| Author | Message | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
To all who have ears to hear the trumpet sound? Do you think, when Jesus comes in the clouds of glory with his angels, that he will "catch up" (Thessalonians 4:17) anyone who is not already a citizen of the kingdom of heaven and already living within the borders of the kingdom of heaven? Grace and peace, Jude | ||
| Gary Mayo |
The Bible is quite clear, that we are to wait for the soon return of our Lord Jesus, and while we wait and watch, we have the Comforter that He sent to be with us, and that Comforter is the Holy Ghost. This is not heaven, this is the realm of the fallen one. We are to preach the Gospel to the lost children of God, until the soon return of Jesus that will appear in the east with a shout. Listen and watch, He is coming. No man knows the hour, however we are to remain with a hope in our hearts that it will be soon. The SDA-EGW Historical Society . | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
NO, IT'S NOT THE SABBATH. If there is one doctrine that the SDA church has wrong, it is not the Sabbath. While it is not all right for them to tell other Christians they have to keep the Sabbath, it is all right for they themselves to keep it. See Romans 14. NO, IT'S NOT THE SECOND COMING. The new Testament is full of references to the Second Coming of Christ in the clouds. No mainstream Christian church denies this, including the Roman Catholic Church. IT'S THE IDEA THAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN/GOD DOES NOT AND CANNOT EXIST ON EARTH RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. Most Adventists, even SDA ministers and theologians, are eyes-glazed-over unaware that Luke 17:20-21 is even in the Bible. That passage doesn't even register on their radar screens. When you read it to them, they only blink in disbelief and change the subject. Like, "What's that got to do with the price of tea in China?" Let's see what YOU do with it when YOU read it right here (NIV). "Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God [heaven] would come, Jesus replied, 'The kingdom of God [heaven] does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.'" In other words, Jesus is saying "that the kingdom is spiritual and internal" (NIV text note). Not only internal within each individual believer's heart, but also spiritual and internal within the whole group itself, the ecclesia, that is, the church. For the "you" in Luke 17:21 is plural. You can correctly translate the Greek as, "because the kingdom of God [heaven] is AMONG you." But SDAs fail to discern this truth because permanently imbedded in their minds is the idee fixe that the earth is not God's kingdom/heaven, but that it is the realm of Satan. Wrong answer! "For the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." (1 Cor. 10:36, repeated in 1 Cor. 10:38.) Believing that the earth belongs to Satan and that we only have to wait for Jesus Christ to come in the clouds and rescue us from it is a pathology of the first magnitude. It is a primary reason for SDA paranoia on a worldwide scale. It is a fundamental reason why SDAism is a cult that calls other Christians (e.g., the Methodists that EGW condemned when she left their fellowship) "outsiders" and worse, far worse, such as "Babylon," while boasting itself as "the remnant." Let the lightbulb flash on: Jesus Christ came to earth to wrench it from the grasp of Satan. This he accomplished on the cross when he cried out, "It is finished!" Many SDAs think he meant, "I [Jesus] am finished!" How pathetic! How mistaken! He meant, "The evil empire of Satan is finished!" Crushed! Forever finished! But, since SDAs cannot accept this truth, they still think that the earth is the realm of Satan, that Satan rules here. The good news for Adventists is this: No, you're wrong, Satan's rule ended at the cross! This terribly mistaken belief leads SDAs to think that THEY, the historical Advent movement, the SDA church in verity and exclusively, must "finish the work" on earth, or it won't get done. This egomaniacal idee fixe blinds them to scriptural reality. I'll cite just one example (out of a vast number): Jesus is entering Jerusalem riding on the back of a colt covered with people's coats. "The whole crowd of discipels began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' Some of the Pharisees [SDAs] in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!' "'I tell you,' he replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'" (Luke 19:37-40, NIV.) In other words, Christians were then and are even now crying out that the kingdom of heaven has come to earth with the presence of its king, Jesus Christ, who, never forget, before he ascended into heaven, said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." The SDAs say, No! And SDAs [Pharisees] are still objecting, still saying that the kingdom of heaven [God] is not on this earth, still insisting that the world belongs to the fallen one. They do this because they cannot accept the spiritual truth that Christ has truly conquered Satan on the cross, once for all time and once for all people. Small wonder SDAs have such superiority-inferiority complexes, which are really only two sides of a single coin! They have to do what even Christ couldn't! Their minds would boggle if they had any idea! Sadly, they don't. While Jesus is still saying, "No, you SDAs [Pharisees] are wrong! I rule here. I crushed Satan's rebellion on the cross. My kingdom is within you. My kingdom is among you. Your papers of citizenship are written on your hearts. And when I come in the clouds, only those who have citizenship papers on them will be welcome. "Therefore, if you don't cry out this truth joyfully to the rest of humanity, the stones will!" Grace and peace to all, Jude | ||
