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Subject 18 : GENESIS
[Chapter 1-7] God Divided the Waters On the Second Day (Genesis 1:6-8)
(Genesis 1:6-8)
“Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.”
As God commanded to let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters to separate water from water, it was done according to His Word. God called this firmament Heaven. In today’s Scripture passage, God is explaining how on the second day of creation He divided the water that was under the firmament from the water that was above it. Originally, there was a single body of water that covered the planet earth, but God made a firmament and separated the water above the firmament from the water on the earth. Today, I would like to explain what is meant by this Scripture passage, and share God’s blessings with you.
As we look at God’s creation of the heavens and the earth, we can discover that He continued to divide on the second day as He had done so on the first day. The spiritual message of God’s work on this second day is the following: It is extremely important to discern God’s Word from Satan’s evil words. In other words, God is saying to us that we must have the faith that spiritually separates the water above Heaven from the water of the earth.
When God created the heavens and the earth, He divided the water above the firmament from the water under it. He did so to tell us that if we were to have true faith, we must first drink the water above the firmament. We need to realize the spiritual meaning behind the reason why God thus divided the water. Only then can we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus Christ has given us, and only then can we do God’s work by faith. Put differently, today’s Scripture passage tells us that unless we are able to discern and separate the Word of God from the words of Satan, we will forever remain unable to enter into the dominion of God.
Truth Must Be Separated from Falsehood
If we are unable to separate the truth from falsehood, not only would we be unable to do God’s work, but far worse, we will end up standing against God. That is why God is telling us about this issue. However, in today’s Christianity, the so-called legalists and evangelicals still remain incapable of separating the truth from the falsehood, fallaciously believing in only their own, man-made doctrines. They need to realize that this is the most fundamental reason why they cannot enter God’s dominion despite believing in God, because they believe in the water above the earth—that is, in the doctrines of man’s own making.
The liars in today’s Christian communities rely on and trust in these man-made doctrines far more than what God is actually saying in the Word of the Scriptures. We need to realize that even now, a great deal of harm is being done by many Christian leaders who pretend to do God’s work, because they are actually sharing their own carnal lessons mingled with the Word of God.
We must separate the spiritual Word of God from the lessons coming out of the flesh of man, and only then can we do God’s work properly. For the servants of God, the weaknesses or insufficiencies of their flesh are not a problem. On the contrary, what is far more problematic for God’s servants is when they try to do God’s work without first separating the spiritual Word from carnal words. If one tries to do God’s work without carefully considering and discerning the words of mankind from the God-spoken Word, then he ultimately ends up bringing spiritual destruction to souls that need not perish, not to mention destroying his own soul.
We who have become God’s workers must preach the Word that God is speaking to us with a clear understanding. Why? Because that is the will of God. The water above the firmament and the water below it are fundamentally different. So God’s workers must know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, separate false gospels from the true gospel, and preach only the gospel of Truth. Now, we are able to know exactly what the Word of God is saying to us through the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. God’s workers must therefore know the mystery of the gospel of the water and the Spirit properly, believe in it, and preach it to everyone by placing their faith in this gospel. Only then would every sinner come to know the Truth of the redemption of God, and through this, God will be glorified.
If we know and preach the mystery hidden in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, countless people will be able to receive everlasting life, for they will be saved. Everyone who realizes and believes in the water above the firmament preached by us—that is, the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit—will definitely be delivered from sin and confusion. For this to come true, the servants of God must be able to preach the Word of the Spirit, separating it from the words of the flesh. Did He not tell us all that He has at once saved all the people of this world from all their sins through the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit? God told us that it is by believing in the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, the Truth that saves us from sin, that we can become His children. Therefore, we must know the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit clearly, and we must preach it to everyone by faith. We must separate the true gospel from false gospels, and placing our faith in the true gospel, we must preach it to all those who are yearning for God’s Truth.
Some people claim that if they just believe in Jesus Christ, they can be saved from their sins unconditionally without believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but this is not true. Those who do not know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit say, “One can be saved from sin just by believing in Jesus Christ blindly.” This is a lie. In reality, this is not the case. While the Devil doesn’t mind people believing in Jesus Christ, he still tries to lead them to destruction by preventing them from receiving the perfect remission of sin. It’s one of his most cunning schemes.
Satan is smart enough to use even the so-called “Church of God” to put people on a path to destruction in the surest way, by demanding legalistic faith from them and binding them under sin. The ultimate goal of the Devil is to have false gospels spread even in Christianity, so that even Christians would not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and, in the end, all would be destroyed for their sins. As the wages of sin is death, the work of the Devil is a work of death too. The Devil is masterfully skilled at making countless people drift away from God’s Truth, by having them hear only the words of the false gospels that satisfy the lusts of their flesh. This is where the ultimate purpose of the Devil lies. By knowing the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit that the Lord has given us, and by believing in it, we must all escape from the wicked wiles of the lying Devil and be saved.
As such, we should realize that the servants of the Devil have been feeding people’s souls with the words of Satan mixed with the Word of God, thereby leading them to death. What has come out of this, from mixing the Devil’s teachings with God’s Word? Representative of this is none other than false gospels. Like this, as Satan’s servants still continue to preach false gospels, they are taking the lead to destroy the souls that need not die. This is Satan’s work and what liars do. Satan is an expert at deceiving people. However, God makes it possible to be saved for those who hear the gospel discerningly, separating the true gospel from the false gospels. As such, God’s servants must dedicate all their efforts to separate the Word of God from the words of the Devil. As we labor for God’s work, we all need to realize why God divided the water above the firmament and the water below it in this way on the second day of creation.
We Must Build a Solid Foundation of Salvation for Our Lives of Faith
Those who cause the most trouble for God’s work are those who do it assiduously but recklessly, not knowing how to discern the Word of God from the words of man. This, too, must be understood clearly. We need to realize that when those who call themselves God’s workers preach the Word of God with the words of man, it turns into the greatest obstacle to God’s work of saving souls. For the so-called servants of God to preach the Word of God mixed with the words of Satan is the greatest fallacy of their ministry.
For example, when they refer to the passage in John 13 where Jesus washed Peter’s feet, they interpret and teach it to mean, “As the Lord told Peter that those who are bathed need only to wash their feet, so should we wash our sins everyday through our prayers of repentance.” Through this passage, many false ministers might deceive naive believers with their insistence on prayers of repentance. Indeed, had we not received the remission of our sins and been born again of the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, we would also have been deceived by the liars prevailing in this age and have had no choice but to be bound to the place of destruction.
Those who have no spiritual discernment have misunderstood this and are teaching fallaciously that people must wash away their sins everyday. However, the servants of God who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit do not interpret this passage like those false preachers. They teach that when Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, He bore all the sins of this world once and for all, went to the Cross, was crucified and shed His blood, and has thereby saved us from all sins once and for all.
