|
|
|
|
May 2002 THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES TO EARTH Part Seventeen May 2002 Sons of God who reign with Christ will be righteous and holy, as He is righteous and holy. As we progress and grow spiritually from children to mature sons, we are being disciplined of our Father to receive His righteousness, as He imparts it to us. The righteousness we receive and show forth is not our righteousness or our own goodness, it is the righteousness of Christ. So also are we receiving from the Lord, His truth, His light, His love, His grace, His rest, His wisdom, His glory, His peace and His mercy. In due time, we shall receive His very life, which is the ultimate Life, the pure, perfect and eternally enduring resurrection Life of Christ. The receiving of that Life will bring forth from within us the manifestation of the sons of God, resulting in the deliverance of the whole creation! The righteousness of Christ is vitally necessary in the lives of all those who are becoming manifest sons of God. Without His righteousness working and functioning in our lives constantly, we would be no better than the average Christian. Many of us have known preachers and other Christians whose lives were adversely affected by the sins of the flesh. Sins of the flesh do not change our basic salvation; nor do those sins prevent us from entering the kingdom of heaven in the elementary sense. But the sins of the flesh do affect our walk with the Lord and our growth in Him up to higher realms of spiritual attainment. The fullness of sonship shall not be attained except by walking in true holiness and righteousness with the Lord. The manifestation of the sons of God is just ahead, and those who are living righteous and holy lives in the sight of the Lord shall partake of that most glorious, life-changing and creation-releasing event. The Apostle Paul gave us ample warning of this in his epistle to the Galatians. He wrote, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing (or, let us not become weary of dying daily to the old man within us and living a righteous life): for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Ga. 6:7-9). Some try to tell us it does not matter what we do in the flesh. According to them, what we do in the spirit is all that matters. Such carnal thinking will lead us astray and cause us to miss out on that most blessed and glorious event, the manifestation of the sons of God. We would hear the word of the Lord, given to Paul by the Spirit, for all who are being changed into the full image and likeness of the risen and glorified Christ of God. Our spiritual growth unto full maturity will also result in another glorious benefit in the kingdom of our Father. As we have shown in some of our previous booklets, there are two major "men" in the world today. One is the man of this world, the sinful, Adamic man of the flesh. The other is the spiritual man, the Christ man, or the body of Christ, that is also in the world, but not of it. Those two men are of opposite spirits, natures, qualities and characteristics, and they are in direct opposition to each other. And those two men are also within each one of us. If we listen to and follow the man of the flesh that is within us, we shall surely miss the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. But if we will listen to the man of the Spirit, that is also within us, we shall attain the highest, the best and the utmost in God. The Spirit-man within us shall take us all the way to the fullness of Christ and the manifestation of the sons of God. The end of the ages of man are come; we are now in the new age of the kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, those two men cannot live together in this world very long at the same time. One of them must be eliminated from the earth, for the two cannot long endure together in this world. As the Christ man, of which we are a part, grows to full maturity, HE shall replace the carnal, Adamic man of this world with the glorious new man of the Spirit that HE IS. This will establish the fullness of the kingdom of God in all the earth, for the glory and honor of our Father. Can we not see from this how very important our spiritual growth in the kingdom of God really is at this time? We must grow in Christ, beyond where we are now, to become fully matured and transformed sons of God, to reign with Him in peace and righteousness. There are other requirements and qualifications for the sons of God who shall reign with Christ in righteousness. The most important of these requirements or qualifications is this: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6). We are the firstfruits of all mankind and also the anointed priests of the Lord who shall reign with Christ. Therefore, we are those elect and chosen ones who must partake of the first resurrection. The first resurrection is the glorious resurrection or transformation of the saints of God, who shall be changed from their old bodies to their new bodies of the Life and Glory of Christ. And we believe the first resurrection, or the transformation of the elect saints in Christ, shall take place sometime between now and the dawning of the new morning of this blessed age of the kingdom of God on earth. Our transformation will "awake the dawn" of the new morning (Ps. 57:10, Amplified). Rather than looking for a specific time for the promise to be fulfilled, we should always be looking to the