Posted: 10/16/2006 at 2:08pm | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES

Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

KINGDOM LIGHT (#033)

Christ Jesus came from heaven to earth. He was born without an earthly father by the seed of God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born outside the lineage of Adam and is without the curse of Adam's sin. He matured as a natural man without a sin heritage and was filled with God by the Holy Spirit at His baptism. Without the hindrance of a damaged soul, body, and spirit, He was one with His Father in heaven. All the love, power, and wisdom of God the Father abode in the man Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

Christ Jesus did not come to establish the Christian religion nor any other religion. He did not come to give us a religious order nor provide us with a set of ritualistic rules and practices to get us to heaven when we die. He came to redeem mankind and the kingdoms of earth. He came and now abides within believers to establish a very practical kingdom of God, one in which peace and good will toward man prevails. One of the mistakes of religious-thinking people is to consider Jesus as the champion of the Christian religion and compare Him to the champions of other religions of the world.

The supreme wisdom, truth, and understandings given through Jesus Christ are not for the purpose of being catalogued, classified, and labeled as religious doctrines and practices by man. The words of Jesus are not for establishing theology, religious services, or any other religious ritual. The teachings of Jesus are to be the foundational framework for guiding and empowering the individual and every form of authority in the world. The basic kingdom principles are not just a guide for religion or church. Every ruling authority must eventually structure the base of its function by the principles of God’s kingdom given through Christ Jesus. No other form or set of principles will ever lead to peace on earth and good will toward man.

The theme of the Bible is the message of Jesus. The message of Jesus is the kingdom of God or, said another way, the rule of God from heaven on earth through redeemed man. The message of Jesus is not just how to get to heaven when we die or how to establish a set of doctrines for our denomination. As we stop looking with religious eyes and begin to ask God for practical understanding of His Word to guide and empower our lives today, we may be amazed at how simple, practical, and real His Word really is; especially the teachings of Christ Jesus in the Gospels.

In the passing church age, many Christians separated the “religious” from the “real” within their minds. They would stand outside a church building and function in the “real” part of their thinking discussing things that are real to them, such as their jobs or a recent sporting event. Then, they would walk inside the church building, sit down, and subconsciously shift their minds to the unreal religious portion of their minds. Everything that happened, every word heard or spoken, was then affecting only the religious portion of their soul. Little, if any, crossed over into the reality portion of their minds. This great wall of separation within the individual prevented the principles and wisdom of God from greatly affecting their life experience. It was not available in the reality portion of their lives to guide their life decisions. Decisions about education, job, business, family, entertainment and other important areas of real life were made without the benefit of the supreme wisdom of God’s kingdom principles.

Religion can become a blinding force that can rob a person of sight. One may see the words of a portion of scripture and not see the meaning and application of it for his life. One may hear the Word spoken and yet not have ears to hear the powerful truth that will affect his or her daily life. The words spoken may have doctrinal or religious meaning for the religious portion of their lives and have little or no effect on the kingdom of God ruling their entire life. The instruction and empowering principles for kingdom living will not appear to the person looking at the Bible with religious eyes and denominationally colored vision.

I have been a part of church services where the Word from God was brought with power and obviously affected the people in the congregation. Yet, I was amazed to see the people shift at the final “Amen,” back to their “real” mode and resume conversation about recent sporting events and other such things as though nothing had happened. Only the religious part of their lives was affected and little or nothing changed in their daily lives.

Christ Jesus did not come to earth to fill a portion of our lives or to become a part of our lives. Christ must fill our entire life and become our life. The will of God will be done, and the kingdom of God will come in our lives when Jesus is our life. “Christ in you the hope of glory.”

Similarly, we must not interpret nor apply the Bible from a partitioned perspective. We must seek an undivided view of spiritual interpretation of the Bible for our whole life experience. True purpose for man’s life can only come from knowing God’s purpose from His words. The words of God are a living and powerful force guiding the metamorphosis of the heavenly kingdom of God on earth. A major purpose of man is to intimately relate to God in such a way that Christ is formed within him to establish the kingdom of God and rule and reign with him on the planet.

Ruling and reigning with Him encompasses every aspect of life, not just religious matters. All governments, businesses, families, schools, churches, and other institutions in the earth are to be ruled by Christ living in man. Science, technology, arts, all disciplines of knowledge and practice, and every skill of man are to be ruled by the indwelling Christ in man.

The kingdom of God is much larger than the local church. It is given birth from the church but grows to encompass all aspects of earth. The kingdom of God is larger than redemption. It is in part the reason for redemption and the purpose of the church. The kingdom of God and His righteous ways of doing and being will rule our lives and, eventually, our world as we individually and cumulatively seek Jesus, the message of God. Jesus is the message of the kingdom of God on earth from heaven. He is the King over all other rulers and authorities in the world. He is the Lord over all other men and angels or any created thing.

The King is now present on earth to rule and reign with believers. The message of Jesus, the gospel of the kingdom of God, is coming forth on earth by the indwelling Spirit of Christ within believers. Christ in you the hope of Glory (Col 1:27). He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father (John 14:12).

The enlightenment of the kingdom of God in the beginning of the seventh millennium challenges many of our traditional interpretations of scripture. Even the translations from the original language of the Bible coming forth during the sixth millennium beg to be reevaluated. A return to the original Greek and Hebrew text of the Bible

viewed in the light of the revelation of the kingdom is needed to clean up some religious traditions interpreted into our contemporary Bibles.

When the Apostles, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned the New Testament, they were often recording events they personally witnessed or heard directly from the Lord. Paul, for example, taught the kingdom of God from the perspective of personally experiencing the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit performing miracles of healing, deliverance, and personal protection. Kingdom power was a part of their daily lives, along with persecutions from the Jewish religious leaders and resistance from a few church leaders.

Though kingdom power and authority were a part of their everyday lives, they lived two thousand years ago. There has been movement toward the fulfillment of some things since that time. Sometimes, because the Bible is so everlasting and alive, I feel that we are still living in that same time frame. Of course, most things do not change in the spiritual realm. The Word of God is forever settled in heaven; and, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Though the Word never changes, our ability to understand it does change as God gives clarification of revelation by the Holy Spirit. Some people talk about returning to first century Christianity. I believe we are entering even a greater season. Seventh millennium kingdom reality will exceed that of the first century. I believe Paul and the others would say a big “Amen” to that.

Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of God. After Pentecost the disciples had clear revelation of the gospel of the kingdom and proclaimed it with great power and clarity. Paul and others of his day had clearer revelation of the kingdom than any subsequent generation throughout the fifth and sixth millennia.

Paul, toward the end of his ministry, clearly warned that apostasy would soon occur within the church. The great apostasy that began after the first century caused the revelation of the kingdom and the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to be hidden and lost to the church in general. The great revelation and power of the first century was adulterated and lost as vast darkness covered the world. The church became a religious monstrosity as man’s fallen ways replaced the pure leadership of Jesus Christ working within men through the Holy Spirit.

The apostles of the Lamb and the disciples of the first century had a clear revelation of the kingdom of God. Their original writings in the Greek language reflected the understanding of the kingdom of God. Unfortunately, the major English translations of the Bible we have today were translated fifteen hundred or more years after the first century. The great apostasy of the dark ages caused the pure word of the kingdom to be perverted, as many false doctrines of religion affected man’s understanding and clouded the great gospel of the kingdom. Paul had warned that apostasy would come after he was gone. It came and caused the pure word of the kingdom of God to be taken from the church and replaced with other doctrines and rituals.

(Acts 20:29-31 NKJV)  For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

In the second and third centuries, Christians were greatly persecuted. They were tortured, beheaded, burned, and thrown to wild beasts. Christians survived in caves, wilderness areas, and undercover in cities. Despite the attempt by Roman emperors to eradicate Christianity, it continued to spread and to remain relatively pure.

In the fourth century, Constantine, a Roman emperor, was miraculously converted to Christianity and made it the state religion, bringing an end to the great persecution. The state church of the fourth and fifth centuries was very different from the pilgrim spiritual church of the first three centuries. Constantine established Sunday as a day of worship and rest. During this time the church was no longer being purified by persecution and soon experienced an inrush of pagan ideas and ways. The church’s prosperity was its greatest peril. This was the beginning of corrupt leadership and practices within the church. Instead of the church separating itself from paganism it adapted to it.

Church leaders established a hierarchy of control and power. They fought for position, bought and sold religious favors and positions, openly lived immorally, and developed doctrines to favor their positions of power. The Papal system developed with a number of locally powerful Popes. Eventually the power shifted toward Rome and a universal, all-powerful Pope. In the fifth century the Barbarians overthrew a portion of the empire and some were converted to Christianity. However, their conversions were nominal and helped introduce increased pagan practices into the church.

Though some Popes were better than others, in general, from about the fifth to the fifteenth centuries, the corruption continued. The Spiritual life of the first century church was replaced with a politically powerful, corrupt, and very ritualistic religious system.  In this system, the people were required to pay for forgiveness of their sins, the church collected taxes, and leaders made themselves as gods. Indulgences were sold--the greater the sin, the greater the price. The church became very rich. Church doctrines were established by the Papal hierarchy to bring political authority under the Pope. According to their rules, salvation or forgiveness of sins could not be had outside the Roman Catholic Church. It was absolutely necessary for every human creature, in order to obtain forgiveness, to be subject to the Roman Pontiff. Any one with a different view was considered a heretic. In an attempt to rid the world of heresy, the church killed many of them.

Though the church was polluted by perverted leadership and false doctrines, I personally believe that there were real Christians with godly beliefs and practices on the fringes and hidden within the church body. It seems from scripture that there is always at least a remnant of godly people during even the darkest of times. They may not be openly visible and history may pass them by but they are there (Romans 11:3-5).

The renaissance period of learning brought a renewed interest in the Hebrew and Greek scriptures, which began to expose the unscriptural corruption of the medieval church. Early reformers met with strong and deadly resistance from the church. The church began persecuting Christians instead of the Roman government persecuting them. The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries began the modern reformation of Christianity. Spiritual truth began to be restored, piece-by- piece, as biblical teachings were revealed to men. The restoration of revelation continues today and the church continues to attempt to free itself of the lingering doctrines and rituals of the past apostasy.

It was during the early part of the current restoration period (1611) that King James authorized the English translation of the Bible that we still use today. It was in this period of limited, spiritual light and ritualistic, religious background that the Bible began to be translated into other languages. Over twenty major editions of the English New Testament appeared before the Hampton Court Conference in which King James approved the project that produced the King James Version (KJV). Most of these, as well as the KJV, were little more than revisions of the earlier work of William Tyndale. The translation of the NKJ New Testament is estimated to be up to ninety percent of the actual wording of Tyndale’s New Testament.

With the light they had, the men sought to translate the Hebrew and Greek text into English. But, they did not have the revelation of the kingdom of God or the gospel of the kingdom that the original first century writers had. They sought to make sense of the Word in the context and framework of their revelation and understanding at the time. Many of the Hebrew and Greek words could be translated different ways. There is no exact word-for-word comparison between the languages. The translators had to rely on their understanding of the context and the speaker’s intent to determine which way to go with the translation and which English words to use.

A number of revisions of the King James Version have been produced, including the American Standard Version in 1901 and the New American Standard Version in 1959. All of the translations and revisions have borne the impression of the clarity of revelation and understanding of God from the point in time they were written. They also bear the essence of the spiritual color (area of revealed truth) of the individuals doing the translating.

God continues to reveal Himself and His ways to His people according to what they can receive and handle. The church is still very much affected by the trappings of the apostate church of past centuries. As periods of enlightenment come one after another, revelation comes forth and truth is restored to the church. It was only about four hundred years ago when salvation by grace through faith was restored to the church. From that time to the present, many powerful truths have been revealed to God’s people. With each new enlightenment we tend to think we now have it all. yet the revelation of God continues to come.

The original text, as it was originally written, is believed to be the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God, God-breathed and without error.  The translations of the Bible are not. They are an evolved series of translations through different languages from the original.

The recent clarification of revelation of Christ in believers producing the victorious kingdom of God lifestyle with authority over the enemy and all of his works sheds bright new light on the Word of God. At this present point in time, the revelation of kingdom begs for a return to the original language texts as much as possible. The clear revelation that may be clearly seen through the Holy Spirit in the Greek and Hebrew text may be obscured in our translations. We must depend on the anointing of the Holy Spirit to open and explain the scripture to our spirit.

