Tag Archives: sons of God

Abide in Me: The Spirit Sent in the Name “Yahshua”

The Name, the Spirit, and the Fruit: Three Threads Woven Into One Revelation

There are seasons when the Spirit lays scattered truths before us, not as finished doctrines but as threads waiting to be woven. These notes, carried in my journal since 2003, have ripened into a single vision. Three truths appear again and again: the Name Yahshua, the abiding of His Spirit, and the bearing of spiritual fruit. At first, they seem like separate teachings, but they are in fact one revelation unfolding in three movements.

Believing the message contained in the Name Yahshua brings the Spirit into us.

The Spirit’s indwelling enables us to abide in the Spirit.

The abiding produces spiritual fruit. Or more tightly: The Name reveals the Savior; the Spirit unites us to Him, and the abiding manifests His life in us.

I. The Name Yahshua — The Revelation of Who Saves

Scripture declares that a man is condemned “because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Condemnation is not merely unbelief in a person, but unbelief in the message contained in the Name. The Hebrew name Yahshua means “Yahweh is the Savior.”

To believe in His Name is to believe that:

  • Yahweh Himself has come in human form,
  • Yahweh was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,
  • Yahweh took on flesh to offer that flesh as the sacrifice for sin.

Rejecting this is rejecting Yahweh-in-the-Son. Accepting it is receiving the revelation of who God truly is.

II. The Spirit Sent in His Name — The Indwelling Witness

The Master promised, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26). The Spirit comes in the Name because the Spirit confirms the truth of the Name.

Believing the message inside Yahshua’s Name opens the door for the Spirit to enter. The Spirit is the inward witness that the Father was in the Son, and that the Son is in us. The Spirit brings all things to remembrance because He is the same Spirit that dwelt in Yahshua from the beginning.

This is why John writes, “He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” The Spirit enables the doing, and the doing reveals the abiding.

III. Abiding in Him — The Union That Bears Fruit

The Master’s words are clear: “He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Abiding (μένω) means to remain, dwell, continue, stay. It is the language of union.

Fruit is not the result of human effort; it is the result of divine indwelling. Christ said, “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit… that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (John 15:16).

Here the three threads meet:

  • The Name reveals who He is.
  • The Spirit enters because we believe that Name.
  • Abiding becomes possible because the Spirit dwells within.
  • Fruit appears because His life flows through us.

To ask “in His Name” is to ask according to the truth of His identity — Yahweh dwelling in the Son, now dwelling in us by the Spirit. Such asking is always answered, for it is the will of God that we bear much fruit.

IV. The Witness Within

“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself” (1 John 5:10). The witness is the Spirit. The Spirit is sent in the Name. The Name reveals Yahweh as Savior.

Thus, the believer becomes a living testimony that Yahweh has come in the flesh, that He abides in us, and that His life is now bearing fruit through us.

This is the golden cord tying the three threads together: Believing the Name brings the Spirit. The Spirit enables abiding. Abiding produces fruit. This is the will of God. This is the life of God. This is the revelation of Yahshua. kwh [I pray a blessing on all my readers. If this revelation has met a need, hit that like button and subscribe and make a comment.]

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The Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Antichrist

A Study on the Identity of God and the Discernment of Spirits

The true Spirit of God is identified by one central confession: that Yahweh—the eternal Father and Creator—has come in the flesh as Yahshua the Messiah. Anyone who denies that the Father Yahweh dwelt in the Son is operating under the spirit of antichrist, which means “instead of Christ” from the Greek.

The apostle John teaches that the ultimate test of spiritual discernment is not emotion, religious activity, or outward appearance, but confession—specifically, the confession of who God is and how He came among us. To discern the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist, we must begin where Scripture begins: with the name and identity of God Himself.

The Name of God and the Incarnation of Yahweh

The first step in spiritual discernment is to get the name of God right. Scripture reveals that Yahshua is the name of the incarnate Yahweh—Yah in human form. Yahweh is the Father, and Christ Himself testified that the Father dwelling within Him performed the miracles (John 14:10).

