This process is not a simple one for the human mind to grasp as it involves the mightiest and most profound work yet that God is accomplishing in the pinnacle of all His creation, and yet God is now giving us a clearer grasp of this creative process by showing us a basic framework – a kind of spiritual blueprint – of what this entails.
It bears repeating, although it is being stated in a different manner, that the beginning stage of this creative process is an “embryonic one” that involves “spirit begettal” and a “spiritual transformation” within the human mind. Before a person can be changed from mortal to immortal, from a physical composition to a spirit composition, which is to be born into God’s Family, the human mind must become “spiritually set” in God’s ways. That means a person is “set in purpose,” as a matter of choice (of the mind), to always be “at-one” with God, to always be in agreement with God because of the personal conviction that His way is the only way to live life.
It was stated that a person who becomes fully “at-one” with God has become “set in purpose” (in personal will – in choice) concerning living only God’s way. But it must be understood that although a person can become “set” in such purpose, in such will and conviction of choice, that person is not yet without sin even though their “will” (purpose) to be so (to be without sin) is “set.” As long as we are in a physical body, we will sin; however, when the mind has become fully set spiritually in agreement with God, then that person will always faithfully repent and will always be forgiven. Thus, such a person is ready for birth into Elohim, even though they may have several more years of human life remaining. That amount of time depends on God’s purpose for further “work” He may have for them to accomplish. God may also give them longer life in order to mold and fashion them to fit into a specific place of function within His Family.
This has been the state of every person who has ever been “sealed” as one of the 144,000. At some point in their life they became sealed, which means they became spiritually “set” at-one with God, and then they lived, or are living, out the remainder of their life in that state of guaranteed birth into Elohim in the first resurrection. This process of becoming sealed is the creative transformation of the mind that can only occur in human life. Such transformation cannot happen (be created) in a “spirit-created life,” as in the angels. This “setting,” or “sealing,” must occur only in physical life where this incredible creation can be performed.
An example of this sealing, or setting, is when Abraham acted in highly matured faith to offer his own son. God told him at that time, “Now I know you.” Abraham had become fully “at-one” with God in the “spirit in man” that was in Him.
Indeed, this sealing of each one of the 144,000 was a “sealing” into Elohim, although they may have had many years of physical life remaining after they became “set,” or “sealed”. Once a person became sealed (when the mind became set in spirit), this marked the completion of a spiritual creation – the completed transformation of the human mind from carnal motivation to spiritual motivation as a result of a “set will” being at-one with God, in full agreement with God.
Spirit Becoming Set
God’s purpose for completely cutting someone off from access to Him (with no flow of His holy spirit into their life) is most often done so that the spirit-begotten spirit in man does not become “set against” Him. That is what happened to Lucifer and a third of the angels when they chose to turn against (to think and act against) God’s ways. Their mind instantly and permanently became “set against” God – perverted from the way God had created it. The spirit in man does not become instantly “set” when someone chooses to go against God by disobeying and/or living against God’s way, even if by ignorance (no knowledge) of God’s truth.
To more fully understand that last sentence, it is necessary to now clarify some things concerning the spirit in man and it becoming set. It needs to be understood that “in time” the spirit in man does become set in one of two ways. It will become “set against” God or “set in agreement” with God.
This spirit in man can only become set in agreement with God if it is begotten of God’s holy spirit, and then only over a lengthy period of time of consistently repenting and choosing God’s way of life, can a spiritually complete transformation become established (set). This result of a spiritual begettal and a complete transformation is the only way the spirit in man can become “set” in order to become at-one with God (in full agreement). The spirit in man, however, can also become “set against” God and in one of two ways.
The spirit in man can become “set against” God as a result of personal choice at some point following begettal (usually much later). There are people who have been begotten who have made the free-will decision that they do not want God’s ways and prefer to live out their life in opposition to God’s purpose and instead follow the way of pride, selfishness, and lust. However, there is another means by which the spirit in man can become “set against” God. It is fully separate from what happens after spiritual begettal, as it occurs before even coming into the knowledge of the truth and ways of God. Spiritual begettal has not and will not be granted to every human being. Such a statement and what is stated following this needs to be read closely and not misinterpreted.
