Understanding Eternity

One of the issues that I seem to be continually addressing with people is the nature of eternity.
Most people seem to think that eternity is a state in which time goes on forever.
This is not an unreasonable idea, but the fact is that the exact opposite is true.

Eternity is time-less.  There is no time at all in eternity.
Everything is in the now.  Everything in eternity just IS.
And God did say his name is "I AM."

God has given us time "down here" so we don't have everything happening at once.
Events happen one after the other for us in our universe. 
Occasionally two things do happen together, simultaneously, and look at the trouble that gives us.  What would it be like if everything happened simultaneously?

We find this idea of timelessness difficult to comprehend, mainly because we have only ever experienced life in which time is an essential and controlling  ingredient.
So I have developed a few simple illustrations to help people see the difference between the eternity where God IS and the ages where we currently live.

The TV series.
An advertisement for an upcoming series on TV says there will be 6 episodes and then shows us a peek preview of the first episode.  It even tells us when the series will begin being telecast.
How does the advertiser know there are 6 episodes, and how can he show us a peek preview of an episode that has not even been aired yet?
The advertiser has already seen the whole series, or spoken to its producers, and knows all about it long before it begins to be shown on TV. (Eternity)
He even knows when the station plans to commence airing the series, whereas we can only see what the TV station shows us after it has begun to show us. (The Ages)

The Train on the Back Fence.
One house in which we lived had a major train line on its back boundary.  Through a knot hole in the fence, we could see trains coming and going, but we could only see one carriage passing at a time.  We never knew how many carriages there were until they had all passed and we had counted them.  (The Ages)
If however, when we heard a train coming we climbed up onto the fence, we could see everything about that train all at once.  How many carriages, what sort of carriages, what sort of engine, were all known to us before the engine had even reached our knot hole.  (Eternity)

The View from the Hot Air Balloon.
Watching vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians approaching a busy intersection from a hot air balloon hovering above and back a little from that intersection tells us everything that is going to happen at that intersection, and from all directions, long before any of it happens. (Eternity)
Standing at the intersection and looking in one direction would give an observer a more limited and sequenced view.  He could only see things as they arrived at the intersection in the order they arrived and from the direction he was monitoring. (The Ages)
 
Mother's Basket of Goodies.
Mother has a basket of goodies.  When she looks into the basket, she sees all the goodies at the same time. (Eternity)
Mother takes items out of her basket, one at a time, and gives them to her children.  They see the goodies as they are given to them, one at a time, and in the order in which they are given. (The Ages)

The School Teacher's Curriculum.
A teacher plans the curriculum for his class.  The contents, learning methods, tests, remedial classes, excursions, pupil and parent interviews, reporting procedures and the timetable for them are all planned before the school year begins.  When completed, the teacher can see all of these curriculum ingredients at the same time as a complete package. (Eternity)
The student, however, sees all these things as they happen on a day-to-day basis as the year progresses. (The Ages)

The Revelation.
In Revelation 4, John was told to "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
He was then able to see God's view of things by looking into his basket of goodies.  And his description was like .... "I saw ... then I saw ..... and I saw ..... then I saw .... " as he rattled off in quick succession all the things that caught his eye.  He saw them all "at once" because he was where God IS. (Eternity)
When John returned to earth, he had to wait with everyone else to see where and when each of those events he saw in heaven would arrive on the earth. He was back in the space-time constraint of the ages.  (The Ages)

How many books have been written by Christians, also confined to the space-time realm, trying to establish the order of arrival of all the things John, and the other prophets, have been shown?  
Maybe we just have to get ready for them all, then wait and see.

Blessings, Barry

Trustworthy Sayings

On my journey through Revelation (again), I lingered at chapter 21 verse 5 (again).
I'm a sucker for verses like this one.

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"  
Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

It's a bit like

This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.  
That is why we labour and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe.
[ 1 Tim 4 : 9 - 10 ]

What a pity more people don't believe God when he says things like this.
And especially when he tells us that these statements are trustworthy.

This situation begs a huge question for me.
Don't Christians trust God, even with his trustworthy sayings?

