God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow ... And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

Showing posts with label bridegroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bridegroom. Show all posts

Sunday, June 14, 2009

The Earth Isn't Our Mother - New Jerusalem Is


New Jerusalem

For many Christians buying into the myriad causes and schemes to save "mother earth" through environmental activism, it's past time to throw that mostly nonsense away and find you who your real mother is. It isn't earth, it's New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven.

Environmental activism is one of the biggest swindles since Darwinism, and far too many Christians are entering into it in belief they're saving mother earth, which as I said for Christians, isn't our mother.

As a matter of fact, if Christians were to do a little research and studying past the hype and tenets behind much of environmentalism, they'd find out a lot of it is not only based and sourced in paganism, but a lot of it is based on lies and innuendo, rather than facts and reality.

Global warming is one of those, as the earth has been cooling for over a decade, thousands of scientists say the computer models it's based on are faulty, and many of the areas it's being measured in are close to local areas like plants that are warmer than the real air around it.

I could go on with this, but I don't want to get off the real purpose for writing this article, and that is to remind believers in Christ that New Jerusalem is our mother and not the earth.

We are born again from above by the Spirit, and when that truly happens in someone, we are no longer part of this world, in the sense that we don't live by its premises and ways of life, which are always against the image and reality of Christ Himself.

Jesus said of His disciples near the end of His time on earth that just like He wasn't of this world, neither were they, and by extension, neither should we be.

Paul said again in one of His letters to Timothy that a good soldier of Christ doesn't get involved with the affairs of this world.

The New King James Version says, "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."

In Colossians 3:1-3 Paul said, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

How much plainer can it be than that? Paul says "if." If you've been raised with Christ (which you have been if you're really a believer in Christ), then you are to seek those things which are above, not things on this earth. Any questions? There shouldn't be.

This is part of what Jesus meant when the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, and part of Jesus' response was for the Father's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

When we see New Jerusalem -our true mother - coming out of heaven, that's part of what that is referring to; not some silly idea of a physical entity dropping out of outer space, like some people have implied.

What is New Jerusalem? It is God in His people. That's our mother: Christ in us. (But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all Gal 4:26.)

When we read about New Jerusalem and listen to the language describing it, we can get so caught up into its grandeur, that we miss the simple and easy understanding of what's inside of it.

So what is inside New Jerusalem that makes it our mother? There's a throne, a street, a river and a tree, and an exit out where all the evil lies. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie."

We must understand that when Jesus came to earth, He was New Jerusalem come down out of heaven, it was just that He was all of it in Himself, which wasn't His purpose, as He was meant to inhabit and fill a people with and unto Himself, which results in the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, which is to be all in all.

This is why when John is taken to the city he first sees the patriarchs and the twelve apostles before entering the city. That's significant. Not because man is first, but because the new man holds that which John was about to be revealed: Christ Himself in His people; the very purpose for creation.

There are a lot of things mentioned about the outer part of the bride of the Lamb, but it's because of what's inside that makes the outer what it is.

So what does it mean to have New Jerusalem as our mother? It means the spirit of God has now come down from heaven and inhabits His people. He's brought His throne, a river, a tree, fruit, light, a lamb, God and a street of gold with Him. Those things are what make up what births us in Christ. That's what begins to work in us when we are born from above, or born again.

Another significant factor in John seeing this is there is a oneness there between Christ and the people He's indwelling. She has been "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

What is New Jerusalem adorned with? The very nature of Christ which we partake in. When the description of the outward things of the bride are revealed, it's saying what is being seen without is the result of that which has been birthed within. This is something that has come down out of heaven from the only and one true God and planted within His people. That's what's supposed to happen when a person is born again. The very life or sperma of God is planted within him as a seed, and it grows throughout his lifetime as an open heart before God is retained.

The two now have become one, as the inner and outer are without contradiction, like the life of the Father and Jesus when He lived on the earth as the son of man living only by the life of the Father in Him.

This is what we are called to in this world, as New Jerusalem, our mother who is free, comes down out of heaven to dwell within His people. New Jerusalem is Christ in us.

We need to quit focusing on a false mother and live by our mother who is free, coming down now from heaven.

New Jerusalem

Sunday, December 30, 2007

God's Eternal Purpose - 4

No Temple Here 

Revelation 21:22

And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb, are its temple.

In all of my research and studies I have found that this particular reference in the scriptures is one of the most neglected and misunderstood.

Many wish that it wasn't in there, others, that see many of the things that are talked about on this site, don't believe it has reference to today. 

The great strategy of most that don't understand the spiritual significance of New Jerusalem, is to simply dismiss this as another thing that will happen after all things on the earth have been completed. If there weren't other places in the scriptures that contradict that, there may be some ground to stand on there, but there are many places that blow way of thinking away.

For example when Stephen was about to be martyred, he reveals that God does not dwell in temples made with hands. Does anybody seriously think that he didn't know about this city of God? Did he just come up with an interesting saying? No! He was one of the very few that saw the end of all types and shadows and that the real was now here. 

Another place that speaks of this is when Jesus talks about He being in the Father, Him being in us, and us being in each other etc. This is spiritual temple language and insight. This is talking about dwelling in one another spiritually and in union with Christ, the Father, and each other.

Now having said all of this, let's look at some of the significance of this tremendous revelation of Jesus Christ. No temple! What a challenging statement. 
Not only in the days of the apostles and the early church, but just as much in our own day, this has been something not comprehended by many. 

