The American Wisdom Series 
 http://www.americanwisdomseries.com
Presents

Colossians

Chapter 1

Caution to students of God's Word - Please remember two things when using our studies: #1. Our commentary is not God's Word. It is only our interpretation or understanding of "His Word" and even though we try our best to be accurate we may or may not be correct. #2. The King James translation, or any other translation, of the original Hebrew text has some words which were given different translations at different places probably because of the interpreters preconceived ideas of what they think God meant to say. For example: According to the notes in the "Dake's Annotated Reference Bible" the Hebrew word hayah in the KJV is Trans. (became) 67 times, (becamest or came to pass) 505 times, (become) 66 times, and (come to pass) 131 times, but for some reason in Genesis 1:2 it is translated (was)! That sure changes the way a person perceives the original creation of the earth, doesn't it?  Gen. 1:2 And the earth was (became) without form, ... Having said that, let us continue with our "Key Knowledge" lessons. These are pamphlets containing knowledge, we believe, you must have to fully and accurately unlock and understand the Word of God.

John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13-14
[13] Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. [14] He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

This Bible Study was originally written by Roger Christopherson,
 published at http://www.theseason.org/ 

Without the leading by the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the truths, for all the truth of the Scriptures are revealed to us by God's Spirit.

 Now here is our revised study of:

TO THE
COLOSSIANS
Chapter 1

"Paul's Solicitude, Paul's Concern."
The book of Colossians has a marked resemblance to the book of Ephesians, for both give a great deal of doctrine. We will see Paul's insistence upon the reality of our union with Christ, as having died and risen again in Him and the necessity for "Holding fast the Head". Paul's teaching in Colossians is that if we are alive in Christ we are dead to the flesh, and all the ritual that comes with the world. Dead people just don't need ceremonialism. Of course this is speaking in a spiritual sense, and Paul is trying to explain the law in relationship to Christ's ministry. We will see the role of Savior that Christ played, whereby in his death, Christ became those things that were fulfilled of the law.

This is not saying that the rituals themselves were bad, but they were types, whereby we could understand the real thing when it is here. When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ walked on the earth He was fulfilling those things of the law, and not necessarily doing away of the law.

What we are going to be addressing are the ordinances and ceremonies that are no longer in effect, because the blood of Christ and His death and resurrection fulfilled the obligations of doing them. It now is to the point, that to deal in the ceremonies that Christ did away with, is blasphemous. However today when they do their ceremonies, they are done in ignorance. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior through repentance by faith in His blood, you need to get into the Word and understand the difference between the law, statutes, rituals, and ceremonies under the law. Today most people like to lump all of the law into one unit, and that just will not do.

The law itself was not changed, but the ordinances and statutes that deal with ritual, and the ceremonies of blood sacrifices were fulfilled in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,"

Paul did not volunteer to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, for at the time he was killing people for being Christians. Paul was on the road to Damascus, and his free will was to enslave Christians and kill them. It was by the will, or plan of God that caused Paul to be an apostle. Before Paul was converted he was zealous for the old law, and after his conversion he put forth the save degree of zeal for the preaching for Christ.

Timotheus is the Greek form of Timothy, who was a convert of Paul's.

Colossians 1:2 "To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

This is the salutation to the "saints", i.e. the set aside ones, that are called the elect which are at Colosse.

Colossians 1:3 "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,"

Paul had started many churches in his ministry, and he looked upon each church as his spiritual children. He loved and prayed for each of these churches.

Colossians 1:4 "Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,"

Love is the most powerful thing in the world, for it needs no protection. True love is always faithful and loyal to those it is directed toward.