1 John 2:27: But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

Considering the Hebrew and Greek text in light of the kingdom of God potential now and in the future may cause passages speaking of victorious kingdom living to become brilliantly alive; and it may cause some passages to crumble, which seem to say that God’s people can only wait to die or escape.

Various doctrines and rituals of the church originated in the apostate past or in the beginning light of the reformation period. Some long-held traditional doctrines may need to be exposed to the light of the kingdom by the Holy Spirit and measured by the Hebrew and Greek scriptures.

Keep on Pursuing Love

It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://archive.openheaven.com

basileia@earthlink.net

Posted: 10/17/2006 at 4:29pm | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES
Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

DOCTRINES IN LIGHT OF KINGDOM (#034)

The word “doctrine” is a very religious sounding word. It sounds very important when used in relation to the church. Every religious order has its set of doctrines. There seems no end to the number of divisions caused by differences in doctrine.

No one knows the number of the multitudes of people who have been killed over religious doctrines. Conflicts and all-out wars have occurred through the centuries and continue today. Churches are split again and again; families, friends and nations are fractured by doctrinal disputes.

The word translated “doctrine” in the New Testament simply means "teaching." Doctrine can be true or false teaching depending on the source. It could be a doctrine of God (Titus 2:10), or a doctrine of man (Col. 2:22), and even a doctrine of demons (1Tim. 4:1).

Most religious people and all denominations, sects, and cults are convinced that their system of theology is doctrine from God. Therefore, they see any teachings that do not align with their system of theology as doctrines of demons and/or doctrines of man. Therefore, each group sees the other as deceived by doctrines of man or doctrines of demons; and, they see themselves as possessing doctrines of God. Doctrines tend to become sacred to the believer and, therefore, very resistant to change even when additional light comes from God. Doctrines can be passed from generation to generation for centuries without change.

In the limited light of the early reformation period of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, doctrines were developed in the church and passed down. These doctrines of then fresh light mixed with fallacious doctrines and practices of the past have been rooted into the church and are now considered precepts of truth in the church today. When a doctrine has been in place long enough, it may be considered sacred, though it may have begun as speculative. Once it is considered sacred, many people would die or kill rather than consider change.

One of the enemy’s most effective stratagems may be to pervert the truth of God by bringing forth doctrines of his own into the church. Centuries ago the powers of darkness brought doctrines into the then apostate church. Some of the doctrines of demons have become traditional, sacred doctrines carried forward into churches of today. The enemy affected the efforts of Bible translators of the early reformation period by coloring their selection of words according to some of these perverted or false doctrines.

In light of the continuing restoration of revelation, we must reexamine traditional doctrines by returning to the Greek and Hebrew text depending on the Holy Spirit to guide our pure heart toward truth. We must not defend doctrines solely because our particular branch of the church traditionally accepts them. It is not enough to believe doctrines just because we have believed them all of our lives. We must not substitute the stored data of our minds for the discernment of the Holy Spirit if we are to continue toward the powerful reality of the truth of God.

1 Tim 4:1, 6:3: Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness.

Receiving Truth Exposes Mixture

The "words of our Lord Jesus Christ” may be used along with that "which accords with godliness” as a measure of wholesome doctrine. Clearly, our Lord’s words in the Gospels primarily focused on the kingdom of God (the ruler-dominion of God) on earth. Godliness implies being in accord with the character and nature of God.

Therefore, any teaching, which does not appear to be in agreement with the words of Jesus Christ, nor in accord with the character and nature of God, should be reexamined. The words of Jesus are recorded in the Greek language in the New Testament. By the Word and the Spirit, we can know the words of Jesus and the character and nature of God. Any doctrine or teaching that seems to take away from the ruler-dominion (kingdom) of God on earth or in some way postpones or diminishes the victory over the powers of darkness is suspect and should be reexamined.

The false teacher and teaching can also be known by its fruit (Mat 7:15-20). In practice, any doctrine that does not seem to produce good fruit unto godliness in life should be reexamined.

Some questions we might ask regarding the fruit of a teaching are:

(1) Does the fruit of the teaching seem to allow the powers of darkness opportunity to function now?

(2) Does it in any way seem to promote ungodly behavior now?

(3) Does it provide false assurance to those who practice lawlessness?

(4) Does it create less motivation to serve God and seek His kingdom now?

(5) Does it seem to elevate anyone or anything equal to or above God?

(6) Does it cause us to despise prophecy or any other spiritual gifts?

(7) Does it tend to ascribe the works of God to the powers of darkness?

(8) Does it cause us to fear the powers of darkness?

(9) Does it cause us to not love our brothers or our enemies?

(10) Does it hinder our forgiving from the heart?

Our view of the answers to these and similar questions is not the final factor. Rather, it may be an indicator that the doctrine in question should be investigated.

The fruit of any doctrine is measured by the effect it has on those receiving the teaching. A true doctrine of God will motivate one toward godliness (alignment with the character and nature of God) and build faith, hope, and love. The teaching will promote godly behavior and activity toward profitable production of the will of God on earth. It should move the individual toward health and well being of spirit, soul, and body. A true doctrine of God will inspire a loving, respectful fear of God and a fearless disrespect for evil and the evil one. It will move the individual toward freedom from evil bondage to any person, place, or thing. A true teaching of God will move the person toward a total love for God and an allegiance to Him above anyone or anything else. It will move the individual toward alignment with God’s love and care for His creation including the earth and the fullness thereof.

1 Cor 10:26 KJV: For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.

A true doctrine of God will implant God’s ways into man and the world.

The fruit of false doctrine will always tend to move toward the opposite of the true. It will tend to erode the principles and precepts of God and plant alternate ways. The doctrines of demons and/or man will allow or encourage movement away from alignment with the character and nature of God and will tend to weaken faith, hope, and love. It will tend to lessen godly behavior and activity of profitable production toward the will and purposes of God. It will tend to inspire a lack of respect for God and a fear of evil and the evil one. It will move the person toward bondages and addictions to a person, place or thing. Doctrines of demons and/or man will tend to create allegiances other than to God Himself. These false doctrines will cause the person to not love and care for God’s creation, especially the earth and all its fullness.