I think so many, and particularly Christian leaders, have a lot to answer for.
They disbelieve God.
They discredit God.
They discount God's love and sovereignty.
They diminish the significance and value of Jesus' death and resurrection.

I wonder what these leaders think of God's stated purpose to be the Saviour of the world and to have everyone bowing their knee and confessing the Lordship of his Son.

I've even found pastors who become angry when I suggest that God saving all people might even be a possibility.
Which is a bit like the anger shown by the early workers in the vineyard when they discovered the owner was more generous than they thought he ought to be. (Matthew 20)
Or the disgust displayed by the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son. (Luke 15)

We've got a long way to go before we become Christ-like, haven't we?
Blessings, Barry

First Fruits

I keep bumping into references to first fruits in the Scriptures lately.
Which is interesting, because one of my current personal study topics is The Feasts of Israel.

In Israel's agricultural economy, the first fruits were the first sample from the crop that were presented to the Lord.
It was a display of gratitude to God for the crop and the fertility of the land which produced it, and a sign that the rest of the crop was pending and also belonged to the Lord.

Jesus is the first fruits of those who are to be resurrected, showing that all believers will share in his new life.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then when he comes, those who belong to him.
[1 Cor 15 : 22 - 23 ]

Believers in turn are the first fruits of all creation, showing that everyone will share in that new life eventually.

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
[ James 1 : 18 ]

Jewish believers were also first fruits, showing that all Israel will eventually be saved.

Speaking of Israel as the olive tree, Paul says, 

"If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches."
[ Romans 11 : 16 ]

The principle of first fruits says so much about our topic of the salvation of all.
Indeed, there are some wonderful lessons to be learnt by looking at God's dealings with Israel, and from the feasts in particular.

Would you like to hear more about the feasts here, even though most are not really relevant to our main topic?

Let me know - yea or nay.
I'm happy either way.

Blessings, Barry

Promises from Paul

The good news from Paul is sooooo extensive --- it just goes on and on.
Paul asserts that, by God's grace, everyone will be justified, raised to life, saved, be friends of God and reconciled to him.
What more could anyone hope for?
Let me illustrate with just a short quote from each of five of his letters.

All will be justified, declared just or righteous, be given right-standing before God.
Just as one offence resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
[ Romans 5 : 18  BSV ]

All will be vivified, enlivened, raised to life.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
[ 1 Cor 15 :: 22  NIV ]
because
The last enemy to be abolished is death.
[ 1 Cor 15 : 26  BSV ]

All will be saved.
This is why we labour and stive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe.
[ 1 Tim 4 :  10  NIV ]

All are God's friends.
God was in Christ befriending the world to himself, not counting people's sins against them.
[ 2 Cor 5 :  19  BSV ]

All will be reconciled to God.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Col 1 : 19 - 20  BSV ]

And none of this should catch us by surprise when Paul reminds us that
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
[ Romans 11 : 36  BSV ]
because
God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
[ Ephesians 1 : 11  BSV ]

There's too much from Paul to ignore, don't you think?
Blessings, Barry

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BTW.  I will be uploading Chapter 2 of the book for you to read and pull apart early next week.
Please attack it for me.
(I can handle anything from people who love me.)

Paul's Secrets

Paul says on several occasions that some of God's secrets, or mysteries as most translations call them, that had been hidden from previous generations in previous ages, had been revealed to him.

And he revealed these secrets to those to whom he wrote his letters, and therefore of course, to us.

Unfortunately, many who read the Bible haven't seen these secrets revealed, and are totally in the dark about some of God's most exciting plans.

One of these is God's plan to bring unity to all in heaven and on earth under Christ.
[ Eph 1 : 9 - 10 ]
And because it includes all, it means Gentiles as well as Jews.
[ Eph 3 : 6 ]
And because it includes all, it means unbelievers as well as believers.
[ 1 Tim 4 : 10 ]
And because it includes all, it means the whole world as God is no longer counting people's sins against them.
[ 2 Cor 5 : 19 ]
And because it includes all, it means the creation itself will be brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
[ Romans 8 : 21 ]

What a plan!
And it's no longer a secret.
Everyone can know about it, by just reading the Bible with open eyes.

