The Outer Darkness - Part 3Dr. Allen M. BarberMarch 20, 2009Scriptures (ESV)Matthew 8:5-13

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly." 7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment. Matthew 22:1-14

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.' 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 25:14-30

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' 21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' 23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he

has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 13:36-43

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear...47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:45-51

45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Luke 13:22-30

He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, 24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' 26 Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last." Hetaire and FiloiIn the interim time between Part 2 and Part 3, I mentioned that I had encountered a problem with the meaning of the word, "friend," in the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) concerning whether the man who showed-up at the event without the proper attire was either a saved carnal believer or a lost person. This came about as I was reading a well written article on the Outer Darkness in which the author made the case for the man being lost since Jesus used the Greek word hetaire instead of filoi - both meaning friend, but hetaire implies an acquaintance not a close intimate friend. Since He used hetaire in reference to the man and not filoi, then the logical meaning is the man was lost and the Outer Darkness must be hell. That is the conclusion of the author who addressed the issue in the Parable of the Wedding Feast. In addition, the Lord referred to Judas as hetaire and the other disciples as filoi and we know that Judas never believed in Jesus as the Son of God. When Judas betrayed the Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, he called him, Rabbi, a title meaning "Master Teacher" and the same title the Scribes and Pharisees liked to be called. In Matthew 23:8, Jesus told the disciples not to call themselves by that title for they had "One" teacher and that was God (more specifically the Holy Spirit - See John 16:13). Judas never referred to Jesus as Lord. He again referred to the Lord as Rabbi on the night the Lord observed the Passover Meal with the disciples (the Last Supper of the Lord's Supper). In the case of Judas, hetaire without question refers to a lost person.

The problem then is the use of hetaire in Matthew 22:1-14. Does it mean the other passages dealing with the Outer Darkness must be understood as the place of torment (hell)? As I restudied the previous articles I wrote on the Outer Darkness as well as re-examined the original Greek texts where the term Outer Darkness is mentioned or implied, the overall context was the answer to my dilemma as is usually the case. Before I get into the "meat" of Part 3, it would be worthwhile to review what we have learned to date.

Review

In the article on the Overcomers and the Outer Darkness, I endeavored to prove that that the ones cast into the Outer Darkness were believers and not the lost. The reasons for their fate we observed from the condition of the Church of Laodicea (Laodicea was a Church for it was one of the seven golden lampstands that Jesus said He held in His right hand): 1) They lacked great faith (2) they did not have on the proper garment - purity and righteousness (works of righteousness) and (3) they lacked Holy Spirit anointing. In essence, they were carnal and lived their lives under the power of the soul and did not submit to the Lordship of Jesus.

In addition, in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we gave one example of the meaning of the Greek word, exooteron, (outer) from the outer courtyard (courtyard of the Gentiles) of the temple in Jerusalem. The temple proper (Gk. hieron or the sanctuary) was composed of three sections: The first section was the outer courtyard. The second section was the inner room behind the first veil known as the Holy Place, which contained the menorah (natural light) and the third section behind the second veil, which was the Holy of Holies or the most Holy Place (Gk. naos). The third section contained the Ark of the Covenant with the mercy seat, the tables of stone (10 commandments) and Aaron's rod that budded (the second temple or Herod's temple, which was actually a refurbishing of Solomon and Zerubabel's temple did not contain the Ark of the Covenant, the 10 commandments and Aaron's rod that budded). Jewish history contends that Nehemiah hid the Ark in a cave in the land of Moab before the Babylonians invaded Israel. There are many rumors and speculations that either Israel has the Ark or the Vatican has it. No doubt it will probably be discovered and made merchandise of by the Antichrist when he takes control of Jerusalem. The main point for this discussion is that the Holy of Holies was the place of God's presence in the tabernacle and the first temple; therefore, it contained the light of God (the uncreated eternal light that God is as opposed to the natural light, which the menorah represents).

The outer court where the common people of Israel and the Gentiles had access was subject to the elements - the sun, the moon, and the stars (natural light) as well as the darkness, the cold of winter and the heat of summer. The inner rooms (the naos) were protected from the elements or natural environment, but the light of the Holy Place (second section of the temple) had to be re-supplied every day with fresh oil (olive oil) in order to keep the menorah lit. The light of the third room - the inner sanctuary or the Holy of Holies (naos) contained the light of God (the presence of God). Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement.

What does this have to do with the doctrine of the Outer Darkness? The outer courtyard represents the unbelievers (lost man) - those who dwell in spiritual darkness and have no knowledge of God, even though they pass by the temple of God and give it no thought just as many Jews and Gentiles did during the Age of Law. The lost, though physically alive, are spiritually dead and are Satan's subjects for they belong to his kingdom. When they hear the Word of God or the gospel message, they are indifferent to it, that is, unless the Holy Spirit brings them under conviction of sin leading to repentance. It also represents the carnal believer (flesh man) who though saved has little light (spiritual knowledge). This serves as a clue to what Jesus meant when He said some believers would be thrown into the Outer Darkness with the hypocrites. What is a hypocrite? A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something he is not (See Matt. 7:21-23).