Many teachings emanated from the defeatist attitude of the oppressed, apostatized church of the Dark Ages and were carried forward into the early reformation. People had been enslaved in religious bondages for centuries. They had not experienced the power of God flowing through their lives. Deceived and unjust religious rulers had controlled their thoughts and beliefs by controlling the teachings of the church. The essence of the doctrines and their belief was that Christians could only expect to live in defeat, misery, poverty, and repression in this life. According to these doctrines, all potential blessing, victory, prosperity, and freedom would come to them only in heaven after they died. The fulfillment of most of the promised blessings of God, which are for His children today, were moved forward in these teachings to heaven after death. Those promises, which directly referred to victorious living on earth and could not possibly be viewed as only for heaven, were seen as not for this time, but for after the future bodily return of Jesus to the earth.

Centuries of enslavement to fallacious doctrines have caused a slave mentality and a defeatist attitude to be formed within Christians much like the Egyptian enslavement had formed in the children of Israel. When it was time for the children of Israel to move into the Promised Land and possess it, they did not overcome their defeatist attitude caused by centuries of bondage. They did not adjust their beliefs to align with the will and plan of God. Even the great miracles demonstrated to them in the wilderness had not repaired their slave-minded defeatist attitude. Their lack of respect for God's power and their fear of evil made them easy prey for a false report and they did not receive the promise of God. Instead, they continued in the hardships of defeat. Only after that generation passed away and the next generation, who did not retain the old beliefs and attitudes, took over did the children of Israel enter victoriously into the promise of God.

Not until the twentieth century, the final moments of the sixth millennium, has there been an awakening, which has changed the defeatist attitude of the slave-minded church. There were great revivals and awakenings prior to the twentieth century in which many people became Christians. But, the focus of their salvation hope was heaven when they died, not the power and presence of God working in and through them to bring forth the rule of God into the world, to destroy the work of the devil, and establish the kingdom of God on earth. Early American revivals were eventually squelched by denominational church disputes as different denomination leaders argued over the order of services and doctrinal positions.

Before the awakening of this current time, achieving holiness was often seen as striving to legalistically keep laws and rules. Though the church derived the laws and rules from the Bible, they became a bondage to the people. The people struggled with religious rules, without the teaching of the grace of God empowering the believer from within to live holy lives by faith. Some Christians are still affected by this view. This view tends to cause one to become a legalist and to seek to be holy by externally applying laws devised by the church.

Many others believe that holiness is unattainable in the experience of life and that they must depend on the mercy of God to forgive their continued unholiness. This view tends to lessen the search for further purification and holiness in life now, and accepts positional righteousness as a ticket to heaven that cannot be cancelled.

Both of these views are powerless to produce the power of Christ, the anointed One. They do not produce His anointing within God's people to empower them to live holy lives. The spiritual awakening of the revelation of the kingdom of God, coming forth on earth by the anointing of Jesus Christ within God's people, by the Holy Spirit, is restoring holiness and power to the people of God.

Rom 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 4:20: For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Posted: 10/18/2006 at 8:57am | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES
Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

KINGDOM LIFE (#035)

The cross of Jesus Christ is beyond any doubt one of the most paramount events and significant factors of all human history and continues over 2000 years later to powerfully impact mankind. The shed blood of Jesus at the cross is God’s only provision for the remission of sin. Apart from the cross there is no exoneration of man’s sin.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is of equal importance as the cross.

Just as the death of Jesus Christ on the cross is imperative for the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is imperative for the overcoming of sin in man. The resurrection is to holiness, what the cross is to forgiveness. Provision is made for mankind to be redeemed from the penalty of sin by the cross. Provision is made for man to be redeemed from the practice of sinful living by the resurrection. God’s only provision for man’s holiness is the resurrected Christ indwelling believers. It is not the Christ of the cross, but the Christ of the resurrection, that lives in His people to motivate and empower man to live in real holiness now in this life.

The church of the recent past has emphasized the cross and the forgiveness of sin. The church in the kingdom age is also emphasizing the resurrection and the overcoming of sin unto the establishment of godly living on earth. Believers are born into the kingdom of God by the forgiveness of sins through the death of Jesus at the cross. Believers mature into kingdom of God living by the life of Jesus, the indwelling resurrected Christ. It is all the work of God. In the past, the church has emphasized being born again by faith, but then trying to adhere to behavioral rules to achieve holiness and right standing in the church (Galatians 3, Romans 8,).

Attempting to keep externally applied laws can never accomplish holiness.

In the natural, rules are necessary for the development of immature children who do not yet possess the capacity to maintain inner guidance and strength to order their conduct. Mature individuals must develop inner guidance and strength. Reasonable rules are usually not overly oppressive to small children, but can be oppressive to mature individuals, who should be guided from within and not controlled from without.

The Spirit of the resurrected Christ dwelling within is the internal guidance and strength that will generate holiness in the life of the believer. The Word applied from without can only serve as a tutor to immature believers and as a measuring stick for unbelievers to reveal their sinful condition. The law leads to the cross. The Spirit leads to resurrection life.

Gal 3:23-26: But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

The resurrection life of Christ within far exceeds religion.

Paul and other first-century disciples lived a firsthand adventure of the resurrection life of Christ. They sought to be worthy of the resurrection life, and to reach the marvelous fullness of the resurrection of Christ within. This experience was not prevalent in the apostatized church that developed after the first century, and has been experienced only sparsely in the church of the more recent past.

Reformation-period Bible translators were affected by the generic church view that, in general, all good things would only come in heaven after death, or at the bodily return of Christ. Therefore, translations tend to be bent toward all references to resurrection being ascribed to only future resurrection after death. This tends to add some obscurity to the great truth of the potent resurrection life of Christ within the people of God now.

The religious Pharisees of the first century knew nothing of the powerful resurrection life of Christ. They were very meticulous in the Word (the Old Testament law) and very harsh with their application of the Word, especially toward followers of Christ. Paul admits to being one of the fiercest Pharisees prior to his conversion. He personally had a firsthand view of the difference between the resurrected life of Christ within and the religious external application of the Law. Paul related the advantages and superiority of the resurrection life over his past religious ways in the epistle to the Philippians.

