Luke 10: 19: I Give You Power To Tread On Serpents and Scorpions

Posted : 11 Sep, 2013 06:19 AM

Luke 10: 19: I Give You Power To Tread On Serpents and Scorpions



The Pharisees who got into a quarrel with Stephen in Acts 6: 8-15, could not defeat him spiritually, and then went after him on a physical level. This shows that those fully in the truth cannot be defeated by those in the spirit of anti-Christ or by the false prophets. In II Peter 2: 1-3 the false prophets are said to make merchandise of you, meaning what they say causes people to be reduced back from a budding spiritual life to the level of the flesh, and to the position of the natural man (I Corinthians 2: 14). And in Revelation 9: 15-19 a huge metaphoric

army of horsemen, who are the false prophets, are said to kill a third part of men, meaning they destroy the spiritual life of men. Yet the case of Stephen shows that the false prophets - or the followers of the spirit of anti-Christ (I John 4: 3) - cannot kill the spirit in those who are fully in the truth and have the Holy Spirit in power.



The Pharisees who argued with Stephen and then killed him were following the spirit of anti-Christ in that in their doctrines they totally rejected Christ and chose Death over life in Christ. Matthew 24: 5 defines the false prophets of our time in saying "...many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." The False Prophets claim to accept Christ, but it is another Jesus (II Corinthians 11: 4), they accept, and in doing so deceive many.



Both the false prophets, as defined in Matthew 24: 5, and those under the spirit of anti-Christ war against the truth of God in scripture, and seek to diminish or destroy the spiritual life of those beginning to come to the truth.



Christ in Matthew 23 describes several traits of the Pharisees. They do not go to heaven, and they shut up the kingdom of heaven to others. Verse 13. This is true of many "Pharisees" in our time.



They pretend to be righteous, but are full of hypocrisy. Verses 26-28 This describes many present day "Pharisees."



They build the tombs of the prophets, meaning they kill the prophets. Verse 29 The Pharisee type of religious leaders of our time oppose anyone with the truth.



In verse 33 Christ called the Pharisees serpents and said how can they escape the damnation of hell.



Serpents are found in Revelation 9: 19.



In Luke 10: 19 Christ says "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."



But to whom is he giving the power to tread on serpents and scorpions? To those who are in the truth. Those not in the truth would not know a serpent or scorpion when they encountered them. In II Thessalonians 2: 10-12 those who do not have a love of the truth are not saved.



In I Timothy 2: 4 Paul links being saved to coming to the knowledge of the truth.



In II Timothy 3: 1-8 Paul describes the Christian community in the last days when perilous times small come as "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (Verse 5), as "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (verse 7), and as resisting the truth (verse 8).



And in II Thessalonians 3: 7-8 he writes about those who are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, and who resist the truth.



Those who do not have a love for the truth, are not able to come to a knowledge of the truth and resist the truth are the serpents and scorpions.



The serpents, called that by Jesus Christ in Matthew 23: 33, whose traits are described by him in Matthew 23: 26-29, are the religious leaders of our time, the leaders of the last days organized Christian community of II Timothy 3: 1-8.



The scorpion-locusts are found in Revelation 9: 1-5, and in Ezekiel 2: 3-6. "And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house." In our time, the scorpions are followers of the present day Pharisees, the religious leaders of the II Timothy 3: 4-8 organized Christian community.



But Paul in Romans 9: 27, in quoting Isaiah 10: 20-22 writes that "Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:"



And in Romans 11: 5 Paul says "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace."



A remnant of physical Israel accepted Christ, was born again, transformed, and became the beginning of that spiritual house of I Peter 2: 5-9.



Though the majority of physical Israel went into false doctrines - more than once - and into false practices a remnant from them was saved, the remnant of Israel.



That remnant of physical Israel which was saved by accepting Christ and being transformed in him was the remnant which accepted being turned upside down as predicted in II Kings 21: 13, "I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down." Then Isaiah 29: 16 refers to this turning of physical Israel upside down, saying "Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?"



Isaiah 29: 16 also points to Jeremiah 18: 1-6, "The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2. Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

3. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

4. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

5. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

6. O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."



Jeremiah 18: 1-6 was fulfilled when a remnant accepted Christ in the First Century and began the spiritual house of Israel reborn in Christ (John 3: 1-7).



The remnant of Israel is described in Zephaniah 3: 12-13, as being an afflicted and poor people who do not speak lies, or deceive, and nothing makes them afraid.



This remnant of Israel, now the remnant of Israel reborn in Christ, since in scripture there is no remnant of the church, is the Jerusalem which is above, not the Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage, and it is the Jerusalem which is free and is the mother of us all, that is, the mother of all who are saved. Galatians 4: 25-26.



That spiritual house of I Peter 2: 5 of Israel reborn in Christ is the spiritual seed from Abraham, as Paul explains in Galatians 3: 3-29. But physical Israel as being only the physical seed from Abraham, and not born again in Christ, is that part of physical Israel in Romans 11: 17-20 which was broken off. "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel...That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God." Romans 9: 6-8 Only those who allowed God to turn them upside down to be reborn spiritually in Christ are the children of God.



"Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?.....Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ....For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

29. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3; 3-29



God "...hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth..." Acts 17: 26



The chosen people of God are now those of any race or DNA who are in Christ born again. "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ....But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." I Peter 2: 5-10



That remnant in Revelation 12: 17 who have the testimony of Jesus Christ are the remnant of Israel, since in scripture there is no remnant of the church after the falling away of II Thessalonians 2: 3. Its the remnant who have kept the whole counsel of God, while the II Timothy church has reduced it down to the "essentials," and has decided that the "non-essentials" of the whole council of God are not important..



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

26. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

27. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

29. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

31. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."

Post Reply