Blessings, Barry

How can people NOT see this?

Romans 5 : 18 - 19 [NIV]

Consequently,
    JUST AS
        one trespass
            resulted in condemnation
                for all people
    SO ALSO
        one righteous act
            resulted in justification and life
                for all people

For
    JUST AS
        through the disobedience of the one man
            the many
                were made sinners
    SO ALSO
        through the obedience of the one man
            the many
                will be made righteous

How could God state his plan to restore all people more clearly?
How can people NOT see this?
They just have to read what's in their Bibles.

Blessings, Barry

A Recent Conversation

A Recent Conversation with Woodsy.
Woodsy is a local father with three sons who can't understand why I believe that God is going to eventually save everyone.
-------------------------------------------------
Barry:  If you had to choose one of your children to hopelessly suffer forever and not be able to receive any help or relief from you, who would it be?
Woodsy:  I would never do something as ridiculous as that.  I love them all, and wouldn't choose any of them to suffer forever. 
B:  Great, you're not a Calvinist. You must believe God loves all his children equally and chooses none of them to be eternally lost.
W:  Certainly.  God must love his children at least as much as I love mine.
------------------------------------------------
B:  If one of your boys foolishly puts himself in danger, and you have the chance to save him from the consequences of that choice, would you do it?
W:  Of course I would.
B:  Even when he didn't want you to interfere?
W:  Of course.  I wouldn't want him to be hurt.  I might leave him there for a while to help him see the error of his ways, but I wouldn't let him be permanently damaged or risk his life.
B:  So, you would over-ride his freewill, if it's for his ultimate good?
W:  Certainly.
B:  Do you think God would do the same for his kids who have made foolish decisions?
W:  I suppose so ....... I would certainly hope so.
B:  Great, you're not an Arminian.  You must believe God is sovereign and uses his position and power to keep his kids safe from long-term harm.
W:  Hmmmm .....  But doesn't he allow us a free choice ...... to go to heaven or hell?
B:  Would you with your boys?
W:  No, but ......
B:  So you care for your boys more than God cares for his children?
-------------------------------------------------
Woodsy didn't finish the conversation.
I would have enjoyed telling him that God loves his kids even more than we love ours, and that he would never let his kids totally destroy themselves no matter what choices they made or how loudly they protested about his interference.
And I would also have enjoyed showing him the verses in Scripture that convince me of that.
Blessings, Barry

What We Learn from the Costa Concordia

I gave you this one yesterday by email, but thought it was worth putting on the blog.

Because each new post or comment on the blog is sent to all of us by email to keep us in touch with what is being added to the blogsite, you will have a double up in your email INBOX,  Sorry.  Barry

In the largest passenger ship loss since the Titanic, 33 of the 4,252 passengers and crew of the Costa Concordia perished. The captain of the ship was arrested on preliminary charges, including manslaughter.
Despite the fact that some 99.2% were saved, it remains a tragic loss of life. Every life on board the ship was of unique value, and their individual death is a great tragedy.

Just the other day, my dear friend and brother, Jim Burson, shared with me an astute illustration spawned by this cruise ship incident.

"There was a large passenger ship with a thousand people on it. The captain assembled all passengers and announced to them, 'The ship is about to sink, but I have GOOD News. Fifty of you will be able to make it to dry land.'

"This is the 'Good News' of traditionalism, but I contend that it is not 'Good News' at all. For the nine hundred and fifty who are about to perish, it certainly is not 'Good News.' For those fifty who will not perish, it is not 'Good News,' because they likely will leave behind children, wives and husbands. Most of all it is not 'Good News' to the captain because he knows it was his responsibility to assure the well-being of his passengers."

Here is what we learn from the Costa Concordia: the captain is always responsible for his ship – and all under his care. Any loss is unacceptable, even .8%. This is even truer concerning the Sovereign of the Universe. He is responsible for all He has made – for His entire creation – and He emphatically declares Himself to be the "Savior of all men" (I Timothy 4:10).

In effectually discharging His responsibility God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to "take away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), proclaiming Him to be the actual "Savior of the world" (John 4:42).

