To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:23)
The new Jerusalem consists of the spirits of righteous people made perfect.
It is not that the heavenly Jerusalem primarily is a city to which we go when we die. Rather it is true that the saints are the city. The essence of the heavenly Jerusalem is Christ-filled saints. The form the spiritual Jerusalem may take either now or in the ages to come is a result of what the members of the Body of Christ are.
The heavenly Jerusalem is the Church.
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just [righteous] men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:23)
The Church consists of righteous people made perfect. The Church is being created now. The Church, the heavenly Jerusalem, is not only a place where one goes, the Church is what the saints are!
The righteous enter the garden of God when they die, apparently. There they await the Day of Judgment. The Day of Judgment will reveal what they are, what they have become in Christ.
But the Divine redemption does not have as its final goal the entrance of people into the garden of God in the spirit world. The goal of the Divine redemption is a Church without spot or wrinkle, a holy Jerusalem that will govern the nations of the earth in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If we are living in the presence of Christ now we will continue to live in His presence when we die physically. If, however, we are living a careless, spiritually neglectful life now, it is not true that we will be transported to a city of wonders when we die. Rather, our physical death will serve to open our eyes to our threadbare spiritual condition.
The heavenly Jerusalem consists of the spirits of righteous men made perfect. They are the city, whether they are pursuing their human life on the earth or have died and now are serving the Lord in some area of the spirit world.
An acknowledgment of the facts concerning the atonement made by Jesus, and the declaration of His Lordship, is not what constitutes the spirit of a righteous man made perfect. Rather, the inhabitants of the heavenly Zion are believers who are cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the perfecting of their spiritual nature.
Only those who actually practice the commandments of Christ have lawful access to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the holy Jerusalem (Revelation 22:14).
The common Christian teaching of our day is pervaded with a misunderstanding. It is that "grace" is a Divinely given substitute for the cleansing and perfecting of our spiritual nature. Imputed (ascribed) righteousness has been emphasized past all reason and benefit, while the all-important transformation to actual righteousness has been neglected.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Jerusalem, #5
And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. (Isaiah 51:16)
Perfecting the Spirit of Jerusalem
Plant the heavens.
Lay the foundations of the earth.
Say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Since His resurrection from the dead two thousand years ago, Christ has been planting the heavens. When we are baptized in water we enter the crucifixion of Christ, and we enter also His resurrection. All us who are brought to Christ by the Spirit of God, whether we are Jewish or Gentile by natural birth, are raised into the heavens. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God.
In the present hour the eternal spiritual Jerusalem is in the heavens at the right hand of God while its fleshly counterpart is in the bondage of the flesh on the earth.
There are two Jerusalems: one in Heaven and the other on the earth. Our spiritual life is in Heaven now at the right hand of God. Every Christian who is abiding in the Lord Jesus is part of the heavenly Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem in Heaven is the mother of all those who have been called to be saints, regardless of whether they are Jewish or Gentile by physical birth. The elect are one body in Christ. They will inherit the land forever that the Lord God may be glorified.
The Jerusalem on the earth corresponds to Hagar, Sarah's maid, because it is filled with children who were not born according to the Divine promise. The Jerusalem in Heaven corresponds to Sarah because it is filled with children who, like Abraham, have been called according to God's purpose in Christ. They are children by election, by the miracle working of God, not by physical birth.
As soon as we are risen with Christ, as soon as we are born again, we become part of the heavenly Jerusalem.
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22) To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just [righteous] men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22,23)
From this point forward in our lives the Spirit of God begins to perfect our spiritual nature. The Spirit of God employs the gifts and ministries of the Body of Christ, tribulation, our prayers and those of others, and every conceivable grace and experience to transform our spiritual nature, to purge and refine the part of our personality that is capable of union with God's Spirit. Our spiritual nature is perfected in the Presence of God in Heaven even though we still are alive on the earth.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Perfecting the Spirit of Jerusalem
Plant the heavens.
Lay the foundations of the earth.
Say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Since His resurrection from the dead two thousand years ago, Christ has been planting the heavens. When we are baptized in water we enter the crucifixion of Christ, and we enter also His resurrection. All us who are brought to Christ by the Spirit of God, whether we are Jewish or Gentile by natural birth, are raised into the heavens. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God.
In the present hour the eternal spiritual Jerusalem is in the heavens at the right hand of God while its fleshly counterpart is in the bondage of the flesh on the earth.