Concerning the other two sections of the temple; the first inner room of the hieron (sanctuary proper), the Holy Place, represents the believer who has been saved and has the oil (light) of the Holy Spirit, but must have continual fillings to maintain a life lived under the control of the Holy Spirit. It is not automatic, which the Parable of the Ten Virgins portrays. It also represents the Pentecostal Age (the present age). Just as

the light in the Holy Place was natural light (of this world), the believer though indwell by the Holy Spirit still has his natural life inherited from Adam and is not yet perfected. He must, as all believers, constantly yield to the Holy Spirit in order to walk continually in His power and presence (anointing). The majority of the saints live either in the Holy Place behind the first veil and are sometimes filled with the Spirit, but live primarily according to the strength of the natural man, which can do many things, even great and mighty things; however, it derives from the soul (soul power) and is rejected by God or they live entirely in the outer court. They got saved, but did nothing with their spiritual gifts. They are carnal saints who seldom venture behind the first veil and seek a deeper walk in the Holy Spirit. Tragically, they never go behind the second veil (the Holy of Holies) and live in the presence of God daily. Those in the Pentecostal Age who go behind the second veil (remember this second veil was the one torn from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified symbolizing that man now had full access to the presence of God via the shed blood of Jesus) and live continually in the presence of God are the overcomers of the Church. They in essence are already living in the Tabernacle Age when they will receive their glorified bodies As one commentator correctly said, "They are the chosen from those who are the called." (See Matthew 22:14 above). They will rule and reign with Christ in his millennial kingdom, while the carnal believer is cast outside in the Outer Darkness. Will believers who live sometimes behind the first veil (the Holy Place) and sometimes in the outer court be cast into the Outer Darkness? It is my opinion they will for not maintaining a consistent walk. We are commanded to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit. The Greek meaning of "filled" in Ephesians 5:18 is to be constantly filled by the Holy Spirit. The filling simply means that the Holy Spirit is the power and authority of the believer. The Spirit-filled believer does nothing by his own power, but yields his life permanently to the Holy Spirit's control. This does not imply he is an automaton or that he has no choice or free will. On the contrary, the Spirit-filled believer willingly gives his will to the Holy Spirit. The truth is the Holy Spirit will never act against the believer's free will except in cases where the believer may be under an attack by demonic spirits and may have lapsed into a state of passivity. To protect the believer, the Holy Spirit may take His own initiative to circumvent the believer's actions if his will has been taken captive to obey Satan. (See II Tim. 2:26).

Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament era, the overcomers have always been a minority. They make-up the David Church (spiritual) while the majority of the Church is the Saul Church (those ruled by their flesh and invaded by demons). Now, there is no use writing me that believers cannot have demons, for I have counseled many believers who have had demons and who were MPD. I am convinced countless saints are beaten-up and tormented by demonic spirits via generational bloodlines or some traumatic experience usually in early childhood such as molestation, etc. but are not aware of it. They need an anointed Word-based counselor to get free. Sometimes, but rarely, a believer can free themselves of demonic oppression via the Word and prayer or reading good sources on deliverance. I know of one young lady who wanted to be free from lesbianism and without the aid of a Christian counselor, she came out of that lifestyle and recently celebrated her two year anniversary. While I had a small part in her deliverance, she got free by yielding her life completely to the Holy Spirit and obeying the Word of God. As I said, her case is rare, but she wanted a complete break with that lifestyle, and though she had to make some tough choices including separating from her partner, she was willing to obey God and achieved victory in her life.

The point is no believer that has demons is going to be allowed in the kingdom (See Matt. 12:28). I mentioned this in one of the other articles on the Outer Darkness. Dr. Joe Allbright, who has an international deliverance ministry, says the Lord holds the Church responsible for dealing with believers who have demonic spirits.

A Bible study group once sent a young Baptist lady to me who had been in and out of psych wards several times yet was almost a zombie. In fact, when she came to me, she was in a catatonic state. After three sessions, she was making improvement, but some Baptist ladies (her friends) were afraid I was going to inflict further mental harm to her because they did not understand the demonic realm or how deliverance works. They convinced her not to return for counseling. The last I heard she had been back in the psych wards. Secular psychologists do not understand the supernatural and how both God and Satan work in that realm. While Satan is not a spiritual being, he is a fallen angel with supernatural power. Only God is a spiritual being, that is, the eternal uncreated Spirit. That is why Satan is not a spirit, but a fallen angel for he was created by God. When we are saved, we receive God's uncreated life in our reborn spirit

(Watchman Nee has great articles on this subject). This is how the Holy Spirit can dwell in our spirit because it possesses the uncreated life of God (eternal life). Now, that does not mean we are a god for we shall always be the physical and spiritual creation of God. We did not begin our life by being a god. We were created by God. The core of New Age teaching is that man is really a god and only needs to get in touch with his inner self to reach nirvana - state of heavenly bliss.

Believers who have demonic spirits living and occupying the soul area (principally the mind) and have not dealt with them, shall not be allowed in the Kingdom of heaven (earthly realm). What did Jesus say about this: "Where demons are cast out, there is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 12:28). Many leaders in the Church are going to suffer lost of rewards for not having the spiritual knowledge and desire to deal with demonic spirits in the saints. The Christian life is not about playing religious games on Sunday while Mr. or Mrs. Feelgood bring a shallow speech that does not teach the saints how to die to self and bear their cross daily. Sorry, but that is the truth! The Church is supposed to be a spiritual hospital where lost people get well. There are undoubtedly many Christians who are sick not only in their bodies, but also in their souls. They need help, but secular psychologists cannot help them. They need spiritual deliverance. How Others Have Dealt With the Outer Darkness

