Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 99

In John Chapter 11 verse 16. What did Thomas mean when he said let us also go, that we may die with him?

Dear Friend in Christ,

Many today believe that the Church is a continuation or replacement of Israel, often calling it "spiritual Israel." However, when we rightly divide the Word of Truth ( 2 Timothy 2:15), we see that the Church-the Body of Christ-formed through the unique revelation given to the Apostle Paul ( Ephesians 3:1-6), is a distinct entity from the nation of Israel. Israel is a nation with earthly promises, covenants, and prophetic hope, while the Church is a heavenly people, formed without distinction between Jew and Gentile, united by faith alone in Christ and placed into one Body ( 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:28).

Israel's promises were national and earthly-God covenanted land, a kingdom, and a Messiah to rule over them ( Genesis 17:7-8; Isaiah 9:6-7). These promises were never transferred to the Church. Instead, Paul reveals a "mystery" that was kept hidden from ages past ( Romans 16:25; Colossians 1:26), in which God is forming a new, heavenly organism-the Body of Christ-composed of both Jew and Gentile, not based on nationality or covenant, but based on grace through faith ( Ephesians 2:8-9). Nowhere in Paul's epistles does he teach that the Church has become Israel or inherits Israel's kingdom promises.

To equate the Church with spiritual Israel confuses God's prophetic program for Israel with His mystery program for the Body of Christ. God has not abandoned His promises to national Israel ( Romans 11:1-2, 25-29). Their fullness will come in a future day, during the millennial reign of Christ. In contrast, the Church was chosen before the foundation of the world and has a heavenly destiny ( Ephesians 1:3-4; Philippians 3:20). Understanding the difference protects sound doctrine and preserves the clarity of God's distinct purposes for Israel and the Church.

Amen, thank you Chris!! It is hard to handle in my flesh because I know what he is doing is not ok. But in my spirit I look at him as a sinner just like me and GOD knows I fall short of HIS Glory every day... So that helps me to try to overlook certain things. But in the beginning of my pregnancy he was wonderful, gentle, but lately something has happened. I know we have a lot going on but it's not just me and him anymore there is another more precious. So your prayers are so appreciated... We actually visited a friends Church today! Oh my gosh it was such a a blessing... Really we needed it... Thank you so much Chris for your prayers. If I can return the favor please let me know... God bless...

Thank you Free! Today we actually stopped into a friends Church, what a blessing , Instant lift of our spirits. I am thankful for all the prayers... And the insights.... And scripture... God bless...

COGIC ADULTS MENS SUNDAY SCHOOL BOOK Micah 7:14-20 KJV July 27, 2025 West Angeles Cogic Church Cathedral Los Angeles California

My COGIC WORSHIP: 1Corithians 15:3-4 KJV Verse 14 I Worship God you belong to of salvation , restoration. Verse 15 My Interpetation I Worship God that rises from the dead speaking faith, v17)standing tall believingJesusChrist Is God the Father. II vv16-17 I worship God of dominance and authority that cannot be doubted and disputed. Verse 16 My Interpetation I Worship God that makes the non believer to be in Subjected fear of the Lord. I Worship God of never ending forgiveness of sin. Verse 18 I worship God that is always there with love and grace mercy to the sinner. Verse 19 I Worship God faithful to his covenant, promises to receive it in faith . My Interpetation:I Worship God that will Subject Romans 13:1KJV-Supreme God.

Proverbs 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

How did this get translated into: A man who separates himself is in pursuit of worldly desires?

I have detached myself from other people because all they do is either make me angry or make me cry.

I'm tired of being the person people come to when they want something. It's perfectly acceptable to just say "NO"!

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

That's good enough for me.

John 14:18

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."

John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Blessings

Final thoughts...I hope this helps.

The kingdom message preached by Peter was directed primarily to Israel and was rooted in Old Testament prophecy. Peter called the Jewish people to repentance and faith in Jesus as their promised Messiah and King, who would restore the earthly kingdom to Israel. This message emphasized Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy, the necessity of repentance, water baptism, and the works consistent with the law. On the day of Pentecost ( Acts 2), Peter proclaimed that the events taking place were in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy and urged the nation of Israel to "repent and be baptizedfor the remission of sins" ( Acts 2:38).