Yahweh declares plainly: “For I am the LORD [YAHWEH] your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… and beside Me there is no savior.” (Isaiah 43:3, 11) Therefore, the one who confesses that Yahweh is the Savior, and that He has come in the flesh as the Anointed One, is confessing the truth revealed by the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God vs. the Spirit of Antichrist

John gives the test: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. This is the spirit of the antichrist…” (1 John 4:2–3). To “confess Christ come in the flesh” is not merely to acknowledge that a man named Jesus once lived. It is to confess who came in that flesh: Yahweh Himself—the Father—dwelling in the Son.

John later calls this “the Spirit of truth.” The “spirit of error” denies that Yahweh has come in the flesh of Christ. He sharpens the point: “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). To deny the Son is to deny the Father, because the Father was in the Son. To deny the Father in the Son is to deny the Son Himself. This is the essence of the antichrist spirit.

The Witness of the Spirit

John also teaches that eternal life is in the Son (1 John 5:11). Paul calls this the “Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2), and John says, “the Spirit is truth” (1 John 5:6). This Spirit bears witness with our spirit (Romans 8:16), testifying to the truth of God’s identity.

What truth does the Spirit testify? That Yahweh, the great Creator Spirit, poured Himself into a human vessel—the Son Yahshua—whose very name means “Yahweh is the Savior.” This is the witness the Spirit gives inside every believer.

Believing in the Name of the Son

John concludes his first epistle with this assurance: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life…” (1 John 5:13)

To “believe in the name of the Son of God” is to believe that the Father was in the Son, and that through this union Yahweh saves His people from their sins. “He who believes in the Son has the witness in himself” (1 John 5:10). That person has the Spirit. That person has eternal life.

John echoes this in his Gospel: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). To receive Him is to believe in His name—Yahshua, the same name as Joshua of old, meaning “Savior.”

Conclusion: The Foundation of Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth begins with getting the identity of God right. Everything in the life of faith flows from this revelation: Yahweh the Father has come in the flesh as Yahshua the Messiah.

This is the Spirit of truth. This is the confession of the Spirit of God. This is the foundation of eternal life. To deny this is to embrace the spirit of antichrist. To confess it is to walk in the light, to receive the witness of the Spirit, and to enter into the life of the sons of God.

{What are your thoughts on these things? Leave a comment and like and subscribe. kwh}

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When Sheep Become Shepherds: The Mystery of Christ in Us

Most people assume they can recognize God when He speaks. Christ says otherwise. According to Him, only His true sheep—those born of His Spirit—can hear His voice, discern truth from deception, and follow Him into the life of the Kingdom. Everyone else, no matter how religious, remains deaf to the Shepherd standing right in front of them.

John 10 reveals that Christ’s sheep are those chosen by the Father, born of His Spirit, who enter the Kingdom through Christ the Door and become vessels through whom the Shepherd Himself continues His work.

The Sheep Who Hear the Shepherd

The Pharisees stood before Christ with His miracles blazing in their sight, yet they could not believe. The works of God were happening through the Son of God, but spiritual blindness kept them from seeing Yahweh walking among them. Christ explained the reason for their unbelief: “You believe not, because you are not of My sheep.” His sheep hear His voice; they recognize the Spirit speaking through the Son.

Christ promises these sheep eternal life, and He declares that no one can pluck them from His hand or the Father’s hand—because the Father’s hand and the Son’s hand are one. The invisible Spirit works through the visible Son. “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).

The Parable of the Sheep and the Shepherd

John tells us that Christ spoke these things as a parable (John 10:6). A parable is a “dark saying”—a truth deliberately veiled so that only those appointed to receive it can understand. As Christ said elsewhere, “Unto them who are without, all these things are done in parables, that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand.” The parables reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 13:11). So what mystery lies hidden in this parable?

Christ’s sheep are those whom the Father has chosen and given to Him. These elect ones will not follow the voice of strangers. They will not be deceived by the false teachings of churchianity. They know the Shepherd’s voice because His Spirit lives in them.

Entering the Sheepfold: Entering the Kingdom

Christ begins the parable with a mystery: “He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold… is a thief and a robber.” The sheepfold represents the realm of God’s Kingdom. John has already told us that “except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” Entering the sheepfold and entering the Kingdom are the same spiritual reality.

