McCraney Crushes Calvinism: The American Taliban

Live from Salt Lake City, Utah
This is HEART OF THE MATTER, FULL CIRCLE and I’m your host, Shawn McCraney.

Let’s begin with a prayer to the Living God whose personal pronoun name that He wants know is YAHAVAH.

Quickly,

My friend and brother in the faith, filmmaker Richard Dutcher is launching something important this Friday.

Let me read you the posting.

(READ)

He won’t even tell me the nuts and bolts of this so go check it out and see what he has been lead to do.

Last week in discussing the landing pads most ex-LDS tend to frequent upon leaving the LDS Church, I mentioned that people going to “more organized religion”and I specifically said that of all the religious expressions out there to avoid, Five point Calvinism, or Reformed Theology (what I call, Deformed Theology) is the biggest.

Understand clearly, I believe that Deformed Theologians can certainly be pleasing to God via their faith but I refuse to hold back on the dangerous fugly doctrine they promote as truth.

Because we know that our approach will someday get legs world-wide and because we believe its important to prepare, educate and defend our positions while accepting all people and what they choose to believe in love, we are going to use tonight’s program to expose Reformed Theology for the failure that it is.

It is going to be one of our more theological presentations so if you don’t care about such things we respectfully invite you to change channels.

We hope you don’t because what we are sharing is really important.

So, let’s dive right in! I will tell you before we wrap up what caused me to go down the road in the first place. But first lets take you down the road.

Ask yourselves this question and answer honestly if you dare?

Describe to yourself the Holy Spirit – what it is, where it was in the beginning, and if the Holy Spirit is the Third Person that makes up God?

Ask yourselves when was the Holy Spirit able to dwell in the hearts and minds of human beings? Was it before Pentecost? If it was, why was Yeshua and Pentecost even needed if God’s unchangeable Spirit person could be in people before and if not, why not?

Go ahead – take five seconds.

Now we want to present a teaching tonight that we doubt you have ever heard before.

We doubt this not because you are deficient but because I’ve made these subjects my life’s work and I have never thought about it in these ways before either until three weeks ago when I had a thought invade my mind.

I then consulted with my brother Grady down in Sonora Mexico, got his take on the whole matter and am ready to present the whole things to you all now.

Why is this important?

First, we want to show you that there are truths to be discovered today that are backed by scripture that have not been considered by the former religious traditions or if they have been considered, have found such truth purposely obscured.

So by doing this we want to directly prove to you how the traditions of Man – especially those of Five Point Calvinism and other demanded systems of theology from other denominations – should be challenged, should be altered and in some cases, should be entirely abandoned.

So just try and listen to this position tonight, hear what we have to say about it, see how it is NOT the traditional view you have always believed and then in then end consider how what we are sharing utterly undermines the Calvinist view of God, His Spirit, and Predestination – as our conclusions will directly confront and dismantle each of these things.

Now, I was long taught that the Holy Spiri is the 3rd Person of God, co-equal, co-eternal, uncreated and unchanging and that it was not able to dwell in people before Pentecost.

To support this I had people cite John the Beloved adding his own parenthetical clarification on the Holy Spirit when he cited Yeshua in John 7:38,

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John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

And then John added the following:

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39 (But this spake he (Yeshua) of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Yeshua was not yet glorified.)

When John said that the Holy Spirit was not yet given, He was talking about at Pentecost and the reason John gives for it not yet being given was because, “Yeshua was not yet Glorified” meaning He had not overcome sin, death and the grave.

This is the standard view, that Yeshua needed to pay for the sins of the world BEFORE the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God, or the third person of the Holy Trinity, could be given and then indwell a person who had saving faith.

This seemed very reasonable to me because if the Holy Spirit could indwell in people before Christ paid for sin (or cleansed the collective human heart of sin) then why was Yeshua’s sacrifice even needed or necessary?

Right?

I’ve often likened God’s inability to relate to Man through His indwelling Spirit before Christ as being impossible on the basis that He is holy, a consuming fire, and because Man was unholy and fallen, no human being (again) could receive His Spirit in their hearts UNTIL after the victorious works of Jesus Christ occurred and forever cleansed the world of sin.