Jesus Christ is the Savior who has washed away all the sins of this world once and for all with the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Bible says that this gospel of the water and the Spirit is the Truth. Coming to this earth incarnated in the flesh, Jesus Christ completely remitted away all our sins once and for all, from the beginning to the end, through the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. When Jesus Christ came to this earth, He was baptized by John the Baptist once; while thus shouldering all the sins of this world, He was condemned for our sins by being crucified and shedding His blood to death; and rising from the dead again, He has forever become the Savior of all those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet in John 13, He was speaking about the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the salvation of Truth, that He had already washed away all the sins of the disciples, even those that would be committed in the future. Yet despite this, countless people still do not realize the Truth of salvation, for they have not found God’s true gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Those who feed only on the Word of God that is above the firmament refuse to drink the water that is below it. However, those who have drunk only the water below the firmament do not wish to drink the pure water that is above it. Jesus Christ said, “No one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better’” (Luke 5:39). In the real world, old wine is better. Anyone who has tasted old wine is very unlikely to want to drink new wine just brewed.
However, in the spiritual domain, it’s completely opposite. When we look at the history of mankind, we can see that regardless of how long it might be, the philosophical and religious teachings that have come out of man’s own thoughts are completely opposite to God’s Word. No matter how aged or profound the philosophies and ideas of this world might seem, they are nothing more than crude, rubbish teachings, incomparable to the real Truth of salvation that delivers people from sin, the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is the true Word of life that delivers people from sin. Therefore, those who are wise are those who believe in the God-given gospel Word of the water and the Spirit over the traditional teachings of the religions of the world.
Regardless of how sincerely people might think of and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, unless they make the connection between the baptism the Lord received from John the Baptist and the blood He shed on the Cross, and place their faith in both, they are bound to be deceived by liars and perish. If this happens to us, then we are also bound to drift far away from God’s blessing of everlasting life. It is indeed a curse for people to try to do God’s work even as they themselves do not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and have therefore not been saved. They are actually ruining God’s work, far from serving it. In other words, among today’s Christians professing to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, if anyone does not have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, then he is not doing God’s work but Satan’s work. Such pastors are not doing God’s work, but rather, they are ministering diligently only to fill their own lusts. You must realize that it is not the many liars of this world who are doing God’s work, but it is those who now believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit that are truly doing God’s work.
Many of today’s Christians are unable to discern the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit from the words of Satan preached by liars, thus being deceived by Satan and led to destruction. So they must try to listen to the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the Word of God. But for what kind of sermons are the countless Christians of this world now looking? Are they looking for God’s servants who preach the water that is above the firmament, or are they looking for the servants who preach the water that is below it?
Too many Christians are now looking for those who preach mixing the water above the firmament with the water below it. Had they received the remission of their sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, they would have looked for the servants of God who preach the Word that is above the firmament. Right now, countless people who have not been washed from their sins, as they remain ignorant of the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, are still trying to lead a life of faith before God. However, those who are yet to be freed from their sins have been deceived by liars, and so all that they are leading is only a carnal religious life.
Even to this day, many pastors who call themselves as God’s servants have been deceived by Satan like this, and as a result, they are only engaged in a futile and foolish ministry. But there is a clear difference of faith between such people’s faith and that of those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
In the hearts of those who believe in a false gospel, not in the gospel of the water and the Christ Spirit, we see that there is no Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Although they do believe in Jesus as their Savior at present, the Holy Spirit cannot descend on them, for the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit is not in them. The reason for this is because they are still abiding by darkness, not knowing that the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit is the real Truth of the remission of sin.
In other words, it’s because they still have sin in their hearts. In contrast, in the hearts of the born-again who have been remitted from all their sins by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, there is the Holy Spirit. So thanks to the Holy Spirit in their hearts, they can discern the words of man from the Word of God. As such, they can preach God’s Word properly, and as they believe in the Word of Truth, they can also establish His Kingdom properly. The righteous can discern the words of Satan from the Word of God, and by this true faith, they can preach the real gospel of salvation.
Those who are covering the glory of God to this day are those who do not know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. They have nothing to do with God. They are so far removed from God. It is such a tragedy that there are so many such pastors around us. Although these people claim to be doing God’s work out of their voluntary desire, they are actually doing Satan’s work, not God’s work. Far from doing God’s work, they are in fact blaspheming it, but the even more serious problem is that they themselves do not realize this.
One characteristic of such liars is the fact that they have no knowledge of the Truth, but are nonetheless very busy. Now, they must first believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the gospel of God. Now, they must listen to the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit flowing from God’s Church. Now, the work of God must be entrusted to those who believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. And now, you must also serve the gospel of Truth united with the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If you claim to be doing God’s work now, and yet you do not know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the gospel of Truth, then you must look for the gospel of the water and the Spirit even more, for you are spiritually blind.
Just as it is crucial to lay a firm foundation when building a house, for us to do God’s work, we must first build our foundation of faith properly, by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. One can go out as God’s worker who saves others only after he himself is saved from his sins once and for all. If people throw all kinds of racket trying to become God’s workers on their own without first being saved themselves, then in the end, their faith will just crumble down helplessly. For you to become people of faith before God, you must first receive the remission of your sins through the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, be saved from all your sins, and build your house of faith on the foundation of true faith, of true salvation. With the Word of God, we must first lay the foundation of salvation, of the true remission of sin, and then embark on the way of faith. It is such people who are wise before God. We should all found the true house of salvation with the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, and then partake in the building of the Kingdom of God.
Now, we must believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, who came to this earth by the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, and we must walk with the Lord. Only then can we preach the Lord’s gospel and walk with Him until the end. Even if it takes a while, we need to first lay the foundation of salvation firmly with the Word of Truth, and on this foundation build the house of faith solid as a rock. In people’s eyes, it may seem rather protracted to lay the foundation of one’s salvation and then begin his life of faith, but in the eyes of faith, we can see that this is wiser. We must build our house of faith with the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Now that we believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, we can all attain true salvation. And now that we have built our house of faith, of true salvation, we can live in the Lord’s peace, having nothing at all to fear anymore.
The reason why we, the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, must live in this world is to enable everyone to be saved from sin and become God’s child. To do so, we must first lay the foundation of faith firmly with the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and then do God’s work. Only then can we escape from the judgment of sin no matter when Jesus Christ might return to this earth. However, those who begin their lives of faith without even believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are like someone who built his house on sand. God said that on the day of His judgment, one who built his house on sand will not escape from God’s judgment, and its fall will be great. As such, we must all build the house of the true remission of sin by believing in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
On the second day of creation, the Lord made a firmament and divided the water above the firmament from the water below it. God called the space between the heavens and the earth as the firmament. Of the water that was covering the planet earth, God made some rise above the firmament, and He made the rest of the water on the earth to gather together into one place. It is with the water that is above this firmament that we must lay the foundation of our salvation and faith, and live our lives of faith. To what does the water above the firmament that the Lord spoke refer? It refers to the pure Word of God. Of all the Word of God, the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, more than anything else, is the water above the firmament.
Through the baptism He received from John the Baptist and the precious blood He shed on the Cross, the Lord has delivered us from the sins of the world and made us God’s children. And the Lord has also entrusted God’s work to us, who have now become God’s people by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and being born again from sin. Like this, God has given us His Kingdom, His blessings, and His love as well. God blesses those who have been freed from their sins and made righteous by drinking the water that is above the firmament. This blessing, however, is beyond the reach of those who did not drink the water above the firmament. On the contrary, the opposite will happen to them.
