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Return To Me and I Will Return To You
By Ron McGatlin
Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts (Mal. 3:7b).
The return of the Lord that is most important today involves men and women first returning to the Lord. He has promised to return to live in those who return to Him with their whole heart.
In past generations, Christians have looked to the future, bodily return of Christ Jesus for much of what is already available to believers now. Some Scripture, which applies to the coming of Christ Jesus now in believers, has been for centuries interpreted as referring to only the bodily return.
In the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries, the men translating the Bible into English and other languages were of the strong persuasion that the bodily return of Jesus was the only hope of Christians to overcome the evil in the world. Their translation work bears the mark of their persuasion.
Many words that should have been translated to refer to the manifestation of the indwelling Christ within believers were erroneously translated to refer toward the future bodily return.
The Manifesting Christ
(I encourage you to take the time to understand the following study of the Greek words behind these verses.)
Several different Greek words are translated "coming" in the New Testament. The word "coming" occurs 125 times in the New King James Version of the New Testament. Most of those occurrences are translated from the Greek word "erchomai" (er'-khom-ahee). However, on 22 occasions the word "parousia" (par-oo-see'-ah) is also translated "coming"; but on two other occasions "parousia" is translated "presence." In the two verses speaking of Paul, "parousia" is translated "presence."
The primary meaning of parousia is "a being near." It comes from the word "pareimi"* (par'-i-mee), which means "to be near" as "at hand," and comes from two words "para" meaning "near," and "eimi" (i-mee') meaning an emphatic "I exist." The primary meaning of parousia is presence.
Every usage of the word "parousia" that involves Christ is translated "coming," which sounds future, instead of "presence," which gives the impression of being present. Coming is an acceptable translation in some verses, which actually do refer to the visible bodily return of Jesus. But there are others that refer to the victorious appearing or manifesting of Jesus Christ now in believers. These should have been translated presence or manifest. Aparently, the translators had no understanding at that time as to how Christ could be present or manifest except to bodily return.
The following verse, I Thess. 3:13, is a typical example of this slant in translation. We know that Christ Jesus is with believers now to perfect holiness. He is purifying our hearts now as His presence manifests in our lives.
1 Thes 3:13: so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming (parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
The word "at" is the Greek word "en" and could be translated a number of different ways including "in" or "by." And of course, "coming" should be "presence." The word "all" is "pas" and could also be translated many different ways including, "any," "every," "everyone," and "whosoever."
This verse should read: "That He may establish your hearts blameless before our God and Father by the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ within all His saints."
The English translations makes it seem certain that the verse is referring only to a future coming of Jesus when He is bringing the departed saints with Him. This does fit with other verses, which do say that Christ will bodily return and will bring those that have died with Him. However, take a closer look at the Greek and it becomes clear that the verse is speaking of the manifestation of Christ within all His saints in this age.
2 Thes 1:11-12: Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps there is no scripture more explicit in distinguishing the bodily return of Christ and the day of the Lord than 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 4:18, and 5:1 to 5:11. The subject changes from the future visible return of Christ, to the present day of the Lord, at chapter 5, verse 1.
(Scripture about the bodily return of Christ)
1 Thes 4:13-18: But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
These verses very clearly refer to the bodily return of Christ. Now observe the shift as we begin Chapter Five.
(Scripture about the manifestation of Christ in His saints)
In the first verse of chapter five (1 Thess. 5:1) the shift is obvious. Paul begins with the word "But." "But concerning the times and the seasons." The word translated "the" is translated into many articles and could be translated "this" or "these." The word translated "seasons" is "kairon," the plural form of "kairos" (kahee-ros'), which means set or proper time. Thus, this portion could read: "But concerning these times and these specific seasons," referring to the current times and seasons.
1 Thes 5:1-4: But concerning the (these) times and the (these) seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief.
The great and terrible day of the Lord, which comes as a thief in the night, is very different from the joyous celebration of the visible, bodily return of the Lord. As we have seen earlier, the day of the Lord is occurring and the visible return is yet future. The day of the Lord is great because of the promises of God coming forth in His subsequently purified people; and it is terrible because of the great destruction coming forth upon the wicked.
It is not necessary that anyone be lost!
Salvation is available for everyone. Salvation includes the new birth, deliverance, and healing for the repentant believer who will spiritually sell out everything for the one important thing--to be a dwelling place for the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Jesus is more than the most important thing in life. He is the life! There is no life apart from Him. Proud and lofty works of man, no matter how great they are in man's eyes, cannot bring real life. We should seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness within us now. "Christ in you the hope of Glory".
The kingdom of God is "at hand."
Though the potential for the kingdom of God way of life has been available for around 2000 years, since the time when Jesus returned in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the time is now for the full restoration of the revelation of the kingdom.
Over the centuries man has used his ingenuity in a failed attempt to successfully do life his way. The failure of man exhausting all of his ways finally leads to accepting God's ways of life. The potential of the kingdom that has been with us since Pentecost is being more fully revealed in this season.