Colossians 1:5 "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;"

In other words, you have been that way since you first heard the Word preached, and the rewards that are laid up in heaven for you. To many, when they first here the Word of God preached it's an emotional trip, and a few days later they are cold to the Word. This was not so with the Colossians.
The reason that the falling away comes, is that what they hear the second time is not necessary the same gospel that was preached the first time. The first hearing of the gospel is exciting, when you hear the freedom that you have in Christ; and when that person goes back to get the details, they usually are fed all sorts of traditions and side trip stories that have nothing to do with the gospel of Christ, and this trash by these one verse Pastors become repugnant to them. At first they think they are free from the bonds of this world, only to find that some preacher now wants to place them under the restrictions of the law. No wonder they turn from it. 
This is why when a person first accepts the Lord, there is a hunger that can only be filled by the Word of God, as it should be taught chapter by chapter and verse by verse. It should be explained exactly what each verse means.

Editor's Note: Of course, if your pastor doesn't, himself, know what each verse means, he can't explain it accurately, can he?

Colossians 1:6 "Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and know the grace of God in truth:"
When the Word of God is taught throughout all the world it brings forth fruit. People will be saved when they hear of the freedom that we have in Christ. It should be taught exactly as Christ taught it, line by line and verse by verse.

This is where the "parable of the leaven" comes in. When you take a little truth of the Word of God, and put it into a crowd of many people, that little amount of God's Word will spread throughout the entire group. It will leaven the whole lump. When people hear of God love, His grace and unmerited favor, they will respond.

Matthew 13:33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

woman, gune, goo-nay', Greek 1135; probably from the base of Greek 1096 (ginomai); a woman; specially a wife :- wife, woman.

Nevertheless, the plan is that God uses His elect among the wheat (in all three measures, in all earth ages) to bring forth the knowledge of His Word. Interestingly enough, Christ called the sons and daughters of these last days who would see the visions of the prophets and teach them (Acts 2), who are also those same servants who comprise the church of the brothers and sisters (Philadelphia, Rev. 3) along with Smyrna (Rev. 2), "seed" when He quoted the 22nd Psalm while hanging on the cross:

Psalm 22:30-31
A seed shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

seed, zera`, zeh'-rah, Hebrew 2233; from Hebrew 2232 (zara`); seed; figurative fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity :- × carnally, child, fruitful, seed (-time), sowing-time.

[31] They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Colossians 1:7 "As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;"
Epaphras helped found and now teaches in that church at Colosse.
Colossians 1:8 "Who also declared unto us your love in the spirit."
Once a church gets into the deep meaning and study of God's Word, it always produces love in the Spirit. People become concerned for each other, and the entire plan of God that lets you know that in Christ all men and women are your brothers and sisters. Some times that love has to get a little tough, when discipline is required to bring a unruly brother back into the fellowship of the church. If you truly love that person, you know that you will have to correct that fallen brother before fellowship can be restored. We are to correct our enemies as well as our brother in the Lord, and sometimes just a word or two can correct the brother, where as it may take a war to correct a heathen nation that tries to defile one of God's Christian nations.

Colossians 1:9 "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;"

We are to desire to be filled the knowledge of God's Will, and that Will is God's plan that we call the Scriptures, from cover to cover. Within that plan tells us why we are here in this earth age of the flesh, and what our purpose is in life. God has a reason for putting you in that flesh body, during this age in time. Within that knowledge and wisdom of His Word is the understanding of all three earth ages, of which we are in the second age. This second age of the flesh is now coming to a close. All wisdom and understanding that you acquire comes from God, and is revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual understanding means that you not only understand the flesh body and its need and wants, but that you understand the existence of your very soul and spirit that lives within your flesh body. When you are converted and transformed into a believer, you can see the side of your nature that is spiritual which is unseen, that you did not see before. The Holy Spirit will open your eyes to that spiritual side.

However we are to be cautious of any minister or teacher that would say, "all you have to do is believe and have faith." They then would tell you that parts of the Scriptures are not to be understood by the Christian. This is especially done with reference to the Book of Revelation, and parts of the Old Testament. They show their ignorance when the very books they want to exclude are the books that prepare you for the coming of the "instead of Christ" who is Satan playing the role of "the false-christ". The very word "Revelation" is to "reveal" or make known the mysteries of the close of this earth age of the flesh. The entire word of God is God's plan for you and I to read and know. It is the wisdom that the Spirit of God revealed to all those that believe, and by faith live in these flesh bodies.