There are two Jerusalems: one in Heaven and the other on the earth. Our spiritual life is in Heaven now at the right hand of God. Every Christian who is abiding in the Lord Jesus is part of the heavenly Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem in Heaven is the mother of all those who have been called to be saints, regardless of whether they are Jewish or Gentile by physical birth. The elect are one body in Christ. They will inherit the land forever that the Lord God may be glorified.
The Jerusalem on the earth corresponds to Hagar, Sarah's maid, because it is filled with children who were not born according to the Divine promise. The Jerusalem in Heaven corresponds to Sarah because it is filled with children who, like Abraham, have been called according to God's purpose in Christ. They are children by election, by the miracle working of God, not by physical birth.
As soon as we are risen with Christ, as soon as we are born again, we become part of the heavenly Jerusalem.
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22) To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just [righteous] men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22,23)
From this point forward in our lives the Spirit of God begins to perfect our spiritual nature. The Spirit of God employs the gifts and ministries of the Body of Christ, tribulation, our prayers and those of others, and every conceivable grace and experience to transform our spiritual nature, to purge and refine the part of our personality that is capable of union with God's Spirit. Our spiritual nature is perfected in the Presence of God in Heaven even though we still are alive on the earth.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Monday, February 16, 2009
Jerusalem, #4
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (Hebrews 11:26)
There is coming a sovereign intervention of God among the children of Israel. Israel will be born again "at once" (Isaiah 66:8). Christ will be born in the physical children of Israel and they will enter the spiritual Kingdom of God.
Jerusalem will become a place of glorious righteousness. There is no means by which the physical Jews can become glorious in righteousness. God's righteousness comes only through the blood, the Life, the Presence of Christ.
For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. (Isaiah 62:1)
Earthly Jerusalem and the earthly Israelites are as Hagar. They are the children of Abraham by race only and not by the Divine promise. It is only as the heavenly Jerusalem, the Jerusalem that is by Divine promise, enters the earthly Jerusalem that earthly Jerusalem will become Sarah, the mother of the elect of God.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:25,26)
Jerusalem will be filled with glory according to the Prophets. How will God do this? God will glorify Jerusalem just as He will glorify every member of true Israel, of the elected Seed of Abraham. God will cause the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be born again of the Spirit of God. He will cause Christ to be born in them.
One may ask, How can God come upon a people and cause them to be born again? The answer is, just as He did the Apostle Paul (a Jew) on the road to Damascus. God is able to convert whom He will, when He will, how He will.
God also will bring the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the fires of tribulation until a remnant has been made holy:
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah 13:9)
Finally, God will raise into glory the city itself and it will rule the nations of saved peoples of the earth throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age. After that there will be a new sky and a new earth. The perfected holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down from Heaven to be established forever on the new earth. The saints will rule the nations of the saved from the new Jerusalem.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
There is coming a sovereign intervention of God among the children of Israel. Israel will be born again "at once" (Isaiah 66:8). Christ will be born in the physical children of Israel and they will enter the spiritual Kingdom of God.
Jerusalem will become a place of glorious righteousness. There is no means by which the physical Jews can become glorious in righteousness. God's righteousness comes only through the blood, the Life, the Presence of Christ.
For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. (Isaiah 62:1)
Earthly Jerusalem and the earthly Israelites are as Hagar. They are the children of Abraham by race only and not by the Divine promise. It is only as the heavenly Jerusalem, the Jerusalem that is by Divine promise, enters the earthly Jerusalem that earthly Jerusalem will become Sarah, the mother of the elect of God.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Galatians 4:25,26)
Jerusalem will be filled with glory according to the Prophets. How will God do this? God will glorify Jerusalem just as He will glorify every member of true Israel, of the elected Seed of Abraham. God will cause the inhabitants of Jerusalem to be born again of the Spirit of God. He will cause Christ to be born in them.
One may ask, How can God come upon a people and cause them to be born again? The answer is, just as He did the Apostle Paul (a Jew) on the road to Damascus. God is able to convert whom He will, when He will, how He will.
God also will bring the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the fires of tribulation until a remnant has been made holy:
And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. (Zechariah 13:9)
Finally, God will raise into glory the city itself and it will rule the nations of saved peoples of the earth throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age. After that there will be a new sky and a new earth. The perfected holy city, the new Jerusalem, will come down from Heaven to be established forever on the new earth. The saints will rule the nations of the saved from the new Jerusalem.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Jerusalem, #3
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: (Genesis 15:18)
When God spoke to Abram concerning Jerusalem and the surrounding lands, God said: "I will give all the land that you see, on which you are walking, to you and to your Seed."