In my study and research of the Outer Darkness, I read many articles by serious seekers of truth that were interesting and informative. It may help to understand this complicated subject by sharing their contrasting views. I will give excerpts from one lengthy article. The author in this particular article, took the position the Outer Darkness must be understood within the context of the passages dealing with the weeping and gnashing of teeth. While there are six passages that mention weeping and gnashing of teeth, only three deal with the Outer Darkness as we have seen in our study - Matthew 8:12; 22:13; and 25:30. The other three are Matthew13: 42, 50; Matthew 24:51 and Luke 13: 28 (see above), but do not mention the Outer Darkness. He says these verses must be understood along with Matthew 13:42 and 50 where gnashing of teeth is associated with hell:

Matthew 13:36-43; 47-50 NKJV

36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!...47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

In addition, Matthew 24:51 was given as a reference to hell because of the phrase, cut him in two (NKJV) or cut him asunder (KJV). I suppose if there was anything I learned in seminary earning my Masters and Doctor's degrees were the courses on "biblical hermeneutics," which is the study of the methods used in interpreting the Scriptures. The Word of God is sacred text (all of it) and must not be treated as some hodge-podge assortment of stories that can be taken anyway one desires. On the contrary, there is a principle for correctly interpreting the Scriptures that must be followed if anyone desires to have the revelation of the Holy Spirit, as He alone shines the light of understanding upon the Word of God. The one method for interpreting the Scriptures that has proven to be the best method down through the centuries and millenniums of the Church Age is the literal grammatical and historical approach. The texts of Scripture are to be taken

literally within the immediate and overall context of any passage. By literal, I mean the Bible means what it says, even the figurative language is to be taken literally when interpreted by other passages and individual words within a context. For a doctrine to be accurate, it must be a consistent application in both Old and New Testaments. Some doctrines are developed within several verses of one book while others have a consistent theme in both the Old and New Testaments. The Day of the Lord is an example of a doctrine that is consistent in both Old and New Testaments. Many Christians who are seeking personal counseling or simply want motivational texts miss what the Holy Spirit intended when He inspired the Bible to be written in several books that comprise a composite revelation. Because they have not been trained in biblical hermeneutics, they fail to apply the contextual approach for a proper interpretation and oftentimes arrive at a position that is more their opinion than Holy Spirit revelation. This is the way false teachings originate; taking Scripture out of context and adding human opinion to it. God has warned us not to add to or take from His Word; He meant that by the way.

Applying the principles of proper hermeneutics to this author's commentary on the Outer Darkness (several others took the same position), his position is weak because only two Scriptures out of six mention hell (the furnace of fire). The overall context for weeping and gnashing of teeth does not reference hell. His contention is that if only one Scripture mentions hell, then that binds all the others to that concept, that is, the weeping and gnashing of teeth must be associated with hell in all the references to that phraseology. As they say in Texas, that won't hold water. In the Matthew 13 passage above, Jesus was explaining the Parable of the Tares and identified the tares as the sons of the wicked ones. The timing for their judgment is the end of the age or the final harvest. Jesus never calls these bad seed anything but the sons of the wicked one - Satan. He does not refer to them as servants or sons of the kingdom as he does in the three passages that deal with the Outer Darkness. Notice that He refers to the good seed as sons of the kingdom. Compare Matthew 13:37 with Matthew 8:12 where the sons or children of the kingdom are cast into the outer darkness. Would Jesus refer to the sons of the kingdom in one passage as the good seed and in another passage consign them to an Outer Darkness that is the furnace of fire (hell)? Absolutely not! The tares are not Christians who lost their salvation. No, they were lost souls who never repented. They were born lost and died lost. The context determines that the tares in Matthew 13 in no way relate to the servants who are cast into the Outer Darkness in Matthew 8, 22 and 25.

His position on Matthew 24: 51 as a reference to hell is interpreting the Scriptures by the principle of assumption, which means he assumes the phrase cut him in two or cut asunder must mean hell because of the severity of the wording. The Greek word for "cut asunder" is dichotomeesei from where we get the English word "dichotomy." It means two opposing parts. The extension of dichotomeesai means "to beat severely; punitive or punishment." To understand what Jesus meant we must consult the broader context in the Parable of the Householder:

Matthew 24:45-51 NKJV

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Notice that both are servants in charge of the master's household. One is wise and gives the household meat in due season. The other is evil and believes his master's return is a long way off, so he beats his fellow servants and eats and drinks with the drunkards. This is a parable and like all parables, the purpose is to hide truth from unbelievers. Well, what is the truth or message the parable is conveying? The house is the Church or the saints (Peter calls the Church the household of God in I Peter 4:17). The meat or food is the Word of God (Heb. 5:12; I Cor. 3:2), but it is specific meat (the meat of due season). It is the message that the King and the Kingdom are near at hand. In other words, it is the preaching and teaching of end time prophecy. Since we know that Jesus is not going to literally sever one of His

servants, we must look beyond the figurative language for the application of the word, which is to injure the conscience. How did this evil servant injure or wound the conscience of his fellow servants? In two ways: (1) Teaching the Lord's return was not imminent (it won't be until the Abomination of Desolation) (2) Having fellowship with the world. The Apostle Paul explains the danger of wounding the conscience of a fellow believer in the following passage:

1 Corinthians 8:7-13 ESV

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

By living in the world and teaching the Lord would not return for an indefinite period, the evil servant was wounding the conscience of his fellow believers; therefore, when Jesus returns, He will oppose this evil servant and do to him what he was doing to his fellow servants; beat him severely by consigning him to the Outer Darkness with the hypocrites. The Lord shall make a dichotomy between the good and evil householders; one shall be allowed into the Kingdom and made a ruler over many things while the other one is cast out into the Outer Darkness; outside the New Jerusalem, the HQ of the Lord's Kingdom. The Lord's Kingdom is spiritual, meaning that it is ruled by spiritual people who have received their glorified bodies and become spiritual flesh. Jesus received His spiritual flesh on the day of His resurrection. In that sense, He is the first fruits of the first resurrection. The overcomers will receive their glorified bodies (spiritual flesh) on the posttrib Day of the Lord. Those who did not pay the price to go behind the second veil and live daily in the Lord's presence shall not be allowed in the inner sphere of the Kingdom. They shall live outside in spiritual darkness.