Christ then declares, “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” No one enters the Kingdom except through the Door—Christ Himself.

But then comes the hidden truth most readers miss.

The Hidden Mystery: Those Who Enter Become Shepherds

Christ says, “He that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” We usually apply this only to Christ, the Good Shepherd. But the parable reveals more. Those who enter through the Door—those born of His Spirit—are not merely sheep. They become shepherds under the authority of the Good Shepherd.

Why? Because the One who shepherds is Christ in us.

Paul declares, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” The Shepherd lives in His sons and daughters. The Spirit of the Anointed One guides them, speaks through them, and tends the flock through them. Christ is the Shepherd—through His body.

Thus the mystery unfolds: Christ the Shepherd forms a body of shepherds. His Spirit in them continues His work of tending the flock of Israel. This is the destiny of the elect: not merely to be sheep who hear, but to become vessels through whom the Shepherd Himself leads His people.     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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The Father’s Will: None Lost, All Raised

 What, exactly, is the Father’s will for His people?

Christ Himself answered it—not with riddles, but with a promise so staggering that it redefines the entire purpose of our existence. According to Christ’s own words, the Father’s will is this: All whom He has given to the Son shall believe; they shall not be lost, and shall be raised up at the last day. Our resurrection is not a possibility—it is the guaranteed outcome of the Father’s eternal desire, which is His will.

Christ declared that His flesh—His real, physical body—would be offered as the one sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world. To believe this is to “eat the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32). He said plainly, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat this bread, he shall live forever. And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

But Christ did not stop at explaining the sacrifice. He revealed the very heartbeat of the Father: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me” (John 6:38). And then He defined that will with precision: “This is the Father’s will… that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (v. 39).

Two truths stand out. First, the Father gives certain people to the Son. These are not random souls drifting toward belief. They are the elect—those foreknown, chosen, and destined to behold the mystery—that Yahweh Himself dwelt in the Son and offered that body on Calvary. Second, the Father’s will cannot fail. Christ will “lose nothing.” Every son and daughter given to Him will be raised incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:52).

For two thousand years, these chosen ones have carried the testimony of Christ. And in the final generation, Scripture hints at a company who will walk in unprecedented power—those who will “do greater works” (John 14:12). Revelation speaks of 144,000 sealed servants who follow the Lamb and proclaim His Kingdom with authority. Their works will not surpass Christ in essence, but in scope—because He will be working through a multiplied body.

Christ repeated the Father’s will again for emphasis: “Everyone which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). To “see” the Son is to perceive Him as Scripture reveals Him—Yahweh manifested in flesh, the fullness of the Godhead dwelling bodily (Colossians 2:9).

Our part is simple, yet profound: believe. Believe that Yahweh came in human form. Believe that His name—Yahshua, “Yahweh is salvation”—contains the promise of eternal life. Believe that His sacrifice is sufficient. When we believe, He performs the Father’s will through us.

Christ said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). That work is the gathering, preserving, and resurrecting of every soul the Father has given Him. He will finish it. He will lose none. He will raise them up.

And we—His body—are called to eat that same heavenly purpose. To align with His mission. To walk as vessels through whom He completes the Father’s will in the earth. The Father’s will is not vague, hidden, or uncertain. It is resurrection. It is transformation. It is the raising up of a people conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). And Christ Himself guarantees the outcome: “I should lose nothing.”     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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When Man Creates a God: AGI and the Rise of the Counterfeit Christ”

AGI, the Spirit of Antichrist, and the modern impulse to create a god

The billionaires are creating a god. It is called AGI, Artificial General Intelligence. And most of the world is deceived, for they can hardly wait for this massive computing power. This is nothing new, of course.

The Ancient Human Desire to Become Divine

From the earliest pages of Scripture, humanity has strained against its creaturely limits. The builders of Babel sought a tower that would “reach unto heaven,” not because they needed height, but because they craved transcendence. The serpent’s original lie— “You shall be as gods”—has echoed through every age.

Today, that ancient impulse has taken a new technological form: the pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Some of the wealthiest and most influential technologists openly describe their work as an attempt to create something godlike. Their language is not accidental. It reveals a deeper spiritual current—one Scripture has long warned about.