The Seed to whom God was referring is Christ and all those who belong to Christ. The land belongs forever to Christ and to the members of His body.
It is the will of God that Jerusalem be the ruling city of the earth, that it be adorned with the most marvelous glory and splendor—in fact, with the Glory of God Himself, that every one of its inhabitants be righteous and holy, and that the nations of the earth come regularly to pay homage to God in His city.
This is the eternal goal of the Lord God of Heaven. It never shall change.
God spoke of the land, of what today is known as Israel.
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (Genesis 12:1)
God commenced working toward His goal by choosing a man—Abraham. God tested Abraham concerning his confident expectation of the fulfillment of God's promise, concerning walking perfectly with God, and concerning obedience to God. Abraham passed these three tests.
After the tests had been completed, God blessed Abraham with Isaac, Isaac with Jacob (Israel), and Jacob with twelve sons. From these sons came the nation of physical Israel.
Now there existed Jerusalem (made stupendously glorious during the reign of Solomon) and a nation of people. However, it was impossible for the purposes of God to be accomplished through a sinful and rebellious people. The Israelites were filled with sin and rebellion to the point that God delivered them into the hands of their enemies.
To the present hour the Jews are scattered over the face of the earth. The Prophets speak clearly, as we stated previously, that the children of Israel will return to their land in the closing days of the present age. We think that the return of Jacob to his land already is taking place.
Thus far we have presented two apparently conflicting facts. On the one hand we are stating that the race of Jews will return to the holy land in accordance with the declarations of the Prophets. On the other hand we are maintaining that true Israel consists of those who are part of Christ, the Son of God.
The two apparently conflicting facts are reconciled in that God will bring back the Israelites to their land, and then will pour out His Spirit on them so that they receive Christ and become members of the one Olive Tree.
Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. (Isaiah 32:15)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
When God spoke to Abram concerning Jerusalem and the surrounding lands, God said: "I will give all the land that you see, on which you are walking, to you and to your Seed."
The Seed to whom God was referring is Christ and all those who belong to Christ. The land belongs forever to Christ and to the members of His body.
It is the will of God that Jerusalem be the ruling city of the earth, that it be adorned with the most marvelous glory and splendor—in fact, with the Glory of God Himself, that every one of its inhabitants be righteous and holy, and that the nations of the earth come regularly to pay homage to God in His city.
This is the eternal goal of the Lord God of Heaven. It never shall change.
God spoke of the land, of what today is known as Israel.
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (Genesis 12:1)
God commenced working toward His goal by choosing a man—Abraham. God tested Abraham concerning his confident expectation of the fulfillment of God's promise, concerning walking perfectly with God, and concerning obedience to God. Abraham passed these three tests.
After the tests had been completed, God blessed Abraham with Isaac, Isaac with Jacob (Israel), and Jacob with twelve sons. From these sons came the nation of physical Israel.
Now there existed Jerusalem (made stupendously glorious during the reign of Solomon) and a nation of people. However, it was impossible for the purposes of God to be accomplished through a sinful and rebellious people. The Israelites were filled with sin and rebellion to the point that God delivered them into the hands of their enemies.
To the present hour the Jews are scattered over the face of the earth. The Prophets speak clearly, as we stated previously, that the children of Israel will return to their land in the closing days of the present age. We think that the return of Jacob to his land already is taking place.
Thus far we have presented two apparently conflicting facts. On the one hand we are stating that the race of Jews will return to the holy land in accordance with the declarations of the Prophets. On the other hand we are maintaining that true Israel consists of those who are part of Christ, the Son of God.
The two apparently conflicting facts are reconciled in that God will bring back the Israelites to their land, and then will pour out His Spirit on them so that they receive Christ and become members of the one Olive Tree.
Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. (Isaiah 32:15)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Jerusalem, #2
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. (Jeremiah 16:14,15)
The passages that speak of the return of the Jews to the land of Israel will be fulfilled literally. To attempt to spiritualize them so they depict a revival among Gentile believers is to introduce chaos into any attempt to derive a straightforward, coherent interpretation of the Scriptures.
Even though the prophecies concerning the Messianic Kingdom are hidden among the earthly statements of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Scriptures still mean what they say. Israel has been scattered among the nations and Israel will be brought back to the land in preparation for the accession of Christ, the Son of God, to the Throne of David in Jerusalem. There will be a convergence of spiritual Israel and physical Israel.
The current attempts to destroy or weaken the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the return of the race of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the land of promise proceed from Satan.