To help you grasp this truth, think about how the ancient kings built their cities and palaces in which no one had access to the king unless he or she was granted that privilege or was part of the kings court. Do you remember how Queen Esther was not allowed in the King's presence unless she was summoned to appear before him. Believers who are cast out into the Outer Darkness (outside the kingdom throne or HQ) will not be allowed inside the Kingdom reign where Jesus and His Bride reside; therefore, Matthew 24:51 has nothing to do with hell. The servant is not a lost soul, but disobedient and is beaten (disciplined) with many stripes When the Bridegroom came for His bride in Matthew 25, the carnal lazy believer had no extra oil in His lamp (spirit) meaning he was not Spirit-filled and had not matured spiritually. In both the Barley and Wheat harvest, the first ripe grain (the first to mature) is harvested first. This is the antitype to the overcomers who are the first to produce a 100-fold.

The second position the author takes is the three parables in Matthew 8, 22 and 25 that mention the Outer Darkness are for the Jews and not the Church or Christians. He does what all traditional dispensationalist do in interpreting the book of Matthew, particularly in relation to eschatology; that it concerns the restored Israeli monarchy during the millennium; therefore, the recipients are Jews and not Christians. They might as well relegate the four gospels to the Old Covenant. Some theologians promote that idea; that the four gospels really belong in the Old Testament. Just as the Old Testament is divided into three sections; the law, the writings, and the prophets, the New Testament also has three sections; the four gospels, the book of Acts, and the apostolic letters including the apocalypse. The four gospels are the link between the Old and the New Covenants, for they give the earthly history of Jesus who by his death, burial and resurrection laid the foundation for the New Covenant. While the four gospels contain Jewish history and terminology, they were written to Church Age saints by Church Age apostles. The early Church Fathers all believed the four gospels were written to the first century Christians with an application for all succeeding generations.

When I was working on my Ph.D in theology, one of the courses I took was, Ancient Christian Gospels, and the chosen textbook was by Helmet Koester, professor of New Testament theology at Harvard Divinity School. Koester is a liberal theologian and there are some parts of his book that make his Christianity suspect; however, no one can criticize his effort in investigating the authenticity of the gospel records. The book is 448 pages of very detailed analysis (you have to keep a dictionary handy in trying to understand Koester's broad vocabulary; no doubt he is a brilliant man). He gives credit for the book of Matthew to the Lord's disciple - the tax collector. The logical question is; why would Matthew, a chosen disciple of Jesus and an eye witness to the resurrection, write his gospel to the Jews instead of to the Church? Some say it was because the temple in Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed, so as a Jew, he was writing his treatise to his Jewish brethren (his gospel is dated about 60 A.D.). I believe during the 40 days the Lord was with His disciples after the resurrection, He gave them their orders for "His Church," and I do not believe it was to spend anymore time with the old obsolete economy of Judaism or the nation of Israel as the Lord had cursed the nation as a whole and told them He was taking the kingdom from them and giving it to a nation that would bear spiritual fruit (Matthew 21:18-20, 43). Since Matthew recorded these statements by Jesus, it is doubtful his intent was to write a gospel to the unbelieving Jews rather, he wrote it to the first century Church in order to give them an historical record of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately many evangelicals, particularly those in the pretribulation camp, focus more on the Old Covenant than the New. In fact, they do not seem willing to admit the New Covenant has replaced the old one (read the book of Hebrews). Because they do not believe the revelation of God is progressive, never regressive (God is not going to restore the Old economy of the Law during the tribulation; while the Jews may attempt to do so, it will not be of God), they have developed a dual covenant theology; one for Israel and one for the Church. The New Covenant refutes that false doctrine. There is only one Covenant in existence and that is the blood covenant of Jesus Christ; old things have passed away and all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17); therefore, believing in a dual covenant theology, the author of the article assumes the sons of the kingdom in Matthew 8: 12 are lost Jews; the friend at the wedding feast in Matthew 22 is also a lost Jew; and the servants in Matthew 25 (Parable of the Talents) are lost Jews who are all assigned to the Outer Darkness (hell). Even if it were true the characters in all three passages are Jews, there is no contextual evidence they were consigned to hell. The easy road to take in trying to understand the Outer Darkness is those who end up there are lost people. If that is true, then case closed, look no further; the Outer Darkness is hell.

