Chapter 57: Working out Your Salvation/Exaltation – Part 1

​​In this final chapter, we’ll consider Paul's statement about working out your own salvation in Philippians 2:12. This review will look at why we will work out our salvation in fear and trembling, individual responsibility for our salvation, overcoming corruptions of the gospel, and God's pattern for developing a relationship with Him.

Fear and Trembling
Paul’s statement about working out our salvation with fear and trembling should give a believer pause to think about what Paul is referring to here. What Paul is referring to here is that our salvation is an individual responsibility - in the end, who we choose as a teacher is our own personal responsibility. The teacher we choose can lead us to God or stall and derail our path to God with false ideas and practices, which will determine our eternal destination. With that said, we need to know enough of the scriptures to set us on the right path - you can’t be a lazy believer and expect to find God! We are commanded to diligently search the scriptures - John 5:39
 

The Scriptures and Individual Responsibility
The Scriptures plainly place the burden to find God on each one of us. We see that in Paul’s statement here. We see that in Endtime prophecy where people are taken out as individuals - Luke 17:34-37. We see this concept in the prophecy of Isaiah.
 
Dr. Gileadi,
“In the end, those who return and reconstitute a new nation of Israel called Zion consist of righteous individuals who come out of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples.” - Isaiah 55-66
 
Stages of Faith
Dr. James Fowler in his book, Stages of Faith, surveyed 600 people of faith and found that only 50% of believers took personal responsibility for what they believed and critically examined it. He found that during Stage 4, believers started in their mid-twenties to late thirties to take personal responsibility for what they believed. Thomas Armstrong summarizing Stage 4 said, “This stage is often characterized by angst and struggle as the individual takes personal responsibility for their beliefs or feelings.  Religious or spiritual beliefs can take on greater complexity and shades of nuance, and there is a greater sense of open-mindedness, which can at the same time open up the individual to potential conflicts as different beliefs or traditions collide.” In Stage 5, mid-life, believers at this stage acknowledge paradoxes and the mysteries attendant on transcendent values. They critically examine what they believe.

​Starting Over
There is no easy way out of this. For me, when I left my previous faith system I had to start over. Believers will need to put what they think they know on the shelf and reexamine what they believe. And that means, we start from the beginning of God’s word - the Old Testament. Since, God does not change his word and truth must logically flow together throughout the whole of the Bible.
 
 
The Great Delusion
In our searching of the scriptures, we should consider the prophet Isaiah's warning and prediction of a great delusion when the Gospel will be corrupted. We see this in Isaiah 24.
 
“The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants: they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, set at nought the ancient covenant.” - Isaiah 24:5
 
Dr. Gileadi on Isaiah 24:5,
“Causing these curses is the wickedness of Jehovah’s people, who have altered his “ordinances” or “ritual” (hoq) and perverted his “laws” or “doctrine” (torot), thereby violating Jehovah’s covenant and rendering it void.”
 
These corruptions of the Gospel cause leaders of the Gentiles to teach half-digested truths which are regurgitated for God’s people to swallow.
 
“All tables are full of vomit; no spot is without excrement” - Isaiah 28:8
 
“Their watchmen are altogether blind and unaware; all of them are but dumb watchdogs unable to bark, lolling seers fond of slumber” - Isaiah 56:10
 
The doctrines taught by leaders cause the people to go into a deep sleep and become spiritually blind.
 
“Jehovah has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep: he has shut your eyes, the prophets; he has covered your heads, the seers” - Isaiah 29:10
 
“They have become unaware and insensible; their eyes are glazed so they cannot see, their minds are incapable of discernment” - Isaiah 46:18
 
Dr. Gileadi,
“Isaiah—a prophet and seer who saw to the end of time—predicts that prophets and seers will exist in that future day. These persons fall into two categories. First are those who have “gone astray,” who “err as seers” (Isaiah 28:7), “prophets who teach falsehoods” (Isaiah 9:15), whose eyes God closes because of the wickedness of his people (Isaiah 29:10). These watchmen of God’s people are “blind and unaware; all of them but dumb watchdogs unable to bark, lolling seers fond of slumber. Gluttonous dogs, and insatiable, such indeed are insensible shepherds. They are all diverted to their own way, every one after his own advantage” (Isaiah 56:10–11).
 
 
The Gentile Corruption of the Gospel
The most obvious place that we see this corruption of the Gospel is when it gets taken to the Gentiles. We should note that changes made by the Gentiles are not supported by direct express commands in the scriptures.
 
God's covenants are specific agreements between Him and man and include - the terms of the covenant, a covenant sign as an ongoing witness of being active in the covenant, and covenant type - grant or treaty. These are the basic elements of a valid covenant, which we don't see with the Gentiles.

Gospel Under God		Gospel Under the Gentiles
Seventh-day Sabbath - Exodus 31:13 The Seven Biblical Holy Days - Lev. 23 Covenants/Signs Born of the Blood Messianic/Nail Prints - 1 Cor. 15:22 Born Again - John 3:3 Abrahamic/Circumcision - Gen. 17 Threshold-Kingship/God’s Name - Exodus 12:7 Priesthood/Altar - Exodus 19:6 Sinai/Seventh-day Sabbath - full code - Torah Going Onto Perfection - Hebrews 6:1 Davidic/White Robe - 2 Samuel 7 (and heirs by adoption) ​ Made like the Son of God - Hebrews 7, Matt. 12:50 Enochic/Temple - Hebrews 8 ​	<  >	First-day Sabbath Christmas Easter Covenants Redemption(Messianic) Works Grace​

*  Yeshua's command to believe in Him, includes all of His commandments and covenants in the Old and New Testaments.
 
  
God’s Pattern for Building a Relationship with Him
God instituted the seven biblical holy days to build a relationship with Him, which we can associate with His covenants and integrate Yeshua’s testimony.

Spring Feasts	Summer Feasts	Fall Feasts
Initiating a Relationship with God   Passover/Unleaven Bread/Firstfruits	Coming into a Full Relationship with God   Feast of Weeks-Shavuot	Realizing the Relationship with God   Trumpets/Atonement/Sukkot(Millenium)-Last Great Day(Eternity)
Exodus 12 Messianic Threshold Abrahamic Resurrection	Baptism Priesthood Sinai Born Again	Going Onto Perfection Davidic/High Priest/Group ​ Made like the Son of God Enochic/Eternity

Part 2
In Part 2, we’ll outline how to observe the Spring Feasts with the Melchizedek Priesthood and Yeshua’s teachings, which starts on April 1 this year.