Lord, for His glorious, spiritual appearing to change us. It is by the glorious appearing of Christ that we shall be transformed and these vile bodies shall be changed into new, spiritual bodies just like His (see Ps. 130:6 & Phil. 3:21). Those who have a part in the first resurrection, and who overcome, "shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:11). To understand the two deaths and the two resurrections, it will help us understand what the first resurrection is. As we have written above, the first resurrection is our physical, bodily transformation. It is our literal resurrection from this death, when we shall be released from this physical body and given our new, spiritual body made in the image and likeness of the Life of Christ. The second resurrection will take place after the second death, when the rest of the people of the world shall be raised to the fullness of the Life of Christ. So it is with the first and the second death. The first death refers to all that we have experienced in this present realm, which we call "life." This "life" is really death; it is the death of our carnal, earthly man, which we received from Adam when we were born. The first death includes all that is of this present realm of "death," including decay, corruption, aches, pains, sorrow, heartache, sickness, war, travail, greed, lust and every other form of "death," which we see daily in this present realm that we call "life." The moment we are born into this present, earthly realm, we begin to die the first death. The second death is much like this first death. It is the realm to which the unsaved, or "they that have done evil," are raised when the Lord calls them out of their graves. It is "the resurrection of damnation," or the resurrection of judgment unto correction, that will change and restore them, enabling those "that have done evil" to receive the Life of Christ in fullness (as in Jo. 5:28-29, see also 1 Cor. 15:47-49). By the wisdom of the mind of Christ, we are able to see beyond this veil of flesh, and of sin and death, to behold that glorious, incorruptible treasure of the Life and Glory of Christ. Only by the pure wisdom and the penetrating vision of the mind of Christ can we see beyond this realm of sin, sorrow, sickness, poverty, violence, war and death. The Psalmist cried out to God, as we all should, saying, "Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death" (Ps. 13:3). There is a death that is much worse than physical death; it is the spiritual "death" of the person whose spiritual eyes have become heavy with the sleep or slumber that is common to this present, dark worldly order of man. We are also living in the day and the hour when there is a famine in the land. This is not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but a famine of the hearing of the Word of God (Amos 8:11). My prayer for all the Lord's elect is, "O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes (and yours also), lest I (we) sleep the sleep of death!" May our Father lighten our eyes that we might see, and give us ears to hear during this momentous hour of time! We believe this to be the midnight hour of this new Day. Yet, in spite of the gross, spiritual darkness of these times, we should also know, by the Spirit, that the kingdom of God is coming down from God out of heaven to the earth. The new and greater Light of Christ and of His kingdom is shining into our hearts and lives, by the Spirit. The kingdom is not coming all at once and with all its mighty force and power, but it is coming to earth gradually and with increasing power. The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom; all its actions and purposes are accomplished in the Spirit and by the Spirit. The pattern and example of the coming of the kingdom of God to the earth in greater fullness was established when Jesus was transfigured in the presence of a few of His disciples. On that magnificent occasion, when Jesus was with some of His disciples, He said to them, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." The awesome event that followed this introduction by Jesus was the kingdom of God coming with power! Thus, we read, "And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them" (Mark 9:1-3). This is the glory of sonship fulfilled; it is the kingdom of God coming to the earth with power! Jesus was so full of the Life of the Father within Him when He was transfigured that He literally radiated that Life out from His clothes. The Light of the glory of the Lord shone from within Him with great power so that even His outer garments shined with that glory. And that radiant, shining glory upon His garments was so glorious that the holy Spirit, speaking through Mark, described His garments as being whiter than any "fuller," or clothes whitener, on earth could whiten them. Such is the dynamic power of the kingdom of God! It is a power much greater than most people of this world have ever known! When this same spiritual experience is fulfilled in us as it was in the life of Jesus, in the not-too-distant future, that will be the manifestation of the sons of God. And that manifestation of our sonship fulfilled will turn this long, dark night into the endless Day of the fullness of the kingdom of God on earth! Then, the whole creation also shall be delivered from the curse of sin and death, and the radiant, transforming glory of the kingdom of God shall be displayed for all to see!
