The Corner Stone

Listen to the commentary:  Track One   Track Two   Track Three

          In this study, we are going to begin opening the Scriptures to you; you are going to see that God has a plan for His people which is much different than what is commonly assumed.  When we go into the Tribulation, this study will be absolutely essential for you; it means your very salvation; you cannot be saved through what is coming unless you have this Foundation; when I stand up and begin to reveal the Gospel, the Tribulation will begin.

          The Foundation is in seven parts; each part is a mystery of its own, and none of these things have been revealed to the rest of the church, for all the reasons we have heretofore talked about.  They have not humbled themselves to God, they have not sought after Him to know Him, they have not been obedient to the Word of God, and thus God has shut them out, and they never will know the truth, nor will they ever come to know these truths.

          So, let us begin; the following is the basis for what we are going to study:

Wherefore hear the word of the LORD you scoffers, that rule this people that is in Jerusalem: 15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: 16 therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation: he that believeth shall not be in haste. 17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. 18 And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. 19 As often as it passes though, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night: and it shall be nought but terror to understand the message.'  (Isa.28.14-19)

In this single text there is a great deal to learn; first, to whom does God speak?  To the ministers; they are the scoffers who rule this people; second, what does He mean as He quotes what they say, We have made a covenant with death, and with Hell are we at agreement?  Well, how about their, 'once saved, always saved'? how about their, 'Grace covers it all'? how about their 'Eternal Security doctrine'? how about their 'Dispensations' theory whereby they say that God does not deal with us as He dealt with Israel, as we are in the 'Age of Grace', or the Church Age?  Then, when they say, ..when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us.., are they not talking about their 'Rapture of the Church' lie? or when they say they will be supernaturally kept through the Tribulation, and what is this overflowing scourge?  Yes, it is the Tribulation.  Then they continue, ..for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves; of course, this is exactly what God's people have done; they have invented a whole gaggle of doctrines whereby they hope that God will overlook their sins and let them by, their basic lie is, that they say it is work to obey God, and because we cannot be saved by works, then it is not necessary to obey God and to keep His commandments.  Then, the Lord says,

Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone of sure foundation: he that believes shall not be in haste, 17 And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet...' (v.16,17)

Now, if God was speaking just to the Jews, what is this Corner Stone doing in this context, because we know Jesus is the Corner Stone, but notice: he stretches out lines from the Corner Stone; why?  Well, first if you have ever watched a builder go out and open up the ground, as Peter shows us:

Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that you may grow thereby unto salvation; 3 if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: 4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, 5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Because it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: And he that believes on him shall not be put to shame. 7 For you therefore that believe is the preciousness: but for such as disbelieve, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner...'  (1 Pet.2.1-6)

 Yes; God speaks specifically to His people, both Jews and Gentiles, but WHAT is the Corner Stone doing in this context, because it is undeniable that He is speaking of the Tribulation?  Children of God: I am going to lay the Foundation during the Tribulation; I am laying it here, Jesus the Corner Stone being the first.  (I also want you to note that the phrase unto salvation is not in the King James Bible; the translators, being mostly Calvinists, were offended by this because it appeared we must do something to obtain salvation; this should have been left in their translation because it is in the earliest manuscripts.)

          Consider what He says next:

..and I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plummet...'  (v.17a)

Do you see?  God is going to lay the Corner Stone which is Jesus Christ, and he is going to stretch out lines and a plumb line from the Corner Stone, and as many as are used as living stones in this Foundation must line up to the Word of God.  Peter says we will be used as living stones if we line up to the Corner Stone.

          Have you ever watched a builder go out and open up the ground to lay a foundation?  He first digs down to solid footing, even to bedrock if possible, then he starts with a corner and stretches out lines which are exactly square to that corner, then he pours the foundation, then calls for the brick layer to come out, and they begin to lay either concrete block or brick, and as they go up with the wall, they have a long cord with a sharp pointed piece of metal on the end of it (called a 'plummet' in this context), and the mason hangs the cord down along side the wall to keep the wall perfectly plumb; that piece of metal is called a 'plumb-bob' to us today, but then it was call the 'plummet', but its purpose is the same.

          Therefore, God is no different: he will stretch out lines from that Corner, and every brick, stone, or block will line up to that Corner.  Not only so, but the architect specifies what materials are to go into the building; the document is called the 'Specifications' (I have been in architecture and the building industry all my professional life); these 'Specs', as we call them, specify that bricks, for example, must be perfect and without flaws; there can be no chips or cracks; they must be perfect, and God is no different; every person He will use in the Temple He will build, will be as Jesus Christ; they will line up to the Word of God, because Jesus is the Word of God.