The error of thinking that only the bodily return of Jesus would bring forth the power to overcome evil is melting away. The return of the anointed Christ within believers is having an impact in the world. However, this error remains firmly locked into our English translations of the New Testament.
Praying for Holy Spirit revelation while studying the New Testament in the Greek language will help bring forth truth. However, the study of commentaries from the past, which include man's opinions of the Word and what it says, will not help in this matter. The major commentaries that are available all reflect this same erroneous persuasion as those of the English New Testament translations.
What is lacking on God's part for His kingdom to manifest on earth?
Now that Christ is present on earth within His people, what potential for overcoming evil is lacking? There is nothing lacking on God's part. There is nothing that Jesus will bring with Him at His visible return that will be more than is available now for establishing His kingdom. The only things standing in the way of Christ being revealed to overcome evil in our world are on man's part.
Christ does not need to visibly bodily return to overcome evil and establish God's ways on earth.
MAN IS THE ONE THAT MUST RETURN. MAN MUST RETURN TO CHIRST JESUS. The fire of God is available to flow through Christ in man to cleanse and heal our world.
Love and unity are key factors.
Love, that brings faith and unity, is a key factor in the puzzle of cleansing and restoring our world. No one person has all of Christ. Many godly people coming together in unity will reveal a greater fullness of the presence of Christ to meet the needs of the world for cleansing and restoration to God's rule. Disunity caused by unlove is an enemy of the revealing of Christ and the releasing of His power. Only God's love in His people can melt the intellectual and cultural strife of a segmented Body of Christ in the world.
Religion with its sectarianism is an enemy to the work of God restoring the earth. Faith and power cannot grow in disunity. Disunity cannot be cured by compromising intellectual positions or religious doctrines. Unity can only come by laying down our lives, including our religion. Taking up our cross and denying self is the road to the love of God and unity, which will produce faith to reveal Christ and His power to the world to save, heal, deliver, and restore.
The fire of God will increasingly manifest as more and more individuals lose their own self focused life and come together in the love of God. The power and love of Christ to change the world with faith that moves mountains awaits the agreement and unity of God's people.
Heb 12:29: For our God is a consuming fire.
As God's people come into unity in Christ those who trouble them will be repaid with tribulation from God.
2 Thes 1:6-8: ...since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Many interpret the above passage as referring only to the visible return of Jesus. However, the rest of this passage makes it clear that it deals with the power of Christ in his saints, not the bodily return of Jesus.
2 Thes 1:10-12: when He comes, in that day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus revealed from heaven in His saints, coming together with His mighty angels (ministering spirits), with spiritual fire is the true church experience in this day, the day of the Lord.
Heb 1:7: And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.
The True Church - The New Jerusalem Assembly
The Scripture speaks clearly of the heavenly Jerusalem, the spiritual church of Jesus, coming together in the presence of God, with Jesus, the holy angels, and the spirits of mature believers cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Many are now beginning to grasp the reality of the presence of God, Jesus, and holy angels together with us in union worshiping and serving God.
Scriptures that have been veiled in the fog of religion or futurity are now opening to many and becoming crystal clear revelation and a present reality. When the writer of Hebrews wrote Hebrews 12:22-24, he was speaking to the believers at hand and not just future generations. He was writing of characteristics of the first-century church and the restored present day body of Christ in this season.
Heb. 12:22-24: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
The purifying work of Christ in His people
The Greek word for Christ in the New Testament is "Christos" meaning "anointed" or "anointed One." The anointed Jesus flowing through His people is a flaming fire of spiritual ministry and a consuming fire against wickedness. The word translated angels is "aggelos" (ang'-el-os), meaning to bring tidings, a messenger, ministering spirits or preacher.
Psa 104:4: Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
The people of God are now beginning to grasp the significance of Christ living in them. We have begun to touch the fringes of the potential power of God available to the pure-hearted believer. Even in our wildest dreams, we have not imagined the fullness of the reality of faith and power available to the purified sons of God.
As the purifying fires of God do their work, people will be amazed at the level of love, faith, and power released in the sons of God.
The practical reality of the kingdom of God is coming forth now. As the purifying fires are burning and the glory of the Lord is manifesting, an army of people are coming forth who live only for God, and who speak not of their own but speak words from heaven as the oracles of God. The Spirit of Christ within them directly connects with Christ at the right hand of the throne of God. Through that pure unfiltered communication with the throne of God, powerful, world-changing words are spoken into the earth.
The purification of the planet
The entire world and heavens around the world will be shaken by the fire of God flowing from Christ through His sons. It is not wise to fail to hear and respond to the voice of God. Everything that can be shaken is being shaken; only the truth of God and His ways will remain.
Heb 12:25-28: See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven."
Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear
Keep on pursuing Love. Love never fails
and His kingdom never ends.
Ron McGatlin
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