Now, we must believe that God has saved us from the sins of this world through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and we must preach this. Jesus Christ has saved us from all the sins of the world through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. When we lay the foundation of faith that saves us from all our sins, we must build it with the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and we must also preach this Truth to others, leading them to believe in Jesus Christ who came by the water and the Spirit, and to praise God’s light of Truth.
On the other hand, those who have not laid the foundation of their salvation with the water that is above the firmament will turn into the children of destruction. No one can be saved from all his sins unless he drinks the water above the firmament, no matter how wise and knowledgeable he might be. Some people claim that they have been saved from sin just by believing in Jesus Christ’s blood on the Cross alone, but their own conscience knows it better that this is not the case. Because such people believe in Jesus Christ without separating the water that is above the firmament from the water below it, they believe in Jesus Christ only in vain. In some Christian gatherings, people speak as if they believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. But when we examine their teachings in detail, we can see that they are actually preaching to people by mixing the water above the firmament with the water below it. Such people are not believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. They are nothing more than tares before God.
There still are God’s servants in this world, saving people from sin through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. However, there also are countless liars in the world, putting together Satan’s gatherings and misconceiving themselves to be doing God’s work. Let me make it clear to you: Those who have not received the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit are all liars. Those who believe only in the blood of the Cross as their salvation and preach so are all liars who are deceiving everyone, themselves and others alike. Almost everyone throughout the whole world believes only in the blood of the Cross and claims this to be salvation, but such people have not been actually saved, nor do they have any conviction of their own salvation, for they do not have the gospel of the water and the Spirit in their hearts. The Bible says that the gospel of the water and the Spirit alone is the definitive gospel of Truth. Nothing else in this world can be the Truth of salvation but the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by the Lord.
I know a thing or two about the mainstream theology that is widespread throughout the world. However, when ones researches theology, he cannot find the gospel of the water and the Spirit in it. It’s all water below the firmament. All theologies are premised on the notion that “one is saved just by believing in Jesus Christ’s blood on the Cross alone,” and on this foundation each denomination makes different assertions. However, of all the theologians, I could not find anyone saying, “I have now become sinless, for I have been truly and completely washed from my sins with the blood of the Cross.”
If there were a handful who said so, they claimed to be sinless only doctrinally. However, they were still no more than religionists who had to receive the remission of their sins constantly on an on-going basis, not the true Christians who knew and believed in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit.
The many Christians that are in this world are only different from each other in their chosen denominations; they all have nothing to do with the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Even at this very moment, countless people think that their sins are blotted out just by believing in the blood of the Cross alone, but that is not the case. For such people also, only when they believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit are all their sins blotted out once and for all; otherwise, their sins will never disappear.
The Word of the Bible clearly says to all of us that we must receive the remission of our sins through the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. That is why I believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and why I am testifying to you of the water that is above the firmament. It is when you hear this gospel of the water and the Spirit with your ears and acknowledge this gospel of the remission of sin with your hearts, that true salvation is brought into your souls. If you now believe that you have been saved from your sins only through the blood of the Cross, you should stop deceiving your own conscience, come before God, and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
There is no other place but only God’s Church that is now preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit on this planet earth. There is no other gathering in this world but only God’s Church that is a gathering of those who have been born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. As God’s servants in this world are now preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit clearly and enabling people to receive the remission of their sins, you really must not miss this opportunity to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If you believe only in Jesus Christ’s blood on the Cross, then while you may be able to become worldly religionists called as Christians in name, you will not be able to become true Christians. If you reject the gospel of the water and the Spirit, you can never escape from your sins for eternity. There is no other way to escape from sin once and for all but to believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. I admonish you all to realize this through faith. That’s because God never says to the sinful, “You are righteous, and My people,” nor does He write their names in the Book of Life.
One attribute that is common to all heretics in Christianity is that they preach by mixing the water that is above the firmament with the water below it. In contrast, the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit proclaims that all the sins of this world were passed onto the head of Jesus Christ once and for all when He was baptized by John the Baptist. All our sins were passed onto the body of Jesus Christ at once through the baptism of John the Baptist that He received, but despite this, people ignore this Truth and are trying to be saved from sin by believing only in the blood of the Cross, and that is why they cannot be truly saved. They believe in Jesus Christ all in vain.
It is because we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit after we are saved. We the believers are baptized in water as a mark of our faith, believing that by being baptized by John the Baptist and shedding His blood, Jesus Christ washed away all our sins once and for all and bore all the condemnation of sin. It is as a mark of our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we are baptized in the same way as Jesus Christ was baptized. We are expressing our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit with this ritual. We are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ as a mark of our faith, indicating this is how we believe.
Those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit cannot be with those who do not believe in it. The Bible says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)
God’s Church is a gathering of the saints who have received the remission of their sins and become holy by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:2). So those who do not believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit cannot be part of God’s Church.
The saints’ foundation of faith must not fall. If our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which forms our hearts’ foundation of salvation, is destroyed, then we cannot have Jesus Christ dwell in our hearts. Jesus Christ has become the Savior who has given us the salvation of the remission of sin all at once. Coming to us by the water and the blood, the Lord has blotted out all our sins once and for all. That is why we are living by faith, sitting on the foundation of the faith of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Truth of the remission of sin, that Jesus Christ has laid down in our hearts. However, if our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the foundation of salvation, falls apart, then we have no place to put our bodies and hearts. The hearts of the righteous have no other place to dwell but the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and so without this gospel, they would end up lost.
For Jesus Christ to become your true Savior, you must build your house of faith firmly on the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Word of God. If you fail to do so, then your lives of faith will invariably turn into a failure. If you lay the foundation of your faith on your own prayers of repentance, this faith will wobble all the time. Is your faith made whole when you live your lives of faith trusting only in the blood of the Cross and giving your prayers of repentance? No, such a faith is bound to shake constantly. That is why we must believe in the water that is above the firmament—that is, in the gospel of the water and the Spirit—as the Truth of the remission of our sins.
Those who hear the words of man without discerning them from the Word of God are bound to drift away from God. So we must infallibly separate the Truth from falsehood, and believe in what is true. Those who believe without separating the Word of God from the words of man will perish. Therefore, we must invariably separate the Truth of salvation from falsehood, discern it clearly, and believe in the Truth alone.
My fellow believers, can our sins be washed away without the baptism that Jesus Christ received from John the Baptist? No, the sins of this world can never be washed away without the gospel of the water and the Spirit that Jesus Christ has given us. How can we believe that this world’s sins are washed away without the gospel of the water and the Spirit? As Jesus Christ took upon all the sins of the world by being baptized by John the Baptist, shed His blood as its consequence, and has thereby fulfilled the righteousness of God, those who believe in this Truth with their hearts have been washed from all their sins once and for all. Even though we still commit sin everyday, because we believe in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, not in our own prayers of repentance, our sins have been all washed away completely. How else could the sins of this world be washed from your hearts? Seen through our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, our sins were washed away once and for all, and so the fact that our sins were washed away is in the past tense.
