Hi Geoff,
The way I see this as I have learned from Ray.
Mat 12:31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
Mat 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
I think that the blasphemy against the Spirit (unpardonable sin) applies to a very narrow group of people, as Ray has said, very few. Because it firstly applies to those who have to some degree a knowledge of the truth, now those Scribes and Pharisees did and Ray gave the Scripture that shows this to be so.
Quote
Rabbi, WE [Scribes, Pharisees, Rulers, Jews] KNOW that you are a Teacher COME FROM GOD; (John 3:1-2)
Now you have asked;
So if we bring this up to date, does the few include people like John Hagee and leaders of churches who know the truth but are afraid of telling their congregations for fear of losing income?
Does the few include people like my friends who sent me the email, to whom I tell the truth but they choose to reject it, or even my wife who appears to be frightened of the truths that we learn from Ray.
Do these people you speak of really know/comprehend the truth? Just because this truth is spoken to a person does not mean they understand it, like it says the Scribes and Pharisees 'knew' that Jesus was sent from God. Now they knew Jesus' works were of God, but because they feared loosing their authority over the people, so they accused His works as being of the devil!
Mark 3:22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."
That is blasphemy, which is showing great disrespect willfully and knowingly against these truths or the Spirit of God that teaches these truths. Quite different from what people of the world/church that scoff at or reject the truth are doing.
Another thing is they had no remorse for saying that about Jesus either... they went on the have Him crucified! Now Ray said, "if you have to ask what does this mean, then we probable haven't done it." If someone is afraid that they have in some way committed the unpardonable sin, than certainly they have not, because where does the fear of maybe having committed it come from? Those Scribes and Pharisees did not have a fear of God for what they said. When the spirit is indwelling then it would give you this fear of disrespecting God and committing the unpardonable sin, because you know Him through that Spirit. So if His spirit is working in you than you would never show that kind of disrespect towards God. It's just a very narrow little group that have heard this truth and know it to be truth and go on to "speak against it." I don't know if any church leaders have heard this truth and believe it and then go on to teach heresy, if they do...
Luke 11:52 Woe to you who are learned in the law! for you take away the key of knowledge-you yourselves do not enter, and those who are entering you prevent." (CLV)
mercy, peace and love
Kat