I would not have a problem with Matthew 8:12 as a reference to unbelieving Jews as the sons of the kingdom if Jesus had not said in Matthew 13: 38 in the Parable of the Tares that the sons (children) of the kingdom were the good seed. They cannot be both good and bad seed; they are either one or the other. Since Matthew was a New Covenant apostle, he was writing to the Church and was giving an account of the Lord's discourses to His disciples with no doubt the Pharisees among the crowd. That is why He spoke in Parables. In each of the parables, Jesus gave the reasons why the sons of the kingdom; the friend who appeared at the wedding banquet; and the servant who misused his talent were rejected from entering the kingdom. It was a lack of righteous works (conduct), not the lack of righteousness. No doubt the disciples understood the parable applied to anyone; Jew or Gentile who thought he or she was worthy of entering the kingdom. They would not fully understand what that meant until they received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The apostle Paul would later receive the revelation that not all Jews were Jews or all Israel the true Israel of God. This is why it is paramount to understand that for every Scripture there is a primary and secondary application, and even a third application; however, it is the overall context that determines the interpretation.

The third position the author takes, and is the one I mentioned in the beginning of this article that gave me some problems, is the use of the word, friend, in Matthew 22:12. He says it is always a bad omen and indicative of a lost person. He further says the word friend, is never a good term in Matthew. He cites Matthew 20:13 and 26:50 as examples. Let's examine those passages to see if his statement is true:Matthew 20:1-16 ESV

1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his

vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend,' I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first last." This is the Parable of the Laborers that is about workers in the kingdom of God. Today in the Church we are all laborers in the Lord's vineyard. Jesus said, "The fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few. Pray the Lord of the harvest will send laborers into His field." (Luke 10:2). What is the parable teaching? It is obvious the Lord was teaching His disciples that there are no superstars in His kingdom. We are all on the same level whether or not we were the builders (founders) or the ones in the very last days of the present age. We all like to think the prominent men and women of the Church Age will receive the most rewards when Jesus returns, but I tell you there will be a faithful housewife who took care of her husband and children and who was devoted to her Lord that will receive just as great a reward; there will be the man who worked hard all his life to put food on the table and rear his family as God-fearing people who will receive great rewards. There will be many unknown saints whom the Lord shall give the highest of rewards.

This parable is not teaching the one Jesus referred to as friend was a lost person. That is about as bad an interpretation as I have read regarding this parable. It is obvious the author is biased toward the texts in Matthew as pertaining to the Jewish nation and not to Christians. To prove his position those cast into the Outer Darkness were lost Jews, he used a parallel parable to prove the word friend is meant to imply a lost person. The Master in the this parable represents the Lord and the laborers are His disciples throughout the Church Age. In that context, they are not lost Jews.

Reconciling Hetaire and FiloiNow here is where I was able to reconcile hetaire with filoi. While the Lord uses the word, hetaire and not filoi, to refer to the laborer who protested His generosity in treating all the laborers the same, the context determines the meaning of hetaire. The Master represents the Lord, who would not hire infidels to be laborers in His vineyard (notice it is "His" vineyard, not Satan's), which is His Church on earth during the Pentecostal Age. While hetarie connotes someone who is not an intimate friend, nevertheless, it does not necessarily imply the person is unregenerate. For example, when I was a pastor, I was the pastor of all the people; however, I had a more intimate relationship with some than others. There were those I preferred being with primarily because of their spiritual maturity. They were the ones who hungered for the spiritual manna and had a teachable spirit. In addition, they were always encouraging and supportive of my ministry. I thoroughly enjoyed being in their presence. Some of the others who were obviously carnal and loved the things of world, I did not have as close a friendship; however, when they needed me, whether for sickness; to listen to their problems; to bury their dead and to perform a marriage ceremony, etc, I gave them my undivided attention. While they were more hetaire than filoi, yet I loved them all the same. Sometimes I had to be stern with them, and on a couple of occasions, we had to break fellowship with a few because of habitual sin. I remember one man who cursed me to my face one night during the service because his wife told him that I did not speak to her in the morning service. About a month later, he fell on the job and broke his back. He was in traction and had to lay on his stomach. I would go to the hospital and read the Bible and pray with him. One morning, he asked me how I could be so kind to him when he had cursed me in front of the Church members. I told him that I had forgiven him and loved him in the Lord. He began to weep and I cried with him. When he was well, he became one of my most avid supporters. The Lord Jesus is no different. Did not the Lord have 12 disciples, yet only three were more filoi in their relationship to Him than the others; Peter, James, and John; the Lord's inner circle.

I think this is the situation with those who are cast into the Outer Darkness. They did not choose to go behind the second veil and live continually in the Lord's presence (the Holy of Holies). They were roller-coaster lazy saints and did not mature spiritually. In addition, there are two fruits essential for overcomers: They are not bound by fear, that is, they are not afraid to take a bold stand for the truth, even at the lost of their own lives, and they are forgivers; they love their enemies and bless those who despitefully use them and say all manner of evil against them. They are the manchild, which is the manifest presence of Christ on earth. That is what the manchild is; the sons of God in whom Christ is revealed.

The State And Location Of The Outer Darkness

Based on my study of this subject, it is my opinion those cast into the Outer Darkness in Matthew 8, 22 and 25 are not the lost, but believers, and as I have shown, the overall context determines the proper meaning of how the phrase is used in any given passage. Where hell is implied, Jesus used that terminology (See Matthew 13:42). While the phrase, weeping and gnashing of teeth is used in the three passages with the Other Darkness, other passages omit Outer Darkness; therefore, contrary to this author's article, weeping and gnashing of teeth does not imply it is to be associated with hell in every passage any more than does the phrase Outer Darkness.