It is because we have faith in the baptism of Jesus Christ that all those countless sins in our hearts were washed away once for all by faith. Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17). The word “baptism” first means “to wash.” All our sins were washed away cleanly through the baptism that Jesus Christ received. The word baptism also means “to bury,” and so because Jesus Christ had been baptized by John the Baptist, He could die at once on the Cross, saying, “It is finished.” Therefore, whoever believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit had died with Jesus Christ and was spiritually resurrected with Him by faith.
In the Old Testament, when Aaron the High Priest laid his hands on the sacrificial lamb, all the sins of the people of Israel for an entire year were passed onto the lamb of sacrifice. Just like this, when Jesus Christ was baptized from John the Baptist, all the sins of mankind were passed onto Jesus Christ once and for all. And Jesus Christ bore the condemnation of sin in our place. Without the baptism that Jesus Christ received from John the Baptist, we could never be remitted from the sins of the world.
Like this, in chapter 1 of the Book of Genesis, God is already testifying about the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which is the water above the firmament. We have to clearly separate the water that is above the firmament from the water that is below it, and we have to believe only in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the water above the firmament.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” On the last day, there will be countless people who, despite believing in Jesus Christ ardently, must be cast into hell.
A while back, I planted a church in a port city called Changwon located on the southern coast of Korea and ministered there. I rented a place on the third floor of a large building located in the commercial district and began my ministry. Because I was new to the city, I didn’t even realize that there was another church using the same name as the church that I planted.
One day, a pastor and his wife came to see me late in night. When I asked them, “What brings you here?” the pastor said, “Excuse us, but I am the pastor of so-and so church, and I came here with some words of admonishment, as a new church has sprung up with the same name as my church.” The pastor explained to me that he had already been ministering with this church name for a long time, and that another church using the same name would cause much confusion, such as the mail being delivered to an incorrect address. So He asked me to change the name of my church.
So I asked him back, pointing out that the address and the denomination were different. I said to him, “I can see how some people might get confused if the denomination were the same, but since the address and the denomination are different, wouldn’t it be clear enough, with nothing to be confused about? Look out there at our sign. Aren’t our address and denomination different from yours?” But this pastor began to show his stubbornness and kept insisting, “Still, you have to change the name of your church.”
After talking with this couple for some time in the church, I invited them to my office. Serving them tea, I said to them, “I will give some more thoughts to this issue. I will change the name if I decide it would be better, but in that event, I will have to ask you for compensation. If the name of my church is changed, its sign has to be changed and new pamphlets have to be printed. It takes a lot of work and substantial costs to inform others of our change. Can you compensate for all this? But that’s something that I should decide after some more consideration. Anyway, do you have sin, reverend? ”
Somewhat bewildered by my sudden question, the pastor answered, “ I have no sin.”
I asked him again, “How is it that you have no sin?”
“I have no sin because I believe in the blood of Jesus Christ.”
“Do you then not commit sin again? Are you still sinless, even if you sin again?”
“I still have no sin.”
“When you commit sin, then, do you not give prayers of repentance?”
“I do.”
“You just said that you have no sin, and yet do you give prayers of repentance whenever you commit sin? How do you then pray when you repent? Do you ask God to wash away your sins, or do you just thank Him for having washed them?”
“I ask Him to wash them away, of course.”
“Isn’t this then the evidence of the fact that there is sin in your heart? You may have stepped into my church to discuss the problem of its name, but you really shouldn’t return empty-handed like this.”
From then on, I explained the gospel of the water and the Spirit to them in detail, and although it took some time, the pastor and his wife came to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. So they decided to end all of their past ministries and serve the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and they asked me to guide them. Unfortunately, however, I heard that the pastor eventually joined a gathering of those who believe only in the blood of the Cross, and as a result, the correct foundation of faith all crumbled down. Even though with the Word of God I had separated the water above the firmament from the water below it for this pastor, Satan mixed the gospel of the water and the Spirit that the pastor received with a false gospel, and completely sank his faith.
God does not approve just any gospel. We must grasp what it means when the Bible says that God separated the water above the firmament from the water below it, and we must follow it by faith. We must now realize that if we say that just about any gospel is right, then spiritually speaking, we will end up sinking completely. The weakness of our faith is the problem, not the Word of God; God’s Word of Truth is perfect and unchanging. God’s Word is true and complete. So given this, human beings cannot implicate God’s Word to be contradictory, just because they are weak. Rather, they must only believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
The Lord said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The Word of God is the Truth. What the Lord said is the Truth. It is the life. It is the way. A particular attribute that is common to all liars is that they never preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit, but are only obsessed to draw more and more people into their fold. To do so, they only preach what suits people’s carnal mind. They teach that if their followers just believe in Jesus Christ and are faithful to church, they will be blessed to prosper and live a healthy and long life on this earth.
However, we must not preach to people the water that is above the firmament by mixing it with the water below it. If we do this, it will not be possible for them to be born again, remitted from their sins. The liars are claiming themselves to be God’s people only as a matter of doctrine, when in fact their sins still remain in their hearts.
Those who have now received the Holy Spirit by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit are able to know even the profound depth of God through the help of the Holy Spirit, and so they can see people’s hearts revealed clearly by the Word of Truth. When we examine people’s hearts with the true Word of the water and the Spirit, we can also find out whether there is sin in their hearts or not. Since God has given faith, wisdom, and spiritual discernment to those who believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we can easily find out whether someone is a sinner or a righteous person just by looking at his eyes and having a short conversation with him. All that it takes for us to discern whether someone has been saved or not is to just ask him to explain how he has been saved, and listen to his explanation.
As such, we know people’s spiritual condition by believing in the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. In contrast, however, those who have not separated the water that is above the firmament from the water below it are incapable of discerning what is true from what is false.
That is why it is so important to understand this water that is above the firmament, believe in it, and preach it to others. The water above the firmament must be clearly separated as the water that is above the firmament, the water below the firmament must be clearly separated as the water that is below the firmament, and they must be preached accordingly. We must preach the gospel with discernment, separating the gospel of the water and the Spirit from the other gospels. We have to divide the Devil’s words from God’s Word, preaching only the Word of God. We must never mix what is true with lies. God says, “You shall not sow your field with mixed seed” (Leviticus 19:19). As God commands us not to sow a field with mixed seed, we must clearly preach only the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we believe. We must preach only the written Word of God.
Some people ask, “Does this then mean that the washing of our sins is achieved only through baptism?” Mankind’s sins are washed through the baptism of Jesus Christ and His blood on the Cross. However, it is through the baptism that Jesus Christ received that some people have all their sins cut off from their hearts and passed onto Jesus Christ, and it is through His blood on the Cross that these sins are condemned. Does God, then, also say so in the Old Testament? In the Old Testament also, God speaks the same Truth. All the Word of the Old Testament is a shadow of the Word of the New Testament. The shadow of the baptism that Jesus Christ received in the age of the New Testament is the circumcision in the age of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament’s time, those who were not circumcised were not qualified to eat the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:48). Anyone who wanted to eat the Passover lamb had to be circumcised, even if he was an Israelite. Those who were not physically circumcised were not qualified to partake in the Passover.