(Phil 3:5-7 NKJV): Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.  But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

Paul was a devout Hebrew Pharisee permeated with the harsh administration of the law. Religion was the first order of priority for his life. The word “Pharisee” is the Greek word  “Pharisaios” (far-is-ah'-yos) and means an exclusively religious separatist. Its origin is from the Hebrew word “parash” (paw-rash'); a prime root meaning to separate; literally, to disperse; or, figuratively, to specify; also by implication to wound, scatter, declare distinctly, sting. The spirit motivating the denominational and religious strife of recent and current times is the same spirit that drove the Pharisees of the first century.

Paul emphasizes that knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection in a personal, relational experience is far superior to religion. Before his conversion to Christ, Paul, as a devout Pharisee, could only hope for resurrection after his death. However, after his conversion to a disciple of Christ, his hope was changed to experiencing the power of the resurrection life while he was alive, in addition to the future resurrection of his body.

In verse eight of the following passage, the word translated “excellence” is “huperecho”, (hoop-er-ekh'-o) and means to excel, superior, or superiority; it is translated “better, excellency, higher, pass, and supreme.”  The word translated “knowledge of” is “gnosis” (gno'-sis) and means “knowing” or by implication “knowledge.” Paul is saying that knowing Christ is far superior to religion or any other thing. Paul goes on in verse nine to say that he is now seeking the righteousness from God through faith in Christ, instead of his seeking to keep religious rituals and practices of the law.

Phil 3:8-9: Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence (superiority) of the knowledge of Christ (knowing Christ) Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (9) and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Positional Righteousness

In recent times there has been emphasis in parts of the church on a teaching of positional righteousness as opposed to practical experience of holiness in life. The teaching asserts that man can only continue to live a sinful life in a sinful world, though he should do his best not to sin and always repent when he did sin. He is to trust in Christ by faith to forgive his sins, and to make it to heaven after death. Though he yet sins in his daily life, God sees him as righteous because of the work of Jesus at the cross. His position before God is that of righteousness while, in his practical daily life, he continues to sin. The emphasis of this erroneous teaching may have developed as a backlash or pendulum swing from the Pharisee-type legalism of externally applied law.

Though man cannot obtain holiness by trying to keep the law, the power of the resurrected Christ within man by the Holy Spirit can create a dynamic power and motivational force of love that can produce a life of holiness that will fulfill the laws of God. Practical righteous living is a reality in the kingdom of God age.

The Spirit of the resurrected Christ within will also empower the people of God to minister powerfully to the needs of others, and to endure the hardships of persecution. Paul’s striving was a process after the death of his old life to intimately know Christ and fully experience the power of His resurrection.

Phil 3:10-12: That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Here, Paul was not speaking of striving to attain the resurrection of his body after his death. He knew that his bodily resurrection was assured in the finished work of Christ. He was striving to attain the resurrection life of Christ now through the experience of fellowship with the sufferings of Christ conforming him to the death of Christ. In other words, he was striving after the death of his self-life unto the resurrected life of Christ through much suffering.

True Positional Righteousness Is Relational

The Spirit of Christ within is a direct link to the right hand of the throne of God. Through the Spirit of Christ, saints are directly connected to the all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God of all creation, the ruler of all things heavenly or earthly. Our lives are seated in the throne of God. The attributes of God are available to live in the power of righteousness now in this life through Christ.

True positional righteousness of the saints is one of direct connection to the power of the throne of God to live righteously, and to know and carry out the will and plan of God from heaven on earth, the kingdom of God. It is not just being seen as righteous while yet living in sin and spiritual impotence. The saint’s striving is for intimate relationship with the Father through Christ by the Holy Spirit.

The grace of God is the unmerited favor of empowerment to live righteously, freely given to the saints, not a whitewash covering for our continued sinfulness and lack of spiritual power.

The resurrection power of Christ within by the Spirit brings revelation light.

The Word of God becomes powerfully alive as the Spirit reveals the mighty, life-changing, world-changing truths of the kingdom of God. Faith is greatly stimulated and becomes a living, growing reality in the life and work of the one who is filled with the power of the resurrection life of Christ.

The study of the Word of God is never enough within itself. Study of the Bible may be unprofitable without the powerful revelation of the Spirit. It may lead to religious understandings but cannot bring about the powerful revelation of God. The Pharisees of the first century studied the Word (Old Testament) perhaps more than any other known religious group. But without the Spirit of God it seems to have only made most of them more critical, and more of a hypocrite.

Teaching can have its origin from the study of the Word, and yet not be true revelation of Christ. A heart trained in the teachings of man will have difficulty receiving the revelation of Christ, even from the Bible. Paul said he had not received the gospel that he preached from man, but by the revelation of Christ. We know Paul did not sit at the feet of Jesus to be taught by Him while Jesus was in His body on earth. Therefore, we know that Paul is referring to the revelation of the resurrected Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Gal 1:11-12: But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Receiving teachings that are not through the revelation of the Spirit of Christ can pervert one’s view of God and the world. Revelation of the Word by the Spirit can cause one to see God as He really is, and to share His worldview.

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Posted: 11/07/2006 at 1:49pm | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES
Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

KINGDOM DOMAIN - THE WORLD (#036)

Doctrines developed in the past apostate church age offered little or no hope for man or the world in this present life. The essence of these doctrines is that the world and its systems are hopelessly tainted with sin and, subsequently, evil. They, therefore, are fit only to be destroyed and replaced by a newly created planet. In this view there is no hope for the present world to be cleansed and restored. The only hope for the planet is total destruction by the judgmental fire of God melting and dissolving the very elements of the planet.

Some fruits from the essence of these teachings are:

1. A release of man’s responsibility to preserve and care for the natural systems of the planet. There is little or no incentive for man to cooperate with natural laws of God’s order. Short range, more immediately profitable actions are often chosen over those that align with God’s natural order, which are designed for the continued existence of the planet’s systems. The underlying rationale seems to be, “Why be concerned since it is all going to burn and be destroyed anyway, and probably soon”?

2. A lack of appreciation for the wonderful creation of the beautiful, life- supporting planet. The glorious essence of God can be seen in the beauty of His creation. The intense blue of mountain lakes reflect more than the breathtaking awesomeness of the magnificent mountain scenes. It also reflects something about our loving, great God. The unfathomable complexity of the chemical, physical, biological, zoological, meteorological, ecological, and other systems of the planet all speak of our God, who created them. They are all designed to intricately work together to support continuing life on the planet, and the continued life of the planet itself.