| Gary Mayo |
Luke 17: 20 & 21 NLT One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, ìWhen will the Kingdom of God come?î Jesus replied, ìThe Kingdom of God isnít ushered in with visible signs. 21 You wonít be able to say, ëHere it is!í or ëItís over there!í For the Kingdom of God is among you.î The Pharisees asked when Godís Kingdom would come, not knowing that it had already arrived. The Kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of Godís Spirit in peopleís lives and in relationships. We must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of Godís Kingdom. Instead, we should look for what God is doing in peopleís hearts (Bible commentary). | ||
| Gary Mayo |
The SDA-EGW Historical Society The word "Among" in part refers to the fact that Jesus was among them, not just that they had heaven in their reach. The thief on the cross was "Among" by the fact that he was nailed to a tree next to God but more importantly, accepted the free gift Jesus offered him. The other person nailed to a tree that day was not "among" because he rejected the free gift, even though he was physically next to Jesus. Jude: You are correct is some aspects, however do not think that we are in heaven now, because I can assure you, this is not it. Jesus did defeat satan 2000 years ago, however that does not mean that satan is over and done with. satan is still deceiving people. I have seen him at work everywhere, even here, as we have all witnessed. The struggle continues today in us. Satan has an appointment with destiny at the end of our age, however, the place we all will occupy through time is still somewhat open. We can choose who we shall serve. Satan tempts us everyday to go his way, and God calls us to him even so. God knows who will answer His call, and who will reject that call and follow satan. That is the heart of predestined theology. . | ||
| Lynn W |
OK, I'll take a risk and dare to say I think all of you are right. Is it not possible that the Kingdom of Heaven is here & now while "Satan is alive & well & living on planet Earth." Remember the wheat & the tares. Jesus said to let both grow together until the time of the harvest. The harvest has not yet happened. Some of us are living in the Kingdom of Heaven while Satan does indeed have his rule over those who choose him as their leader. It may be difficult at times to discern who's who for now, but expect to see a definitive polarization as we get nearer the end. | ||
| Colleentinker |
I agree, Lynn. And, Jude, your reminding us that the kingdom of heaven is among us is central to who we are. Satan is a defeated foe. The earth does belong to the Lord, not Satan. Even though satan still exists, he's not the ruler. Today he would not be able to function with the audacity he exhibited when he told Jesus he would give Him the world if He'd worship him. The fact that he's defeated is why Christ-followers have authority over demons. We wrestle with principalities and powers, and we walk on tainted turf. Satan is trying to overcome the Kingdom of Heaven; we can expect trials and deceptions. But we bear the living Christ to the world by his Spirit in us. We are God's New Covenant tabernacle. We are his priests, and he is our king. Jesus has already restored his direct relationship with humanity; satan was not able to prevent that. The kingdom has been established! The physical reality of the Kingdom (new heaven and earth) are still coming, but they are a certaintyóas certain as the kingdom that reigns in us now! | ||
| Joni |
2Corinthians 4:3,4 "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Ephesians 2:2 "In which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience" John 14:30 "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in me;" Saten is the ruler of this world, but we do not belong to this world because we are born again of the Spirit, which lives in us, and we are part of the Kingdom of God. God is our Ruler. | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
John 18:35-37, NIV: "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?" Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." The term "world" is used in the New Testament as a name for the kingdom of Satan, and he is indeed the ruler of "the world" used in this sense. But Jesus Christ is the ruler of the kingdom of heaven which, right here and right now, is within and among all who confess him to be our king. If this is not true, then Christ is not the vine and we are not the branches. If this is not true, then Christ is not the Good Shepherd and we are not his sheep. If this is not true, then Christ is not the Door and we haven't gone through it. If this is not true, then Christ is not the Bread of Life and the Blood of the Lamb and we don't really and truly eat and drink of his body and blood at the Lord's supper. If this is not true, then Christ is not the Way, and we are not walking in it. If this is not true, then Christ is not "the Light of the World," and we are still walking in darkness. But it is true, and therefore Jesus Christ is all of these and more. And the kingdom of heaven does exist within us and all around us. It's just that the citizens of Satan's kingdom of "the world" cannot see it because they don't have any eyes. | ||