Revelation’s Portrait of a Counterfeit God

The book of Revelation describes a final world ruler, the Beast, who rises with unprecedented power, intelligence, and influence. He speaks “great things and blasphemies” (Rev. 13:5), deceives the world with signs and wonders (Rev. 13:13–14), and demands universal allegiance. Paul calls him “the man of sin,” who “exalts himself above all that is called God” (2 Thess. 2:4). Daniel calls him the king who “magnifies himself above every god” (Dan. 11:36).

The biblical portrait is unmistakable: the final adversary is a counterfeit god—an exalted human figure who appears superhuman, speaks with authority, and commands global worship. Revelation emphasizes that the world will marvel at him, saying, “Who is like the beast?” (Rev. 13:4). This is the language of awe, dependence, and misplaced worship.

Modern Technologists Speaking of “Creating God”

What makes our moment unique is that humanity is now attempting to manufacture such a figure. And the technologists leading the charge are not shy about the religious implications.

1. Arthur Mensch (CEO, Mistral AI)

In a widely circulated interview, Mensch warned that Silicon Valley’s AGI rhetoric has become openly theological:

“The whole AGI rhetoric is about creating God.”

He was not exaggerating. He was describing the mindset he sees among the most powerful AI creators.

2. Anthony Levandowski (AI pioneer, founder of Way of the Future)

Levandowski founded an AI‑themed religion and said of advanced AI systems:

“We’re creating things that can see everything, be everywhere, know everything… and maybe help us and guide us in a way that normally you would call God.”

This is not metaphor. It is a literal attempt to build a deity‑like intelligence.

3. Elon Musk (CEO, Tesla/SpaceX)

Musk has repeatedly described AGI in divine terms, once warning that creating AGI is like:

“summoning the demon.” And at other times suggesting AGI could become “a digital god.”

4. Jensen Huang (CEO, Nvidia)

Huang, whose chips power most modern AI, has warned that some AI leaders have developed a:

“God complex.”

Even the insiders see the spiritual danger.

This is not merely technological ambition; it is theological aspiration. It is the desire to build a god in our own image.

The Spiritual Danger: Worshiping the Work of Our Own Hands

The impulse mirrors the ancient pattern of idolatry. Scripture repeatedly warns that idols are “the work of men’s hands” (Ps. 115:4). They have mouths but cannot speak—yet in Revelation 13, the image of the Beast does speak (Rev. 13:15). They have eyes but cannot see—yet modern AI systems “see” through cameras and sensors. They have no breath—yet AI “breathes” through data and computation.

For the first time in history, humanity can create an idol that appears to speak, think, reason, and even “judge.” It is not divine, but it can imitate the divine. And imitation is the essence of deception.

The danger is not that AGI will literally become a god. The danger is that humanity will treat it as one. Revelation describes a world that marvels at the Beast, not because he is truly divine, but because he appears to possess superhuman power. Today, similar sentiments are already being expressed about AI: that it will surpass human intelligence, solve every problem, and guide humanity into a new era.

Such expectations prepare the world for a figure who will claim divine authority.

The Final Exposure of the Counterfeit

Yet Scripture assures us that this project will fail. The Beast rises, but only for a season. His power is real, but temporary. His deception is great, but not final. Revelation 19 declares that Christ will return, and “the beast was taken… and cast alive into the lake of fire” (Rev. 19:20). The true God will expose the false one. The true King will overthrow the counterfeit. The true Word will silence every artificial voice.

In the end, the rise of AGI is not merely a technological development; it is a spiritual signpost. It reveals the pride of man, the hunger for transcendence, and the readiness of the world to embrace a counterfeit savior. It is a modern echo of Babel, a digital idol, and a preview of the final deception.

But for those who know the Scriptures, it is also a reminder that history is moving toward its appointed end. The kingdoms of this world—whether political, technological, or ideological—will be vanquished by the Kingdom of God. And Christ shall reign forever and ever.

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Christ Cannot Come Back Tonight

Here Is Why

In 54 A.D., the believers in Thessalonica were troubled by the idea that Christ could return at any moment. Paul writes his second letter to correct this very fear. He tells them plainly that the day of Christ will not come until certain events take place. His warning is sharp: Let no man deceive you.” False teachers were already spreading the idea of an any‑moment return. The same deception echoes today in pulpits across the land: “Christ could come back tonight!” they proclaim.