Over the past several decades, it has been widely believed within the Church that every human being will be able to become begotten of God’s holy spirit. However, God is clearly revealing that this is not true. That concept is a type of Protestant “mindset for salvation” and “perceived fairness,” which is a distortion in understanding God, His plan, and His purpose in life.
God knows the mind of every human being. He knows the “state” of the spirit in man that is in every person. God does not owe every human being the gift of His holy spirit. It is not owed to every person that they be begotten of His spirit and given the opportunity to be in Elohim.
Those Set Against God
The truth and reality is that there are people who even when shown what God has done with the earth and mankind after 1,000 years of the reign of His Kingdom and the manifestation of the God Family, they will not want to live by God’s ways. Once they are given the ability to see what is true in God’s purpose and the truth of His one way of life that is to be lived, they will not want it. Their minds became “set against” God in their first lifetime. Such a mind cannot be transformed, for it is “set” in perversion, evil, pride (its own way), and lust. Such a mind does not want God’s way, even as Lucifer and a third of the angels came to that state of thinking – of not wanting God’s way – ever.
There are people throughout history who have so perverted their thinking and have chosen such evil in life that they are “set” in that choice of life. Some people are simply set on evil by choice, and regardless of what they might suffer or experience in life, even if witnessing miracles or wonders from God, they would never be of a humble or repentant mind. They are simply “set against” God’s ways, even if they have never known anything about the truth. God’s purpose is not to force anyone to receive Him and His way of life in order to come into His Family. It must be of free choice and from a true and sincere desire.
So throughout time there are indeed vast numbers who have lived such evil in life that they have fully corrupted the spirit in man that is in them. Their mind became “set against” anything that is good. A mind so set on evil, perversion, and lust against mankind will never repent and accept the true goodness of God and His way of life. Yes, the carnal mind is by nature against God (Rom. 8:7), but there are very large numbers of people who, through time, have so deeply corrupted and perverted their carnal mind that the spirit essence in their mind became fully set in evil and can never be transformed. Such a mind will not “willingly choose” to repent of sin.
Although these people whose spirit became set in evil in their first lifetime (apart from any knowledge of God’s truth) will be resurrected at a future time, they will not be granted repentance of sin after baptism and will not be given the impregnation of God’s holy spirit, as they will never genuinely repent of sin. They simply will not want God’s way of life. At a future time, God will reveal more about how and specifically when these people will be dealt with for refusing Him, once they are brought face to face with the fullness and truth of His purpose for all human life.
As a matter of God’s righteous judgment, once He has completed His work of a complete (full) 7,000 years, He will resurrect all the rest of humanity (all who are dead) into a second physical life of those who have not yet or will not at that time enter Elohim. This will be a resurrection of all who will be granted the opportunity to repent of sin, be baptized, and then become begotten of God’s holy spirit.
In addition to this great resurrection into a second life at the beginning of the final 100 years, there will be those who are still alive when the Millennium has ended who are still too young (physically and/or spiritually) to be sealed who will live on into this period of time as well. This is the time observed in the holy day of The Last Great Day.
Over the past several decades, there has been another belief held by many in the Church that Satan is released for a short time at the end of the Millennium – before the Millennium is over. A few years ago, God made it clear to His Church that this was not the case. It clearly states in the Book of Revelation that “when the thousand years are expired (Gk- have ended, have been accomplished/completed), Satan shall be loosed out of his prison” (Rev. 20:7). This does not occur during the Millennium, but afterward.
God is not yet revealing exactly when this will occur, whether it might be at the beginning or at the end of the 100 years. There is no purpose now to know or speculate when that will be. It will simply be whatever it is meant to be when God determines to reveal it. However, it will be during this time that God, in His righteous judgment, will bring final judgment upon Satan, the demons, and all of those whose minds have become “set against” Him.
All that has been covered in this section is information that needs to be understood in the context of the powerful and delicate creation of a transformed mind that can become “set in agreement” with God. These things need to be understood in the context of what it means for the spirit in man to become “set” and why God has disfellowshiped many through time so that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is about their resurrection to a second physical life at the beginning of the final 100 years.
(Part 11 will follow.)
The Church of God - Preparing for the Kingdom of God