Colossians 1:10 "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Without that understanding and wisdom that comes from God's Word, and revealed by His Spirit, you will not be able to walk worthy, pleasing the Lord. Anyone that says that He is a Christian and does no work for God is worthless. If you say that you are a Christian, then your reason for existence should be the working for the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. The only thing of this flesh age that matters in that kingdom is your works, and when there is no works for our Lord, what in the world do you think your rewards will be for?

When we see others in trouble and in pain over the loss of a loved one, we are to tell them where the dead are, that is part of doing work for the Father. Any time you clarify the truth from God's Word to anyone, you are doing the work for our Lord. Your works are your reward. Your works are the only thing that you can take with you.

Revelation 14:13 "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.' "

Every time you read God's Word, you will gain more knowledge from it then when you read it before.

Colossians 1:11 "Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;"

The power of God will strengthen you, and while we are living in the flesh we will need that strength. Without the knowledge of God's Word, and even with it at times, it is very difficult to be patient with joy. Always know and understand that God has a plan and you fit into that plan. When you try to force God's plan to move ahead of God's schedule you could find yourself in trouble. We are to let God be in control, while we fulfill our purpose which is to serve Him. Let us use the time and opportunities that He gives us to work for Him in witnessing and service, and allow the Holy Spirit of God do His work through each of us. We should find joy knowing that more souls are being saved every day He has allowed us to continue in His work.

Colossians 1:12 "Giving thanks unto the Father, Which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:"

All good things come from God, even the air we breathe. Don't ever forget to give thanks to Him for all your blessings. When you come to the saving knowledge of Christ, it is God that made you fit ["meet"] to come to the understanding of the truth. You could only become partakers of God's inheritance after God has made those changes within your soul.

Many people have lived a very wicked life, and then in the latter years of their life, their gilt will not allow themselves to turn it all over to the Lord. When a person sees the wickedness in his live, and by faith in Jesus Christ repents to the Father in Jesus name; by the Blood of Christ, that person is forgiven of all, every last sin that he has committed. Now, it is by faith in Christ that you can go on with a clear conscience, and know that those sins are completely forgiven before the heavenly Father. However he will lose, if he allows the devil and his realm to keep throwing those sins back in his face, without rebuking them for it. That is the victory and freedom that we have in Christ, and part of our inheritance in the kingdom of God.

We all know that the flesh is not worthy of any part of the kingdom of God, but within your flesh is a beautiful soul that was created by God, and made fit to take part in the inheritance. Our heavenly Father owns everything, and when you repent, you are a partaker in that inheritance of God. If you will participate, have faith, and not worry, and do His work, He will add all things unto you. This is part of your inheritance, and you can have it today. Only our heavenly Father know the real glory that awaits each of His children. The awards will not be all equal in heaven, for what you wear, and your responsibility are determined on your righteous acts while in the flesh. Revelation 19 deals with this in detail.

When Christ forgives you, you become fit, and he doesn't want to hear about those forgiven sins any more. If you truly believe, and have faith, you know that they no longer exist.

Colossians 1:13 "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son;"

The power of darkness is Satan, and when we by faith believe in Jesus Christ, and repent of our sins, we are removed from the darkness, and placed in His kingdom. It is the seducing or carrying away of your soul and spirit to be changed from within our being. To be translated does not require another to intercede on your behalf, but the change takes place instantly where ever you are at the time you come to the faith and saving knowledge and repentance in Jesus name. The thing that takes place within you is real, and it is not necessary for it to be a public demonstration. God can change you when ever He pleases.

Colossians 1:14 "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

"Redemption" means to reclaim something that belong to you. When you repent for you sins in the name of Jesus, you are saying that you have the faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and you accept that for the covering or forgiveness for all your sins. God then reaches down and reclaims you as one of His sons, and heirs to His kingdom.

