MYSTERIES OF GOD'S KINGDOM. Kenneth B. Alexander

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ few days,

      Or an old man who does not live out his days;

      For the youth will die at the age of one hundred

      And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred

      Will be thought accursed.

      “They will build houses and inhabit them;

      They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

      “They will not build and another inhabit,

      They will not plant and another eat;

      For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,

      And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.

      “They will not labor in vain,

      Or bear children for calamity;

      For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord,

      And their descendants with them. “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in My entire holy mountain,” says the Lord (Isaiah 65: 17-25).

      In case you are thinking that this fulfillment is for the Jews only, think again. These promises and hundreds more documented in the scriptures are available for all, Gentiles and Jews alike. Under the New Covenant initiated by Christ the Jews are in the same footing as are all human beings (see also Romans chapters 9-11). .

      "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:28-29). The Sons of the Kingdom are the true “Spiritual Israel” that will inherit God’s promises – Jews and Gentiles alike.

      Therefore, our purpose in God, and His promises to us are that we become like Christ, in the earth. Without that we have little righteousness to give. God does not honor human righteousness; in fact He says it is to Him as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). All our good works, acting like we think Christ would act, philanthropic gestures, sermons etc. are of no delight to Him. He only delights in those who do the will of Him, not those who are doing what they think His will is. And if we walk in the Spirit with God we will inherit promises beyond our comprehension, those of which it is said: “eye has not seen, ear has not heard”.

      FINDING TRUTH IN THE BIBLE

      In Christianity, and in fact in any search for the truth, one must look to the Word of God to gain understanding of the truth. You must seek it and find it but God promises that “if we seek and keep on seeking” we will find”.

      One thing we learn quickly is that truth is not special knowledge or wisdom or concepts separate from God. Truth is not a thing or a state of being—it is a person-Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John he quotes Jesus as saying: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (v. 14:6). In order to understand truth, we must keep this “definition” in mind. Nowhere else in the Bible is “truth” defined. It is not a moral concept; it is not doing good so you can “go to heaven; it is not a philosophy; it is not a set of church doctrines and it’s not found in your conscience. It is found in Jesus Christ, in His nature, His body and His blood.

      In order to walk in the truth, we must walk as He did. This does not mean walk in some imitation of Him, like doing what you think Jesus would have done in a particular circumstance. We must have His very nature, written on our hearts as He did. Only when we have fully appropriated His nature, and done away with our human nature, do we know truth. When that occurs, we will BE like Christ; we will also BE the truth.

      Therefore, it is only in a change of nature, our human nature into His divine nature, that we will find truth. The Apostle John said:

      “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, WE WILL BE LIKE HIM, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2).

      And: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). We are, as true Christians, are in a process of spiritual nature change.

      Paul outlined this process in his letter to the Corinthians. Change of nature means resurrection, as Christ was resurrected.

      “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

      For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.

      For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

      But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming” (vs. 15:20-23).

      “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable [literally corrupt] body, it is raised an imperishable body;

      it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;

      it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

      So also it is written, “The first MAN, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

      However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.

      The first man is from the earth, earthy [made of dust]; the second man is from heaven.

      As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

      Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly” [the Spirit reality of Christ] (vs. 15:42-49).

      We inherited the human nature from Adam at the fall of man, the original sin (Genesis 3). Since sin is death, that one act of disobedience subjected all creation after the fall to a nature subject to death and sin. At that time, all of creation was subjected to futility (Romans 8:20-21).

      Paul goes on: “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

      Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,

      in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

      For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality (vs. 15:50-53).

      We’ve said all this to say that: Truth exists only in Christ. In order to know truth, we must become like Him, not just after we die but in this life. Truth is not a concept separate from Christ; He is truth. We may seek and cry for understanding of truth but we will never know it unless we EXPERIENCE IT (different from knowing it) in Him. It will happen in the “twinkling of an СКАЧАТЬ