The $64,000.00 question is what is the state and locale of the Outer Darkness? I will endeavor to answer those questions as I understand the revelation. First, let's consider the state or condition of what constitutes the darkness. While I covered this briefly in other articles, it will perhaps provide a foundation for the locale of the Outer Darkness if we know what exactly is this darkness. We know it has nothing to do with natural darkness, but implies a spiritual condition.

There are 9 Hebrew words that define darkness with one being the most prominent - choshek. It is first used in Genesis 1:2 where it says darkness covered the earth (I have an article on this in the Daily Bread Archives entitled God Separated the Light From the Darkness). The literal meaning of the word is darkness as opposed to light, but since in Genesis 1:2 natural light had not yet been created (see the fourth day), something else is implied. Figuratively, the word has a bad connotation and means misery, sorrow, death, destruction, wickedness and ignorance. The use of choshek in Genesis 1:2 is what led me to understand the revelation that caused the earth to be without form and void and why God separated Himself from the darkness. It was the fall of Satan, as the original earth was his domain (Read Isaiah 14 with Ezekiel 28 to get the whole picture of Satan's pre-history before Adam was created). Choshek as used in Genesis 1:2 implies spiritual wickedness more than natural darkness. This is why the Bible defines Satan's kingdom as the kingdom of darkness. The present world system is the kingdom of darkness that opposes the kingdom of heaven (spiritual illumination). Paul's letters compare the kingdom of God with the day (light) and the kingdom of Satan with the night (wickedness). This is why Paul says believers are of the day and not the night.

A variation of choshek is seen in Genesis 15:12 where God places Abraham in a deep sleep and a great choshek comes upon him implying a foreboding vision or consternation of spirit. It does not have the idea of a pleasant experience.

In Exodus 20: 21, Moses enters a cloud of thick darkness where God concealed Himself so as to protect Moses from certain death by being exposed to the light of His glory. This is the same darkness that will begin the posttrib Day of the Lord. The Lord will leave the Fathers throne to come to the atmosphere above the earth and at that time raise the dead saints and rapture the living ones. The earthlings won't have a clue as to what is taking place except there is a foreboding thick darkness covering the entire planet. At the end of that day, the darkness is penetrated by the brilliant glory of the Lord Jesus, which shines from the East to the West announcing His Second Coming to the horror of all those who did not believe He even existed; they will cry for the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them. (Rev. 6:16).In Exodus 10: 21-23, the land of Egypt was covered in thick choshek, but the land of Goshen where the Israelites camped, there was the light of day. This passage is perhaps a good illustration of the Outer Darkness during the millennial kingdom. The center of the kingdom is where the Lord's throne will be in the New Jerusalem (the old one having been destroyed) accompanied by the Zadok Priesthood, who are the overcomers (manchild) that have new glorified bodies (spiritual flesh) and who serve the Lord. They

have the mind of Christ as well as the full measure of the Holy Spirit. Outside the camp is where those reside in their natural bodies and who are in spiritual darkness (the law of God is not written upon their hearts). These will comprise the Gentile nations that survived the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord and remain on the earth, but not allowed inside the "inner kingdom." It is also the location of carnal believers who lived their lives in the outer courtyard or in the Holy Place and never went behind the second veil (holy of holies) to live daily in the presence of the Lord. They did not heed the command of Ephesians 5:18 to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit rather than to be drunk on the world's spirit ruled by Satan.Proverbs 2:13 says those who leave the paths of righteousness walk in darkness (choshek) - spiritual darkness.

Proverbs 4:19 says the way of the wicked is darkness (choshek) and they know not what makes them stumble. Stumble is kashal and means to waver or be double-minded. The Greek word for double-minded is two-souled. This is what happened to the human soul at the fall. The soul was split off by the inherent sin nature and brought confusion to the mind thereby capturing the will and imprisoning the spirit. This is why no one can be saved apart from the work of the Holy Spirit who alone gives the revelation of the cross. That is why I teach that many in the organized Churches are still lost in their sins because their soul (mind) has never been acted upon by the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and repentance of sin. Isaiah 9:2 says the people who walked in darkness (unsaved Jews and Gentiles) have seen a great light (the Messiah, Jesus the Christ); they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them the light has shined. Some interpret that verse as applying only to the lost Gentiles; however, the land of Israel was also in great spiritual darkness when Jesus came to earth the first time. Jesus told His disciples that He was the light of the world. Again the word for darkness is choshek meaning spiritual darkness.

Isaiah 50:10 uses a derivative of choshek that means "that which withholds the light (spiritual knowledge) - "Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of his servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God." This person has no knowledge (light) of God. Paul said in Ephesians 1:18 "that the eyes of our hearts (mind or spirit) have been enlightened so we can know the hope of our calling..."

Another Scripture that portrays the Outer Darkness is Isaiah 59:9: "Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness." The word for darkness figuratively means misfortune.

These Scriptures describe choshek (darkness) as spiritual ignorance or lacking in spiritual understanding as a state of mind and heart. Many have a wrong understanding of the kingdom of God that will come to earth when Jesus returns. The Kingdom is Jesus and His Bride, the manchild, which is the company of overcomers. It will have a geographical location in the Middle East that will be the HQ or point of operation. The nations living in Outer Darkness (those outside the perimeter of the inner kingdom) will have to be taught the law of God. Included in this group will be the carnal Christians who never grew in the knowledge of the Word or the statute of Christ. The overcomers will take off their linen clothes (spiritual flesh) when they go outside the inner kingdom and don the woolen clothing (the appearance of the natural man). To the carnal believer still in his natural body, the overcomers will appear to be "flesh" much like Jesus looked to His disciples after His resurrection. Christ was spiritual flesh (flesh and bone, no blood) and could move in a nano-second from the spiritual dimension to the physical realm. That is why He could walk through walls as spiritual flesh is not subject to physical law. (See Ezekiel 44 for the Zadok Priesthood changing from their spiritual clothing [linens] to their physical clothing [wool] when they minister outside of the inner temple).