Today we see something of this and look, for the most part at it from an outward point of view. 

In other words, we begin to see that there was no such things as special buildings that the early believers ever met in, or would even come into their way of thinking. Yet, for the most part the modern-day response is to move from these so-called "churches" to meeting in homes. 

While this is a good step, it misses a lot of the point altogether. Simply transferring where the people of God meet, doesn't begin to deal with what is eternally on the heart of God. Everything that is being done in the buildings, can simply be started again in another physical setting. I am talking about the practices here.

So what is it that God is saying in all of this? What is the mystery? It's really not that hard to understand at all. It goes back to Jesus describing what eternal life is: that we may know Christ and His Father. It goes back to spiritually comprehending the end of all things: that God may be all in all. This is temple-talk from God's point of view.

Now I am not saying that because this is dealing with spiritual realities that we shouldn't leave the religious system, but if we do it without seeing more than simply exchanging physical locations, we miss the point entirely.

We leave because we are looking for a city whose builder and maker is God Almighty Himself. We are looking for a city build from the reality of the person of Jesus Christ, not on systems and logic, or certain traditions.

This temple is not simply one individual either. It is the entire Godhead in communion with one another and us. So it is with us, it is a corporate dwelling that God is building. Again, He created all of mankind to dwell in and be all to - not just a few.

This doesn't mean that we aren't individually dwelling places of God. But together we are being built into a temple for Him. As we embrace and share Christ with one another, we grow into all that He is. That is the significance of there being no temple in the wife of the Lamb. He couldn't care less about bricks and mortar, He is after intimate union with His woman. His bride. There is nothing that He will allow to compete with that.

When we individually enter into union with Christ and one another, something greater than ourselves begins to happen. That is what this aspect of the great eternal purpose of God unveils. 

God's Eternal Purpose - 3


The Street, River, and Tree 



In considering the eternal purpose of God and the wife of the Lamb, let's look at three important things that are described as existing inside of her.

The Street

First we see that there is a street of gold that is transparent as glass. There is also a river, clear as crystal that flows down the middle of the street. Finally there is a tree that vines across the river and is thus on both sides of it.

Let's look at a couple of things concerning this street. First the street is gold. This always speaks of the nature of God. Then it is described as being like transparent glass. 

This street is showing forth the nature of God in all of its purity. The transparent glass showing that absolutely nothing is mixed in with it. Nothing hinders one from seeing through it clearly.

Keep in mind that a street is for traveling and that this was one street, not many.

The River

Now in considering the river, we are told that it is a living river, living waters. It is also revealed that this river flows down the middle of the gold street of the city. 

This river is clear as crystal, again signifying that it is completely free of mixture, clear, without impurities. 

The river of course refers to the Holy Spirit. Remember that we are told by Jesus that out of our innermost beings will flow rivers of living waters.

This is a river that is going somewhere. Since it is flowing down the street this is another insight into the reality that this is something coming down from God above: A higher life.

The Tree

Lastly we see the tree of life. This is a very fruitful tree. It bears 12 different crops of fruit. Each in its own season. Then we are told that the leaves of the trees are for the health of the nations. (most translations say "healing," but the word in its truest sense means "health.")

When we look at this remember the words of Jesus when He said, "I am the vine and you are the branches." We are those leaves that abide in the roots of Jesus Christ, the true vine.

Now what we need to see here is that the street, river, and tree are completely entwined with one another. The river goes down the middle of the street, and the tree roots itself along the sides of the river. 

Just to let you know, this is not, like some have thought, a bunch of trees that have multiplied individually. No, it is one tree, a tree that is one that vines. Jesus, of course, is this tree, and by extension, those of us who abide in Him are part of it also.

There is a place in the scriptures that Jesus tells us that He is in us, we are in Him, and we are in each other. This is what is being shown forth here. The street, river, and tree are part of all of us. And when you see that these exist within the walls surrounding the city, you see that this is all within a people. This is why Jesus told us not to look for the kingdom without but to rather look for it within.
Which is one final thing I want to mention, the river flowed out of the throne of God and the Lamb. This is talking about the rule and reign of God within His people. This is what the kingdom is all about. It is a battle for the hearts of men, not for things on the earth that can be seen.

That's why Jesus told Pilate that if His kingdom was of this world His servants would come and fight, but His kingdom isn't of this world. This world has already been defeated.

So we see that the eternal purpose involves these three things as part of its nature. As we eat of Christ and drink of the Spirit, we walk on a street within that is only all of who God is. 

Eventually these things that are within, will begin to reveal themselves without - But first they must be within.

Friday, February 16, 2007

The Great Mystery That Was Hidden Now Revealed

The great mystery!

The great secret hidden away from the beginning of time.

The unsearchable reality waiting for the right time to be revealed.

A seed hidden away, yet fully grown at the same time.

A tree waiting to extend himself throughout the world.

The river of life waiting to be drinken up and spilled over to others.

A single purpose in an all-knowing being.

The groom in union with His bride.

The master gardener, yet being the fruit.

As close as can be, still seemingly distant at times.

Filled with sufferings and willing to share them with us.

A walled garden, yet open-hearted.

Rejected by most but still willing to woo us in him.

Hated but still pouring out His love.

Humble beyond imagination.

He is Christ within us, the hope of glory!