Satan is not afraid of the Christian churches in their present worldly, fleshly, self-seeking condition. But Satan is mortally terrified at the prospect of the return of Israel to the land; for Satan knows the Scriptures. He understands that the return of Israel to the land is one of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. The coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth will destroy the rule of Satan and his angels over the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ will return to rule the nations.
Whoever would rule the world must do so from what is called today the Temple Mount. There is an important Muslim shrine located there at the present time.
Keeping these facts in mind we must consider the teaching of the Apostle Paul. Paul taught in several places that being born of Jewish parents does not make a person a member of God's Israel. What is born of the flesh is flesh and can neither see nor enter the Kingdom of God until it is born again.
Being a member of true Israel, of the Seed to whom the land of Abraham has been given forever, is by promise. Every member of true Israel is an elect person, having been known of God from the creation of the world. Jacob was known and approved of God before he was born. One cannot become a member of true Israel, of the Seed of Abraham, by being born of Jewish parents. One must be elected to the Seed, to the Divine Olive Tree. Participation in the Messianic Kingdom always is by promise, never by physical birth.
In Christ there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. There only is the one Israel, the one Body of Christ. The inheritance is by calling. It is by grace, by the foreknowledge of God.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The passages that speak of the return of the Jews to the land of Israel will be fulfilled literally. To attempt to spiritualize them so they depict a revival among Gentile believers is to introduce chaos into any attempt to derive a straightforward, coherent interpretation of the Scriptures.
Even though the prophecies concerning the Messianic Kingdom are hidden among the earthly statements of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Scriptures still mean what they say. Israel has been scattered among the nations and Israel will be brought back to the land in preparation for the accession of Christ, the Son of God, to the Throne of David in Jerusalem. There will be a convergence of spiritual Israel and physical Israel.
The current attempts to destroy or weaken the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the return of the race of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the land of promise proceed from Satan.
Satan is not afraid of the Christian churches in their present worldly, fleshly, self-seeking condition. But Satan is mortally terrified at the prospect of the return of Israel to the land; for Satan knows the Scriptures. He understands that the return of Israel to the land is one of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. The coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth will destroy the rule of Satan and his angels over the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ will return to rule the nations.
Whoever would rule the world must do so from what is called today the Temple Mount. There is an important Muslim shrine located there at the present time.
Keeping these facts in mind we must consider the teaching of the Apostle Paul. Paul taught in several places that being born of Jewish parents does not make a person a member of God's Israel. What is born of the flesh is flesh and can neither see nor enter the Kingdom of God until it is born again.
Being a member of true Israel, of the Seed to whom the land of Abraham has been given forever, is by promise. Every member of true Israel is an elect person, having been known of God from the creation of the world. Jacob was known and approved of God before he was born. One cannot become a member of true Israel, of the Seed of Abraham, by being born of Jewish parents. One must be elected to the Seed, to the Divine Olive Tree. Participation in the Messianic Kingdom always is by promise, never by physical birth.
In Christ there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. There only is the one Israel, the one Body of Christ. The inheritance is by calling. It is by grace, by the foreknowledge of God.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Jerusalem
And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. (Genesis 13:14,15)
There is both a spiritual and a physical aspect of Jerusalem. Each aspect is being brought to a place of readiness for rulership in the future. The establishing and perfecting of the spiritual aspect is being conducted in the personalities of God's elect—Jews and Gentiles made one in Christ. The gathering of Jews from many nations to Israel is the beginning of the physical restoration of Jerusalem. In the days ahead the two aspects, the spiritual and the physical, will converge and the result will be the true Church on earth without spot or wrinkle, a holy Jerusalem that will govern the nations of the earth in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
One fact is certain: Jerusalem and the country that surrounds it belong to Abraham and to Abraham's Seed forever.
God's eye, His interest, always is on Jerusalem and its environs. The Hebrew Prophets reveal that God will work until Jerusalem is marvelously glorified and is the ruling city of the world.
Who is Abraham's Seed? Abraham's Seed is Christ.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
It is not our intention to imply, as so many are doing today, that physical Israel no longer is of interest to God, that God has cast away His people with whom He worked for so many hundreds of years. This is not our purpose. We are aware that the promises of the Prophets will be fulfilled literally.
The Hebrews are the Hebrews. They have been scattered among many nations, as prophesied by the Word of God. The Word of God teaches also that they will return from the nations during the closing days of the present age.