This rule applies equally to the New Testament. We cannot enter the feast of Heaven unless we are born again. And we are born again from all our sins only if we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The Lord said that it is by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that we can be born again from our sins and enter the Kingdom of God.
That is why everyone must believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, be washed from their sins, and be born again. We must believe in the gospel, that the Lord has saved us from the sins of the world through His water and blood. The gospel Word of the water and the Spirit is clearly the Word that is above the firmament. Yet despite this, today’s Christians have no desire to know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, far less believe in it. It is because Christianity to this day has refused to believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit given by the Lord that it has been corrupted. As such, every Christian must repent and believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
Why has Christianity throughout the whole world become so desolate? It’s because it has failed to believe in and preach the water that is above the firmament. In other words, it is because people believe in the water that is below the firmament, and because they have preached it mixed with some Word of God, that virtually all souls have become so muddled. Countless people profess to believe in Jesus Christ and dogmatically claim to be sinless, even as they still have sin. As a result, this world is filled with so many Christians pretending to be faithful believers, even as their faith is a legalistic one.
On the first day, God saved sinners through the light of life. On the second day, God set apart those who have been saved from sin—that is, He divided the water above the firmament from the water below it. When God first created the heavens and the earth, the whole world was covered with water, but God lifted up some of this water to Heaven. So there came to be a space called the firmament between the waters.
Do not underestimate what God has done. His Word is the Truth. How wonderful would it be if everyone drank the water that is above the firmament? Had everyone drunk this water, everyone would have become righteous. Moreover, today’s Christianity would really have become the Kingdom of Christ. If we the righteous continue to live in this world, the world will change. Do we the righteous practice evil? No, we do not practice evil. No righteous person ever practices wickedness.
In contrast, just how much evil do the Christians who are not born again practice while living in this world? They practice evil so much that even non-Christians are sick and tired of them. Why is this so? It’s because they have failed to drink the water that is above the firmament by faith. It’s because they have been deceived by liars and have drunk mixed water.
The Bible makes it clear that those who preach the water below the firmament mixed with the water above it are not God’s servants. Anyone who drinks the water above the firmament mixed with the water below it will end up dying. It is only through the water that is above the firmament that God has saved us from the sins of the world. And He nurtures us by bringing rain from above. If one really wants to attain everlasting life, he must drink the water that is above the firmament. If he instead drinks the water that is on the earth, he will end up perishing spiritually.
God has saved us from our sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and it is in this grace of salvation that we are now living. God has given us everlasting life, He has bestowed us with the spiritual blessings that belong to Heaven, He has made us His workers, and He has entrusted us with “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18), so that we may be more than able to do His work.
I give all my thanks to God over and over again. Without fail, we must all preach only the water that is above the firmament, and we must also clearly condemn the water that is below firmament as the words of the Devil. We should all live our lives thanking God, trusting only in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. Since our Lord is the God who came to us by the water and the Spirit and saved us, anyone who believes in Him has already received the gift of salvation. As such, we must always cherish this Word in our hearts, and we must live in the true will of the Lord. Now, then, let us all live properly by placing our faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
On this planet that was covered with water, God divided the water into two separate distinctions. So the water above the firmament is different from the water below it. This implies that among the words preached by people, there is the Word of God, but there also are Satan’s words. In other words, God speaks to us with the true Word of the water and the Spirit, while Satan is only lying. It is absolutely indispensable for us to know how to discern what is God’s Word and what is not from the words preached by people.
“Let it divide the waters from the waters.” In the Bible, water refers to the Word of God. The Spiritual Word of God comes from above. And God’s Word comes from the written Word of the Scriptures. In contrast, the water on the earth flows from people’s carnal hearts. The fundament origin of the words of the earth lies in the lust of the flesh flowing out of the human heart. The Bible says that the words that come out of people’s hearts are Satan’s words, while the Word that came out of the lips of God is the water of Heaven. Therefore, on this earth, there coexist both the words of false prophets and the words of true prophets. This is the very implication of God’s separation of the water above the firmament from the water below it.
In the age of the Old Testament also, false prophets prophesied lies out of their own hearts (Ezekiel 13:2). Satan’s words can work in people’s hearts through wickedness and lies. When we look at those who are used by Satan as his instruments, we see how they lie according to their lustful desires in their hearts. They consider the Holy Spirit as if He were an object, and so they tell lies, demanding their followers to receive the fire of the Holy Spirit, or likewise assert such weird nonsense out of their hearts. When we carefully listen to what they say, it’s all about what came of out their own hearts. It’s so fallacious and filthy that we can hardly bear to listen. When we go to a prayer retreat or attend a revival meeting, while the preacher might have the Bible open, most of the times we can’t even tell if he is talking about the Bible or what’s in his heart. Such preachers give sermons that are completely irrelevant to the Bible.
Mobilizing all kinds of instruments, from a huge choir to a rock band and giant speakers, they first fill the souls that have not even been born again with their own emotion. After then, they tell the congregation to receive the Holy Spirit, and using a mike to mimic the sound of wind, they shout, “Receive the fire!” This, however, is nothing more than throwing the crowd into a group ecstasy by stirring up their emotion. In contrast, God says in the Bible that one receives the Holy Spirit as a gift when he receives the remission of his sins. Even though the Bible says the gift of the Holy Spirit is received when one receives the remission of his sins (Acts 2:38), instead of preaching accordingly, they blindly claim that the Holy Spirit is received unconditionally. This is why they are so wrong. Many people believe that they can receive the Holy Spirit just by asking, irrespective of receiving the remission of sin. This, however, is an absolutely fallacious belief. You must receive the gift of the Holy Spirit by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and receiving the remission of your sins.
False prophets lie all the time just to fulfill their own hearts’ lusts. Such words that spring forth from the earth are their teachings. In other words, these liars make up their own Word of God, attributing to God what He never said. Since they speak differently from the Bible, they are all liars. To utter the words of Satan is to come up with what God never said and embellish it to be His Word. This is what Satan’s words are. And those who spread them are Satan’s servants.
We should read the Word of God written in the Scriptures, and preach this Word by faith. We must believe in the Truth written in the Word of God, and spread it by this faith. In contrast, when someone who is not born again speaks out of his own heart, he is speaking the words of Satan. Through whom do Satan’s words work? They work through those who have not been remitted from their sins. And Satan can also work through those who are weak, even if they have been born again from sin. In other words, Satan’s words can work in people through those who are spiritually immature. As mentioned, Satan also works through those who are not born again, and these people are in fact the best instruments for Satan to use.
So Satan leads those who are not born again to be devout, bestows them with the gift of deception, and through this, he can throw many people into confusion. When Satan incites some suffering in the heart, he can work through those who are not born again. Through those who are not born again, Satan can work to ensure that people would follow the wide way. When we look at the believers who are under the pastors that have not been born again, we can see how they are all filled with the words of Satan. Everything that the churches led by them do is Satan’s work. Therefore, it is the pastors who must be born again first.