Some people don't know what dangerous water they tread upon, when they repent of a sin, and remain on their gilt trip. When you are in the flesh you will fall short from time to time, and when you fall short and repent, that sin is forgiven, so forget it and thank the Lord for His love and care. Jesus Christ's blood is able to bring about the redemption, and wash away that sin and forgive it, and it just doesn't exist anymore. However you use that sin as an experience to remember not to do it again.

But when you bring that sin up again and commit gilt to yourself once you have repented, you are saying in your own mind that Christ's blood is not able to forgive sin, and you are denouncing the very faith you claim to have. You then are like a old dog going back to dig up an old dirty filthy bone, and gnawing on it over and over. Remember back in Hebrews 6:4 - 6? It is blasphemy against God.

Hebrews 6:4 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,"

Hebrews 6:5 "And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come."

Hebrews 6:6 "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame."

When Christ saves, there is no such thing as being "resaved", when you sin after being saved, you have to repent. Christ is able to do the saving, and He does it only one time, and when you sin again you repent in Jesus' name and you are back in good standing before the Father, if you truly repented. Don't blame yourself as far as old sins are concerned, for Christ is able to forgive, and blot them out and you become perfect before God. It is a direct insult to God for you to hang on to any sin and carry the gilt of that sin after you have repented.

Colossians 1:15 "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:"

This is saying that Christ existed before God ever created any creature. Christ existed in the exact image of the invisible God, which means that when we have seen the Son, we have seen the Father. Why? He is the Father. He is playing that office as Savior when He came in that first advent as the sacrificial Lamb. That is the part that He played in His overall Plan. Jesus said in John 10:30, "I and My Father are one."

Colossians 1:16 "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:"

By the Son were all things created, and through His Spirit. That includes everything; it includes everything visible and invisible. Did you get that? every thing was created by God for one purpose, to give God pleasure. How long has it been since you have given God any pleasure because that is what you were created for? One of the greatest ways to displeasure God is to follow the traditions of men that make void the Word of God, instead of following the entire plan of God concerning His plan of Salvation.

Editor's Note:Church is not Christianity. God's Word is Christianity.

This verse of Colossians is backed up in Revelation 4, and here we see John describing God's throne as he saw it in heaven.

Revelation 4:1 "After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, "Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."

This door is not on earth where the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 are, but in heaven. And it was John who was on the isle of Patmos having this vision, that was carried into heaven and through that door. Most churches today now teach that it was the church that went through the door, and this is their reason for accepting their evil rapture doctrine, which gives them the illusion that somehow they will escape the time of the Antichrist, which Jesus has pointedly said they will go through, if they are living on the earth during the final generation.

This event happened "on the Day of the Lord" as we are told in Revelation 1:10; and that day is the final day of this flesh age. It is not referring to a Saturday or Sunday, but the day is when the sounding of the seventh and final trumpet, after all the other trumpets and seals have happened, including the one world reign of the Antichrist, who is Satan. There is no church in this verse going anywhere. There is only John being transported in the spirit from his place in the isle of Patmos, through that heavenly gate to stand before the very throne of God.

Revelation 4:2 "And immediately I was in the Spirit: and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne."

This is John that is in the spirit, standing and looking upon our Heavenly Father who is sitting upon this throne.

Revelation 4:3 "And He That sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."

God's throne is described here in Revelation 4, how his glory was as that prism or rainbow of colors that were all around the throne. The jasper stone and the sardine stone are the last and the first stones that are on the breast plate of the priest. John sees the last stones first because it will be the last to pass through this earth age, that are to be the first to see with their eyes these events transpire. Whereby they can see and understand our Father's will and wish.

Anytime light shines through a prism you can see a rainbow of many colors. The rainbow is the description of the radiance of the Glory of God. This is brought out in Revelation 10:1 when the rainbow is worn as a crown of glory by Jesus Christ on His return to earth at the seventh trumpet. It represents the full glory and full pattern of the Godhead. Now to see the worthiness of our Lord Jesus Christ lets go to the last verse in Revelation 4.

Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

This is what these voices of the four beasts, and the twenty four elders in heaven before the throne of God were saying. They recognized that all glory is of God, and belongs to Him. Our God is the God of the Universe, for it is through the power and authority of God that it was all created. The only reason that you were created and even exist is for the sole pleasure of God.