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. (Jeremiah 3:18)
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. (Jeremiah 16:14,15)
And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. (Zechariah 10:9,10)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
There is both a spiritual and a physical aspect of Jerusalem. Each aspect is being brought to a place of readiness for rulership in the future. The establishing and perfecting of the spiritual aspect is being conducted in the personalities of God's elect—Jews and Gentiles made one in Christ. The gathering of Jews from many nations to Israel is the beginning of the physical restoration of Jerusalem. In the days ahead the two aspects, the spiritual and the physical, will converge and the result will be the true Church on earth without spot or wrinkle, a holy Jerusalem that will govern the nations of the earth in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
One fact is certain: Jerusalem and the country that surrounds it belong to Abraham and to Abraham's Seed forever.
God's eye, His interest, always is on Jerusalem and its environs. The Hebrew Prophets reveal that God will work until Jerusalem is marvelously glorified and is the ruling city of the world.
Who is Abraham's Seed? Abraham's Seed is Christ.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)
It is not our intention to imply, as so many are doing today, that physical Israel no longer is of interest to God, that God has cast away His people with whom He worked for so many hundreds of years. This is not our purpose. We are aware that the promises of the Prophets will be fulfilled literally.
The Hebrews are the Hebrews. They have been scattered among many nations, as prophesied by the Word of God. The Word of God teaches also that they will return from the nations during the closing days of the present age.
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. (Jeremiah 3:18)
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. (Jeremiah 16:14,15)
And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. (Zechariah 10:9,10)
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Is the Christian Salvation Conditional? #4
For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:7,8)
The reason we will not permit the Word of God to mean what it says is that the spirit of Satan is in us. Satan is determined that neither he nor anyone else has any reason to fear God; that a day of reckoning must never come no matter how badly anyone behaves.
Some of today's theologians are misinterpreting the message of the Book of Hebrews. In their attempt to prove salvation is unconditional, that there is nothing a believer can do which will place his salvation in jeopardy, they are wrenching the Scriptures so they will mean what they want them to mean.
How many Christian believers are living careless lives, are not forsaking the world, not laying down their life, not taking up their cross, not following Jesus with their whole heart and mind, because there has been implanted in them the idea that no matter what they do they will go to Paradise when they die?
The number is legion. Through their sin and disobedience the Christians are destroying their own resurrection. The blame lies at the door of those who, in spite of the assertions of the New Testament, teach that salvation is unconditional.
It is our belief that the sinning believers and their teachers will stand together at the Judgment Seat of Christ. They will be rewarded together according to their conduct in the flesh. The watchmen did not sound the alarm. The blood of the guilty will be required at their hands.
Our salvation indeed is conditional. Both rewards and punishments shall be administered at the Judgment Seat of Christ, just as the Scriptures declare.
Contemporary Christianity is so weak in Kingdom righteousness and power it is unable to check the rush of civilization into the arms of Antichrist. The Christian answer to this lack of power appears to be, "Any moment now we all shall be caught away to a comfortable home in Paradise, so why should we be overly concerned about what takes place in the world?"
Christ taught that the saints are the light of the world, not of Heaven. When the Lord returns to earth we shall return with Him. Then the world will be our home. Our home is where Jesus is.
Each of us shall appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ so his behavior in the world may be revealed and evaluated. We will be saved if we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, looking continually to Him, enduring faithfully throughout the many tribulations and testings that come upon us during our pilgrimage. (from Is the Christian Salvation Conditional?; from It Is Time for a Reformation of Christian Thinking)
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The reason we will not permit the Word of God to mean what it says is that the spirit of Satan is in us. Satan is determined that neither he nor anyone else has any reason to fear God; that a day of reckoning must never come no matter how badly anyone behaves.
Some of today's theologians are misinterpreting the message of the Book of Hebrews. In their attempt to prove salvation is unconditional, that there is nothing a believer can do which will place his salvation in jeopardy, they are wrenching the Scriptures so they will mean what they want them to mean.
How many Christian believers are living careless lives, are not forsaking the world, not laying down their life, not taking up their cross, not following Jesus with their whole heart and mind, because there has been implanted in them the idea that no matter what they do they will go to Paradise when they die?
The number is legion. Through their sin and disobedience the Christians are destroying their own resurrection. The blame lies at the door of those who, in spite of the assertions of the New Testament, teach that salvation is unconditional.
It is our belief that the sinning believers and their teachers will stand together at the Judgment Seat of Christ. They will be rewarded together according to their conduct in the flesh. The watchmen did not sound the alarm. The blood of the guilty will be required at their hands.