The Truth Must Be Clearly Separated from the Falsehood
God also continued to divide on the second day of creation. How did He divide? He divided His Word from the words of Satan, and He divided His fruits from the fruits of Satan. If someone still has not been made truly righteous even as he believes in Jesus Christ, then we should realize clearly that he is someone who is still drinking the water of the earth and is controlled by the Devil. If one still remains as a sinner even after believing in Jesus Christ for 50 years, then this is because he has believed in the Devil’s words. In contrast, those who have been made righteous by believing in Jesus Christ and receiving the remission of their sins into their hearts, and who continue to live according to the Word after believing in Jesus Christ, are of those who are drinking the water that is above the firmament.
These two types of people must be separated from each other clearly. It must be distinguished clearly whether one is a sinner or a righteous person, whether he is bound to hell or Heaven, and whether he is God’s child or the Devil’s child. The righteous will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but sinners will be cast into hell.
God divides all human beings into two different groups. He has done this clearly. Yet even as God has clearly done so, many people still deceive their own conscience. When one looks at his conscience, no doubt he is one of the two. It must be clearly distinguished whether or not one has been born again by hearing the Word of God, whether he is a saint or just a religionist, whether there is sin in his heart or not, whether he has the fruits of the Holy Spirit or not, and whether he belongs to God’s Church or Satan’s gathering.
For Us to Be Saved from Our Sins, We Must First Confess Ourselves Properly
All of us must realize that God has clearly divided the Truth from the falsehood. We need to realize that it’s because people have deceived their own conscience that they are perishing, even though God has thus separated the Truth. God has made it impossible for people to blame Him for sending them to hell. That’s because if people really look for God and are honest before His Word, then God will infallibly meet all such people through His Word of Truth. When one looks into his heart honestly through the Word of God, he can clearly find out to which group he belongs. So those who pursue illusions deceived by themselves, and who are destroyed as a result, have no excuse.
There now is light in this world. There now is the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit in this world. We have the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. If you learn about this Word accurately, see it, hear it, and believe in it with full conviction, then you, too, can be freed from all your sins. That is a fact. Even the water that is below the firmament can be changed into the water that is above it. Just as the vapor from the sea rises up and comes down again as rain, the water below can also be changed into the water above.
Yet despite this, despite the fact that one can be changed like this, people still deceive themselves, and that is why they continue to abide in darkness and are bound to be condemned for their sins. Every sinner must turn himself in to God as a sinner, believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and find the light. None other than this is the proper confession to make.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You, too, must believe in this Word; confess, “Lord, I have sin in my heart. I am a sinner who has been drinking the water below the firmament. Please save me, Lord”; come before the servants of God and His Church; hear the Word; and receive the remission of your sins.
God continued to divide on the second day. He divided the water above the firmament from the water below it, separating His Word from Satan’s words. We should never forget the fact that God has separated true faith from false faith. God has clearly divided the Truth from the falsehood in people’s hearts. The sinners who have drunk the water below the firmament must infallibly come into the gathering of the born-again saints and be transformed. Even as God has clearly separated and opened the way of life, if people still continue to deceive their own conscience and are cast into hell, we should realize that this is entirely their own fault. Depending on what kind of word we believe in and follow, our blessings and curses, and our happiness and unhappiness are all decided.
One’s Salvation from Sin Depends on His Own Choice
One can believe in either the water above the firmament that God divided, or the water below it. It is up to the person. Those who are attracted by the water below the firmament and follow it will drink this water and, as a result, rot away and perish. One’s destiny will unfold according to his own choice.
Will we go to Heaven, or will we be cast into hell? Jesus Christ has already prepared both Heaven and hell. He has also fulfilled abundant salvation, so that everyone may be made righteous. If one prefers to remain as a sinner, then he will believe in the words that are incapable of blotting out his sins—that is, in the water that is below the firmament—but if he wants to become righteous, he will believe in the Word of God and drink the water that is above the firmament. Heaven and hell depend on one’s own judgment and choice. God has already made everything. Depending on which of them we choose, we are either welcomed into Heaven or cast into hell. Everything will infallibly be fulfilled before God exactly according to how one believes.
My fellow believers, can you now realize the reason why God clearly divided the Truth from the falsehood like this? On the throne of last judgment, God will sternly say the following: “I have clearly divided the water above the firmament from the water below it, and I have told you clearly what is true and what is false. Even though I have thus made it so clear to you, you still chose the falsehood and the words of the Devil over Mine, and so it is only fitting for you to go to where the Devil now lives. Why? Because you are not My people.”
Therefore, those who are cast into hell have nothing to say to God. Their lips will grasp for words, but they will find no word to say. God has clearly given us the gospel, the Truth, salvation, everlasting life, and blessings. And for those who look for God and have accepted His Word by faith, God has enabled them to receive all these blessings. However, those who do not drink the water that is above the firmament will ultimately face all curses, for they are unable to receive the remission of their sins. God has divided His blessings from His curses. He has separated His true Word from false words. God has divided them so, just as He made light and divided day from night.
Everyone’s fate is determined according to which of God’s divisions he chooses while living on this earth. He didn’t just separate day from night for no reason. It’s bright when the day comes, but it’s pitch dark when the night comes. There are both dark and bright domains. In other words, there actually are both the dominion of the righteous and the dominion of sinners.
Because God has made the division so clearly, if one wants to go to Heaven, all that he has to do is to clearly believe in the light, and if he otherwise wants to go to hell, then he only has to believe in darkness. No matter how gifted and powerful one may be, he cannot change the day into the night and the night into the day. Likewise, human beings cannot once again muddle what God has divided, and no one can change what God has done.
If one’s conscience is upright, he has no other choice but to wholly believe in what God has divided. If one looks at the light and accepts it, he will accept the Word of God coming from above and receive everlasting life. The water that is below the firmament—that is, the words of the earth—promotes the acts of mankind. You must remember clearly that it is nothing more than Satan’s words to say that one is made righteous through His own carnal devotion and efforts, by living a holy life—in other words, by keeping the Law and being sanctified. To become righteous by realizing in our hearts how the Word of God has blotted out our sins, and by believing in it and accepting it exactly as it is, has nothing to do with the acts of mankind. God’s Word of Truth that descends from above, the water that is above the firmament, is the salvation that God has completed all on His own. The gospel of Truth does not demand that our human deeds should be augmented for our salvation.
The Word of God descends from above, bears fruits on the earth without fail, and once again ascends above. If you believe in the Word of God, the water that is above the firmament, then you will find your happiness, but if you believe in the water that is below the firmament, you will be accursed. And you will go through incredible sufferings only to be accursed. The sufferings of those who are bound under the legalistic life of faith are far from ordinary. It’s such a tragedy to see them, suffering so much from drinking the water that is below the firmament.
Those who have once drunk the water above the firmament can no longer drink the water below it. Those who have drunk only the water below the firmament cannot drink the water above it. That is why they must now return.