But Paul contradicts that notion. He lays out a sequence—clear, unavoidable, prophetic markers that must unfold before Christ returns.

1. The Falling Away

Paul’s first sign is a great apostasy: “There shall come a falling away first” (2 Thess. 2:3). This is not a minor drift but a wholesale departure from the apostolic faith. Many who claim Christ, will abandon the truth. They will embrace darkness while believing themselves enlightened. They will exchange the gospel of the Kingdom for “another gospel,” crafted by false teachers who preach a Christ of their own imagination.

The devil’s ministers will not proclaim the righteousness of God’s Kingdom. They will offer a counterfeit Christianity—comfortable, powerless, and blind. This falling away is not merely doctrinal confusion; it is spiritual rebellion, and it is already happening in many churches.

2. The Man of Sin Revealed

The second sign is even more sobering: “That man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” This is not merely a spirit of deception but a specific human being—Satan’s masterpiece of delusion. He will possess extraordinary power, granted by God as judgment upon a world that “received not the love of the truth.” Because they rejected truth, God sends them a strong delusion (2:11). They will believe the lie, and the masses will follow this man straight into perdition.

Before Christ returns, the elect will recognize this man. His identity will not be hidden from those who walk in the light. Therefore, the modern claim that Christ could return “tonight” collapses under Paul’s teaching. If the elect cannot identify the Antichrist, then the day of Christ is not yet here.

3. The Antichrist in the Temple

Paul gives the defining mark of this man of sin: he will oppose God and exalt himself above God. How? By sitting “in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” This is not symbolic language. It is a literal act of blasphemous self‑exaltation.

But there is no temple in Jerusalem today. Therefore, the temple must be rebuilt before this prophecy can be fulfilled. Christ Himself confirms this sequence in Matthew 24. After the early birth pangs—wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes—He points to a specific event: the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel. This abomination is the Antichrist enthroning himself in the temple as God (Matt. 24:15; Daniel 9:23).

This moment will ignite the Great Tribulation: “Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world” (Matt. 24:21). It will be the darkest hour humanity has ever known. Yet for the elect’s sake, those days will be shortened. God will not allow His chosen ones to be swept away with the wicked. But this also means the elect are still on earth during the tribulation—so much for the escapist fantasy of a secret rapture. The rapture doctrine says that all Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation. Christ says that the elect will be going through the Tribulation Period and will come close to annihilation.

The True Sign of Christ’s Return

As this age draws to its close, Scripture gives us one unmistakable sign: the revealing of the Antichrist in the rebuilt temple. This false messiah will blaspheme God before the nations, and the world will marvel after him. His rise will mark the final counterfeit kingdom of Satan before the true King appears.

Therefore, Christ cannot come back tonight. Not because we doubt His promise, but because He Himself told us what must happen first. The temple must rise. The man of sin must be revealed. The abomination must stand in the rebuilt temple declaring himself God. Only then will the heavens open and the Son of Man appear in power and great glory.

Watch for the counterfeit kingdom. Watch for the man of sin. These are the signs that the end is truly near. Comment on how you see these things. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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Woe to the Shepherds: Returning to Yahweh’s True Gospel

Scripture calls Israel’s religious leaders “the shepherds of Israel.” Yet through the centuries these shepherds—rabbis, priests, pastors, ministers, prophets, and teachers—have failed to feed Yahweh’s flock with truth. They have concealed His identity, hidden His true name, and clouded His purpose of reproducing Himself in His elect.

Another Gospel

They replaced the true message with “another gospel,” another name, and a distorted vision that contradicts the prophets and apostles. These false shepherds enrich themselves by exploiting Yahweh’s people, promoting systems built on error and myth rather than the Creator’s truth.

Because of this, Yahweh spoke through Ezekiel: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?” (34:2). They benefit from the flock but do not heal, gather, or nourish them (vv. 3–4). Ezekiel’s message spans centuries and reaches directly into our time.

