King or Messiah of What?

Amen Brother!! See, we do agree on some things.

John 18:35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?

36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

When we are born again/from above, we see that the Kingdom is set up within us. Eternal life isn't something we will receive when Jesus comes, but we get eternal life the very instant the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost take up their abode in us!

i am I am's!!

Willis

 

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Romans 8:24,25 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it]. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Col. 3:3,4 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn (Col. 1:18 from the dead; that in all he might have the preeminence ) of many brethren.

Just when will we be conformed to the image of the resurrected Jesus? That's when he will be called the firstborn of many. Would that not be firstborn from the dead of many brethren born from the dead?
Luke 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. Is it begettal and being born that makes one a child.
It is God that will raise us from the dead isn't it?

 

The thing tripping you up is the fact that the kingdom is a present reality but is currently invisible and not seen by all. Jesus said, "except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." That's because one must have spiritual life to see something that is purely spiritual. The kingdom of God is purely spiritual. It cometh not with observation (outward show) but rather the kingdom of God is within you according to Jesus. The kingdom is a present reality and all of God's born again children are part of that kingdom. Jesus is sitting on a throne right now ruling and reigning as King of His kingdom.

But, the bible talks of us inheriting the kingdom when Jesus comes back and judges the world in righteousness. What does it mean? Well, in that day the kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdom of God and His Christ. Jesus is going to destroy all wordly kingdoms and the only kingdom left will be His. In that day, the kingdom of God will be no more something invisible, something to which many people are oblivious. Jesus will not be a King many do not recognize and refuse to acknowledge as having authority over them. Oh no, in that day the kingdom will be clearly manifested and Jesus will be seen as the King. In that day we will experience a fullness of the kingdom we never experienced here. Sorrow will be gone, as will pain, death, crying, etc. The wicked, the devil, and all the wicked angels will be forever separated from us and cast into eternal punishment. The earth will have been destroyed in fire and remade in righteousness. In that day the tabernacle of God will be with men, there will be no need of a sun or moon because the Lord will be the light, and there will be peace, righteousness, and holiness forever. That's what the bible means by us inheriting the kingdom at the second coming.

 

So even though the word of God speaks of resurrection as a birth Col. 1:18,
Rev. 1:5, Rom. 8:29, Rom. 1:4, Luke 20:36 1 Cor. 15:49 and I could go on John 3:3-8 is speaking of another birth by which we see and or enter the kingdom of God?

 

In those places the bible is not speaking of resurrection as a birth.

 

What could firstborn from the dead mean other than being the first resurrected from the dead as a spiritual being? It means the exact same thing as this 1 Cor. 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept.

See also 1 Cor. 15:45-49
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Notice man is not here. Does this appear to be a new beginning? Keep reading) a quickening spirit. Howbeit that [was] not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven. As [is] the earthy, such [are] they also that are earthy: and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

 

I believe this to be the Spiritual Kingdom, New Jerusalem, if you will. Jesus is the Head of the Church, and we, as believers, make up the body(the church). Here are some scriptures to think about.

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.The "Kingdom" is set up in the heart of the believer the very instant they are saved.

22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.We are the Bride of Christ, so this is those who have been born again/born from above.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Rev. 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Rev. 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.


There was a transition that took place after Jesus died and was risen and seated on the Righthand of God. It went from a natural covenant to a Spiritual covenant. What I mean is that in the Law, you had a lot of "ceremonies" such as taking blood and sprinkling the altar, Aaron having to put blood on his right ear, right thumb, right big toe, had to have bells on his robe while he was in the innermost part of the temple, etc. This was all done away with by the blood of Christ. We have no need of a High Priest "here", because our High Priest now is Jesus. The Israel we have now is not what the bible is talking about as being "Israel", and not even within a million miles of it. The Israel in the bible concerns the twelve tribes of Israel(Jacob) and the decendants from them. Israel now is not God's chosen people. They are a bunch of devout Jews who are waiting for the Messiah to come the first time. We(the believers) are "adopted Jews" through the blood of Christ! Those who have been born again/born from above, make up the "Israel" of the bible.

Rom. 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect.For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Here is where we come in:

Rom. 11:16For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:Because of the Jews not believing in Jesus, they were cut off, and we were grafted into Him.

21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26And 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: This part about "all of Israel being saved" is talking about the Church, the bride of the Lamb, the body of Christ.

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.This "my covenant" here I believe to be the Grace covenant that was given by Christ's death on the cross.

In closing, you can see(or at least I can see it ) that we were grafted into Jesus because of the Jews unbelief. I see this as a "Spiritual Kingdom" in the sense that I am now a "Spiritual Jew" but the blood of Christ and a gentile by creation of God.

i am I am's!!

Willis

PS Sorry about the lengthy post....but I do get on a roll sometimes and have a hard time stopping......