And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Plainly not all saints of Jesus are bodily killed for their faith, and not all such martyrs are beheaded, even as Jesus was not.
Jesus' doctrine of being beheaded is simply taking up our own cross, crucifying the old life of sin, and now holding only to our new Head Jesus.
Our own headship is now repented of and lost, for that of Jesus:
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
The beheading is spiritual and manifest in a holy, righteous, and blameless life in mortal flesh, which is now flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bones.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
The crucified body of the old man is not the mortal naturally born body made by Christ in the womb, but simply is the whole body of works of sin and unrighteousness, before taking up our own cross, even as Jesus did on earth.
Like a biography book of the whole body of works of a person's life, or the complete body of scholarship in a person's life, so is the body of the old man of sin: it is the whole life in words and deeds of the old sinning soul.
Those who think the old man of sin is the mortal physical body, and so have somehow 'crucified' that body, so that body is dead while yet sinning on earth, are saying that the flesh and bones of Jesus' body on earth today is dead and sinful.
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Those beheaded for Jesus' sake, are holding to the Head Jesus at all times, and their mortal bodies are now His living flesh and bones on earth. Mortal like grass, yes. Sinful like the devil, no.
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Plainly not all saints of Jesus are bodily killed for their faith, and not all such martyrs are beheaded, even as Jesus was not.
Jesus' doctrine of being beheaded is simply taking up our own cross, crucifying the old life of sin, and now holding only to our new Head Jesus.
Our own headship is now repented of and lost, for that of Jesus:
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
The beheading is spiritual and manifest in a holy, righteous, and blameless life in mortal flesh, which is now flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bones.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
The crucified body of the old man is not the mortal naturally born body made by Christ in the womb, but simply is the whole body of works of sin and unrighteousness, before taking up our own cross, even as Jesus did on earth.
Like a biography book of the whole body of works of a person's life, or the complete body of scholarship in a person's life, so is the body of the old man of sin: it is the whole life in words and deeds of the old sinning soul.
Those who think the old man of sin is the mortal physical body, and so have somehow 'crucified' that body, so that body is dead while yet sinning on earth, are saying that the flesh and bones of Jesus' body on earth today is dead and sinful.
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Those beheaded for Jesus' sake, are holding to the Head Jesus at all times, and their mortal bodies are now His living flesh and bones on earth. Mortal like grass, yes. Sinful like the devil, no.
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