Today the Devil and his Kenites have so twisted the minds of people that they now thing that their self is the sole purpose of their existence, and "I" is the the focus of their entire thought.

When Satan fell in that first earth age one third of all of God's Children sinned and followed Satan. They became separated from God, and we can see how much God loved his children when we understand His plan. God loved His creation man so much that He gave His own Son to redeem His children from their sins. When God created you, He created you for one purpose, to give Him pleasure. You give God pleasure by telling Him you love him, just as you would love and respect your earthly father. He is a type of our heavenly father, our true parent. You give God pleasure by loving Him and assisting in His plan. Those that do not love Him will perish, and God doesn't want that to happen.

Jesus Christ is our "kinsman redeemer", and kinsman means relation. When you become a Christian, you become a kinsman in a family sense to Christ, and part of his family. Kinsman Redeemer is a legal term that means the nearest of kin can speak on your behalf when something happens to you. He is also the one that pays your bills to free up the legal obligation of your estate. In this case, sin is the debt and death is your obligation or price to be paid. Christ has paid that debt on the cross with His own blood, and He claimed you as His kinsman. The authority for Christ to act as your kinsman redeemer is that your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, which is His record of His family. This is done when you do it His way.

Colossians 1:17 "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."

You and I owe God everything we have, for without Him you wouldn't even exist.

Editor's Note: Open your Bible to Acts 17:28.

Acts 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Now, read it, over and over again, until you really, really understand what it  is telling us!  

Now get down on your knees and thank God for your being!

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being"

Colossians 1:18 "And he is the Head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence."

God is the boss, the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the body of Christ which includes every soul that calls themselves a Christian, and by faith has repented of their sins. Christ under the Father, is a head of the church. Jesus Christ was the first one that overcame the death of these flesh bodies, and He is the only one over the body of Christ. He paid the price and to Him is all the glory and honor and praise that we can give. As far as the flesh is concerned, Christ was dead and in the tomb, and the first born in the flesh. He was the first perfect person that lived in the flesh, and He became the sacrificial Lamb for one and all times. Paul writes in another letter about the dead in another book [letter], and from this they have created their rapture doctrine, only this has nothing to do with the living.

I Thessalonians 4:13 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope."

"Them which are asleep" is talking about those that have died in their flesh bodies. This has nothing to do with the living, but Paul is answering the Christians as to were their loved ones are, when the pass away, and are buried in the ground. "Those that have no hope" are the heathen that believe that there is no soul to man; that is why there is great sorrow when their loved ones die. Paul is saying don't you be like those heathen, for you do have hope.

I Thessalonians 4:14 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him."

Do you believe that Jesus died and rose again? If you don't believe that, I don't know why you would ever call yourself a Christian. How will Jesus bring those that have died back with Him? Because at death of the flesh body they have gone instantly to be with the Father that created that soul. This is recorded in Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it."

God is a God of the living, not of the dead. When the flesh goes back to the dust elements that it is made of, your soul goes back instantly to our Heavenly Father. Your flesh body will go back to the minerals, and elements from the plants and soil that sustains it from what you eat. Within your physical body is a beautiful spiritual body that returns instantly before the throne of God. Each of those souls that believe this are coming again with Jesus Christ at the appointed time. It is in that spiritual body that those that have died will return with Him.

I Thessalonians 4:15 "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep.

This is not man speaking, but by the Word of God. It doesn't take too much intelligence to figure out that if someone died, and his soul went instantly to be with the Father, those living in the flesh simply cannot prevent that soul from returning before they go to the Father. The dead physically are already there with Him in their spiritual bodies. We just read where it is written in Ecclesiastes 12:7, To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

I Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:"

This is the last day of the flesh age, and the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet when Christ returns, and as we saw above, all those souls that have died in their flesh bodies, and returned to the Lord are now returning with him for the Millennium kingdom.

I Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Paul discusses in I Corinthians 15:50-54 that at that moment of the sounding of the last trumpet, all flesh bodies will be discarded, and we will be changed instantly to our new incorruptible bodies, saint and sinner alike. When this change comes we will all be in our new breath of life body, our bodies that we will live in for the thousand year Millennium age, where there will be no death or sickness.

Colossians 1:19 "For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell;"

It pleased the Father that the total of the complete Godhead was in Jesus Christ. The Father turned it over to His Son. He allowed that office of the Godhead to handle that in as much as the name Jesus translated back to the Hebrew, means "God's Savior". It includes both positions. After being the only one in the flesh that was perfect, He was able to defeat sin itself. When repentance is bought in faith by those that believe upon Him. The totality of the Divine Godhead was placed in Jesus.

Colossians 1:20 "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven."

It is by the blood of Jesus Christ that all those that have repented are reconciled, or brought back from the position of sin caused by Satan's overthrow. Christ reconciles us from our sins of both that first earth age, as well as this age of the flesh, when we repent.

Remember that there was four thousand years that man lived on the earth in the flesh before Jesus came to die on the cross. There were many souls that lived and died during that period of time that were not under the dispensation of grace that we enjoy in our lifetime. Each of those souls lived under the law, whereby when they broke one, they broke them all. Yes, you could get a priest to pray and sacrifice for you, but even the priest himself had to sacrifice for his sins.

Our Heavenly Father is fair in all things. As soon as Christ died on the cross, He made this salvation available, both on earth and in heaven.

I Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Christ made one sacrifice for all times, He was the Just and we are the unjust. Christ suffered and was put to death in the flesh only, but He was made alive by the Holy Spirit.

I Peter 3:19 "By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison,"

Human beings are not spirits, but your spirit is the intellect of your soul. Jesus went back to preach to all those spirits that had once lived in the flesh body, and had died in the flesh.

I Peter 3:20 "Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

These souls just did not make it, they were sinful in their ignorance. Jesus preached to these many souls that lived all the way back to the beginning of this flesh age. Lets skip on to I Peter 4:5.

I Peter 4:5 "Who shall give account to Him That is ready to judge the quick and the dead."

This is referring to those in the spiritual bodies, and the judging is of the living [quick] and the dead [spiritually dead].

I Peter 4:6 "For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."

The gospel was also preached to those that are dead, flesh dead, and this happened when Jesus was crucified and in the tomb. Those souls were in that place of waiting for the time when that judgment will take place. God is giving those souls that were flesh dead the same opportunity as those that were alive after Christ paid the price on the cross, that are living in the flesh and can repent and have forgiveness by their faith.

"But live according to God in the spirit" means that they are living according to God's plan, they are in paradise and waiting for judgment. Any time you don't grasp a part of God's plan, and God seems unfair, you just don't understand that part of the Word of God. The problem is with your understanding, not with God, for God is always fair.

Colossians 1:21 "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled"

Live Link to-The Plan of God

You were alienated and enemies of God by your sin and wicked works became reconciled by Him when you by faith repented and believed on Him. The qualifications for salvation are given in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." You must believe on Jesus Christ in order to receive salvation and be reconciled back to God.

You must use your eyes to see and understand what Jesus teaches in this 3rd. chapter of John!  If you do not understand, go to John 3:3 and go over it again until you do!     Live Link to-John chapter 3
You need to understand this!

In the manuscripts the word "everlasting" is "eternal", meaning there is no skip in the life of the soul, from the day that it was created back in the first earth age to the far stretches of eternity future. We are to follow the examples set forth by Christ, such as baptism and so on, but the main qualifier is that you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Almighty God and that He died for your sins. You must accept that by faith, and act upon that in your life.

Colossians 1:22 "In the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight:"

It is Christ that will present you to the Father as one of His, completely forgiven of all your sins and wickedness. Christ's perfection, through the death of His flesh, will take all sin from you, and leave you perfect in the sight of the Heavenly Father.