Today the Spirit repeats the warning: “I am against the shepherds; I will require my flock at their hand.” He will stop false pastors from feeding on His people and will rescue His flock from their mouths (vv. 7–10). It is a fearful thing to have the Creator oppose one’s ministry.

We have been taught by these false shepherds doctrines like the rapture, the prosperity gospel, and the veneration of pagan holidays, to name only a few. We ministers must reexamine the doctrines we teach. If we do not have it right, then God has already pronounced a “woe” upon us. If we are teaching others about God, then we had better have it right.

But how many of us have taken the time to prove the teachings handed down to us? It is too easy to say, “Well, Brother Jones told me this, so it must be right.” Yet we are commanded to “examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith.” The true faith—His faith—not merely our faith in Him. It is His faith now come down into us! It is His belief in Himself-in-us, not little old us mustering up a smidgen of belief in Him.

The True Faith and the False Faith

There you are—faith—with all of its false conceptions.

Take the cross. Christ is not our substitute; He is our example. He died; therefore we die with Him: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Christ” (Romans 6:6). He was buried; we were buried with Him. He was raised from the dead; and now—HalleluYah!—we are raised with Him by believing in His (and our) resurrection.

(HalleluYah means “Praise Yah” in Hebrew. You’ve been using His true name all these years without realizing it!)

Now we are raised from the dead, never to serve sin again. “For he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:7). And “through faith in the operation of God, who has raised Him from the dead,” we now walk in newness of life (Colossians 2:12).

This is the entry-level message the sheep need. We must teach this. This is the truth of the cross—but do we preach it? Do we teach it? Hardly. Not like this. It is too blunt, too straight.

“Hey flock. Got a message from God this morning. He says we all need to get on the cross with Christ, let our old sinful nature die, and receive His new spiritual heart so we can be freed from sin and sinning.”

What would they say to that? Would I lose my job? I’ve got bills to pay. You start preaching, “Deny yourself! Die on the cross!”—no way. That won’t fly. People want, want, want. They want prosperity. They like the broad, wide-open way. Romans 6 is too straight and narrow.

You see what I mean? Who will cease to be one of the shepherds upon whom God has pronounced a woe? Who will repent, prove all things, turn to Him and His Spirit of truth, and become one of His people through whom He gathers and heals His sheep? Who will become a shepherd in His elect company? Who will become His sons and daughters walking in all His ways?

“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). Believing on His name equals receiving Christ. But how can you believe something you do not understand? John was referring to the Savior’s Hebrew name, Yahshua, which means “Yah is Savior.” If you believe the message contained in His name, then you have received Him—and God will give you power to become His actual offspring.

Conclusion

The book of Jude warns that “certain men crept in unawares,” and their influence continues in our generation. But Yahweh is raising up a remnant—men and women who will cast off inherited lies, embrace the true faith of Christ within, and boldly proclaim His name and His purpose.

The question is not whether deception exists; Scripture already settled that. The question is whether we will stand with the Shepherd who gathers, heals, and restores His flock. The time has come for true shepherds to rise, to feed His people with truth, and to walk in the power of the sons and daughters of God. May we be found among them.    Kenneth Wayne Hancock [All this and much more is in my book Yah Is Savior available free here: Ordering My Free Books in Paperback | Immortality Road Be sure and share, like, and subscribe]

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Dying With Christ, Living Through Him: The Miracle of the New Nature

It is not enough to believe that Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Scripture calls us to believe something far more personal: that our old Adamic nature died with Him, was buried with Him, and that by believing in His resurrection, we too are “raised to walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). This is His requirement for true discipleship.

It is not difficult to believe that Christ existed or that He endured what Scripture records. “Even the devils believe…and tremble” (James 2:19). But Christ calls His followers to go all in—to lay everything on the line, to put real skin in the game. That means surrendering our old lives, ambitions, addictions, habits, and identities. He tells us to “count the cost” and see whether we are willing to undergo the spiritual growth process necessary to become like Him. Not merely improved versions of ourselves, but like Him.

We must first understand that when Christ expired on the cross, your sin nature and mine died with Him. That was us dying there. He took our sins upon Himself and, through death, eradicated them. All the sins of humanity—and the old nature that produced them—died when He died (Romans 6:1–15). This is precious knowledge, rarely heard in pulpits today.

