some pass off God’s Word as for someone else in another time, but not for them now We must give heed to the message of God’s Word and not neglect it Christians can receive and believe the Word of God, Christians must receive God’s word today Paul tells us the same thing that John does, we must try or prove that which we hear Because there are many false prophets gone out into the world we must, 1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. “Prove” or “try” means to put to the test for the purpose of approval To critically examine something to determine if it is genuine Everything in our life must be put to the test for the purpose of approval “All Things” must meet the specifications, what are the specifications? John and Paul both speak of the Spirit of God and prophesyings We must test “all things” according to what God has said through the leadership of the Spirit We must use the Word of God and prayer for the daily guidance of our life (1 Thess. 5:17) If we are not sure of some decision for life, read the Bible and pray until you are sure Keep reading and praying until the Holy Spirit assures you of the answer We have the assurance that God will help us in all of the decisions of our life (2 Tim 3:16) God’s Word reveals that which is true, that which is false, that which is good and evil Paul goes on to tell us what to do after the test, “hold fast that which is good” The “good” is that which is pleasing to God, that which God has planned for our life The “good” is that which is best for us and all others who come in contact with us We must “hold fast” to that which is good, life is secure when we do Take hold of the good and hold on to it firmly until “good” becomes natural to us Good things from a good life should be the very nature of the daily Christian life But there are evil spirits tempting us with what they call “good” They claim to have a good message, but we must test the message concerning Jesus Christ Every spirit does not say the same thing about Jesus Christ That is why you cannot believe every spirit Only the Holy Spirit of God speaks the truth about Jesus Christ Every spirit that confesseth “Spirit” refers to a spiritual proclamation by a human personality Page 2 of 5 The words of the spirit within will come forth through the voice of the person To “confess” Jesus is to publicly acknowledge who Jesus is Paul describes “confess” as an act of faith in the person of Jesus Acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ and believing that Jesus is alive from the dead Which brings about salvation, Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. But confession must come from the heart, Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. “Biblical Confession” is more than a mental consent to the identity of Jesus Christ Demons recognized the person of Jesus during His earthly ministry, they spoke through a man Mar 1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Demons identify Jesus, Mar 1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. But unclean spirits do not confess Jesus as Savior and Lord of their life To confess Jesus as Savior must come through the Spirit of God, 1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Two truths are identified, and both are a result of being influenced by the Spirit of God In no way will the Spirit-filled person proclaim a heretical statement about Jesus Christ The Holy Spirit will never use the mental faculties of man to curse Jesus The Holy Spirit will only put words of praise into your mouth to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ “ACCURSED” means let the curse of destruction be upon him, let him be the object of a curse Satan uses more than spoken words in an attempt to curse Jesus To curse Jesus by word or deed is to deny who He is and what He has done as the Christ Deeds as well as words can curse Jesus, a person’s lifestyle can be a mockery to Jesus It is a life that denies the person and work of Jesus Christ, condemns His nature, character, work Satan and his demonic forces desire to curse Jesus, to deliver the life of Jesus up for destruction Anyone who would do that is under the influence of demons Under the leadership of the Spirit no one will ever be a curse unto Jesus And there are no exceptions, it will never happen The opposite of “Jesus accursed” is “Jesus is Lord” We can only confess Jesus as our Lord through the Holy Spirit Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to receive Jesus, to follow Jesus, or to live for Jesus Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to deny the Lordship of Jesus Paul is not saying that it is impossible for a lost person to quote “Jesus is Lord” Listen to what Jesus said, Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say, “Lord, Lord,” Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Salvation is more than a mental quote that Jesus is Lord, Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Anyone can say the words “Jesus is Lord,” sinful man can speak those words But no one can accept the truth of the words apart from the Spirit of God You cannot discover that Jesus is Lord by yourself The name of the church does not teach us that Jesus is Lord The name of the denomination does not teach us that Jesus is Lord Page 3 of 5 It only comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit Only through the ministry of the Holy Spirit can the words be truthful and meaningful You must be saved in order to give a true confession to the Lordship of Jesus The Spirit of God teaches us to put Jesus in charge of our life To confess Jesus unto salvation is to accept Jesus as the Christ who came in the flesh that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: “Is come” means to agree that the Messiah came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth Agreeing with all-of the truths related to the Person and Work of Jesus upon the earth Jesus “is come” in the flesh, the Son of God became incarnate in human flesh, Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. It is not that Christ came into the flesh of Jesus, but Jesus was the Christ who came in the flesh Confessing that Jesus is the Christ who came in the flesh, Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: It was through His flesh that Jesus opened up the way to God for us, Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; Sinners can only come to God through the body of Jesus upon the cross, 1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Sins can only be forgiven through the blood that Jesus shed for us, Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Jesus had to become flesh in order to die for our sins, to do what no other flesh had ever done The resurrection is the proof that He was who He said He was and did what He said He would do Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: Because we are “of God” we must continually confess the truth of Jesus Christ Christians must learn and live the truth we must know the truth and stand strong in the truth 2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. Which the Spirit proclaims, 2Ti 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. Contend for the faith, Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we must stand against the spirit of Antichrist THE SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST 1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Verse three is the opposite of verse two, presenting Satan’s opposition to the truth of Jesus The spirit in verse three is talking about the same Jesus but not saying the same thing about him This is the spirit that does not confess that Jesus is the Christ who is come in the flesh Therefore, this spirit denies the virgin birth of Jesus and the sinless life of Jesus upon earth Teaching that the death of Jesus upon the cross was no more than the physical death of a man There was no sacrifice for the sins of man so there can be no forgiveness of the sins of man And there is no salvation for the sins of man and there is no eternal state with God Page 4 of 5 All of which is of the “spirit of antichrist” and this is that spirit of antichrist, John is the only N.T. writer that uses the title “Antichrist” John speaks of “many antichrists” and the “Antichrist” who is yet to come, 1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. John gives us the meaning of the term “antichrist,” 1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. The prefix “anti” before Christ denotes someone who is “against” Christ It can also refer to one who claims to be a messiah “instead of” the Christ “Antichrist” refers to someone in opposition to all that Jesus Christ represents The “spirit of antichrist” describes the attitude and philosophy of the present world system There are “many antichrists” present today, the system of evil that is against Christ The system that is against God will ultimately be personified in one being called “the Antichrist” The supreme Antichrist will appear at some time in the future, he may be on earth today whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. He will be a man and not just a system, but a man who will rule over the evil system He will be Satan’s man, 2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, Indwelt by Satan and empowered by Satan, Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Antichrist will arise to be a powerful world leader The nation Israel will be at the point of needing protection from other nations Antichrist will make a covenant with Israel which will begin the 70th week of Daniel, Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Antichrist will break the covenant at the middle of the 70th week (3 ½ years)) At that time his true identity will be revealed, that will be the “Abomination of Desolation, Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) And then there shall be “Great tribulation,” Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Then Jesus will come, Luk 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. We must “look up” today, we must keep looking up until Jesus comes To “look up” means that you have put your trust in Jesus, trust Him today Trust Jesus every day until He returns to redeem us, it is so sweet to trust in Jesus Watch the screen and pay attention to the song Page 5 of 5