God’s Servants in Whom God Is Well Pleased
On the second day, God divided the water that was covering the planet earth into two, raising one half above the firmament and leaving the other half on the earth. And God named them separately: The water above the firmament and the water of the earth. Why did God have this Word written? Did He write it just to let us know a simple fact? No, God wrote it to tell us that there coexist both God’s Word and Satan’s words.
This is what God did on the second day. We saw the Word saying that God divided light from darkness on the first day, and that He also divided the water of Heaven from the water of the earth on the second day. God is clearly pleased to separate the water of Heaven from the water of the earth, and light from darkness. What, then, is the water of Heaven, and what is the water of the earth?
On this earth, there are two types of people who preach the Word of God. One sort of people are those who actually spread the words of Satan, and the other sort of people are those who preach the real Word of God. The latter group know God’s written Word, believe in it and preach it, but the former group interpret the written Word of God based on their own made-made thoughts, preaching only what pleases Satan and people. Such people interpret the Bible as if it were an ethical guidebook for mankind, and they just preach that if one believes in Jesus Christ, then he should live virtuously. However, they do not know the real message of the Word of God. That is why they are incapable of preaching the gospel of the water and the Spirit.
In short, those who are not preaching the gospel of the water and the blood now are those who are preaching the words of Satan. They are the ones who are spreading the Word of God only on a humanistic ethical and moral dimension. They are not God’s servants. They are none other than Satan’s servants. They are no more than “wage-earners,” whose profession is to preach Jesus Christ’s Word, just as others work to make a living. If one leads his life of faith under such people, far from growing his spiritual faith, he will end up dead.
When we drink water on this earth, some water is beneficial to us, while other types of water are only harmful to drink. Likewise, what kind of words we listen to is extremely important to each of our souls. You can be blessed both in body and soul only if you listen to the Word preached by those who spread the gospel of the water and the Spirit. If a preacher opens the Word of God, and instead of preaching it only emphasizes humanistic ethical and moral lessons, then while such sermons may sound good, it’s impossible for there to be any spiritual change. On the contrary, those who hear such teachings will see their souls facing spiritual death. These kinds of words only make Christians’ hearts to fall into even more suffering. The true Word of the water and the Spirit, in contrast, brings peace and rest to those of us who listen to it. Therefore, when we hear the Word of God, it is not the preacher’s knowledge, appearance, or voice that is important, but what is truly important is whether or not this preacher really believes in the gospel of the water and the Spirit and is spreading it properly.
The gospel of the water and the Spirit is indispensable. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” How, then, can we recognize false prophets? Jesus Christ said that we can find it out by looking at their spiritual fruits.
Can an apple tree bear bananas? An apple tree may be so malnourished that it can only yield a poor batch of fruits, but it still bears apples all the time. But we have to realize that a thorn bush can never bear apples, no matter how well-nourished it might be. In other words, if someone preaches the Word, and those who hear his words are born again, then this person is a servant of God. However, if people cannot be washed from their sins even after they hear the words preached by this person, then it’s clear that the one preaching God’s Word is actually nothing more than a false prophet. If the congregation cannot receive the remission of their sins even as they hear the words continuously preached by their preacher for a day, two days, or even a year, then the problem is with the preacher. In other words, false prophets themselves do not know how to be born again of the gospel of the water and the Spirit, nor do they believe in this, and so they just teach people only with their words to receive the remission of their sins.
We cannot say whether one is a false prophet or not just by looking at his outside appearance. When we think about false prophets, we tend to think that their appearance would give a crude, ruthless, and repulsive impression, but this is actually far from the case. Liars manifest themselves with that much more humility, like a meek lamb. Referring to them, the Bible says, “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
That is why so many people are deceived by them. A preacher who sermonizes without even being born again himself is a false prophet. Such are the false prophets of which the Bible speaks. The outside appearance seen by our eyes is completely irrelevant to the Truth. So even if some people attack us personally, we are okay, as long as we believe in the written Word of Jesus Christ.
False prophets lead countless people to destruction. They don’t just go to hell by themselves, but they take many others with them. It’s because this is what their job is as liars. False prophets are very good at their job of deceiving people, and so as far as making a living for the rest of their lives is concerned, they have nothing of which to worry. Their congregation, naïve and completely clueless, respect them as pastors, giving them offerings and serving them. So the liars are living in splendid mansions, driving around in luxurious cars, and living an extravagant life, all with the money offered by the congregation. That is why we must beware of false prophets.
However, rather than just criticizing them, all that we have to do is just never go to their gatherings. Those who have received the remission of their sins must not do God’s work with false prophets. When the righteous saints worship God, they must gather together only with their fellow saints who also have been born again of the gospel of water and the Spirit. The Bible says that where two or three people are gathered in the name of our Lord, He will be there with them. These two or three people refer to the righteous who have received the remission of their sins. The righteous should gather together only with their fellow righteous people, listen to the Word and learn it together, and praise God and follow Him by faith; they should all, then, be just fine. Even if there are only two or three people who are born again, if the one who was born again first preaches the Word and everyone believes in this Word and unites with the will of the Lord, then they will all be blessed by God. Rather than criticizing others, we should know what the Word of the Bible is really saying, and live our lives by faith. This is all that we have to do.
When the Lord returns in the future, false prophets and many believers who had followed them will stand before the Lord and say, “Lord, Lord, I have cast out demons in Your name, I have prophesied in Your name, and I have done many wonders in Your name.” They will claim that when they were in this world, they built big churches and led many people to Jesus Christ. At that moment, however, our Lord will say to them clearly, “I do not know you at all.” Our Lord will shout at them, “You charlatans and thieves!” He will then command, “Cast them out into darkness!” How just is our Lord’s judgment? There is no need to painstakingly argue over fine points. He will just send to hell those who are bound to hell, and send to Heaven those who have received the remission of their sins by believing in the baptism of Jesus Christ and His blood on the Cross. Jesus Christ, who judges justly, is the Chief Justice in Heaven.
On the first day of His creation of the heavens and the earth, our Lord spoke about how human beings are to receive the remission of their sins through the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and on the second day, He told those who had received the remission of their sins to beware of Satan’s words. He told the righteous to never drink the water offered by Satan, but instead attain spiritual faith by feeding on God’s Word of Truth.
My fellow believers, when we interpret the Word of God, we must interpret it and believe in it according to the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And those who preach the Word of God must preach the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit. Those who hear the Word, on the other hand, must feed and live on the Word that comes out of the servants of God. In today’s Scripture passage, the spiritual meaning of the water that is below the firmament—that is, the water on the earth—is in the words of false prophets. That is why the Bible tells us to neither listen to them nor feed on them. Even among those who have heard the gospel of the water and the Spirit and received the remission of their sins, there are far too many people whose spiritual faith is so immature that they are unable to discern the teachings of false prophets, accept them, and as a result, end up spiritually dead.
When we hear the Word of God, there are certain things of which we must be spiritually careful. First, we have to examine to see if those who are preaching God’s Word to us know the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Word of God, believe in it and are preaching it.