But this idea I used to teach is entirely wrong IF we can prove that the Holy Spirit filled people before Pentecost (meaning before Yeshua’s finished work).

And if this can be proven by the scripture then we MUST challenge all the Traditional Views not only about the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit but also about

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The very nature of God
The changeable nature of His Spirit
the way the Spirit of God works on people today, and finally,
on the doctrine of Predestination as taught by the Deformed Theologians.

Admittedly, I’ve always wondered about passages that challenged my previous views about the Holy Spirit when I read things like Luke 1:15, where, speaking of John the Baptist, it says,

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“For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
Luke 1:15

Pre-Pentecost? (check)
Even in-utero? (check)
Even before Christ? (check)

How?

But this filling wasn’t just in the case of the baby Baptist as we read 26 verses later

Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

These two passages are just irrefutable unless you do what I once did and try to excuse them away through Tradition.

Moving backward into the Tanakh, there are passages that we cannot get around there too, like,

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Ezekeil 2:1-2 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.
2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

Commentators have somehow decided that this referred to “the spirit of prophecy” alone, and not the Holy Spirit of God – a view I once allowed. What is also interesting is the Septuagint capitalizes Spirit in that passage, but the King James does not.

Note the conditioning of the translation to fit the tradition?

Then in Ezekiel 3:24 we read,

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“Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.”

Ask yourselves, was this spirit the Spirit of God, the third person of the Holy Trinity, unchangeable or another spirit because, again, the KJ Translators made it lower case while the Septuagint made it upper.

We recall reading all the way back in Exodus 31:3 about YAHAVAH and the craftsmen who made the tabernacle and Him saying

“And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,”

And then, again,

Exodus 35:31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

But again, in the King James, spirit is not capitalized in either case (again, as a means to sway interpretation) while the Septuagint makes the Spirit capital.

People refusing to believe that this Spirit was the Holy Spirit say this was God’s creative spirit only, but again, that is awfully convenient to tradition and has no bearing in reality.

Micah wrote, in Micah 3:8

“But as for me, I am filled with power, by the Spirit of YAHAVAH, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.”

Interestingly, when people describe the Holy Spirit today they often say things like, “it is the power of God on earth.” Here, all the way back in Micah, he appeals to the same language and admits that by the Spirit of YAHAVAH he was filled with power – waaaaay before Pentecost.

Finally, a big one in the Old Testament is found in Numbers 27:18 where we read,

Numbers 27:18 And YAHAVAH said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

Again, Spirit is capitalized in the Septuagint but not in the King James but this time it is accompanied by the article, the, making it an exceptional find.

Moving out to the New Testament in Matthew we see the apostles named there, and then we read the following

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Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Then after more instructions Yeshua says to them at verse 16-20

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

What are we to say? How was the Holy Spirit in men in Exodus, in Joshua the Son of Nun, in Ezekiel, in John the Baptist and His mother, and here in the Apostles all before Pentecost?

The standard arguments suggest that this version of the Holy Spirit was temporary, and conditional and did not abide in people, like the Holy Spirit would once Yeshua’s finished work was complete.

These things may be true – but there are far far greater implications to also consider about the Holy Spirit before and after Pentecost.

Where most Christian scholars, studying John 17 and Yeshua’s words to His apostles, place a lot of emphasis on the Greek words “en” and “para” and then conclude that even the apostles were not filled with the Holy Spirit before Pentecost, I plainly suggest another view – radical but entirely fitting with scripture.

And it all goes like this:

God, through His Spirit has always been able to fall upon and/or be around human beings, as it is frequently described in the scripture but additionally the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost (if you must) has never been restricted from being IN human beings, before the Fall, after the Fall and/or before Pentecost.

This thinking is a fabrication of Men trying to systematize the scripture in the minds of Men.

LISTEN –
The Fall created an impasse in Man having direct access to God – which is why the Nation, prior to the victorious work of Christ, could not come to YAHAVAH directly – hence the Law, ablutions, rites, rituals, veils and the blood of sacrificed animals.

But God was never, ever “unable” to relate directly with Man through His Spirit or indwell in him – and this explains how and why His Spirit is described as being “in” some people BEFORE Pentecost.

Again, for clarity, man, walking in sin and incapacities of soul did not have the mind and heart to access God on his or her own – because of our own carnality, mindsets, and other inabilities.