In contrast, Paul's grace message was a distinct revelation from Christ, revealed after Israel's rejection of the kingdom. It was directed to both Jews and Gentiles and centered on the "mystery" of the Body of Christ, a truth hidden in previous ages ( Ephesians 3:1-9). Paul preached salvation by grace through faith alone, apart from works or the law ( Ephesians 2:8-9). His gospel emphasized the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as the sole basis for salvation ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and he never required water baptism as part of the gospel. Paul's focus was heavenly, not earthly-believers were no longer awaiting a physical kingdom but were members of a spiritual body with a heavenly hope.

While Peter's message looked toward the restoration of Israel's earthly kingdom, Paul revealed a new dispensation, the age of grace, where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but all are one in Christ. Peter's audience was the nation of Israel, under covenant promises, while Paul's audience was the Church, the Body of Christ, under the administration of grace. These differences reflect not conflicting messages, but distinct programs in God's plan-one prophetic and earthly, the other mysterious and heavenly.

Romans 11:17 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;"

Ephesians 3:6 "That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"

Romans 2:28 "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:"

Romans 2:29 "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

Acts 9:15"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:"

Blessings

Blessings

How true of Abel this is. In all my years I never considered this, hidden in plain sight it now appears. Thank you.

Chris,

The programs changed from faith with works to Grace alone.

The Apostle Paul's message, often called the "gospel of grace," centers on the revelation that salvation is offered freely by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from the works of the Law. Unlike the message given to Israel under the Law, which required obedience to commandments and rituals, Paul's message reveals a new dispensation where both Jews and Gentiles are made one in Christ. In passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3:28, Paul emphasizes that righteousness is imputed by faith alone, and that boasting in works is excluded. This gospel was a "mystery" revealed to Paul ( Ephesians 3:1-9), setting his ministry apart from the prophetic program previously known, I.E. Peters message.

Paul also taught that believers today are part of the "body of Christ," a spiritual organism distinct from the nation of Israel. Members of this body are sealed with the Holy Spirit and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places ( Ephesians 1:3, 13). Paul's message includes not only justification by faith but also identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection ( Romans 6:3-5), offering believers a new walk in the Spirit rather than under the Law. His grace-centered gospel calls for no physical circumcision, temple worship, or adherence to Mosaic ordinances, but rather a life transformed by Christ's indwelling presence and the hope of heavenly glory.

Thanks.

Hey Chris,

Yes, Paul preached repentance-but:

It was repentance toward God and

A change of mind leading to faith in the risen Christ

Not the same as Israel's national call to repent and be baptized under the kingdom gospel (e.g., Acts 2:38)

Paul's repentance message fits within the grace gospel revealed to him ( Gal. 1:11-12; Eph. 3:1-9).

Romans 1:26 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:"

Romans 1:27

"And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."

Blessings

Thanks Lbooth1955 for those thoughts. Unfortunately, I don't share your understanding as I believe the core message of the Gospel was the same one preached by both Peter and Paul. As stated earlier, their audiences were different, inasfar as Peter ministered to the circumcision and Paul to the uncircumcision, but both taught repentance and faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Blessings.

Thank you Jesusgirl87 for your reply. I continue to feel very sad for you and the situation you're in, though I was impressed that you still saw in your husband a wonderful man & a strong believer. I simply can't fathom how a husband cannot be sensitive and moved that his wife is carrying his child and is being weighted down by sadness & worry because of his dogmatism. I know that as humans we generally like to impress our beliefs upon others, especially when we are firmly convinced by them, but to take the matter to the point as he is doing seems very difficult to understand. I wonder if he maintains such a stance when dealing in other areas of his life/experiences; such as in the workplace, with friends/colleagues, political/govt policies, etc. If it is only to you that he presents himself as overly driven, then to have you on-side accepting his beliefs, is truly carrying his determination too far. I don't believe that any married couple can agree on everything, simply because we are different people with different backgrounds, personalities, interests, etc. I will continue to pray that he might understand this and be a true spiritual leader in the family and not overbearing causing you pain. Keep waiting on the Lord dear sister for strength & forbearance, trusting the Lord to show your husband where he has erred & the need for change in his life.

Hi again CrossTalker. Sorry for the late reply; I've had a busy day today. To this matter, which I can see you have raised again in this thread and brother Jesse has given you a very good answer.