          Now, let's go to the next text:

'...and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. 18 And your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. 19 As often as it passes though, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass through, by day and by night: and it shall be nought but terror to understand the message.'  (vs 17b-19)

Now you begin to realize what God is about to do; He is about to bring down this present secular church, from the Roman Catholic Church with the Pope sitting on his throne, to the littlest non-denominational church in the backwoods of Podunk Arkansas, because they all have been built on lies and falsehood; there is no truth in them, because as I say, a truth couched in a lie is not truth; the Truth of God is pure, unadulterated, and can be fully documented.  God is going to expose it all, but how?  By those like me, who have been studying these things from antiquity, who know the truth, and who will set the captives free by it.

          But see: you must line up to the Word of God to be delivered from this destruction coming upon this generation, and the Foundation, all seven parts, you must master before you will be delivered; here:

According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another builds thereon. But let each man take heed how he builds thereon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 But if any man builds on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each mans work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each mans work of what sort it is. 14 If any mans work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.'  (1 Cor.3.10-15)

Paul, as the masterbuilder (Gr. architect) has laid the Foundation, and he says, that there can be no other foundation laid that can deliver; then he says that if we build on the foundation things which can be burned, we will suffer loss, BUT, if we have the Foundation, we WILL BE SAVED, yet so as through fire; we shall be tried as with fire, but if we have mastered the Foundation, all of its parts, we will be saved.

          See if this does not agree:

'...and why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Every one that cometh unto me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded. 49 But he that hears, and does not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great.'  (Lk.6.46-49)

Same situation: a flood, but what does he say?  If we do not obey him, the Word of God, we shall perish in the Tribulation and, what is more, the promise is good for NOW as well as for the Tribulation; we will be delivered from a myriad of evil situations if we obey him now.

The A,B,C's of the Word of God

          Now we are going to clear things up; consider this:

For when by reason of the time you ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. 13 For every one that partakes of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.'   (Heb.5.12-6.2)

There you have the six additional parts of this mystery of the Foundation: 1) The Corner Stone, 2) repentance from dead works, 3) faith, 4) baptisms, 5) laying on of hands, 6) resurrection of the dead, and 7) eternal judgment.  These you must master in order to be saved; if you do not obtain these, but only part of them, you will not be used as a stone in God's house.

          This mystery is where we all must begin; there are other doctrines that will follow such as the Law of God and Grace, but we must have this Foundation above all things.  And, as per usual, the church world has never seen this and never will because they have not prepared their hearts, to surrender their all to God, as here:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.'   (Rom.12. 1,2)

And, remember the First Commandment:

And he said unto him, You shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.'  (Mt.22.37)

You probably have never thought of applying these things to yourself in a personal way, but these are not simply suggestions for us, these are commands.

          I will not pass by again...

Thus he showed me: and, behold, the LORD stood beside a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. 8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what see you? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more; 9 and the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste.'  (Amos 7.7-9a)

What is God saying here?  He is saying, that once He has laid the Corner Stone, He will not again allow anyone to share in the benefits of the Kingdom, such as spiritual gifts and power; God will remove from all those who offend, everything they possess which they have received from God--all these evangelists and preachers out here working miracles and so forth will be stripped clean of the spiritual power they possess, and will leave them empty and desolate.

          Here:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he prophesies; neither shall they wear a hairy mantle to deceive: 5 but he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondman from my youth. 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds between thine arms? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'  (Zech.13.4-6)

Indeed: when the Tribulation begins, I will be exposing all these preachers and prophets you now hear and see everywhere and will show that they are charlatans; and their people will hunt them down to kill them because they will realized that they have been taught lies and falsehood because they are not being delivered from the ravages of the Tribulation; they will deny that they ever had been anything like a prophet or preacher; they will be disguising themselves so as not to be recognized.

          Now, this would be an appropriate place to quote this:

Wisdom cries aloud in the street; She utters her voice in the broad places; 21 She cries in the chief place of concourse; At the entrance of the gates, In the city, she utters her words: 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And scoffers delight them in scoffing, And fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you; I will make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, And would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh in the day of your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as a storm, And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind; When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, And did not choose the fear of Jehovah: 30 They would none of my counsel; They despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, And be filled with their own devices. 32 For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them, And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkens unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil.'  (Pro.1. 20-33)

This is a sobering story, and while Christians have supposed this applies only to Jews, the fact is, if the shoe fits, you are going to wear it, because as God dealt with Israel, so will He deal with us (see 1 Cor.10.1-12).  God has NOT changed His way of dealing with His people; their Dispensations theory is another one of the doctrines they hide behind, but God will show clearly that He has not changed the way He deals with us.

          But, consider: there are two wonderful promises in this text that, if we obey Him, He will make His words known to us, and at the last, He says, that if we obey Him, we will dwell secure and shall be quiet without fear of evil!  What better promise could you want; this is indeed salvation!

          I will let this suffice for the first part of this study; the next Assignment will indeed be Repentance from dead works.  A subject God's people have never heard.  You may embellish this study by running reverences.

Quit you like men. 

Corner Stone Track 1  Track 2  Track 3  Track 4

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Amen

Repentance from dead works next...