In spite of all of this, Christianity has the faithless audacity to bring an indictment against God: the vast majority of His creation will be eternally lost, and His Son will utterly fail, being guilty Himself of dereliction of responsibility for His Saviorhood.

Our Lord Jesus Christ "came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10), and He Who leaves the 99, tirelessly and unfailingly will "go after that which is lost, until He finds it" (Luke 15:4). Some of Christianity would have the nerve to suggest that only a fraction will eventually be saved. However, if Christ's rate of salvation was that of the Costa Concordia's – 99.2% – He would be an utter failure, as He was not declared to be the "99.2% Savior of the world."

Salvation is not the responsibility of the crew or passengers, but of Salvation's Captain (the "Captain of their salvation" – Hebrews 2:10, KJV) – the successful "Savior of the WORLD." He, and He alone, will see to its full and complete accomplishment. The Good News is that the ship Salvation is in unwaveringly capable hands. Father and His Son are in absolute control.

Rest, and enjoy the cruise.

Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.  

You'll have to excuse the American spellings in most of these quotes, but it is truly amazing how many people have held this "universalist" position, in one form or another, over the centuries.

Since discovering all these authors I have been tempted several times to stop writing my book as it has all been said before, but I am definitely continuing, as my presentation will be much "lighter" and more geared to 'the man in the street' than most of the books and sites I have discovered.


Blessings, Barry

And There's More ......No Timeframe (almost)

Another interesting thing about the Law of Redemption is that there is virtually no time-frame applicable to the people involved.
The law does not say that a person must be redeemed immediately by the close relative, or even within a set time of being sold. 
Any point within the period of bondage is an appropriate time for a person to be redeemed.

But there is one time factor that overrides everything else, supersedes all redemption laws.
It is the Law of Jubilee.

Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years.
Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.

Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.
The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.
For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.
In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property.
[ Lev 25 : 9 - 13  NIV ]

On this occasion, once every 49 years, all debts were cancelled and all people returned to their own land.
The application of this law prevented debts continuing for ever (which plagues modern society) and prevented everlasting punishment for sin.
This is God's grace in action - in the LAW!
And who said grace was only a New Testament concept?

And for the person sold to a foreign master and unable or unwilling to be redeemed?

Even if they are not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, for the Israelites belong to me as servants.
They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
[ Lev 25 : 54 -55  NIV ]

There are no debts and no debtors in the land after the Jubilee.
Everyone is free.

It shouldn't be hard to see the application of the Jubilee to the plight of the world - of those who can't or won't be redeemed by their close relative Jesus.
The creation's jubilee is coming.
Every thing and every one will be set free.

As Peter says

Heaven must receive him [Jesus] until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
[  Acts 3 : 21  NIV ]

And Paul

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

[ 1 Cor 15 : 22  NIV ]

The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
[ 1 Cor 15 : 26  NIV ]

and Jesus 

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

[ John 8 : 36  NIV ]

No-one remains a debtor to Satan at the Jubilee of God's creation.  Wow !!
G.R.A.C.E. is what I call it.

Blessings, Barry

Acts 3 : 21

One of my favourite GRACE verses is Acts 3 : 21.
It addresses both God's purpose and some elements of his timing in achieving that purpose.

Heaven must receive Jesus until the time when everything will be restored as God promised through his holy prophets long ago.
[ GW ]

It was this verse that first got me started on a hunt through the Old Testament to see how far back God started talking about his plan to restore all things.
One of the first clues I bumped into was 2 Samuel 14 : 14.

Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die.
But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.
[ NIV ]

We might be banished or disappear from this planet, but will not be banished from God.
He has plans to keep in touch with us.

Another was Psalm 22 : 27 - 29.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations shall worship before You.
For the kingdom is the LORD's, And He rules over the nations.
All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive.
[ NKJV]

Both the affluent and the poor, the alive and the dead, will all worship the Lord.

And what about this in Psalm 65 : 2?

You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.
[ NIV ]

And Lamentations 3 :  31 - 32.