Those who are spiritually minded should find blessed and joyous agreement with the four and twenty elders. They said, "We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned" (Rev. 11:17). Christ has taken to Himself His great power and is reigning! He is not reigning with the words of man's carnal wisdom, or by the religious works of the corrupt religious system. Christ is reigning secretly and silently, with the power and the authority of the kingdom of His Father. And He is doing all this in agreement with the will of God, with the wisdom of the mind of Christ, and by the mighty power of the seven Spirits of God (Is. 11:1-5). He is smiting the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. No man can see His throne, His scepter, or His source of power! Christ is reigning, secretly and silently, from His throne in the highest of the Heavens of His Spirit and with righteousness and equity. He shall restore and set things right again in all the earth, and eventually in the whole universe. And those who are with Him are the "princes" in His kingdom, who are ruling in judgment. The rule of the elect saints in judgment, or our rule with power over the nations "with a rod of iron" (Rev. 2:26-27), shall bring the governments of the nations down, to be broken to shivers, just as the vessels of a potter may be broken to pieces and destroyed. The threefold systems of man, called Babylon (Rev. 16:19); are 1) religious, then 2) political-governmental, and finally 3) economic. They are to be destroyed by the power and the authority of the reign of Christ from His Father's throne of all power. The two powers and the two orders, which are represented by two distinct men (mentioned on page two), cannot rule in the earth together at the same time. The power of the kingdom of God is an increasing power (Is. 9:7). Our Father's kingdom power is always increasing, while Babylon's power is a waning or a diminishing power. Babylon's power is driven by the limited power of man that has an end. God's power is heavenly, eternal and always increasing. The kingdom of God has been growing from the "mustard seed" stage, and will continue to grow until it becomes the greatest kingdom in all the earth. It/He will break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms in this world. The kingdom of God will increase and grow from the small "mustard seed" stage, to become the full grown "tree" of Life. It/He will fill and sustain all the people of this world with the righteousness of His reign, and the healing, life-imparting "leaves" of Christ, Who is the supreme, sustaining and reigning King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 22:2). This Day of Contrasts: of Judgment for Some and Healing Life for Others "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 4:1-3). Here, the anointed prophet foretold of the coming of a day that would burn as an oven, to destroy the wicked man (Adam), leaving neither a root nor a branch of his unholy seed. The wicked shall then become as ashes under our feet, as was foretold long ago (see Ps. 47:2-3). On the other hand, this would also be the day when Christ, the Sun of righteousness, would arise with healing in His wings to raise His elect remnant to a higher realm in the Spirit, causing them to go forth and grow up in the Spirit and power of the kingdom of God. That day is to be a day of dual purposes fulfilled in all mankind, and this may be that Day. The seed, root or branch of all mankind is none other than old, sinful Adam, the man of sin within us all. The Apostle Peter wrote by the Spirit to tell us about God's purposes for the day of the Lord. He then said that God "is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Paul also wrote to tell us, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive" (1 Co. 15:22). Then Paul spoke about God, our Savior, and confirmed the truth of the salvation of all, when he wrote, "Who will have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). For all men to be saved is a very tall order, especially when viewed in the light of the present state of mankind in this darkened world. But to also see that all men shall "come unto the knowledge of the truth," is indeed a much larger plan and purpose to be fulfilled by the Lord. The magnitude of our Father's unfulfilled plans and purposes truly boggles our minds and challenges our faith. But the faith by which we live as His sons in this world is not our faith, it is the faith of the Son of God (Ga. 2:20). And by His faith we see all our Father's plans and purposes completely, gloriously and victoriously fulfilled in the life of every person throughout all the ages of man and among all the nations of this world. These scriptures confirm to us the wonderful truth that the Lord will not destroy people, even though He may consider them to be "wicked." It is not God's plan to literally destroy any of the wicked people of this world, but to save them and bring them to the knowledge of the truth. But it is His plan to destroy the old sinful, Adamic man of the flesh, the wicked man of sin that is within us all, and that troubles us all. The old, sinful, Adamic man of the flesh shall be separated from the spiritual man within us, and then removed from us and destroyed in the day of the appearing of Christ. Adam in us will be so thoroughly destroyed or eliminated from us that there will not be as much as a root or a branch of "him" remaining any where. According to the revelation of the scriptures and the Spirit of truth, we really are two people (see 1 Cor. 15:45-47). The man of sin or of the flesh is within us and so is the man of the Spirit. And these two will remain within us until the Lord's appointed hour of deliverance. They will not be separated from within us, either by the so-called faith of man, by a new awareness, by some religious doctrine of mind-consciousness, or by any other carnal or