The very human heart prohibited Man from receiving and approaching God who was with them, around them and even in them without material mediations of religion at play.

But all of this changed when?

When God reconciled the world to Himself by and through the finished work of His Son.

That line, “reconciled the world to Himself” does not mean He was then able to enter and relate to Man – He has always been able to enter and relate to Man – the line better means

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“the world of Man was forevermore able to directly come to God as our sin was wiped away once and for all, and all people forevermore were taken back to our original spiritual standing in the Garden – freely choosing how to live without any need for ablutions, rites, rituals, or the shed blood of animals.”

God reconciled the world to HIMSELF does not mean He was always able to be with, around and in Man, but again, human-kind, shall we say, was incapable of rightly directly relating to Him in (pay close attention to these four words)

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In a “direct, rational, consistent and continual” way.

God related to Man, even indwelled Man but Man could not related back in a “direct, rational, consistent and continual way.”

I don’t know about you, but when the Holy Spirit is flowing in us even today, post-Pentecost, it is hard to abide in it directly in these bodies of flesh and with all the diversions around us.

We literally become overwhelmed and again, this is after the life, death, resurrection, ascension and return of His Son!

So, imagine living in a post Fallen, pre-victory over sin, death, hell, and Satan age when God’s spirit would actually enter a human being!

The disconnect must have been incomprehensible.

Again, God and His Spirit was perfectly able to abide in man, and God did abide in them according to the scripture but Man could only relate to God’s presence indirectly, irrationally, inconsistently and without continuity.

So, then we come to the incarnation of God made flesh, His Word made flesh – an event that would ultimately serve to reconcile the world (human beings) to God, enabling all of us to relate to Him and His direct, rational, consistent and continual presence within us.

Speaking to the Jewish converts of the faith of His day, the writer of Hebrews
referring to the unbelief of the Nation in the wilderness, wrote of Christ and what He accomplished, then added,

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Hebrews 4:11 Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

You know how traditionalists interpret this passage? They say it is talking about the Bible! This is not true – Yeshua is the Only Word of God as proven by the context of the next verse where we read

13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Because of Christ’s work over the Law, sin and death, because Christ overcame everything on our behalf, man (ever since) has been able to directly, rationally, continually and with continuity relate to the presence of God within him, AGAIN, because of the incarnation of Christ – as the writer of Hebrews continues, and says,

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Yeshua the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

In other words, because the Word of God made flesh . . .

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“was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin!!”

the writer concludes,

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Now hang with me – where humanity, prior to the incarnation had no ability in themselves to directly approach, relate, or be continually engaged with the presence of God in them, by and through the incarnate Christ and His complete victory, the whole world was forevermore equipped with the ability to respond and relate directly to, and to continually and in continuity have The Holy Spirit within them now.

It is at this point, however, where things begin to get wild. So, here we go, another heretical feather in the cap.

I suggest that the Holy Spirit of God, prior to the incarnation, victory and Pentecost, related to human beings in one specific ashion or way, but that after the life death and victory of Yeshua, who, becoming flesh, and

FOUR SHORT GRAPHICS

Being tempted in all points but not sinning, (Hebrews 4:15)
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:45)
That, “Being made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2nd Corinthians 5:21)

that the Holy Spirit of God changed.

That is right, I said it – the Holy Spirit of God CHANGED.

We realize that the implications of this are really far reaching and spit in the face of ideas like the fixed Trinity Persons unchanging) but promote today the non-traditional view that the Holy Spirit of God, was in “one form before the incarnation” and became something different thereafter.

How can we say this?

Because it was only AFTER the victorious incarnation, where Christ accomplished everything no other human being could ever accomplish, that the Holy Spirit became synonymously known as the “Spirit of Christ.”

In the famous chapter of John 14 Yeshua said to His apostles,

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John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; (Yeshua is the way, the Truth and the Life) whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Then at verse 27 Yeshua adds,

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27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

In the Great Commission Yeshua also said,

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Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Amen.

Of course, we recall Yeshua saying in
John 7:37

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37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (And then John adds)
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Yeshua was not yet glorified.)

“The Holy Spirit was not yet given????”
Why, John, why? Because Yeshua was NOT YET glorified! He says!