3. A lack of respect for life on earth and man's awesome and exciting potential with God. Man is the only part of God’s creation designed to intimately relate to God, to actually experience knowing Him. Man is designed to rule and reign with Him now in this present age. A lack of appreciation for God’s natural creation leads to a lack of respect for the life of man himself. Man is linked to and a part of the world’s systems.

Do these fruits seem to line up with the words of Jesus and the nature of God? Jesus came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. It is God’s nature to give life, to heal, and to deliver. Someone else desires to destroy. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). It is not God’s plan or desire to destroy the earth, but rather to purify it. Jesus often spoke of the wicked being removed and the righteous shining forth on earth (Matt. 13:24-30, 37-43). The scripture also speaks clearly of God destroying those who destroy the earth.

Rev. 11:18b: And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.

Since the essence of the teachings that the earth is bad and fit only to be despised and destroyed does not appear to line up with the words of Jesus and the nature of God, we need to reexamine the scriptures that seem to affirm these teachings.

Does God love the world’s systems or despise them? Are we to love the world or to despise it? Certainly, we know God loves man. However, God does not love man’s sin and evil nature. God loves the world, but does not love the evil in the world implanted by the devil. In our considerations, we must make a distinction in our consideration between the created planet and the two systems that seek to rule life on the planet. One ruling system is the evil order of the enemy and the other ruling system is the order of God from heaven. Both of these systems are referred to as the "kosmos" in the Greek New Testament text.

One of the most well known scripture verses is John 3:16, which many Christians have taught to their small children. Many correctly use this verse to instill in children that God loves them so much that Jesus came to save them and everyone who will believe. We may read the verse, “For God so loved the world”, but think in our minds, “For God so loved me or mankind”. Granted, the individual and mankind are the focus of what is being spoken of here, but more than mankind is being referred to as the world.

The word translated “world” here is the Greek word “kosmos,” which is generally interpreted as "world order". Strong’s Concordance Greek Dictionary defines the word as orderly arrangement, and by implication, the world and its inhabitants.

[ “G2889. kosmos, kos'-mos; prob. from the base of G2865; orderly arrangement, i.e. decoration; by impl. the world (in a wide or narrow sense, includ. its inhabitants, lit. or fig. [mor.]):--adorning, world.” The root or base is: G2865. komizo, kom-id'-zo; from a prim.  komeo (to tend, i.e. take care of); prop. to provide for, i.e. (by impl.) to carry off (as if from harm; gen. obtain):--bring, receive.”]

Jesus came to save more than mankind; He came to save the world. God desires to redeem all the "kosmos," all the adorning and decorative systems.  Since God has given mankind authority and responsibility to have dominion on earth, man must first be redeemed and brought into order with God and His ways for the world to be saved or restored.

God chose to limit himself by ruling through man on earth and has never rescinded that position. Man has the free will to make decisions regarding the order of rule in the world. Therefore, God had to become a man to save the world. God became a man in Jesus Christ. His original created order is for man to have dominion in the world (Gen. 1:26-28).

The man Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, now rules in the world as he lives within believers on the earth by the Holy Spirit. As human beings receive Christ Jesus into their lives by the Holy Spirit and yield control of their lives to the Spirit of Christ within, the will of God is done from heaven on earth through man. The kingdom of God from heaven rules in the world and the ways of God redeem and restore the kosmos.

The key to the redemption of the world is the salvation of man. Therefore, man’s redemption is the world’s only hope.

In every instance, the word translated “world” in John 3:16-17, is “kosmos.”

John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

In these verses God speaks of man being saved in relation to the world being saved. There is no distinction made between mankind and the rest of the world as the object of God’s saving love. The priority in these verses is that the kosmos be saved.

Mankind is a major part of the kosmos and is God's caretaker for the planet. Even the root of the word “kosmos,” (komizo and komeo) means to tend or take care of, to provide for and keep from harm. Man is to carry out the order of God’s design on the earth. The kingdom of God, the will of God, is to come forth through redeemed man--more specifically by Christ Jesus within man.

Two Worlds On Planet Earth

Obviously, God loves the world (the world He created and its systems of life). Yet, other scriptures make it clear that we are not to love the world (evil world order) or the things of the world (evil works in the world).

In scripture, there is one planet but two worlds spoken of. First, there is the world system that God created and loves and that we are to love as well. Second there is the evil fallen world system that was released by Adam and that we are told not to love. These two world systems are kingdoms--the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of darkness is evil but offers attractive enticements that appeal to the lust of the flesh and seek to lure people under its influence and entrapment. We are not to love this evil world system or the things it offers. Neither of these world systems is the physical planet but spirit-led systems working to guide and empower humans beings that have dominion on the planet. Human beings have the authority to decide which system is released into the world. Neither system will have dominion in the world without the will of mankind releasing it.

In every instance the word translated “world” in 1 John 2:15-17, is also “kosmos.”

1 John 2:15-17: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Man is not being instructed not to have loving concern for the world, but is being told to not have the love of (from) the evil world system. The world has its own kind of selfish, lustful, greedy affection--the desires of the flesh. We are not to have that love of the world. We are not to lust after the things of the world. However, we are to be filled with the love of God for the world and desire its redemption.

The love of God satisfies.

The love of (from) God is a fully satisfying inner abundance. Individuals filled with the love from God feel no anxiety or frustrating need for anything else. Nothing further is required for their spirit and soul to be at perfect peace. From this inner abundance flows a great desire and potential to love the kosmos (the world and its inhabitants). This leads to serving mankind and the world around us by seeking to make things better for everyone, which brings the peaceful, prosperous, order of God to the kosmos. Love from God is a giving kind of love.

The love of (from) the world is not really love at all, but lust for the kosmos. It is seeking to fill an inner need that exists because the love of (from) God is not filling the individual. In reality the world’s kind of love (lust) is not love at all. It stems from the lack of the presence of God’s love within. The inner need created by unlove leads to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The inner need becomes like a great vacuum trying to fill the void with the kosmos (the world and the things in it, including people). The kosmos is consumed, used, and destroyed as the inner need drives the individual to get more, have more, be more, and experience more. The love of (from) the world is a taking kind of unlove.