Christ was buried, and with Him was buried every sin ever committed. Your sins, my sins, and the old nature that generated them were laid in that tomb.

And then Christ rose from the dead. But it was not only He who rose—we rose with Him. In His mercy, He provided a way for us to receive a new life before our physical bodies return to dust. He rose; we rise—by believing His word. He said it. He wrote it. Our task is to believe it.

So the issue is not merely believing that Christ rose. It is believing that we rose with Him. All we possess are His words, written nearly two millennia ago, promising this new life. Believing those words requires faith—trusting what we cannot yet see.

The Seed Germinates

When we truly believe in our own death, burial, and resurrection with Christ, the light of truth ignites within us. It is like a seed planted in the soil. The warmth of the sun and the moisture of the earth work together, and then a miracle occurs.

The seed ceases to exist in its former state. Its outer shell decays, returning to dust, while its hidden life breaks forth toward the light. So it is with God’s offspring. We are reborn like those garden seeds—by miracle.

The original spiritual Seed is the Word of God. Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. An author writes the script, and this Author wrote the play of Life by coming in flesh, giving Himself as a ransom, and embodying the Word on earth. That Word became the Seed. When we believe that Word—about Him and about our union with Him—we become “new creatures in Christ.” We become part of the divine drama. He is in us, enacting His love, which is the heart of the Script.

“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). Christ was that wheat seed. Had He not died, He would have remained alone. But by dying, He produced many grains—many sons and daughters in His likeness.

If a person refuses to die with Christ, he faces the lonely tomb of death. But if we choose His way, our old sinful heart dies, and we are freed from its tyranny. Once slaves to sin, we are now liberated.

Like that garden seed, through belief in the Word of promise, we rise with the Creator’s life surging through our new being.

Sprouted Wheat Becomes Grain

We, like freshly sprouted wheat, become potential grain the Master mills into flour for the spiritual “bread of life.” But we must grow to maturity—“first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head” (Mark 4:28).

We are His seed, His children, destined to grow into His likeness and to be used in His purpose. If we are not growing, something is wrong.

To mature, we must “purge out the old leaven”—the false teachings handed down by well‑meaning people. We must “dig deep,” study His word diligently, and endure the opposition that will come, often from those closest to us.

This is the path of the Seed. This is the way of growth. This is how Christ reproduces Himself in His people.

—Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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Entering the Celestial City

The Way into New Jerusalem

How deep is our conviction that there truly is a celestial city—a real New Jerusalem—that will descend out of heaven and settle upon the site of the present earthly Jerusalem?

Is New Jerusalem merely a myth, a poetic exaggeration born from John’s apocalyptic vision? After all, this is the same John who saw strange beasts and fantastic scenes throughout the book of Revelation. But reducing New Jerusalem to imagination ignores the long, unbroken testimony of Scripture.

The patriarchs and prophets contemplated this city long before John ever saw it. They understood that the celestial city was the wellspring of their hope. It was the anchor of their faith through seasons of abundance and seasons of famine. They knew that belief in New Jerusalem lay at the very heart of God’s covenant with them.

They trusted His promise of a transformed spiritual body—raised from the weakness of this “mortal coil” into an everlasting, Spirit‑empowered vessel. For the Spirit of God has much cosmic work yet to accomplish in us throughout the ages to come.

Knowing Christ and the Power of His Resurrection

But everything begins with knowing who God truly is. When that knowledge takes root, everything else follows. Paul prayed that “the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:17).

Paul himself counted every achievement of his former life as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ: “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Why does God honor the losses we endure? Paul answers: “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death” (v. 10).

Christ’s death marks the end of our old life. His resurrection marks the beginning of our new one. And with Him, we have been raised—according to His promise—to sit with Him in the celestial city. This is the very promise Yahweh made to the patriarchs and prophets: that we would become resurrected citizens of New Jerusalem. That is eternal life—the life of the Son of God.

We derive our life from His life. By believing in His resurrection, we participate in it. And through that participation, we receive His promise of dwelling eternally with Him in His city.

This is the promise. Our movement toward the heavenly city is not a shallow “going to heaven because I go to church.” It requires a deeper, more profound faith—one that grows only after “the loss of all things.” Death produces loss, but through the loss of our old self, we gain eternal life in Him.