Contextually speaking, and in the face of all we have considered, what fell at Pentecost was (and I mean this honorably though it sounds sarcastic), the New, updated version of the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit 2.0, which was the Holy Spirit of God that from that day forward included the Spirit of His Son who acquired insights and abilities while incarnate enabling Him to guide, console and understand us.

This information DESTROYS the Traditonalist views that say God is unchanging. DESTROYS IT.

Listen carefully now to Paul in Romans 8 where he writes at verse 9

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9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Proving then and there that the Spirit of God was then synonymous with this new Spirit of Christ.

Consider

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Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Or back to Romans 8 verse 10 where Paul adds,

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Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Showing that the title, Spirit of Christ are not a one-off, but something new and given to those who have faith in Him after he ascended, Paul writes in Philippians 1:19:

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Philippians 1:19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Peter also uses the term, saying in
1st Peter 1:11

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify,

This ALLLLLLLL comes together and makes sense now when we read Yeshua also say in John 16:7

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

By the way, the masculine term him used to identify the Holy Spirit here is only a masculine Him because Comforter is masculine. Otherwise, Holy Spirit in the rest of the Apostolic Record should be gender neutral or “it” allowing for it to be the very Spirit of God and Christ, not a person and not something to be worshipped.

With all of this in mind, I presently maintain the following, and am convinced that there is at least partial truths here when I say:

EACH ONE A DIFFERENT GRAPHIC PLEASE

God has always been able to dwell in human beings through His Spirit and the scripture proves He did.
The Holy Spirit of God was able to dwell in people prior to Pentecost.
That prior to Pentecost the Holy Spirit did not include the Spirit of Christ which was acquired and developed during His incarnation and therefore the Holy Spirit given at Pentecost was “different” than the Pre-Pentecost Holy Spirit as it bore also the power of the victorious Christ which (again) was absent in the Spirit prior.
that the Holy Spirit that fell at Pentecost was substantively different version capable of permanently abiding in Man, now able to better guide humankind, and all of this was by virtue of Christ’s victory as a Man over His flesh.
These insights mitigate the traditional view of the Holy Spirit as a co-equal, co-eternal, unchanging person, but instead tend to describe the Holy Spirit, pre-Incarnation and pre-Pentecost as the power and Spirit of YAHAVAH, while the Holy Spirit post the incarnational victory at Pentecost, bore and bears an inclusion of the power of Christ obtained via His victorious life.

Why is this so revelatory as a rebuttal to Five Point Calvinism?

One of the main passages that Calvinists use to prove their teachings on election is
John 6:44 where Yeshua says

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

We maintain that this passage was applicable to the believers from the Nation then whom God predestined and drew to Christ by His spirit.

Frankly, we admit that God did in fact, have to draw them in that day to believe and receive Him and He did this by and through His Spirit.

That said, we add in more words from the Messiah who, speaking of Himself, said,

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

In the first passage, the Father dragged men to Him, by His Holy Spirit and the term used for draw is helkuo which was written in the first aorist active subjunctive mood meaning it was a probability or possibility that the Father would draw predestined believers in that day to His Son.

But in the second passage, where Yeshua speaks of Himself being lifted up, and that He (meaning by and through His Spirit or the Spirit of Christ) would draw all men to himself we have a different meaning!

That passage was written in the Future Active which pretty much means, there is no impossibility – it is definite – He, through His Spirit, His victory over all things, would definitively draw all men to Himself.

And this DESTROYS several things which the Five Point Taliban represents and believes–

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First, it proves that the Holy Spirit of God changed by and through the life death resurrection of the Son and thereafter becoming the Spirit of Christ which ostensibly understands us and can succor us when we face trials.

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Secondly, it shows that in the days of the incarnate Christ, there were some who were dragged by the Father to receive the Son, but that thereafter, all (without fail) would be drawn to Yeshua forevermore.

To close out a final blow to the American Taiban, I want to show you how badly they exegete scripture by turning to another set of their favorite passages in the Apostolic Record and wrapping tonight up in light of all we have just learned.

So let’s take one of their favorite sets of passages from Paul in the first chapter of Ephesians 1 verse 3-12.

