Bondage ~~~ Elements

By: Jo Smith~~~~ April 30, 2020

2 Peter 3:10

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2 Peter 3:12

looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

So, what are these elements and what does it mean they will melt with fervent Heat?  What is the fervent heat?

It is very important that we find the Scriptural answer to this.  All Scripture question must be answered with written Scripture.  There is no other reliable means of finding out what God means by what God says.

The word, ‘elements’ is only mentioned four times in all the word of God and that is the two above and these, which answer the question:  (and there is no singular word, element, in all scripture, so these four references is all there is on this subject: 

Galatians 4:3

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world

Galatians 4:9

But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

[Paul said they desire again to go back to the law].  Paul clearly explains that to be under the law is to be a child, under tutors.  The law was our schoolmaster….children are under a schoolmaster.

1Cor. 13: 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

{ I see that people who still must be under that tutor or teacher/governor, have not grown up and put away childish things.  The need for that tutor proves you are still a child, under this bondage of the elements of the world, and it will be BURNED UP. Also the fact that you cannot give up your idols proves that you are still under those elements that are set to be burned up. ]

So what were they returning to?  Why is it that they were in bondage to these elements when they were children?

First let’s prove what the bondage is:  Acts 15 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

15 And certain men which came down from   taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

The Pharisees from Judaea where telling these new Christians that they had to go back to the law of Moses and be circumcised to be saved. 

5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

 7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 

8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

 9 and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 

10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 

[thus he puts them all on the very same grounds, or ONE].

Notice that Peter declared that there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles.  But the Jews wanted to put that bondage of LAW around the necks of these new Christians. 

22 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: 23 and they wrote letters by them after this manner;

The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: 

24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: 

25 it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 

26 men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 

29 that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

The conclusion of all the apostles who discussed this issue is as above.   They said this is what the Holy Ghost and we lay on you  no other BURDEN OR BONDAGE … nothing more then these necessary things;  

THAT YOU ABSTAIN FROM MEATS OFFERED TO IDOLS. 

AND FROM BLOOD,

AND FROM FORNICATION AND FROM THINGS STRANGLED.

IF YOU KEEP YOURSELVES FROM THESE THINGS YOU DO WELL.

‘Abstain from meats offered to IDOLS.

That is the command from the NT apostles to the Christians…abstain from fornication and idols. 

 24 Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: 

The people who were telling these Christians that they had to keep the law was SUBVERTING THEIR SOULS. 

So here we have proven that having to keep that law of Moses is this bondage.

But the apostles still asserted that it is necessary to stay way from IDOLS.  Do not eat the ‘meat’ offered to IDOLS for this is spiritual fornication or adultery against. God.

So what is IDOLS?  Anything you give homage or admiration to or place as part of your ‘religious’ service OTHER THAN THE TRUE GOD, IS AN IDOL.

Now Let Paul continue to prove this:

Galatians 4 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

4 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

 2 but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

You may be an heir of God, but as long as you are a CHILD you are no different from a servant who must be under TUTORS AND GOVERNORS.

Get it?  You must have that pastor to tutor you or teach you. ..  you must have a priest or prophet or pastor to rule over you. = be your governor.

As long as you are in this NEED for that tutor and governor, you are a CHILD, under bondage under the ELEMENTS of the world.  

Now here is the answer as to what those weak and beggarly ELEMENTS are: 

8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 

10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 

11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

8.  You do service to them which by nature are NO GODS.

So what is this service;

You must decorate a tree in honor of a god who is no god…you must exchange gifts to this ‘god’… you are observing a certain DAY, OR MONTH or year… 

So

Next you must color eggs, hide them and hunt them, tote around baskets of eggs and rabbits to honor GODS THAT ARE NO GODs.

Then you must buy and send out tiny cards to honor a god called st Valentine.    Then you must dress up as devils and goblins, witches and evil spirits to appease these evil spirits…etc, etc you do; observing days, months, years…etc.  [this also pertains to those who wish to return to the OT way of law, observing those sabbaths, etc.]

This is the weak and beggarly ELEMENTS THAT WILL EVENTUALLY BE MELTED WITH FERVENT   … HEAT.

Paul declared to these folks who do this that he feels sure he has bestowed labour in vain to them.  They are not being born again by these evil doings.  They have fallen back to BONDAGE.

16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 

30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

If you are keeping those ‘days’ months, and times and years, you are children of bondage….. you will not be heir with the children of the

Freewoman.

They are two totally different sets of people. 

See that Paul told us what those elements are that shall melt with fervent heat, lets’ find out what this HEAT IS. 

For this answer we go to John the Baptist, author of Revelation:

Rev 11: 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 

These witnesses of God (his true people;  the children of promise who do not keep idols)  Have fire coming out of their mouths to devour their enemies.  Who are their enemies?  Those of you who put our names out as evil because we tell you these truths, which you do not wish to ever acknowledge. 

You were told, over and over, to come out of her, that harlot church which does obedience to all those idols.  But you refused, so now you will receive of her plagues, brought on by these witnesses of God who have this fire coming out of their mouths.

Rev 18: 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

See that?  She will be utterly BURNED WITH FIRE.  This is the elements that melt with this fervent fire….  = words coming out of the mouth of those who did obey God and left off to serve gods which are no gods and served the true God by obeying his word. 

Now one last verse proving that the wicked, (those who worship idols) will be consumed by fire as stubble…. And there are more but I will stop with this one.  Anyone who wishes to see this truth can do so by asking God to teach them.

Malachi 4:1

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

So see, the answers to all the questions are clearly taught in the Written Word of God and they are found nowhere else. 

Amen!