It seems you need a Yes or No answer only, without any further explanation, whereas my previous response to you I thought was clear in this. Anyway, the sinful person you mentioned, according to the description you presented of him, appears to be carnal in the extreme and is no different from the unbeliever who rejects God, His Son & the Gospel. So Yes, this person (even a Church leader) in such a state is destined for the Lake of Fire. But if he should come to his senses and truly repents, the Cross still avails for him - but in this state, if he should die tomorrow, the Bible says that all who live a life of sin are children of the devil and not the children of God and as such will suffer in eternal punishment ( 1 John 3:5-9). I had more to write on this type of aberrant belief and practise that some 'Christians' have been taught, but will withhold for now. I trust I have been more direct in answering your question.

1. God had unique requirements of his chosen people beyond morality. That doesn't mean it applies to us today.

2. You don't know.

3. Probably false. People sometimes lie about things in effort to discredit people.

4. Not just trinity. They deny Jesus is the Messiah and basically all of the New Testament. Rebellion. Deuteronomy 9:24

Hi Jesse,

Well,sadly, that was a fascinating detour, That doesn't answer my question at all.



I've been repeatedly asking about their FATE.

QUESTION:

What happens to such "believers/Christians" (In ministry leadership position - Knowing the sacrifice of salvation through Christ. Trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord) who continue to SIN, despite CORRECTION from everyone, even after God disciplines them, who continually is sinning & does evil things until his death, deceives, lies, ruining lives & relationships, sexually exploiting the helpless & fulfills his bodily lusts, forcing & manipulating abortions (to cover-up his sin), Scapegoats someone else, character assassinates, to save his own skin, enjoying the hypocritical rich life claiming this was done to protect Lord's work, without any repentance or remorse, dies in that state,do such Christian people have salvation or not? do they end up in hell of torment loosing salvation?

NOTE: *before responding*

I'm NOT ASKING who causes them to Sin, are they in conflict with the Spirit or not, what we must do as fellow Christians, Or what Jesus quotes about them or Paul or anyone else & if they are truly saved or not, Does God disciplines them or not.

But According to the Bible, would such Christian people end up in Hell of torment loosing salvation?

Do they end up in HELL, experiencing eternal torment?

I Would like to know with a YES or NO response and an explanation. Hope it is clear now.

*While responding*

(Anyone else reading this, I kindly ask you to respond with either: 'Yes, they end up in a hell of torment,' or 'No, they don't end up in a hell of torment,' followed by a brief explanation to support your answer.)

Hi CrossTalker,

The person you've described fits the description of someone who is more than likely unsaved. A person who has been born of God's Spirit no longer lives a continuous lifestyle of sin. They may still commit single acts of sin, but they no longer habitually sin because they are now being energized by God's Spirit.

1 John 3:4 tells us that "Everyone who is practicing the sin, also is practicing the lawlessness." This is the literal translation from the Greek text. "Practicing" is the translation of the present participle which denotes a lifestyle or continuous, ongoing condition. In the second clause, the present indicative verb is translated "is practicing" which also represents a present, ongoing condition.

Both the word for sin and for lawlessness have the definite article "the" representing the principle of sin which is explained in 1 John 3:8 which says, "The devil is sinning from the beginning." The devil is the sinner who energizes people to sin, and we find this in Ephesians 2:1-3.

A person who does not know Christ habitually lives a life of sin because he/she is being energized by the spirit of the devil to fulfill the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

When the Spirit of Christ comes into a person's spirit, the spirit of the devil can no longer cause that person to continuously sin against God. The Seed (Life of God), living inside of the believer prevents the believer from continually and habitually sinning against God.

Paul says in Galatians 5:17 that "The flesh fights against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh so that you cannot do the things that you wish." That is a powerful verse, and it tells us that the Holy Spirit dwelling within prevents a true born-again believer from doing the things that they desire to do - habitually.

Again, it is doubtful that this person is saved. If they were saved, they would not be living the lifestyle you have described.

I hope this answers your question.

Blessings to you in Christ!

Matthew 23:12

"And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

1 Peter 5:6-7

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

Blessings

Amen.

Matthew 5:17

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

Matthew 5:18

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

Proverbs 7:2

"Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye."

Revelation 22:14

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

Blessings

Matthew 24:14

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Romans 15:19

"Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ."

Acts 20:25

"And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more."

Matthew 24:35

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

Blessings

Hello Azzan77,

Thanks for your reply, great scriptures...

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16 KJV

Would you care to elaborate, share your thoughts on the scriptures you referenced?

Blessings!