| Gary Mayo |
The SDA-EGW Historical Society Mindless Adventism Jude: This is what I see of this world we live in: I see a 8 year old boy dragged to his death because a man car-jacked his mothers car and the boy got tangled in the seat belt. The boy was dragged 4 miles at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour. After 4 miles, the boy looked like a side of beef, and nothing like a living child. People on the scene did not know the dead child was human! We do not live even close to heaven. The rights to enter heaven are within our grasp, but that time is not here yet. We wait and we watch. During this waiting time, we labor in the field to warn and encourage others. The time of this grand event is not known to anyone but the father. The world you describe is much like what happened to Enoch. Read what the Bible says about him: Gen:5:22: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: Gen:5:23: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: Gen:5:24: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. The truth of the matter is this: If we achieve a high level of single minded focused spiritual development, we may be of no earthly value. I prefer to keep my heart in the clouds, and my head in the trenches doing Gods plan. The next time a plane crashes, and the force involved strips the clothing and even skin from the broken and dismembered bones of the victims, remember that we are living in satanís temporary domain and everything that goes on here is not something that crossed the desk of God with his stamp of approval. We are not promised freedom from pain, only the strength to overcome, as Jesus overcame. | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
There is no scriptural evidence to suggest that the world in which we live is any worse than it was when Jesus Christ walked the earth. All scriptural evidence says that the last days began when Jesus Christ was here as a human being. No scriptural evidence says the last days began in 1844 or at any time other than the time of Christ. Those who refuse to live in the kingdom of God right here and right now are not members of the body of Christ, not branches of his vine, not sheep of his sheepfold, and are not even real Christians. And it is only those who are citizens of the kingdom of heaven who are of any value or worth in this world. To all others Christ will say, "I never knew you," when he comes in the clouds of heaven. Citizens of the kingdom of heaven on earth are in fact the only ones who really are in the trenches working God's plan for their lives. All others are only "faking it" and taking credit unto themselves. It is God -- and not Satan -- who is in control, who has always been in control, and who will always be in control. And nothing happens that does not happen according to his sovereign will. The fact that we may not understand or even discern his sovereign will is insufficient reason to deny it. Living in the kingdom of heaven which is within and around us here and now is not living in freedom from pain. God has never promised freedom from pain and suffering until after Jesus comes in the clouds. But he has promised and has given us his kingdom here and now (Luke 17:20,21). We need to study Jesus' many parables in which he says, "The kingdom of heaven/God is like unto ...." Only as we understand these parables and stories -- which are not free from pain and suffering -- will we understand what living in the kingdom of heaven on earth here and now really does involve and demand of us. "Blood, sweat and tears" are involved, but greater is the faith, hope, peace, joy and love that are also involved. "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown standeth God within the shadows keeping watch above his own." -James Russel Lowell in "Once to Every Man and Nation." | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
"In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'" Matthew 3:1,2, NIV. I would submit for everyone's consideration this interpretation: John was not saying 1844 was near. Nor was he even saying that the Second Coming was near. I believe that John was saying, The Messiah [Immanuel, God with or among us] is near, and that the presence of Jesus Christ as God on earth is IDENTICAL to the kingdom of heaven on earth. For where God is, there also is the kingdom of heaven. | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
Oops, forgot to add the NIV text note to John 3:1,2. So here it is: "'The kingdom of heaven' [is] a phrase found only in Matthew, where it occurs 33 times.... Mark and Luke refer to 'the kingdom of God,' a term Matthew uses only four times.... The KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS THE RULE OF GOD and is both A PRESENT REALITY [emphais mine] and a future hope. The idea of God's kingdom is central to Jesus' teaching and is mentioned 50 times in Matthew alone." And so, my friends, there is A LOT more. And I will happily be bringing it to you here. For you here on this website have the eyes to see it, no question. Jude | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