For the Lord will not reject us forever.
Though he causes us grief, he then has compassion on us according to the abundance of his loyal kindness.
[ NET ]

And there are stacks more.
So this idea of GRACE - God Reconciles All Creation Eventually - is not a Plan B.
This was part of God's plan right from the beginning.

The more I study this, the more excited and appreciative I become.
Blessings, Barry

Old Testament Clues to God's Ultimate Purpose

Paul suggested that God's aim to bring unity to all things under Christ was a mystery that had been revealed to him.  It is therefore understandable that most of the biblical support for the view that God will eventually restore everyone to himself comes from Paul's writings in the New Testament. 

Even so, occasionally God let his plan "slip out" before Paul's time.
David let the cat out of the bag with these gems .......

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. Psalm 22 : 27 - 28 TNIV

All the nations that you have created will come and bow down to you; they will praise your greatness.  You are mighty and do wonderful things; you alone are God.  Psalm 86 : 9 - 10 GNB

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
Psalm 145 : 8-9 ESV

And Isaiah added his share with these ......

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.  And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.  He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.  Isaiah 25:6 - 8 ESV

"Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world! I am the only God there is.  My promise is true, and it will not be changed. I solemnly promise by all that I am: Everyone will come and kneel before me and vow to be loyal to me.  Isaiah 45: 22 - 23 GNB

All mankind will come to worship Me, from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another," says the LORD.   Isaiah 66: 23 HCSB

Maybe this is what God has been up to all the time.  It is not a new idea coming from some heretic Christ-followers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries after all.

Blessings, Barry

The Jubilee

Have you ever read about the jubilee that was celebrated every 50 years in the ancient nation of Israel?
It is a powerful, almost unbelievable, practice in the life of those people, prescribed by God as an essential part of their national life.
 
You'll find it described in Leviticus 25 and mentioned in Leviticus 27 and Numbers 36.  Take a moment to read Leviticus 25.
Every fifty years everything was to be restored to the way it originally was - slaves were set free, debts were cancelled, property returned to its original owners.

Our way of living, especially in the western world, is so far removed from what happened there that it is almost impossible for us to understand how such an arrangement would work.
Nevertheless, with the huge amount of debt we all carry, whether as individuals, businesses, governments or nations, and the percentage of our incomes we use to service these debts, surely it is a better way to live, as God's way always is.

If the Jubilee is God's way, and worked so well in the ancient past, don't you think this is still God's way and can say something to us about how things will pan out for the entire creation in the end?
The physical jubilee that happened in national Israel says something exciting to us about the spiritual way it will work at the end of the ages.

All of mankind is in debt to God and slaves to sin and Satan.  But Jesus paid for all our debts to guarantee a jubilee for all of mankind.  And Jesus will also bind and reform Satan and so free all mankind from its slavery to him.  And we will be returned to our original condition - the image of God - when we see Jesus.

The jubilee for Israel becomes the pattern for the jubilee for all of us.
Paul describes this jubilee in Romans 8 : 18 - 21 in these words........

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Israel may no longer obey God's commands today, and we certainly don't either.  But when all the kingdoms of this world have become Christ's, God's ways will be followed and Jesus will oversee creation's jubilee.

Isn't the Bible so full of the promise of the victorious gospel of grace?

Barry

God's stage play

We humans have great difficulty understanding the Creator and His ways.  I should know - I've spent decades of my life trying.

One of the best ideas I have had in this pursuit is to think of the events of the world as a stage play in which the Author, God, has written the script and the Director, Jesus, has been given the authority and responsibility to ensure the script is faithfully performed on the stage.

The stage play idea has some weaknesses if taken too far, as all illustrations and parables do, so I have only been using it tenuously and privately in my mind until this week, when I discovered other authors suggesting a similar idea.

For example, C.S. Lewis in "Surprised by Joy" wrote that he thought God might project us in the same way a dramatist projects his characters, and Lewis could no more meet God than Hamlet could meet Shakespeare.  In his journey towards awareness of a personal God, Lewis decided that if Hamlet and Shakespeare were to ever meet, it must be Shakespeare's doing, as Hamlet could initiate nothing.