The love of God is in Christ Jesus. The potential for the very love of God in your life and mine is in Jesus. If the Spirit of Christ rules our hearts, the love of God is manifest in our lives.

John 17:26: And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.

Christ in man is the practical method by which love from God fills one’s life until no room exists for the love (lust) from the world system for the things in the world.

There is a vast difference between having loving concern for the kosmos (as God also does) and seeking to possess or consume the kosmos from our lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of this life. The Spirit of Christ Jesus living and ruling within by the Holy Spirit guides and empowers individuals to walk in freedom from the lust of the flesh and to be filled with the love of (from) God. All people that do not have the love of God abiding within them by the Spirit will have lust for the things of the world. It is not possible for one in whom Christ Jesus does not dwell to be filled with the love of God and to be free of the love of (from) the world.

Gal 5:16-17: I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Many Christians may need to rethink their worldview.

A belief that God does not love the kosmos may have led us to devalue much of what God loves, and sent His Son to save. Man is inseparably a part of the kosmos. To harm or destroy the world is to harm one’s self. To bless and redeem the world is to bless one’s self. As man takes care of the world, the world takes care of man. I’m reminded of an old saying that farmers once used, “If you will take care of the land, the land will take care of you.” This same wisdom applies to all of the kosmos.

The world is not inherently evil. It is a marvelous and wonderful creation of God. The systems and order of the world are awesomely grand beyond all we can think. The complex intricacy of biological systems, ecological systems, and the physical make up of all things is more than all the minds of man together could ever understand. Yet, it all fits and works together to perpetually sustain life. The beauty of the colors, shapes, and patterns of the mountains, lakes, forests, plains, and mighty oceans are marvelous beyond compare. The delicate, delightful fragrances of the rose, the flowers of the field, the spruce or fir tree, or the pine tree on a still spring evening, all speak of God’s love and provision for the world.

It is humbling to realize that God has put man in charge of caring for His marvelous creation. To not be concerned about caring for the people, animals, and the ecology of the world is to be apart from the plan of God. As man, by the power of the indwelling Christ, walks in accordance with God’s ways, the kosmos is healed. Mankind, seeking the kingdom of God and His righteous ways of being and doing, moves man and the world systems toward healing and restoration (Matt. 6:33) (Rom 8:19-22). Mankind, seeking his own way apart from God, moves man and the world systems toward disorder and destruction. God has not planned the destruction of His creation. The power of Christ in man is sufficient to heal and restore the kosmos.

John 3:16a, 17b: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,  that the world through him might be saved.

John 1:29b: Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Posted: 12/11/2006 at 7:48pm | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES
Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

TAKING AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD (#037)

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29b)

Removing the sin of the world is the plan of God. From the cause to the results, God's plan is to remove sin and replace it with the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ. It has never been God's plan to destroy the planet, but to cleanse and restore the earth to the kingdom of God as it is in heaven. The glory of God shall cover the earth.

1 John 3:8: He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Psa 72:19: And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.

Isa 6:3: And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"

Many denominations in the passing church age sincerely believed and firmly taught from scripture that God was going to burn up Planet Earth. This teaching is based on mistranslated scripture.

English bible translations are not word-for-word reproductions of the original.

The English Bible is translated from Greek and Hebrew. There were some changes in meaning of some passages made in the translation from one language to the other. In the limited amount of study that I have been able to accomplish in comparing the Greek text with our English translations, I have become reassured of the general accuracy of the translations. There are not many places where recently renewed revelation has exposed translator error (probably based on the translators’ limited revelation of that time).

The cornerstone scripture for the belief that God will burn the planet in judgment is 2 Peter Chapter 3. I was shocked when I first looked into the Greek wording of this chapter. What is clearly being spoken of is the fire of God completely destroying evil and cleansing the planet.

The limited revelation of the time and the defeatist mindset of the translators are very apparent in this passage. Some Greek words are translated differently in this passage than anywhere else in the Bible.  This veiled the original meaning of the passage and led to a different meaning that is not even within the context of the chapter.

The subject of chapters two and three is ungodly men and their judgment—false prophets, false teachers, unjust men, those who walk according to the flesh and despise authority, and those who turn from the holy commandment and are again entangled. In 2 Peter 3:7, Peter tells us what is being judged and what he is speaking about when he writes, “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition (destruction) of ungodly men.

2 Peter: Chapter 3 contains what is, perhaps, the most regrettable and damaging of translation errors. Either intentional change or serious errors were made in the translation to English. The translators were strongly affected by the widespread, long- standing belief that the earth and most of what was in it was evil and could not be saved but must be destroyed in judgment and replaced with another earth. This belief caused them to depart from their own translation practices and make serious translation errors.

From the wording of the English bible translations of 2 Peter: Chapter 3, it appears that God’s plan is to burn up the planet into nonexistence. This verse is the foundation for the belief that God will burn the planet in judgment.

Peter in his flamboyant manner was led of the Spirit to use the strongest possible language to communicate the total annihilation of the complete evil world order, not the destruction of Planet Earth. It is the enemy that desires we believe in the destruction of the planet instead of the destruction of his evil works and the restoration of the planet to the righteous and glorious kingdom of God.

In chapter two, Peter refers to the judgment of the world by flood and the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire from heaven. In these judgments the planet was not destroyed but was purified by the destruction of the evil.

English Bible translations make it seem that Peter spoke of the destruction of the planet. However, a closer look at the actual Greek text reveals that he did not speak of the destruction of the planet. Rather, he spoke of the destruction of evil just as God did in the previous judgments of the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

When God made a covenant with Noah and all surviving living things after the flood, He used the phrase “destroy the earth” (Gen. 9:11).  He promised that He would never again bring a flood to “destroy the earth.” Yet, it was not the planet that had been destroyed by the flood. On the contrary, the planet was purified as evil man and his disorderly, ungodly ways were destroyed. Peter spoke by the Spirit of God in this same manner in 2 Peter.

(For a detailed study of the Greek wording versus the translated English wording see Chapter 7 of the book titled "The Seventh Millennium." We will only mention here one major translation error that is a key to the erroneous teaching.)