Colossians 1:23 "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister;"

Don't let some preacher of other doctrine pull you away from what is written in God's Word. The condition on being saved is to continue in the faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is the substance your hope, which is the deed to your inheritance into the kingdom of God. It gives you a deed in hand of all the promises that God has made to you, as written down in His Word. That deed is as real as the deed that you hold on your home that you live in.

Colossians 1:24 "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the church."

Paul was beaten, stoned, whipped many times and even brought to the point of death for the sake of preaching of the gospel. Paul is stating that he is taking those beatings joyfully for it is for the sake of the body of Christ, and the saving of souls.

Colossians 1:25 "Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;"

Paul was called to be a minister by Jesus Christ Himself, and given a mission to preach the entire Word of God. Paul preached even to the mysteries that are know by so few Christians even today. Paul was a preacher to both the Gentile, the kings, and to the house of Israel, i.e. those ten tribes that were scattered by the Assyrians 722 B.C., and scattered over the face of Europe and the Americas, whose descendants today make up the CHRISTIAN NATIONS OF THE WORLD. The word "dispensation" is the "stewardship" that we have when we are serving Him.

Colossians 1:26 "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints,"

The mystery that Paul revealed was directed to all of God's saints, those elect that are sealed with the word of God. Many will see the salvation of Jesus Christ, but they are blind to the mystery that Paul reveals to the elect. That mystery is deep, but yet quite simple, it is all tied up in love. One third of God's children fell away from Him in that first earth age, and rather then kill one third of His children, God destroyed that first earth age, instead. Because of His love for His children.

Live Link to-Basic facts you need to know to understand Scripture

Today most people just don't want to take the time for our Heavenly Father, and back then that was probably the same amount of thought that was given to God. So rather then destroying the soul of his children then, He created this earth age of the flesh; that each of those souls would be born of woman, and that is why He made women. All souls come from God, but each soul must pass through this earth age one time, and one time only in the flesh.

Each soul, in turn, would be born innocent in this flesh age, with the ability to love and choose, whether it would be of God, or of Satan and his ways. The choice is yours for it is an individual thing, for no one can control your choice in the matter. God will not interfere with that process, for love is one thing that must come from within the individual. God will reveal to you what He desires of you, but you must make up your mind as to which way you will go. Your love for God is the only thing that you can give to Him that matters, for without your love anything you offer to Him is unacceptable.

Revelation 4:6 tells us of four creatures [beasts] that were created to sit around the throne of God, and they were full of knowledge and understanding, but they did not have the opportunity of making a choice. The position was to sit at the throne and praise God continually. These creatures are called "zoon" in the Greek, while in Ezekiel 1:5-14 these same creatures are called the "zoa" in the Hebrew. These creatures do not have the right to choose anything, for they were created to do a certain service for God, and they will never receive any inheritance like you and I will receive as sons and daughters of the living God. We have the right to choose to be in God's family as a joint heir with Christ in His kingdom.

That choice comes from the spirit or the intellect of your soul to love God, and it must come from within you, and you alone. It cannot be forced or it is not real love. Our Fathers mystery is the simplicity of this plan of salvation that he offers to each of His created children, when they will love Him.

II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

God's will, or wish will not be force on anyone, but those that do not make the choice to follow Him will perish in the lake of fire after the day of judgment.

Colossians 1:27 "To whom God would make know what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:"

Christ in you through the Holy Spirit is our hope in Glory.

Colossians 1:28 "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:"

In Christ is the only way that you can become perfect and that is when you repent of your sins and have the forgiveness that comes only from God.

Colossians 1:29 "Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily."

Though Paul was on the road to Damascus to bind Christians, when that light of Jesus Christ hit Paul and magnified within him, Paul was changed to a new working of labor. Through the touching of the Holy Spirit of God, Paul became a minister for God, and wrote much of the New Testament that we get our guidance today. Paul knew the pain that we would suffer, for he was beaten and stoned for his teaching of the gospel, yet he knew the joy that it would bring in the end. Paul knew how it worked both ways, for before his conversion he was the one giving the stripes, and throwing the rocks. Then as he went forth preaching the word, he knew what striving it would take in doing the work for our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.