Interestingly, Lewis also conjectured that Shakespeare could make himself appear as 'Author' in the play and write some dialogue between Hamlet and himself.  He then explained that the 'Shakespeare' in the play would be, at the same time, both himself and one of his characters, a bit like God and Jesus in the real world.

William W Bentley, Jr. wrote a short essay called "The Simple Story of the Universe" which was presented as a play of 5 acts, with several scenes in each act.

And Thomas Heywood, an English playwright of the 17th century, once said, "The world's a theatre, the earth a stage, which God and Nature do with actors fill."

Amazingly all three of these writings came to my attention in the space of just one week, the week between Christmas and New Year, so I decided I should give my stage play idea more serious consideration than I had previously done and jot down my thoughts for you to consider.

So, to begin with, please consider this brief outline.......

God wrote the script for a play through which His eternal purpose would be accomplished.  He designed the stage and chose the role and character of each actor in the play.

God produced a Son, called Jesus Christ, through whom the stage and the cast were created.

Jesus was given the script and the authority and power to direct the play from beginning to end.  During the course of the play Jesus donned an earth-suit and played the starring role.

After the final scene of the final act, Jesus will present the whole cast to God when every actor will be warmly welcomed into God's eternal family.

This way of looking things helps me in several ways.
It reminds me that God is really in control of our world - everything is predestined.
It reminds me that we have no choice in what part we play in the grand drama of life. (who has chosen their parents or their nationality or their birth date or their personality or their .....?)
It reminds me to love even the villains in our lives, as their roles have been pre-determined by God (remember Judas?).
It reminds me that God is love and fair, and that every actor will eventually be welcomed into God's eternal family, even if the villains have to be cleaned up a bit before they are presented to Him.
It reminds me that God really is all in all.

Well, that's the first time I can remember sharing this idea with anyone.  
What do you think?
Do you think it is worth fleshing out further, by revealing the script?
Barry

Everything must work towards God's Purpose

Many verses that people declare as being incompatible with the G.R.A.C.E. view are really compatible with and supportive of that view, as long as people keep God's overall purpose for the world in mind.

Not keeping that purpose in mind leaves one thinking that each verse on its own serves its own purpose or tells its own story, and this process usually leads to a cocktail of contradictory purposes, plans and outcomes, rather than a more detailed view of God's ultimate purpose for the ages.

So what is God's purpose for the ages?
To head up the universe under His Son, Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1 : 10).
To reconcile the universe to Himself, through Christ, making peace through the blood of Christ’s cross (Colossians 1 : 20).
To become "All in all" at the end of the ages (1 Corinthians 15 : 22 - 28).

For any verse that we study, or that is thrown up to challenge us, we should always ask the question, "How might this fit into God's purpose?" or "What extra detail or understanding of God's purpose is this verse providing us?" before being satisfied that we have its correct or full meaning.

Barry

The Importance of Knowing God

As you probably know by now, my favourite parable is the one of the two lost sons in Luke 15.

I often spend time just thinking about the main characters in the story and this morning I was thinking about the elder brother, especially in regard to the elders in the church where I was church-sitting for a couple of days.

And in my devotions this morning, the author of the daily thought said, "Without a true and proper knowledge of God, we are doomed to failure and condemnation, being sentenced to the bondage of the traditions and doctrines of men."

So the following thoughts began rolling out .....

The elder brother didn't really know the father at all, even though he had been living with him and working for him for years and years. He was surprised and offended that the father would even take the younger son back at all (give him a second chance) let alone celebrate his return in such an extravagant fashion.

The elders at the church were also offended to hear that this might be the case - people who had ignored or offended God might be eventually received into God's eternal family.  They were so offended that they didn't want their congregation to hear such stuff and so banned me from talking further to them, even though I quoted Jesus, Peter, Paul and John to verify what I was saying.

Without knowing God and his ultimate purpose and plans for his offspring we are indeed "sentenced to the bondage of the traditions and doctrines of men".

I am not saying the elders don't know God .... but they certainly don't know his ultimate purpose, the purpose that his unconditional love, his sovereign power and his extravagant grace will achieve.