Notice, right out of the gate how often Paul uses the terms “us” “our” and “we) (referring to himself and his Jewish brothers who were drawn by the Father to receive Christ). Ready?

Paul writes,

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3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (These are the believing Jews of that day drawn by Holy Spirit 1.0)
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times (which was then, folks and not today) He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Who first trusted in Christ? The Jews of that age who were predetermined to believe by and through Holy Spirit 1.0

The Calvinists take these passages and suggest that they speak to “all believers forever more (including themselves of course) whom they say God has elected and dragged to Christ.

Sounds right based on these passages alone.

But just read on and listen to the two passages that follow that chunk and note the shift in Paul addressing the first group in verses 3-12 as “our, we and us” (meaning the Jewish believers that God predestined to belief) to what he says next, adding,

“In whom YE – no more our, we or us, now Paul is speaking to another group, or those who were not drawn or elected by the Spirit of God to believe, and so he says,

“In whom Ye also trusted,”

(meaning “you also trusted in Christ but not by God drawing you and not via predestination – and he adds)

after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

And then Paul brings both the Elected and Predestined by God through Holy Spirit 1 and those Drawn by Christ through Holy Spirit 2 and unites them saying,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

These passages clearly prove

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There was a predestined group whom God before the foundation of the world elected and they were the Jewish converts of the Bride drawn by Holy Spirit 1.0 and in that day
That after that was established, Paul then speaks to “others who were not elected, referring to them as ye’s and yours and not we nor us and states that
After they HEARD the word of Truth, and
After that they BELIEVED

That they would join the elect.

Showing how all souls today now choose to Join the Elect when we believe and receive Holy Spirit 2.0, or the power of Christ which will draw all men to Himself!

After researching all of this, I am convinced that the people who have been touched by the Holy Spirit that abided and operated in the Old Testament and what I have called Holy Spirit 1.0 are very different believers than those who have been drawn by Christ and His Spirit 2.0.

How do we distinguish them?

I believe God is working in and through each freewill individual in calling to them where they are.

Some will not receive His spirit in the least, so the calls are materially based and of this world.

Some believe in God and relate to Him indirectly, sometimes unreasonably, and perhaps through the ebb and flow of His Spirit that abided pre-Pentecost.

We might size them up as more legalistic, more religious, more inclined to the Spirit of God pre-Christ that was perhaps more masculine, more punitive, more wrathful.

These folks might be seen as God-fearing people, who love goodness, love the Law, justice, and the notion of an afterlife hell.

I believe they are those believers who are far more political, right-winged even, and demonstrably Old Testament.

What separates them from being genuinely from the heart like Yeshua is their conditional love, their judgements, their failure to truly walk with and in Christ.

Then there are those who have received the Spirit of Christ in them. The Holy Spirit 2.0 if you will allow the rude label.

These are known by their love – selfless, sacrificial, insufferable, unconditional, sold-out love for God and Man.

They are known by their love.

I understand these statements are uncertain and uncategorized but I mean them generally and without borders or laws.

But I am convinced that there are many Christians who are full of the Holy Spirit of God who have yet to receive the Spirit of Christ and they are distinguished by their agape love.

And so to what lead me to go into this whole thing in the first place?

I love people. And even though I disagree with them on many things, I do love them from my heart. Including those who despise me.

How do I know this? Because when I happen to run into my most ardent critics in the world – usually Five Point Calvinists – I’m actually happy to see them! I want to talk with them. Even hug them despite our theological differences.

But the joy is not reciprocated and my so called enemies show time and time again that they want nothing to do with me when they see me through happenstance.

And I got to thinking,

Is there anyone on earth that if I ran into them in heaven I would not speak to them?

And I was able to answer honestly, no, none. I would rejoice at the presence of Aaron S. and James White and Jeff Durbin.

Then I thought, What would THEY do if they saw me? Would they rejoice or would they give me the cold shoulder.

And I realized and came to believe that whoever is in the New Jerusalem above will have the Holy Spirit of Christ because that is what brings unconditional, selfless love.

And I doubt very much that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit 1.0 will bring anyone to such a place in their soul.

Call in on Thursdays from 11-1pm Mtn time – we’d love to hear from you.

See you next week here on HOTM Full Circle.