Dear Covenantee,
That is not what scripture says concerning the church. I could show you
many more teachings which all show that Satan
kills the saints by causing them to fall away.
Paul's conversion pattern, the
parable of the Prodigal Son and the
parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the
parable of the 10 Virgins, the teaching of the Two Witnesses and the
story of the woman taken in adultery all teach this truth for those who have "eyes that can see".
Here is another place which teaches it:
Mar 5:2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, my name is LEGION; for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand and were choked in the sea.
The man with the many unclean spirits represents the Elect just prior to their conversion. The stones the man uses to cut himself represents the Law of Moses (man’s work). The unclean spirit (Legion, who are many) represents the
spirit of anti-Christ who has spiritually killed the man (he dwells among the tombs). When Christ comes to the man with the Latter Rain of the Spirit, Christ drives out the spirit of anti-Christ by the brightness of His appearing. This represents the judgment of the Beast and False Prophet. Before this happens, Legion asks to go into the great herd of Swine feeding upon the hill. The Herd of Swine represents called out believers who are also chosen (“2000” in the herd). When Legion enters the Swine, they run into the sea and are killed just as the possessed man was killed earlier.
Here is a one verse teaching on it:
Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
After a person receives the Early Rain, they will fall on the stone of Christ and be broken. This is what
Isa 28:12 teaches. For the Elect, when Christ comes a second time to them with the Latter Rain, they will be ground to powder (their carnality) and be saved.
The Pathway to Salvation is
through the apostate church and no one can avoid passing through it if they are going to be saved in this age. The Elect must "keep the sayings of the prophecy"
(Rev 22:7).
The entire flock was devoured by the wolves and this includes the Elect. Satan must kill them because no prophet can avoid being killed in Jerusalem:
Luke 13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
Under the Old Covenant, which is outward and physical, the Old Testament faithful were physically killed. Under the New Covenant, which is inward and spiritual, the Elect are spiritually killed.
The Elect must be spiritually killed by Satan in the streets of Jerusalem:
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Paul even said that coming of Christ and our gathering together to Him (occurs when the Latter Rain is given) will not come until the apostasy occurs. After Christ pours out the Latter Rain and heals the Elect believer's spiritual blindness, the Man of Sin will then be revealed to them and they will find that they are that Man of Sin (
2Thes 2:1-5).
We all "live" by every word that comes from the mouth of God (
Mat 4:4) This is referring to the Pathway to Salvation. God is not a respecter of persons; we all must travel the same pathway to salvation.
For the non-chosen believers who continue in the apostate church until they die, the Man of Sin will not be revealed to them nor will they see the Abomination of Desolation which causes their loss of salvation. That loss of salvation occurs because the apostate church teaches a "another gospel" which mixes "works" with "faith".
But after that false gospel has been preached to all the nations (thoughts and beliefs of the believer), the end will come:
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
The "gospel of the kingdom" is talking about Satan's false gospel which the apostate church follows. When it consumes an Elect believer, they are ready for Christ to "come again". When it does, the Elect believer will experience the "ends of the ages" and will be saved:
1Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as types, and have been written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.
Don't think that you are somehow smarter or wiser than other believers to keep yourself from falling for the deceptions of Satan. And don't think that your supposed "free will ability" can help you either. We all must travel the same pathway to salvation and that pathway includes being made "worse than the first" (
Mat 12:43-45) before we will be saved. The Elect must die in the streets of Jerusalem!
Joe