This is what the prophet Joel meant when he said in that day the Spirit of God would be poured out on "all flesh" (Joel 2:28 - that day is the time of the Lord's kingdom on earth, but it will take 1000 years before all people will know the Lord). If you can receive it, the primary purpose of the present Pentecostal Age is to take a Bride for the Lord from among the Jews and Gentiles to serve Him in the Kingdom Age (Tabernacle Age).

Now that we have some understanding of how the word "darkness" is used in the Old Testament, what does the New Testament teach about the state of the Outer darkness? There are five Greek words that

define "darkness." The predominant word is what we have said previously; skotos, and it means obscurity or a lack of illumination; without spiritual understanding.

In Matthew 6:22-24 Jesus said something few understand, yet it touches on the condition of those cast into the Outer Darkness:

22 "The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness (skotos) . If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! NASB.

We know from Proverbs 20:27 that the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord - the place where we receive the revelation of the Word. Obviously, it is not referring to unregenerate people for their spirit is dead in trespasses and sins and cannot contain the Word of God for the Word is living and the source is the Holy Spirit. Paul said in I Corinthians 2:10-16 the revelation of God is spiritual and must be understood by spiritually enlightened people as the natural man (unregenerate man) cannot comprehend the things of God. In the Matthew passages, Jesus was using the metaphors of light and darkness to illustrate that if the mind's eye (the third eye in the occult world, but the spiritual eye to the reborn saint) is full of the revelation of God, that person is spiritually enlightened and understands the things of God; however, what He said next is the crucial point of the text, which is that if a person's mind is captivated by Satanic doctrine, what knowledge they have is of the dark kingdom (the wisdom of the world) and has snuffed out the true light of the knowledge of God. Because they think their knowledge is superior to the knowledge of God or they are satisfied with the status quo, they are actually spiritually blind, even thought they think they are right. In this way human knowledge has become a religion and has blinded them to the real truth - the knowledge of God. This is the meaning of how great is the darkness. If what you believe is a lie and you are not willing to listen to the truth, your soul is damned.

Many carnal Christians have a bad eye (without spiritual understanding) because they choose to believe what their parents or grandparents believed or what some theologian told them without checking it out by the Word of God in full dependene upon the Holy Spirit for the revelation. All their knowledge is external never internal (the inner voice of the Holy Spirit - See 1 John 2: 20, 27). The Word of God comes to the believer as personal revelation; what God the Holy Spirit reveals to the believer in the inner man. Now, this does not mean we do not need Bible teachers who themselves have the revelation of the Word (many do not), but we are not dependent "only" upon them to know the Word of God. When I teach revelation to Bible classes, many complain that they cannot understand the Bible without reading books and commentaries or sitting under teachers. I have learned in nearly 40 years of walking with God, what they really mean is; they are too lazy to spend the hours it takes to study the Word of God. They had rather be spoon-fed by someone else who has done all the studying. They will always rely on second-hand knowledge and never receive any personal revelation.

If you think you have the truth when in fact it may be false doctrine, then your deception is great, for what you believe to be the light (illumination) is actually darkness. Many carnal believers will end up in the Outer Darkness who thought they knew the truth, but it was nothing but the husks of religious dogma. It is very difficult to teach an old dog new tricks or someone already programmed to believe a certain theology. For example, it is very difficult to teach pretribbers the truth about end time prophecy because they have been fed a steady diet that the pretrib rapture is what the Scriptures teach, which they do not. By the way, all of the words for darkness in John's gospel are skotos - spiritual darkness. For example:John 1:5 KJV

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.John 3:19 KJV

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.John 12:46-48 KJV

46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Notice what judges the carnal believer - the Word of God. The very thing they neglected will become their judge.

An overcomer is someone who has cast off the works of darkness (a lack of spiritual knowledge and truth) and has put on the armor of light (kingdom truth).Romans 13:12-14 KJV

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Our marching orders are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, which is the same as going behind the second veil and living daily in the presence of the Lord. The carnal believer lives in the flesh and has many lustful desires (lust does not mean only sexual lust; lust is anything you crave). If a believer lives for his or her flesh, why would they expect to be allowed in the Lord's kingdom? They won't be regardless of what some teach with their easy believism.

Paul warns not to have intimate fellowship with unbelievers or the works of darkness:2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Darkness is skotos - spiritual ignorance. If you have more worldly friends than believers, you need to check-up on your spiritual condition. The literal Greek says to be unequally yoked is to be unbalanced, that is, having more lost friends than Christians. If you spend an inordinate amount of your time with the world's crowd, you will soon speak and act like them for their worldly ways will rub off on you. In my Christian life, most of my friends are fellow believers. When I was saved and began to live for Jesus, all my lost friends took off, as they did not like what I had become; even family abandoned me.

The carnal believer who spends more time with the world's crowd than the Church will be cast into the Outer Darkness during the millennium and co-exist with many non-believers. The Outer Darkness will be very similar to the present age where believers and non-believers co-exist. Each time the carnal believer looks toward the heavenly kingdom and the New Jerusalem realizing what he missed, he will weep and gnash the teeth in anguish of spirit.