Calling

Calling of God is qualified as high and it is Person specific. St Paul places it 'the high calling of God in Christ Jesus' (Phil.3.14)'. "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;/ Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy./ And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:(1 Pet.1.15-17)"

Heaven and Earth framed by the word of God set the Word as the Law of the Spirit as the sole authority. So, the Covenant in seven days refers to the Word was God. It is thus prophet Isaiah calls for witnesses, " Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken."(Isa.1.2) Israel sin is against his Son who He did sent only to be rejected by the nation. In the absence of faith God instituted the law of sin and death instead, to which the Decalogue is locus classicus and the number 10 serves as the number of condemnation.

Holiness is His name or righteousness which is of God, "that I may win Christ,/ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." (Phil.3: 9-10)

And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. ( Matthew 21:44)

44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ( Daniel 2:44).

Theme: Better to be broken than crushed.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. ( Psalm 51:17).

I suppose it could be said God is the ultimate party crasher. Just when Satan gets things up to speed and rapidly approaches his goal of total destruction and control of the earth Christ shows up to put an end to this kingdom of darkness after 3.5 years of the worst time ever on earth. At that time the kingdoms of this world are trashed and destroyed without a trace. Man's impenitent heart will not have any wisdom after seeing all the destruction over most of the earth by that time; somehow they think that after all their defeats by God's judgments they can collectively fight against and defeat Christ at Armageddon with whatever devices they come up with.

7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. 10For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. ( Psalm 37:7-10).

I may be led here to give another talk on Revelation; again it does show predestination as all those who are not written in the book of Life will worship him) (the beast) as seen in Revelation 13:8. This is wrath which the true church will be delivered from in the Rapture.

Billy Joel said in his song "Honesty" in 1978

"Honesty" is such a lonely word

Everyone is so untrue

Honesty is hardly ever heard

And mostly what I need from you

In continuing with the theme of the recent postings; I will admit that it is hard to come to a grip with my own life but someone who is truly His realizes the mess they are and utter dependance on the Spirit. It seems what is harder is trying to explain this to others who often think I am disparaging my own character in being too hard for myself rather than viewing my statements as a cathartic thing in discussing such issues with friends. Much like a human relationship the Lord wants us to be real and communicate things with Him as hiding anything of course is futile.

Pleading with God even frustrated with Him can still be avoided as being a sin because Jesus Himself had to petition to God in regard to His suffering knowing what it would do to His righteous soul. How long o Lord was expressed by David himself as well as the saints under the altar in Revelation 6:10. The difference between righteous pleading and unbelief is the key here; those of faith even as Job may fling some wild accusations against God (he didn't know Satan was to blame for much of his misery) but he still didn't disparage God's character. It was wrong that he blamed God even out of ignorance and not knowing God's full majesty the Lord had to speak twice to him where his response was only one sentence each time at the end repenting in dust and ashes. This fits into my earlier theme. In Job no human could understand the depth of Job's suffering; or respect the integrity of his conduct all his life. We must remember that he was praised in Job 1:1 as to his moral character. There was much truth in his friends (if we can call them that) statements; but no love. The Lord broke Job even more but look at the end result. God understands our frame ( Psalm 103:14) and will eventually deliver our bodies and souls.

Agape.

More on Predestination

The risk of discussing this topic and causing irreparable damage to some is something to keep in mind. Nonetheless; the idea of a PLAN of God being predestined is a concept that bridges the gap between many who profess that man has no free will with a sensible response. One of the big things is marriage; the sheer simplicity here is that two people make a vow to each other and God under ordinary circumstances. God in fact is involved whether we choose to invoke His name or not; covenants between people are expected to be followed as we make such agreements of our own volition and since man is created in God's image; again He is involved whether we like it or not; "all souls are mine" ( Ezekiel 18:4) which goes on to say that the soul who sins will die. Whatever the limit is of our freedoms depends on God alone; and of course once we pass from this earth certain things are done; including the marriage and other earthly things that are surpassed by heaven's existence with glorified bodies; etc.

Anyway; God's plan for salvation is still the same way no matter how we determine individual freedoms or the lack thereof.

This cannot be ignored; because evidence for salvation is tied into obedience of His commandments to demonstrate our love for the Lord. 1 John 5:3 states His commandments aren't burdensome or grievous. The only way this can be explained is His free grace and the new covenant He has emphasizing loving God and our neighbor as ourselves. The external law no one can follow perfectly and even less once the thoughts and intentions of the heart are evaluated. But of course we need to demonstrate our faith through works and good fruit associated with our actions and the book of James shows this (even if Calvin didn't like it much).

Also; we can't excuse sin saying we were predestined to do it; or the devil made me do it; etc.