A key word in 2 Peter 3:10 that is a translation error is the word interpreted in this passage as the basic physical elements of the earth. This is the only place in all of Scripture that this word is interpreted to mean physical elements.

 The word translated “elements” is “stoicheion,” (stoy-khi'-on) and means something orderly in arrangement, a basal, fundamental, initial serial, constituent. In other words, “stoicheion” means the basic, foundational, principles of an order. In this passage it specifically refers to the foundations of the evil order affecting earth, not the physical elements of the planet.

Stoicheion is used seven times in the New Testament. In every case it refers to basic principles or rudiments, either of the doctrines and oracles of God or of the evil world order. In no other place is it interpreted as the physical elements.

Heb 5:12 KJV: For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the (stoicheion) first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Gal 4:3 KJV: Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the (stoicheion) elements of the world:

Gal 4:9 KJV: But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly (stoicheion) elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Col 2:8 KJV: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the (stoicheion) rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Col 2:20 KJV: Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the (stoicheion) rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

In 2 Peter 3:10&12, the meaning is the same. The elements that are “dissolved” with fervent heat are the rudimental elements of the evil world order; the basic desires, drives, beliefs and assumptions with all the actions, deeds, accomplishments, and whatever else they make or made.

The mature ones in whom Christ dwells have a part in cleansing and restoration.

We, as mature sons of God, have a part in flowing forth the powerful fire of God to restore the world to God’s order, just as evil men have a part in bringing forth the evil world order. The New Jerusalem is the purified, holy people of God free from influences of the evil world order.

Rom 8:19-22: For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

In the same way that redeemed man is spoken of as a new creation, the earth, delivered from the bondage of corruption into glorious liberty, is spoken of as a new earth. The atmosphere around earth, free of the enemy, is spoken of as new heavens.

2 Pet 3:13: Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The new creation, “new heavens and new earth,” speak of the redeemed creation set free (loosed) from the bondages of the rudiments or elements of the evil world order. The new heavens are the redeemed heavens around the earth set free from the prince of the power of the air and his evil order.

Eph 2:1-2:  And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.

God speaks of redeemed man as a new creation of whom He says all things are made new in 2 Cor. 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

When one is cleansed of sin and set free from the bondages of evil by the work of Christ Jesus, he or she is a new creation and everything is seen from a new perspective. Similarly, the work of God from heaven purifying the earth will cause it to become a new earth filled with righteousness, peace and joy. The new heaven (the atmosphere around earth) will no longer be affected by the work of the enemy. Jesus has already defeated the enemy and now lives in His people to set men free to do their part in setting the earth free.

Isa 65:17-19: "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.

Rev 21:1-5: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

Keep on Pursuing Love
It Will Never Fail,

Ron McGatlin

http://archive.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net

Posted: 12/13/2006 at 7:45pm | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES
Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

Posted: 12/19/2006 at 7:40pm | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES
Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

Posted: 12/27/2006 at 9:44am | IP Logged

KINGDOM GROWTH GUIDES
Maturing in the gospel of the kingdom

Righteousness is adhering to and aligning with the ways of God. Prevailing righteousness leads to peace on earth and goodwill or prosperity toward man. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).

Christ Jesus is the law-fulfiller first in His natural body and now in His Body of many members across the earth (Mat 5:17).

Lawlessness is failing to adhere to and align with the ways of God. Prevailing lawlessness leads to strife and ill will, which leads to poverty for man. The earth and all its various systems are harmed by lawlessness and could be destroyed by lawlessness left unchecked.

And, again, the church through the centuries, along with all modern translations and theological commentaries that I am aware of, have held fast to the interpretation of the text as referring to a specific future man called Antichrist. A careful study of the original Greek words will reveal that there is not necessarily a specific man to come called Antichrist. The biblical references to antichrist deal with the current work of the spirit of antichrist and lawlessness in man. The antichrist spirit is presently striving to restrain the work of Christ from bringing forth God’s order (kingdom) into the world.

The spirit of antichrist was operative during the first century working against the Spirit of Christ, which was coming forth in the apostles. John recognized that the spirit of antichrist would continue to be active as time passed, as well as in his day. The work of the spirit of antichrist is always to deny Christ in the flesh, whether His original coming in His natural body or His now coming in His universal body of individual believers, the Body of Christ. The spirit of antichrist will do anything possible to deny, prevent, or pervert the gifts and work of the Spirit of Christ coming forth within believers to establish God’s ways on earth. The antichrist spirit is a spirit of lawlessness and will seek to establish lawlessness (his ways as opposed to God’s ways).

John was writing to Christians when he spoke of the spirit of antichrist working through men attempting to deceive people into believing that Christ was not coming forth "in the flesh" of His universal Body, the ecclesia.

The reason Jesus came to earth, died on the cross, was resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father, returned to earth as a life-giving Spirit, and is now seated in His temple upon the throne of the hearts of the redeemed, is to manifest Himself into the world and establish the kingdom of God on earth.

The devil failed to stop Christ from dying on the cross and being resurrected. He failed to stop Christ from returning to earth at Pentecost. Now his only recourse is to restrain the appearing of Christ in the flesh of His Body, the ekklesia.

When Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians, he was looking ahead to the apostasy that occurred in the church after the intense, spiritual light of the first century faded. He was warning that apostasy would come shortly after he and the other leaders of the early church had passed away. That "falling away" or apostasy deepened during the dark centuries and continues to plague much of the church today.

In the seventh millennium we are seeing the exposing of the man of sin, the antichrist spirit sitting as God in the temple of God, the heart of man. As the lawlessness of the lawless one intensifies, he is more visible and easier to discern. The brightness of the coming forth of the Lord in His people is exposing and consuming the antichrist spirit with the Word of the Spirit of the Lord.

Study of these passages reveals that they are very consistent with other New Testament teachings and do not speak of a man called Antichrist, but speak of the spirit of antichrist working in man. Throughout history different men in different times have for a season been thought to be the Antichrist. Any man of history thought to be the Antichrist was probably in reality an antichrist. That is, one who was controlled by or influenced by a spirit of antichrist.

There will probably be other notorious men inflamed by the spirit of antichrist. There may or may not be a future embodiment of the spirit of antichrist in one particular man, but the spirit of antichrist working now is our major concern.

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Posted: 02/12/2008 at 11:20am | IP Logged

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