religious means. Naming it to be otherwise and claiming it that way will not change us! Old Adam and the man of the Spirit shall remain as two people within us until the appearing of Christ on the Day of the Lord. And we believe this is that Day! Christ shall appear to us and within us to fully transform us; and we shall not be changed by any other method or means. This is the revealed truth of the anointed and living Word of our Father (see 1 Cor. 15:49-54)! "And as we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." Luke is quoting Jesus, who is speaking to His disciples, telling them about "the day when the Son of man is revealed" (Lu. 17:30), which we believe to be the same as the Day of the Lord. Jesus was speaking of the night of that same day, when He said, "I tell you, in that (this) night there shall be TWO MEN in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. TWO WOMEN shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. TWO MEN shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Lu. 17:34-36). And we believe this is that "night!" If we can understand this scripture as referring to THE TWO PEOPLE WITHIN US, then we will also understand the mystery of this prophetic message given by Jesus. As it was with both Noah and Lot (vs. 26-29), so also shall it be with us, His chosen elect, on the day of the Lord, which is this present Day. It is the Adamic man of the flesh within us that shall be removed and taken away by the glorious appearing of Christ on His Day. Then, the man of the Spirit, the spiritual man that we are, shall remain to be joined to the anointed and completed body of Christ. We shall be transformed and joined to the saints of the heavenly realm of Spirit, after the man of the flesh has been removed from us and taken away. Then, after Jesus revealed the truth of the two people, the disciples asked Him, "Where, Lord? (Or, where shall the man of the flesh be taken?) And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together" (Lu. 17:37, see also Mt. 24:37-44). In previous booklets, we gave another description of the "eagles," as being the saints of the heavenly realm of Spirit. But let us consider another side of the truth of the "eagles." According to other scriptures and other Bible translations, the "eagles" in this case may really be vultures that eat dead flesh. Job described this understanding of the eagle, when he said, "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she" (Job 39:27-30). Where the slain are or where the dead flesh is, there you will find the eagles or the vultures. Jesus spoke a parable that can only be understood by the Spirit! The dead in this case are the sinful, Adamic men of the flesh, which will be separated from us at the appearing of Christ. The Adamic nature and mind, which is to be removed from us at the appearing of Christ, will be taken to the gathering of the "eagles." At that gathering of those symbolic "eagles," which was arranged and prepared by God, the entire, carnal, Adamic man shall be eaten or consumed by those "eagles" or "vultures," whose purpose is to annihilate dead flesh. That will be the end of the sinful Adamic man of the flesh that has troubled the world ever since the original, disobedient act in the Garden of Eden! It is also interesting to see that the face of the eagle was one of the four faces of Christ (see Ez. 1:10, 10:14 & Rev. 4:7). This tells us that Christ is to be unveiled and revealed to us and within us as an eagle. It is our Father's purpose that Christ be revealed within us as an eagle to remove from us the fleshly nature and the carnal mind of old Adam. That one divine act will deliver all mankind from the bondage of the duality of flesh and spirit within us, that has afflicted us all and hampered us throughout the past ages of man. That deliverance will allow us to live the Life of Christ in glorious and unrestrained fullness. When this sinful, rebellious Adamic nature and mind are removed from us and from all mankind, the kingdom of God will then have come to the earth in fullness. His kingdom comes with the wisdom of the mind of Christ, in the power and glory of the seven Spirits of God; thus establishing the peace and righteousness of Christ and His kingdom everywhere, and for His glory and honor! It is not people who sin and commit evil deeds who shall be destroyed! It is the sinful man of the flesh, old Adam within us, who shall be removed from us and from all mankind, and consumed by those spiritual "eagles" or "vultures" that were gathered together by the Lord for that purpose. Then the Man of the Spirit, who is left standing on the earth after the man of the flesh is removed from us, shall arise in the power of the resurrection Life of Christ to manifest the glory, the power and the life of the kingdom of God to all mankind in all the earth. That will be the manifestation of the sons of God! That will also be the coming of the kingdom of God to the earth in greater fullness and with much more power, glory and authority! Then, love, life, righteousness, justice, joy, peace and blessings abundant shall reign in every life throughout all the earth, and God shall become all and in all! The prophet Isaiah foretold of that time to come. He prophesied, "And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon (symbolic of the old Adamic man of the flesh), and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger (old Adam), is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they (the people of the world who were once under the bondage of Adamic flesh) break forth into singing" (Is. 14:3-7, see also Is. 24:4-6). All the people of the world shall indeed sing a new song, when old Adam is removed from us to trouble the world no more! When Father rids us of the old carnal man, Adam, the kingdom of God will then come to the earth in fullness! Does this sound too good to be true? It may to the carnal mind, but the carnal mind, the mind of old, sinful Adam, is contrary to the wisdom, the truth and the mind of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote: "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God" (Rom. 8:6-8, NIV). But we are receiving the mind of the Spirit or the mind of Christ, and also the faith of the Son of God. Therefore, we will continue to believe our Father's word of truth, no matter how it sounds to the carnal mind. By believing our Father's word of truth, even though it may sound ridiculous to the carnal mind, we are putting that old sinful mind to death and adding strength and endurance to the spiritual mind within us. Nothing is ever accomplished by the doubts and fears of man. But His faith within tells us that with God nothing shall be impossible! "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Mt. 19:26)! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand The word "repent," as used in the New Testament, is taken from an original Greek word, "metanoeo," which means to think differently, to reconsider. When we think differently, our lives will then turn around to take another path, causing us to walk in a totally new and different direction. If a person is repenting from sin, it means they will think differently. Their new thinking will cause them to cease sinning, with God’s help, and they will walk a more righteous walk with the Lord. For us today, our repentance will cause us to think differently than we did under the old church order. This will cause us to walk a new, higher and more glorious walk in the Spirit, thereby establishing the new order of the kingdom of God in the earth. The church age is over! The world is waiting for a new, spiritual order to be established. The kingdom of God has come to the earth and will yet come in greater power, glory and authority! Our repentance now is vitally necessary! It is an indication that we are ready and willing to lay aside our former religious or spiritual activities, and will think and act differently from now on. Then, we will look in another direction; we will look to the way of the Spirit, and will walk the new walk of the kingdom of God, in the Spirit and by the Spirit. Our Father is calling upon us to repent at this time, for the new and greater spiritual order of the kingdom of God on earth is now at hand! And our repentance will enable us to think differently, resulting in a new and more righteous walk with God. We will be led in a new direction, with a greater and more glorious purpose. From now on, it is not any man of this world, but the Lord alone who will lead us in the new and more glorious ways of the kingdom of God! The Laodician church is generally considered to represent the state of the church at the end of the church age; it is the seventh or the last of the divine descriptions of the true church of Jesus Christ (Rev. 3:14-22). The Lord Jesus Christ, in the revelation of Himself to the Laodiceans, is described as "the Amen', the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." He thus affirms His own faithfulness as a true witness, and as the beginning of the creation of God, establishing and confirming His authority to judge His church as He does. Then He says to them, or to us, who make up His true church, perhaps at the end of the church age, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:14-17a). This certainly describes the true church of this present, transition time, which is the body of Christ or the sons of God, at the end of the church age and the beginning of the kingdom age. But God has an elect remnant in the earth at this time who have grown spiritually beyond the Lord's assessment of the Laodician church. They are truly and sincerely living and doing only and always the pure and perfect will of their Father in heaven. But it appears that many others, who claim to be sons of God, continue to live and walk in the old order of the past. They are all the Lord said they were in this passage. They are lukewarm, spiritually speaking, regarding the will and purpose of their Father. They will also speak in glowing terms, telling us of all the spiritual gifts they have within themselves. Their testimony really is, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." Some claim to have great spiritual riches and treasures within them. Their boastings are abundant and constant; it is as if some of them are trying to outdo the others in making their empty claims. Truly, the name-it-and-claim-it crowd are alive and active today! I have heard some of them say, "I am walking and living at Tabernacles!" But their lives reveal the truth that they are really walking and living in the old order of Pentecost, for they continue to do all the old things of the past that pertain to the obsolete church order. Others might tell us that they are living and walking in the kingdom; yet they still manifest and show forth the impure traits of their carnal bodies and minds. Some may say they have all the fullness of God within them, or that God's work within them is finished, and they have need of nothing more. But are they not all saying, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing," just as our Lord said they would? Our blessed Lord continued His rebuke of the Laodicean spirit and attitude within His people, when He said, they "knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. AS MANY AS I LOVE, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN: BE ZEALOUS THEREFORE, AND REPENT" (Rev. 3:17b-19). The Lord loves us with an everlasting and enduring love that is beyond the love of man. Because He loves us, Father gives us wise counsel when He tells us to repent. By repentance, the Lord will lead us to change our spiritual direction, causing us to walk the new path of the new order of the kingdom of God on earth. Some may not like to consider the Laodicean church as the last state of the true