The Mystery of Iniquity

[Michael Sherwin]

2Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

The following passages tell us what the mystery of iniquity is.

Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

There is iniquity within us. I think most people think that is what iniquity is -- the impurity within each one of us. If that is all it is then it is not much of a mystery.

Job 25:4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

Job 25:5 Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.

Not just man is impure but this entire creation is impure. The entire creation is corrupt and was always intended to be temporary.

2Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

That is why it is said:

1Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Every single atom of this creation is impure and therefore corrupt. Now, many Christians believe that we will be caught up alive at the rapture. They believe that because falling asleep is the analogy for death and those of us that are alive are caught up to meet Jesus in the air. But, here is the precept they miss. Sleeping in death implies a span of time someone is dead. The truth is we die at the rapture but we do not sleep in death because instantly we are in are new body which is from heaven.

2Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2Corinthians 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

Psalm 75:2 When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.

Psalm 75:3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

And for the people that do not believe this the Lord has some very stringent words for them.

1Corinthians 15:35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

1Corinthians 15:36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

Then on the new earth iniquity is done away with.

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

All of it is not going to happen instantly. On the new earth there will be a time of testing before sin is made an end of.

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

And at the end of this process.

Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[abijah]

1 Cor 15

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit

Psalm 110

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

[JK4Woods]

Leads me to previous ponders I’ve had regarding the “worlds without number” that were made and apparently populated by God’s posterity without a need for a Savior.

Why would that be..?? They didn’t sin..??
They partook of the fruit of the tree of life before the “being” in the roll of tempter showed up?

Why did these other worlds be created, populated and evidently carry out the plan as they were alotted to be.... ...and our earth, 3rd rock from the sun, is the one that gets the full force of Lucifer and his third part that followed him down here when kicked out of heaven...??

Thus requiring a Savior to make it possible to wipe the slate clean and allow every human being to return to Heavenly Father’s presence, if we just have faith and start walking the path...??

[Michael Sherwin]

Leads me to previous ponders I’ve had regarding the “worlds without number” that were made and apparently populated by God’s posterity without a need for a Savior.

Why would that be..?? They didn’t sin..??
They partook of the fruit of the tree of life before the “being” in the roll of tempter showed up?

Why did these other worlds be created, populated and evidently carry out the plan as they were alotted to be.... ...and our earth, 3rd rock from the sun, is the one that gets the full force of Lucifer and his third part that followed him down here when kicked out of heaven...??

Thus requiring a Savior to make it possible to wipe the slate clean and allow every human being to return to Heavenly Father’s presence, if we just have faith and start walking the path...??

The Bible seems to indicate that us humans are not the same as those that live on other worlds. First of all there are purley spirit beings that do not live on a world such as ours. Then there are those angelic beings that look like us at least on the outside. They are probably God's messengers that are from another planet. Even though they look like us and can be mistaken for a human they may not really be the same. The Bible tells us that we were made a little lower than the angels but that are destiny is to be greater than the angels. Think of it like an ant colony. Some of the larva are fed what is called royal jelly. They grow to be enormous compared to their less lucky sisters. They are all children of the monarch but they are not all the same. Just like we are not all the same.

1Corinthians 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

1Corinthians 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

1Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead.

From our perspective there is a huge difference of "glory" from the biggest and brightest object in our sky to the smallest and dimmest star. How we will compare in glory to other beings on other worlds is unknown. But we do have a big clue.

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

So there is the differentiation of who we belong to. We belong to Christ. But others belong to the Father.

John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

I'm sure that the Father has a google more than what he gave to Jesus. I do think that they will be living on our new earth. I think that they will have new earths of their own. So as far as our destiny is concerned I don't think we need to consider outside of our own reality.

[Michael Sherwin]

1 Cor 15

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit

Psalm 110

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.
The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Many people believe that starting with the year 1900 that the Psalm number correlates to the year. Therefore according to them Psalm 119 correlates to the year that we are in now and is iirc the longest Psalm. A thought came into my head that maybe then the verse number relates to the day of the year somehow. So I did the following calculation for July 27th since that day in July is significant in my story.

July 27th is day 208.
208 / 365 = .57 rounded (.56986)
.57 x 176 number of versus = 100 rounded (100.32)
Psalm 119:100

I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

[Jamescm]

I really like what you've touched on regarding this expanded look at "iniquity". If God truly operates on liberty at all levels, having selected the very elements based on whatsoever intelligences were willing to freely carry out their responsibilities as suggested in a talk by Br. Skousen, then it follows that everything within mortal creation itself is just as willingly, knowingly imperfect as we are on a moral level. Cells, molecules, atoms, even universal constants may all sway, fluctuate, or become even ever-so-slightly contrary to their purpose and order, in a word, being "iniquitous". The celestialized earth will therefore be comprised of not only people, but materials willing to abide a celestial law.

My understanding is that Jesus Christ is the Savior for all of creation, not only our world. The children of God on other worlds, therefore, would all look toward that "Savior on another world, Who created and redeemed all things."

Leaving the hints of modern prophets and walking a line of pure supposition and assumption, Satan was cast down to this world because this is the very world that Christ was to work out the Atonement. But just as easily, it may be that Christ came to work out the Atonement on this world because Satan was cast down to it. So I don't know. Perhaps it was necessary that they occupy the same world in order for that world's people to so adamantly reject, abandon, and murder the Savior. (Or attempt to murder Him, anyway.)