PARABLE OF JESUS SHOWS KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO BE PRESENT REALITY Matthew 13:24,25, NIV: Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat." I would submit to you that if "the kingdom of heaven," as Jesus uses the phrase here, is only a future reality, one which does not obtain till after the Second Coming, then we would be forced to admit that it is possible for an "enemy" to infiltrate heaven after the Second Coming. | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
JESUS PROVES KINGDOM OF GOD ARRIVED 2000 YEARS AGO Matthew 12:28. "If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God [Holy Spirit], then the kingdom of God has come upon you." The gospel of Mark makes clear that when Jesus came the demons were afraid and begged him to leave them alone. In one well-known incident Jesus cast them out into a herd of pigs that then ran madly into the Sea of Galilee and drown. After another one of these incidents [Jesus healed a blind-mute man who was also demon-possessed] the Pharisees [SDAs] cornered him, saying Jesus was casting out demons by the power of "Beelzebub, the prince of demons." In his well-known reply Jesus said, "If Satan drives out Satan, how is he divided against himself?" In other words, why would a snake swallow itself? Or why would an army divide into two factions and destroy itself? The rhetorical answer is obvious: They don't operate that way! Then, after silencing all opposition, Jesus said, "If I [rather than Satan] drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Thus there is incontrovertible scriptural evidence that the "kingdom of heaven" on earth was breaking out everywhere under the influence of our God Jesus Christ 2000 years ago! | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
"KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" METAPHOR OF "THE CHURCH." Matthew 13:31,32, NIV: "He [Jesus] told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it gropws, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." The NIV text note says, "Although the kingdom will seem to have an insignificant beginning, it will eventually spread throughout the world." Thus, the growth of "heaven on earth," which is IDENTICAL to the ecclesia or church, begin 2000 years ago, continues in the year 2000, and will continue after the Second Coming. | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
HYPOCRITES CAN "SHUT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IN MEN'S FACES" Matthew 23:13, NIV: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces." If the kingdom of heaven were only future, and not present, then the "teachers of the law and Pharisees" would obviously have no ability to shut it in people's faces. | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
"KINGDOM OF DAVID" = "KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" Mark 11:9-11, NIV: "Those who went ahead [of Christ in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem] and those who followed shouted, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!'" We know from the book of Hebrews, as well as Paul's epistles, that the literal kingdom of David became, with the First Coming of Christ, the kingdom of heaven or God (same thing). And so we have here still another example of New Testament scripture saying that the kingdom of heaven arrived on earth with the First Coming of Christ as symbolized by his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the city of David and the seat of Israel's throne. | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
IF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT A PRESENT REALITY, THEN JESUS CHRIST IS A LIAR This is my favorite of all the scriptural examples proving that the kingdom of heaven/God arrived on earth 2000 years ago and remains with us today. Luke 9:27, NIV: Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." Now, obviously these people did taste death, but they died in Christ Jesus because they had already seen the kingdom of God/heaven. And since we know that Jesus was NOT a liar, we know too that the kingdom of God/heaven that these dear people who believed in him saw before they died was a present reality for them. Praise God! | ||
| Jude the Obscure |
IF KINGDOM OF GOD ISN'T PRESENT REALITY, THEN RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BY WORKS! Luke 9:62, NIV: "Jesus replied, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Now, really think about what this text is really saying! If you are plowing in order to be "fit" for a kingdom of God/heaven that is only future, then you are working your way to heaven. But if you are plowing because you are already a citizen of the kingdom of heaven/God, then you are not working your way to heaven. And if you look back to say good-by to your family who did not follow you into the new realm of God, then you aren't "fit," meaning you haven't truly accepted Christ, who, remember, is the certificate of citizenship written on your heart. |