God’s servants must absolutely be those who have been born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. This is so that everyone would come to have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We all have to trust in God’s servants and follow them as long as they really believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. We should accept the admonishment and advice of those who obey the will of God. In other words, what they say is God’s Word. That’s because God speaks to His saints through His servants.
Another thing that we must also realize is that it’s possible for even the servants of God to have insufficiencies and weakness of the flesh. If God’s servants believe in and preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit, then we have to recognize and accept their carnal selves as they are. For instance, if a servant of God is ugly, we shouldn’t think, “God’s servant should be handsome; why is he so ugly then?” Far from this, we should instead thank God for him, saying, “God has raised someone like him and is using him as His servant.”
In other words, we must not judge the servants of God who are preaching the holy gospel based on their outside appearance. Nor should we make an issue out of such trivial issues as their academic background or age. What must be made clear is whether or not their hearts cherish the Word of God, know His will, and are following it by faith.
Above all else, the servants of God must have faith in the Word of God. What we should cherish and respect is the faith of the servants of God. We should see and emulate just how much they cherish the gospel of the water and the Spirit, how thankful they are to God, how much they have sacrificed for the gospel, how they are constantly laboring very hard to spread the gospel, how much they love souls, and how they have devoted their hearts for their salvation. We should respect those who have first become God’s servants, and we should follow them by faith. Only then can we be loved by God.
God works amid a spiritual order. That’s because God is not a God of confusion, but He is the God of order. Do you now have faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? Can you say confidently that you have been born again through the Word of Truth, by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? If so, then you now have indeed been born again by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. When someone asks you whether you have sin, you can answer him clearly, as you now believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. You can now testify that you have been remitted from all your sins and born again through the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit. If this is who you are, then you are God’s people held and used by God as His instruments.
Now, there is one thing that you must know clearly. When God’s servants preach the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, you must examine yourselves to see if you have indeed been born again by faith. To this day, countless people have passed by you, teaching you something other than the gospel of the water and the Spirit. But when the servants of God preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit, the Word of God, you should all reflect deeply upon yourselves and examine whether or not you have received the remission of your sins by faith. We must all know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit clearly. And we must believe in it.
From now on, you should live your lives of faith accepting the words, advice, and admonishment of these servants of God who have preached the living Word of life to you. Your lives of faith must be lived by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And you must also have faith in God’s servants.
In some ways, this may sound as if I am asking you to recognize me. But it is absolutely not with such an intention that I’ve said this. All that I have done is just preach to you the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit fulfilled according to the will of God. So while there was sin in your hearts before, now, as you heard the gospel of the water and the Spirit, you have come to realize, “Ah, Jesus Christ took away my sins like this, by being baptized by John the Baptist.”
You have now come to believe that your sins were blotted out by God’s written gospel of the water and the Spirit. Now, depending on how you behave yourselves, you can either please God or sadden Him. Just as light and darkness are separated, as the water of Heaven and the water of the earth are clearly divided, so must your faith be divided by the gospel of the water and the Spirit, with your old faith separated from the new faith that you now have. Now, you must judge for yourselves, “Am I still a sinner right now, or have I become a righteous person by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit?” Whether you are clearly righteous people or sinners before God is decided depending on whether you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit or not.
Do you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit? If so, are you then righteous people or sinners? You are the righteous people. Our Lord has saved you through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. So, you have been saved by believing in this Truth.
If this is the case, then there remains one more thing that you have to do, and it is to make up your minds as to whether you would live as God’s servants or Satan’s servants, separating the two in your hearts. To preach the gospel of the water and the Spirit to others is the way to live as a servant of God. You, too, must live like this. This is determined by which Word you believe.
It is by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit with our hearts that we have received the remission of our sins. And for us to carry on with our lives of faith afterwards, and serve the Lord as well, it is by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit that both are made possible. The foundation of our faith is none other than the gospel of the water and the Spirit. To no longer drink the water that is below the firmament, it is only proper for those who have received the remission of their sins to gather together and worship with their fellow saints. Our faith needs to be accompanied by action.
In other words, once we believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, we should listen to the Word above Heaven, not to those who preach the words of the earth. If, after believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, you once again submit yourselves under those who have not been born again, listen to the words preached by them, and worship in vain, then you will fall again and revert back to the Devil’s servants.
We must have faith in what God said on the second day of creation. We must believe in what God did on the second day and follow it. That’s because what the Lord did on the first day—that is, saving us through the gospel of the water and the Spirit—was already fulfilled to us, and so we must now live trusting in the pure Word of God. If you believe in what God did on the second day and follow it, then He will bless you abundantly. Whether or not you are blessed by God is a result of whether or not you follow the will of God. Only when we follow the Word that the Lord spoke on the second day can we lead our lives of faith properly.
I know that you are wise. Having heard the Word of Truth, you are probably worried about how you should live your lives of faith. There is now something that the believers in the gospel of the water and the Spirit must do. Once we receive the remission of our sins, we must follow the servants of God. Before you were born again, you listened to the liars preaching the water of the earth. But this is not what you wanted. It’s because you did not know the Truth. Before you were born again, you had no choice but to listen to the words of those who are not born again.
However, now that you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, you must choose the righteousness of God. “Which words should we choose?” “Who are the real servants of God that preach His Word?” Such questions are entirely yours to decide and answer. This is what you have to do. No one else can do it for you. It’s true that the real servants of God can admonish you. But all of us must desire to live according to the will of God. If this is the will of God, then we have no choice. There is nothing that we must do on our own. In other words, we cannot do whatever we desire. Now that we know the will of God, it is our duty to obey this will.
Now, you have to renew your lives of faith. You have to live a life of faith that is on a different plane from what you have been leading so far. There is a life of faith that is better than the one you have lived so far. To live such a life of faith, you must be led. Why? Because that is the way for you to be blessed by God. My fellow believers, do you want to be led?
There must be God’s servants who would preach His Word to you. Also, it is my hope and desire that such workers that preach the Word of God would arise among you. Becoming God’s worker is not something that just happens by one’s own accord all of a sudden. To become a minister of the Word, you have to continue to listen to and learn from the words of those who have first become servants before you, who have preached the gospel Word of the water and the Spirit to you. I have preached the Word of God to you, but was there anything that you could not understand? We heard the gospel of the water and the Spirit properly.
Many of us heard this Word for the first time, but did you like it? Was it difficult to understand? There are countless mysteries hidden in the Bible, not just the gospel of Truth that enables us to receive the remission of sin, but mysteries about God’s Church, His servants, and the spiritually correct life of faith. However, to this day many of you have been feeding only on tares, not the spiritual grain of the Word.
My plan is to diligently put together and publish my sermons explaining the Word of God and provide them to you. I will continue to provide you with the water that is above the firmament. Is today’s Word all heard as the living Word of God? If so, it is because you believe in the gospel of the water and the Spirit. And it’s because I believe in the living gospel Word of the water and the Spirit, and I have preached it exactly as it is. To the Lord who has given us the water above the firmament, we give all our thanks.
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