Since we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of light, why would anyone want to end up in the Outer Darkness? We are positionally already living in the kingdom of light; therefore, the Outer Darkness is not intended to be the state of any believer. It is a discipline existence for failing to live the Spirit-filled life. None of us will have an excuse on that day, for we all have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We can be what we choose to be:Colossians 1:12-13 NASB

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son...

I will share two more verses about the darkness, as I need to move on to the location of the Outer Darkness and end this dissertation.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 NASB

4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

1 John 1:5-10 NASB

5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

What I want to point out is that if it were not possible for believers to walk in spiritual darkness (skotos), then neither Paul nor John would have given the warning to the Church not to do so. The Lord is not coming as a thief to the overcoming Church, but to the world, as well as carnal believers who will not be expecting the Lord and be caught off-guard as the five foolish virgins were in Matthew 25. John clearly says that if we say we have fellowship with the Lord and yet walk in spiritual darkness, we lie and do not tell the truth. This kind will be cast out into the Outer Darkness with the other hypocrites.

Last, we are not appointed "the wrath," which is not the tribulation period, but the wrath of the Lamb poured out upon the kingdom of the Antichrist on the posttrib Day of the Lord. We (overcomers) are also not appointed to the discipline of the Outer Darkness. As mentioned, It is not God's will that any saint end up missing the glorification of the First Resurrection and have to wait 1000 years to receive their glorified bodies (spiritual flesh), but many will.

Location of the Outer DarknessWhere is the Outer Darkness? Scroll back to the top of the article and read the three passages from Matthew that deal with the Outer Darkness - Matthew 8, 22 and 25. All three are in the context of the Kingdom reign.

Matthew 8:11-12 ends with a reference to the kingdom with many coming from the East and West and sitting down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven that has come to the earth. The kingdom of God will be on this earth not in outer space.

Matthew 22:1-14 is about the Wedding Feast, which takes place in the new kingdom of God on the earth. Matthew 25:14-30 concerns the Parable of the Talents wherein the servants are rewarded by the Master (Jesus) when He returns from a long journey (lasted for 2000 years); therefore, it also has to do with the new kingdom.

Since the Outer Darkness is associated with the context of each passage, then it stands to reason it is some place outside the kingdom area (outside the gates and perimeter of the New Jerusalem). In the days of Solomon's temple, the most glorious of the temples, the temple area and the king's palace in Jerusalem was a walled city. There were gates on all sides of the city that led into the temple area. No one had access to Solomon except the kings court, as well as no one had access to the temple except

the Levitical Priests. Outside the city and the temple were the common people (tribes) and the surrounding nations. Three times a year, the males had to go to Jerusalem at the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. It is interesting that Zechariah 14 says that during the millennial kingdom, the nations outside the kingdom in the Outer Darkness, will be required to come to Jerusalem once a year at the Feast of Tabernacles to worship the Lord, and if they refuse to come, they will be given no rain (rain is symbolic and means spiritual illumination). It is the Holy Spirit alone who gives the former and latter rain. Apparently, the overcomers (Zadok Priesthood), will be teaching the nations the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles. This does not mean the nations will have personal access to the Lord, but will be allowed to enter the outskirts of the city to celebrate the high feast. The carnal believers will also be included and come to be instructed in the law of the Lord. Micah 4:2-3 NASB

2 And many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORDAnd to the house of the God of Jacob,That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths."For from Zion will go forth the law ,Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations.Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation,And never again will they train for war.

The Outer Darkness is outside the inner kingdom of Christ and among the nations of the world where there is lacking spiritual understanding and the ways of God. The nations that survived the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord (sheep nations) will need to be taught the law of God (to be written on their hearts). Living among the nations will be carnal believers who made little or no progress spiritually during the Pentecostal Age. The center of spiritual knowledge and wisdom is the HQ of the Lord's kingdom. That is why those outside are referred to as living in Outer Darkness; Outer (outside) and Darkness (without spiritual maturity). These believers will still possess the sin nature since they did not take part in the First Resurrection. Their existence will be very similar to today except the Lord will be on the earth ruling from His HQ in the New Jerusalem.

Think of it like this; Washington, D.C. is the center of our national government and represents what we are as a nation to the rest of the world. Just as only a few have access to the President of the United States, only the overcomers will have access to Jesus in His kingdom. It is a position of privilege earned by a Spirit-filled self-denying life during the Pentecostal Age.

The Outer Darkness is not hell and the Lake of Fire, but it is a place of discipline for carnal believers who would not subdue their flesh during their earthly life.

This is the Outer Darkness as I understand it; a place outside the Kingdom HQ of the Lord during His 1000-year reign on earth. There will be many who will come to know the Lord during His reign. The first fruits of the Barley Harvest are the overcomers of all the ages who will receive their glorified bodies in the posttrib First Resurrection. The carnal believers who dwell outside the kingdom among the nations of the world will be part of the wheat harvest and the general resurrection.

All of the articles I have written on the Outer Darkness, I believe are sound doctrine, but I am not implying I have all the truth. More will be revealed on this subject as we near the end.

I will have an addendum to this last article on the Outer Darkness that will discuss some problems with the living and dead non-overcomers and what part if any they have in the Outer Darkness.

May God bless you and give you insight into this controversial and complex subject.

Dr. Allen M. Barber, a bond-servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.