church. They may feel that the Lord's message to the seven churches applies to the entire church age, and not to seven specific periods within the church age. With that understanding, we may look to any of the Lord's messages to the seven churches and see what He has to say to each one of them. To the church of Ephesus, which is the first of the seven churches listed, Christ said, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, AND REPENT, and do the first works; or else I will come quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou REPENT" (Rev. 2:5). Regardless where we may place the church at Ephesus, which is written as the first of the seven churches, whether at the beginning of the age, or whether it represents the state of believers throughout the entire church age, the Lord's message is the same. He is calling upon His true Church to repent. And the remnant or the sons of God, who are called out from the true Church of Jesus Christ, will readily repent and prepare themselves for the changes that must take place when the Lord introduces a new order in the earth. The first phase of the kingdom of God has come to the earth! Therefore, we must repent and prepare ourselves for the changes that must come forth in the earth, especially those changes that must take place in our own lives. Of the church of Ephesus, Christ warned them that He would "remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou REPENT." That may seem to be a harsh judgment, but these are serious times. These times demand strict obedience to the Lord by all who hope to reign with Him with their new bodies of resurrection Life and Glory. Of the seven churches, two of them were not told to repent. The church in Smyrna, which was also called "the suffering church," was not told to repent. The Lord saw they would suffer much tribulation, poverty and imprisonment, and would not need to be told to repent. They would repent when the need arose, for repentance was already at work in their lives. Considering all they would suffer, the Lord said to them, "be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Rev. 2:8-10). Another church that did not need to be told to repent was the church in Philadelphia. The Lord saw that they kept His word and had not denied His Name. Because they kept the word of His patience, the Lord promised them, "I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev. 2:10-11). I believe these two churches, the church in Smyrna and the church in Philadelphia, represent the Lord's elect and chosen remnant in the earth throughout the church age. It is also interesting to see that the Lord spoke to a remnant in the church in Thyatira. He called them "the rest (or the remnant) in Thyatira." The Lord knew they had not known "the depths of Satan." So He said to them, "I will put upon you none other burden." He also said to the remnant of Thyatira, "that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron... And I will give him the morning star" (Rev. 2:24-28). As He did here, the Lord is speaking to His remnant in this hour; He addresses each one of them individually. The Lord is not speaking to a group here, nor is He speaking to groups today. He is speaking to individuals (Rev. 3:20), to those with hearing ears who meet His conditions, and who paid the price to obtain the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Those individuals who "hold fast" that which they have of Him shall be given the right and the authority to rule and reign with Christ. Their particular reign shall bring an end to the rule of man, breaking the governments of man into pieces, just as the vessels of a potter might be broken to shivers (Rev. 2:26-27). God has always had a remnant (2 Ki. 19:30-31, Ezra 9:8, Is. 1:9 & Rom. 11:3-5). But the remnant of this hour, who are a most important part of the fulfillment of the Lord's purposes pertaining to the kingdom of God today, are those of us who qualify now for this high calling. As with the Lord's remnant of every hour, we are enduring and have endured the sufferings of Christ. If we are one of those chosen ones who have gone through the sufferings of Christ, no matter what form those sufferings may have taken, we do not need to be told to repent. Because of our spiritual attitude of meekness, humility, brokenness and grace, we will gladly repent, for we understand the value and importance of it. No one needs to tell us to repent, for we have the spirit and the attitude of our Father and of His kingdom. We see repentance as a necessary part of our spiritual growth and the manifestation of the sons of God. We also see it as a further introduction to the greater and more spiritual glories of the fullness of the blessed kingdom of our Father. The Lord then spoke to the main body of the church in Thyatira, who were not of the remnant. He said to them, "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit (natural or spiritual) adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds" (Rev. 2:20-21). "The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression..." (Nu. 14:18). And He tells us to be the same way (see Eph. 4:32 & Col. 3:13). When the Lord gave the church in Thyatira "space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not," He still offered them the hope and promise of the benefits of repentance, such as restoration and reconciliation. The Lord is indeed longsuffering, merciful and forgiving, as we should be also! The church in Pergamos was the third church listed. The Lord saw some things among them that needed correction, so He also called upon that church to repent. Some of them held to the doctrine of Balaam, while others among them believed the teachings of the Nicolaitanes. The Lord said that dogma was the "thing I hate." The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes is the teaching and practice of the so-called clergy controlling the people and