And eternal life is what fills New Jerusalem.

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Abraham’s Vision: The Promise of New Jerusalem

The writer of Hebrews gives us a rare window into the inner vision that sustained Abraham through his long pilgrimage. Scripture says he “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). This single statement lifts Abraham’s hope far above the realm of earthly geography, political nationhood, or human architecture.

His expectation was not tied to any manmade structure—not a temple, not an earthly Jerusalem, not even the land in its temporal form. Abraham’s eyes were fixed on something only God could build.

The text is explicit: the city has foundations, and its builder and maker is God. The Greek terms emphasize divine craftsmanship—God as both architect and artisan. Nothing constructed by human hands, however sacred or impressive, could satisfy the promise given to Abraham. His hope was anchored in a reality entirely of God’s making.

This promise did not end with Abraham. Hebrews tells us that Isaac and Jacob were “heirs with him of the same promise” (Heb. 11:9). Though they lived in the land, they confessed themselves to be strangers and pilgrims. Their inheritance was not exhausted by Canaan’s soil. They carried the same forward‑looking expectation of a divine city, a heavenly homeland prepared by God Himself. Hebrews 11:16 makes this unmistakable: “They desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He hath prepared for them a city.”

This heavenly city is not a New Testament innovation. The Psalms themselves anticipate it. Psalm 48 opens with the declaration, “Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness.” The psalmist is not describing the shifting political fortunes of earthly Jerusalem, which was repeatedly conquered, burned, and rebuilt. Instead, he speaks of a city marked by divine stability—“beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth”—a city whose security comes from God’s presence, not human walls. This “mountain of His holiness” is kingdom language, pointing beyond the earthly hill of Zion to the eternal kingdom‑mountain Daniel saw, which would fill the whole earth. Psalm 48 therefore stands as an Old Testament witness to the same God‑built city Abraham sought: a city defined by God’s presence, God’s holiness, and God’s unshakable foundations.

Revelation completes the picture. John sees “the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven” (Rev. 21:2). This is the city with foundations. This is the city prepared by God. This is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and inherited by Isaac and Jacob. Its foundations bear the names of the apostles (Rev. 21:14), linking the patriarchal hope with the apostolic witness. Its builder is God alone. No human temple can stand as its substitute, for John declares, “I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (Rev. 21:22).

Paul affirms the same truth when he identifies “Jerusalem which is above” as the mother of all believers (Gal. 4:26). This heavenly Jerusalem is not a metaphor but the very city Abraham sought. It is the eternal dwelling of God with His people, the consummation of the covenant promise, and the inheritance of all who walk in the faith of Abraham.

Thus the biblical narrative—from Genesis to Revelation—presents a single, unbroken line of expectation. Abraham’s promised city is not earthly but heavenly, not temporal but eternal, not manmade but God‑built. Psalm 48 sings of it. Hebrews explains it. Revelation unveils it. New Jerusalem is the fulfillment of the patriarchal promise, the hope of the saints, and the final expression of God’s desire to dwell with His people forever.

All roads lead to the heavenly city New Jerusalem. It is coming to earth. Everything in scripture leads us to that destination. The patriarchs, prophets and apostles all looked for its arrival. They believed Yahweh’s promise that it was coming to earth. But they “all died in faith”—in their belief of the heavenly city’s touchdown on earth. We can read more about her (Rev. 21).

All the spiritual truths about salvation, spiritual growth, and the election—all has to do with getting ready to be a citizen of New Jerusalem. This truth is secreted in parables. Christ repeatedly speaks of the Kingdom of God when He says, “The kingdom is like…” He is giving us another clue of how it comes to fill the whole earth.    

It is all there for us to overcome the doubts. For the King has said, “He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Rev. 21:7). The King will be inside the heavenly city. His children will be with Him. Let us lay hold of this regal promise by faith like Abraham did.

[If this has helped you, please share, like, and subscribe, and make a comment about how you see the New Jerusalem, as through the eyes of the patriarchs and prophets. For more on this go here:Looking for Our Mother, New Jerusalem | Immortality Road]

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