Our salvation indeed is conditional. Both rewards and punishments shall be administered at the Judgment Seat of Christ, just as the Scriptures declare.
Contemporary Christianity is so weak in Kingdom righteousness and power it is unable to check the rush of civilization into the arms of Antichrist. The Christian answer to this lack of power appears to be, "Any moment now we all shall be caught away to a comfortable home in Paradise, so why should we be overly concerned about what takes place in the world?"
Christ taught that the saints are the light of the world, not of Heaven. When the Lord returns to earth we shall return with Him. Then the world will be our home. Our home is where Jesus is.
Each of us shall appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ so his behavior in the world may be revealed and evaluated. We will be saved if we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, looking continually to Him, enduring faithfully throughout the many tribulations and testings that come upon us during our pilgrimage. (from Is the Christian Salvation Conditional?; from It Is Time for a Reformation of Christian Thinking)
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Is the Christian Salvation Conditional?, #3
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. (Jude 1:5)
"Having saved the people . . . afterward destroyed them."
Does this biblical type apply to Christians? If not, why did Jude take the trouble to put us "in remembrance"? Would not an unbiased reader conclude the Word of God is warning us that we must endure to the end if we would accomplish the will of God in our life?
The errors being set forth today do not have to do with subtle points of theology, the domain of professors and scholars. They are errors concerning the basic facts of our redemption.
The second item is found in the footnotes that comment on Hebrews 6:4-8. The footnotes contend that this passage is not referring to Christians who have neglected their salvation (which is one of the main exhortations of the Book of Hebrews—2:3) but to religious professors of faith in Christ who never have possessed eternal life. They have been Christians in outward show only.
From what could such hypocrites (according to the writer of the footnotes) "fall away," seeing they never had possessed salvation?
Here are the scriptural statements describing the "religious professors" whose experience, according to the footnotes, went no deeper than the external trappings of religious forms:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (Hebrews 6:4,5)
Let us examine carefully the criteria the writer of the footnotes must take into account when determining that these believers never have possessed eternal life but have been professors of religion whose Christianity consisted only of an outward show of formalities:
"Were once enlightened."
"Have tasted of the heavenly gift."
"Were made partakers of the Holy Ghost."
"Have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come."
These are the facts the commentator must consider when making his judgment that these backsliders never have possessed eternal life but have been Christians in external appearance only.
We would ask: What criteria does our commentator employ when deciding who is a genuine Christian? Is it some form of works? If it is righteous behavior that identifies a true believer, then our argument in the present article is shown to have merit.
Or is it a period of time? If so, how long must an individual partake of the Holy Spirit and taste the Word of God before he no longer is a mere professor?
If the criteria given in this passage are not an indication of true salvation, how, then, can any of us know if he is saved?
Why cannot an able scholar, as well as the devout readers of this edition, perceive the obvious discrepancy here? Is it because the framework of understanding Christians currently are employing will not permit the Word of God to mean what it says?
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
"Having saved the people . . . afterward destroyed them."
Does this biblical type apply to Christians? If not, why did Jude take the trouble to put us "in remembrance"? Would not an unbiased reader conclude the Word of God is warning us that we must endure to the end if we would accomplish the will of God in our life?
The errors being set forth today do not have to do with subtle points of theology, the domain of professors and scholars. They are errors concerning the basic facts of our redemption.
The second item is found in the footnotes that comment on Hebrews 6:4-8. The footnotes contend that this passage is not referring to Christians who have neglected their salvation (which is one of the main exhortations of the Book of Hebrews—2:3) but to religious professors of faith in Christ who never have possessed eternal life. They have been Christians in outward show only.
From what could such hypocrites (according to the writer of the footnotes) "fall away," seeing they never had possessed salvation?
Here are the scriptural statements describing the "religious professors" whose experience, according to the footnotes, went no deeper than the external trappings of religious forms:
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (Hebrews 6:4,5)
Let us examine carefully the criteria the writer of the footnotes must take into account when determining that these believers never have possessed eternal life but have been professors of religion whose Christianity consisted only of an outward show of formalities:
"Were once enlightened."
"Have tasted of the heavenly gift."
"Were made partakers of the Holy Ghost."
"Have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come."
These are the facts the commentator must consider when making his judgment that these backsliders never have possessed eternal life but have been Christians in external appearance only.
We would ask: What criteria does our commentator employ when deciding who is a genuine Christian? Is it some form of works? If it is righteous behavior that identifies a true believer, then our argument in the present article is shown to have merit.