The only definition of eternal life (life in the ages) I can find in the Bible is what John records as the words of Jesus in John 17 : 3 - "eternal life (Gk. life in the ages) means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent."  [GNB]

Knowing God and Jesus is therefore essential if we wish to have life in the ages, to live and reign with Christ in the 1000 years kingdom age. 

Jesus said that just knowing his name and working for him (an elder brother activity) is not enough.   We need to know him, to be known by him and to be doing what GOD wants us to be doing.  (Matthew 7 : 21 - 23)
 
As my daily devotion author concluded ...THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS WORTH MORE THAN ALL THE EARTHLY RICHES THAT ONE COULD ACQUIRE!

Let us determine to know God and Jesus Christ, doing whatever it takes to achieve this, that we might live!  Barry

God's Grand Plan

God's grand plan for the ages is a great starting point for discussions on God's amazing grace.

In Ephesians 1 : 8 - 10, Paul says this about God's plan, which had been a mystery up until then,
"In all his wisdom and insight God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head."  [GNB]

In Colossians 1 :  19 - 20,  Paul describes the plan this way...
"For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God. Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven."  [GNB]

Once God's purpose of the ages is clear in our minds, it is then an easy walk through the New Testament to discover how God will accomplish this.  Paul summarises the "how" in Romans 11 : 32 and Philippians 2 : 9 - 11 ....
"For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all."  [TNIV]

"Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others.
So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, 'Jesus Christ is Lord!' "  [CEV]

You'll find some other verses on the same theme in the "Elders Meeting Scriptures" post last month.

By the way, God has other mysteries that he reveals through the Apostle Paul and it's an exciting ride to find these and to meditate upon them.  Most of them involve us, so start looking.  If you get stuck and can't find any, just ask.

Barry

The Big Picture

At the risk of seeming to be overly clinical and trite, I would like to paint a potted history of man's relationship with God.  I know this is ambitious and risky, but here goes........

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God created the heavens and the earth. He also created man (Adam) in his own likeness and placed him on the earth.  Tempted by Satan, Adam decided to make his own judgements about right and wrong and went his own way rather than follow God's leading.  In this way he "died", he moved out of fellowship with God and became independent of Him.

Adam's descendants followed the same lifestyle, and sin and rebellion against God's leadership ravaged the planet, so God decided to start again.

Saving the only righteous family on earth at the time (Noah's), God removed the remainder of the earth's population in a world-wide flood.

Noah's family had the opportunity to make a fresh start in God-man relationships, but it wasn't long before Satan's influence persuaded men to follow the old ways of Adam.

God selected one nation (Israel) to be the example to others and to spread the news about how to live in harmony and intimacy with God and gave her a written code of conduct to follow.

But again, it all went wrong as Israel followed Satan's promptings to create their own codes of conduct and to rebel against God's authority and leadership.

Instead of starting yet again, God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for man's sin and rebellion, and to provide the way to re-establish fellowship with God for all of earth's inhabitants. Those who became followers of The Way became a new nation (the Church), comprised of all followers regardless of which physical nation they belonged to.

Those in Israel who refused to become followers of The Way were removed from the earth, God now using his new spiritual nation to be the example to others and to spread the news about how to live in harmony and fellowship with Himself.

The Church was given God's Holy Spirit to follow rather than a written code of conduct like Israel's, but the church is failing as Israel did. Her example is lacking in quality and integrity, and her influence is compromised in most parts of the globe.  Hence Satan's influence continues to dominate the conduct of world affairs and the behaviour of men.

God will eventually judge the world again, saving those who know Him and live in harmony with Him to be co-rulers with Him in the next age, often called the Millenium.

The Millenium will be a guaranteed success as the influence of Satan is to be removed for its duration.

At the end of the Millenium, all those not alive during that age - those who had been removed from the earth in previous ages through physical death of one sort or another without knowing God - will be raised, judged and sentenced to the appropriate "punishment" that will bring them to repentance and reconciliation.

In this way, all things will be restored, all of God's creation will be in harmony with him and the ages will have been completed, having served their purpose.

All of God's creation will then join Him and enjoy Him in eternity.

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Rog, that now gives us 4 new posts since we last talked.  See you tonight.  Barry