domineering over them. It is the favorite doctrine of Babylon, which was created by carnal-minded preachers who desire to control the people instead of shepherding them, blessing them, and guiding them in the way of truth, righteousness and spiritual growth. He commands all who practice it to repent, change their minds, and take a new direction, even the new direction of the way of life in the Spirit and in the glory of His kingdom. To the church at Pergamos, the Lord said, "REPENT; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 2:16-17). This call to repentance was followed by the wonderful promises of God to be given to those with hearing ears, to the overcomers, to those who were obedient and who repented when He asked them to. In each case, the word of the Lord to the seven churches asking them to repent was followed with the promises given to the overcomers and to those who have hearing ears. The overcomers, those who lived Godly, righteous lives in this world, are promised glorious things, in the Spirit and by the Spirit, in the kingdom of our Father. The church in Sardis was the fifth of the seven churches listed. The Lord said to them, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, AND REPENT" (Rev. 3:1-3). Recently, I heard two "Christians" discussing the state of their churches. One of them commented on the lack of the gifts of the Spirit, as well as other things of the Spirit that were now missing among them. I thought within myself that I should tell them that the glory has departed from the churches, but then I realized they would not understand that truth. The glory of the Lord has indeed departed from the church system. The old order is dead, the once glorious works of the Spirit have been removed, and God has moved on. There are some things of the Spirit that we may need to strengthen among us, that are ready to "die," for our works are not yet perfect before God. Repentance is Father's way of restoring those things of the Spirit that may be ready to "die." Obviously, the Lord saw that the majority of those in the church in Sardis had defiled their garments. This means their physical lives in this world were spotted or defiled by the sins of the flesh. But then He said, "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy" (Rev. 3:4). O to be found worthy of the Lord in the kingdom of God! That is our desire, our hope, our goal in the Spirit. And I know the Lord has some among His remnant today who are truly worthy. They shall walk with Him in white, for they have not defiled their garments. Their lives are unspotted by the sins and iniquities of the flesh. They are sowing to the Spirit in this life, therefore, they shall "of the Spirit reap life everlasting." The New Testament meaning of the word "repent," tells us we need to change our minds and turn around and take another direction. The Old Testament meaning of the word, "repent," means in some cases that we should turn back or retreat, but not necessarily with the idea of returning to the starting point. In other words, repentance in the Old Testament calls us to return to the Lord, but not to return to our starting point with God in the Spirit. Repentance for us now is our Father's call to His elect. He is calling us back to the point where we may have lost our precious and intimate fellowship and communion with Him in the Spirit. If we have sinned, our merciful Lord gives us ample opportunity to return to Him. Our "sin" may simply be that we have missed the mark by not obeying immediately our Father's sure word of guidance and direction. And if we feel we have not sinned, repentance is our Father's way of calling us to be aware of new things in the Spirit, and of a change in spiritual direction, from the old order to the new. His call to us at this time is purposed of God to make us aware of the nearness of the hour for the manifestation of the sons of God, and of our need to prepare ourselves for His appearing to change us and give us our new bodies of the Life of Christ! It is our Father's will that His elect - those called and chosen saints in Christ who have walked with the Lord in white during this "life" - should inherit the everlasting and eternal Life of Christ, which is the abundant Life of the kingdom of God. Our Father called and chose His elect remnant out of the church system and also out of the true Church, which is His body, or from among the sons of God in the earth today. (More about this next month.) They are sowing to the Spirit, and their walk with the Lord in this life is pure as He is pure. And they "shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Father's work in their lives is not yet finished! They are not yet perfect and complete, and they know it! They are appearing before the Lord in His heavenly sanctuary in true humility and repentance. They are being changed little by little and from glory to glory, by the Spirit, until they shall stand perfect and complete, in the glorious image and likeness of the risen and glorified Christ of God. And they/we are almost there! When we are fully perfected and in the image and likeness of Christ, we shall become priests of God after the order of Melchizedec, as well as kings and lords, in a new spiritual relationship with Him Who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. As a king and a priest of God in the glory of His kingdom, we shall minister that same Life,which we received from Him, to the masses of humanity, delivering them from the curse of sin and death. Not only shall we become anointed priests, kings and lords in the kingdom of our Father, but we shall also become those saviors in Zion, who shall judge the mount of Esau, delivering all men of the carnal ways of the flesh and of the old Adamic mind and nature. And what a victory that shall be! Paul and Emily Mueller P O BOX 25055, PORTLAND, OR 97298-0055 |
|
Return to: Home Page Kingdom Resources |