Or is it a period of time? If so, how long must an individual partake of the Holy Spirit and taste the Word of God before he no longer is a mere professor?
If the criteria given in this passage are not an indication of true salvation, how, then, can any of us know if he is saved?
Why cannot an able scholar, as well as the devout readers of this edition, perceive the obvious discrepancy here? Is it because the framework of understanding Christians currently are employing will not permit the Word of God to mean what it says?
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Is the Christian Salvation Conditional? #2
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46)
Because the teachings of the Lord Jesus reveal that we are not saved by faith alone but actually have to do what He commanded, some are presenting the idea that the Words of the Lord apply only to the Jews of His day, not to the believers after His resurrection.
This would mean that the sayings of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels, which all true Christians treasure, are not for us but for the Jews.
Here is a grievous position. When the Lord said, "Abide in me," was He speaking to the Jews only? We personally could never accept that the Words of the Lord in the Gospels do not apply to Christian people.
It appears that the errors in theology prevalent today could be recognized easily by an alert high-school student. Since Christian scholars are intelligent and devout people, it must be true they are interpreting the Scriptures from an erroneous framework of understanding. They can perceive passages of Scripture only in terms of a manmade framework. They contradict the Scriptures and for some reason cannot see the discrepancies.
Let us consider the idea that salvation by grace is unconditional, meaning, as the writer explains, that our behavior subsequent to our profession of faith in Christ cannot damage our relationship to God.
There are several passages of Scripture that proclaim the contrary.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: . . . . (John 15:2)
The above passage is a clear statement that salvation, which has to do with our abiding in Jesus, depends on whether or not we bear fruit. Yet today's scholars claim that salvation is unconditional. The Scriptures teach that salvation is conditional. The scholars state that salvation is unconditional. It is time for a reformation of our thinking.
A branch in Christ is a Christian.
Each Christian is permitted to remain in Christ on the condition he or she bear the fruit of righteous conduct. If he does not bear the fruit of Christ-likeness God shall remove him from the Vine, from Christ. This concept is reinforced by verse six of the fifteenth chapter of John.
It seems to us that an intelligent person, whose perception had not been colored by an outside framework of understanding would interpret John 15:2,6 to mean that Christians can remain in Christ on the condition that they bear fruit.
Again:
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6; and again in verse fourteen)
We are made partakers of Christ on the condition we hold fast to the hope of salvation or, as Jesus expressed it, if we "endure" to the end. Yet, our popular Christian edition claims in effect that this is not true.
The written Word of almighty God is not true?
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Because the teachings of the Lord Jesus reveal that we are not saved by faith alone but actually have to do what He commanded, some are presenting the idea that the Words of the Lord apply only to the Jews of His day, not to the believers after His resurrection.
This would mean that the sayings of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels, which all true Christians treasure, are not for us but for the Jews.
Here is a grievous position. When the Lord said, "Abide in me," was He speaking to the Jews only? We personally could never accept that the Words of the Lord in the Gospels do not apply to Christian people.
It appears that the errors in theology prevalent today could be recognized easily by an alert high-school student. Since Christian scholars are intelligent and devout people, it must be true they are interpreting the Scriptures from an erroneous framework of understanding. They can perceive passages of Scripture only in terms of a manmade framework. They contradict the Scriptures and for some reason cannot see the discrepancies.
Let us consider the idea that salvation by grace is unconditional, meaning, as the writer explains, that our behavior subsequent to our profession of faith in Christ cannot damage our relationship to God.
There are several passages of Scripture that proclaim the contrary.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: . . . . (John 15:2)
The above passage is a clear statement that salvation, which has to do with our abiding in Jesus, depends on whether or not we bear fruit. Yet today's scholars claim that salvation is unconditional. The Scriptures teach that salvation is conditional. The scholars state that salvation is unconditional. It is time for a reformation of our thinking.
A branch in Christ is a Christian.
Each Christian is permitted to remain in Christ on the condition he or she bear the fruit of righteous conduct. If he does not bear the fruit of Christ-likeness God shall remove him from the Vine, from Christ. This concept is reinforced by verse six of the fifteenth chapter of John.
It seems to us that an intelligent person, whose perception had not been colored by an outside framework of understanding would interpret John 15:2,6 to mean that Christians can remain in Christ on the condition that they bear fruit.
Again:
But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6; and again in verse fourteen)
We are made partakers of Christ on the condition we hold fast to the hope of salvation or, as Jesus expressed it, if we "endure" to the end. Yet, our popular Christian edition claims in effect that this is not true.