God is angry with the wicked every day ( Psalm 7:11). Test yourself ( 2 Cor. 13:5) if you're His

A proper assessment of "total depravity"

The concept of total depravity; of course is an attempt to find a definition that fits best the admittedly appalling condition of the human heart as seen in Jeremiah 17:9. Whether we banter about decrying our hopeless condition because of a doctrinal assent of the situation or it is because the love of God constrains us ( 2 Corinthians 5:14) may sound the same on the outside; but it makes all the difference in reaching lost souls in the inside. One only needs to grasp Isaiah 6:5 and other verses on those prophets that saw God's presence and glory to see that this is a default reaction for all men to have. The world at large; of course scanters off in fear; or as Revelation 6:15-17.

Many today are shielded and have a temporary reprieve; as it were who hang around Christians; whether professing faith or not.

The going may be good for now; not to mention having people around who can help out in a pinch; but once the Bride of Christ is raptured; no such protection will continue to exist.

Another concept I'd like to hammer home is that in regard to Predestination (and I have said this before) it is not so much what we do but the reasons for doing it. The world no doubt is enamored with those who give a lot to the poor; and who are influential and everyone seems to live by their own standards but conforms to what is acceptable which reminds us of the Pharisees in Luke 16:15. The Lord did say they would praise God for our good works ( Matthew 5:16). Since He also mentions in the beatitudes blessing those who curse us in the same chapter in verse 44 as well as in Luke's rendition we certainly don't expect praise for the reason we do things but for external actions by some; although in theory those in the body of Christ should recognize such attributes but those who are Godly usually aren't the prominent ones in the Church even genuine works. There are many who make a sideshow for greedy gain ( 1 Tim. 6:10)

1 Peter 3:18-20:

Part 1

I understand this is debated, but this is my understanding.

1 Peter 3:18-20: 18, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit. This was a once-and-for-all sin offering, as mentioned in Romans 8:3 and Hebrews 9:11-14, to bring us to God so that God can now dwell with humanity through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is God who quickens the dead, as stated in Romans 4:17, by the Spirit. Jesus, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit. Jesus was dead for three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, the grave/tomb. He was quickened, which means brought back to life, when He was resurrected in His glorified body. Jesus is the first begotten of the dead, Revelation 1:5, the Firstfruits of them that slept, 1 Corinthians 15:20. Sleep, the Greek word koimao, meaning to put to sleep, be dead.



19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. By the same Spirit that quickened Jesus, Jesus went and preached/proclaimed to these spirits in prison.

Who are these spirits who were disobedient in the time of Noah? Angels are spirits, Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:7. Devils/demons are spirits, familiar spirits, evil spirits, unclean spirits. Humans have a spirit, but are never called spirits. Humans are mortal; the soul who sins will die, and the dead know not anything. Immortality is a gift from God, and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we find our hope for eternal life.

We see this long-suffering in Genesis 6:1-8. 120 years were given for repentance, but we see that only eight souls were saved by the water.

See part 2

1 Peter 3:18-20: Part 2

We see two places where angels are chained in darkness: 2 Peter 2:4-5 and Jude 1:6. To me, this is a prison, a confinement area, as we see in Revelation 9, 11, 17, and 20. These angels did not keep their original estate or position and left their own dwelling place. These angels were disobedient to God, as seen in Genesis 6:1-2. There are fallen angels, demons, and devils on this earth, but what these angels did was so terrible that God locked them in the bottomless pit until the great day of judgment.

In Ephesians 4:8-10, there is another reference; verses 9-10 are debated depending on the manuscript. They say that before Jesus ascended to heaven, He first descended to the lower parts of the earth. Paul quotes Psalm 68:18, which describes the ark ascending to Mount Zion, leading captivity captive, symbolizing deliverance. Also, in Judges 5:12, part of Deborah's song, it states, "led thy captivity captive," meaning victory over oppression.

The same theme appears in Ephesians 4:8, victory over sin, death, and the grave through the life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as referenced in Galatians 1:4 and 1 Corinthians 15:52-55. We also see the gifts given in Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:4-8, and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

When Jesus was resurrected, God placed Him above all, as shown in Philippians 2:9-11, Ephesians 1:19-21, and 1 Peter 3:22. Satan, just like the leaders of Jerusalem, thought that when the Messiah came, He would immediately deliver them and establish His kingdom at that time, the expectation not yet fulfilled. When Satan influenced Judas to betray Jesus to death, he thought he had won.

See part 3