Hi Mike,

I truly enjoy your site and have read with great interest the majority of it. One thing I still struggle with is figuring out what is the right time to read something as literal vs. spiritual. Of course all God’s words are ultimately spiritual, which I am sure will ultimately explain my question. In the FAQ regarding slavery, you answer the question about flesh/ literal slavery in 1 Peter using Rev 2:26,27 and seem to be saying God will break up and rule the literal nations of the earth. But I thought the “nations” of Revelation were inside of us? What am I not understanding here?
P____

Hi P____,
Thank you for your question. You say:

In the FAQ regarding slavery you answer the question about flesh/ literal slavery in 1 Peter using Rev 2:26,27 and seem to be saying God will break up and rule the literal nations of the earth. But I thought the “nations” of Revelation were inside of us? What am I not understanding here?

To answer your question directly, you have taken the statement I have made that “the nations are within us”, and without realizing it have subconsciously added the word ‘only’ to that statement. I think you are very much aware that I realize there are outward kingdoms which must be ruled over during the millennium by the overcomers of this age.
The phrase “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” is found in the Old Testament many times. Do any of us deduce from that statement that God is only “the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”? Of course we do not. Neither do I maintain that since the invisible things of God are understood by the things that are made, that therefore there are no “things that are made” and there are no outward kingdoms to be ruled over during the millennium.
So what you are struggling to understand is exactly the same thing I struggled with for so many years. Like you, I simply could not conceive of how it is that “all things are ours”, and “the invisible things of God are understood by the things that are made… work together for good… after the counsel of Gods own will”.

1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Now my flesh likes the fact that 1Co 3:22 tells me that “life is mine”, but “the world, death, and all things present and all things to come” are not all that appealing to my flesh. They are, in fact, very disturbing to the natural man who witnesses so much sin in “the world”. After all, I am very much aware that it is the sin and evil which are this world which leads to death:

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

I will again affirm to you that 1Co 3:21-22 is for those who are given eyes to see and ears to hear, speaking primarily to those chosen few – spiritually and inwardly. That is how they are intended to be understood by all who are given to see and to understand “the things of the spirit”. But that gift is given to very few people in this age.

Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

If you read this web page at all, you are aware that Mat 13 reveals that Christ spoke in parables to the multitudes who came to Him to be healed and fed for the specific purpose of keeping them from understanding the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Mat 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Why is it that the multitudes of Christians to this very day cannot see the truth in those verses? The answer is in verse 14:

Mat 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

So it is to this very day that millions of Christians read Mat 13 verses 9-11 and still teach that Christ spoke in parables to make His message simple and clear.
“Hearing they hear, and do not understand, and seeing they see and do not perceive… the things of the spirit”. So when I say “the nations are within us”, I am speaking to those who are given to see and to receive the Truth of these verses:

1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

“The things of the spirit of God… are spiritually discerned”. But how are spiritual matters expressed?

1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.[ Worth repeating!]

“The holy spirit teaches… comparing spiritual with spiritual”, so that is why I say to my readers “the nations are [ spiritually] within you”. In saying that, I am recognizing the simple truth of our Lord that “the words I speak to you are spirit” and “cannot be received by the natural man” and are “not words that man’s wisdom teaches” and “are foolishness to the natural mam… because they are spiritually discerned”.
Does “spiritually discerned” mean they have no outward fulfillment of application? Absolutely not! It is contended by many that the outward fulfillment of Mat 24:15 had already been fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, many years earlier, long before Christ made this statement.

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

“Whoso readeth let him understand” is a warning to those who are given to understand “the things of the spirit” that this is not intended to be understood only literally. “The abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place”, for those who are given to receive it, is speaking of the holy place within the temple which we all are spiritually and individually, as is revealed to us in very clear language:

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Now we know what Christ meant by “whoso readeth, let him understand”.
So you were right when you said:

Of course all God’s words are ultimately spiritual, which I am sure will ultimately explain my question.

As those who are given to see and hear the things of the spirit, we are concerned primarily with the things of the spirit. That is our concern. We do not concern ourselves with the outward fulfillment of prophecy, except to acknowledge that the outward application serves to blind us from seeing the nations within us, “the great men, the rich men, the chief captains, and the mighty men” within us who will all be shaken by the great earthquake which will bring us to see the man of sin within us and to witness his destruction at the brightness of the coming of the spiritual knowledge of the revelation of Jesus Christ, within us.

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

A perfect example of how this principle is working to this very day, is the fact that no one is able to see that we are all told at both the beginning and the end of the book of Revelation that this is a book that we are all to keep:

Rev 1:3 Blessed [ is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

I hope this helps you to see that for the spiritually minded, all of Christ’s Words are primarily spiritual in their application. How much is physical? As much as is needed to blind and distract those who are not given to see or discern spiritual matters.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh [ the physical application] profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, are are life. (ASV)
1Co 2:12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words.
1Co 2:14 Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. (ASV)

Your brother in Christ,
Mike