The written Word of almighty God is not true?
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Is the Christian Salvation Conditional?
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (I Corinthians 15:2)
How many Christian believers are living careless lives, are not forsaking the world, not laying down their life, not taking up their cross, not following Jesus with their whole heart and mind, because there has been implanted in them the idea that no matter what they do they will go to Paradise when they die? There is a multitude of such misinformed believers. Through their sin and disobedience the Christians are destroying their own resurrection.
The blame lies at the door of those who, in spite of the many statements of the New Testament to the contrary, teach that salvation is unconditional with respect to the behavior of the individual.
The truth is, each Christian is permitted to remain in Christ on the condition he bear the fruit of righteous conduct. If he does not bear the fruit of Christ-likeness, God shall remove him from the Vine, from Christ. Our salvation indeed is conditional. Each of us shall appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ so his behavior in the world may be revealed and evaluated. We will be saved if we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, looking continually to Him, enduring faithfully throughout the many tribulations and testings that come upon us during our pilgrimage.
While reviewing the footnotes of a Christian edition of the Scriptures, an edition that would be accepted by those who are fundamental and evangelical in their convictions, we came across two items of concern to us. They appear to contradict the express teachings of the Word of God.
These contradictions do not have to do with subtle points of theology, such as the threeness-oneness of the Godhead. If they did they would not cause us concern. No doubt some of the aspects of God will not be understood by us for many millennia to come.
Rather, these are contradictions of basic teachings of the Scriptures. The topic we are considering is the conditional nature of salvation.
The first of these statements, from the footnotes explaining Ephesians 2:8, is, salvation is unconditional. The grace of God is unconditional.
The Lord Jesus said, "but he that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22). The footnotes of this popular Christian edition claim (if we are understanding them correctly) that we are not saved on the condition we endure to the end but by an abstract, unconditional, eternal "grace" of God. Here is a denial of the written Word of God.
Are the footnotes reflecting that a period of apostasy has crept in on us?
Christian teachers answer by claiming that the four Gospel accounts do not apply to Christians, only to the Jews. Do such teachers have any idea of the ramifications of such a position? This would mean that the Sermon on the Mount, one of the historic possessions of the Christian Church, never has really applied to the Church.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
How many Christian believers are living careless lives, are not forsaking the world, not laying down their life, not taking up their cross, not following Jesus with their whole heart and mind, because there has been implanted in them the idea that no matter what they do they will go to Paradise when they die? There is a multitude of such misinformed believers. Through their sin and disobedience the Christians are destroying their own resurrection.
The blame lies at the door of those who, in spite of the many statements of the New Testament to the contrary, teach that salvation is unconditional with respect to the behavior of the individual.
The truth is, each Christian is permitted to remain in Christ on the condition he bear the fruit of righteous conduct. If he does not bear the fruit of Christ-likeness, God shall remove him from the Vine, from Christ. Our salvation indeed is conditional. Each of us shall appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ so his behavior in the world may be revealed and evaluated. We will be saved if we put our trust in the Lord Jesus, looking continually to Him, enduring faithfully throughout the many tribulations and testings that come upon us during our pilgrimage.
While reviewing the footnotes of a Christian edition of the Scriptures, an edition that would be accepted by those who are fundamental and evangelical in their convictions, we came across two items of concern to us. They appear to contradict the express teachings of the Word of God.
These contradictions do not have to do with subtle points of theology, such as the threeness-oneness of the Godhead. If they did they would not cause us concern. No doubt some of the aspects of God will not be understood by us for many millennia to come.
Rather, these are contradictions of basic teachings of the Scriptures. The topic we are considering is the conditional nature of salvation.
The first of these statements, from the footnotes explaining Ephesians 2:8, is, salvation is unconditional. The grace of God is unconditional.
The Lord Jesus said, "but he that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22). The footnotes of this popular Christian edition claim (if we are understanding them correctly) that we are not saved on the condition we endure to the end but by an abstract, unconditional, eternal "grace" of God. Here is a denial of the written Word of God.
Are the footnotes reflecting that a period of apostasy has crept in on us?
Christian teachers answer by claiming that the four Gospel accounts do not apply to Christians, only to the Jews. Do such teachers have any idea of the ramifications of such a position? This would mean that the Sermon on the Mount, one of the historic possessions of the Christian Church, never has really applied to the Church.
To be continued.
Copyright © 1997-2009 by Trumpet Ministries Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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