A Criminal in Paradise?

In the last post we discussed the forgiveness received by the Jews and Romans who tortured Jesus and put him on the cross.
There was no need for any repentance, baptism, religious affiliation or agreement to some statement of doctrine on their behalf. 
No! 
From the love of Jesus and the Father poured out mercy and forgiveness for those wayward, ignorant Jewish leaders and Romans soldiers.

But have you noticed another amazing expression of Jesus' love, mercy and grace while he was on the cross?
The criminal who recognised Jesus' kingship and asked to be remembered when Jesus would come into his kingdom was told that he would be with Jesus in Paradise that very day, before the kingdom had yet been established.

Nothing more than a simple request was needed to get Jesus' attention and promise - no baptism, no confession of faith, no acceptance of some creedal statement - nothing more than acknowledging Christ as the promised Messiah, the coming King.

Let's be playful here for a moment.
Suppose this criminal presents himself at the gate to Paradise and the angel meeting him asks, "What are you doing here? You're a criminal."
He might reply, "I was told to come here today."
"And who told you that?"
"The man on the cross next to me."

It seems that everything about the kingdom, even before the crucifixion, is about what Jesus wants.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last ...
[John 15 : 16  NIV]

Co-workers with Christ in his kingdom are chosen and equipped for kingdom leadership.

But what about the rest of humanity, those not chosen for kingdom leadership?
Their turn will come to enjoy that kingdom because Jesus promised:

When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.” (In saying this he indicated the kind of death he was going to suffer.)
[John 12 : 32  GNB]

And God's plan promised it:

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 22  NIV]
So then, as the one sin condemned all people, in the same way the one righteous act sets all people free and gives them life. 
[Romans 5 : 18  GNB]

The rest of humanity will be citizens in the kingdom, enjoying the glorious benefits of living in God's renewed world.

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.”
[Revelation 21 : 5  NIV]

So how did this criminal get into Paradise?
Because Jesus said so; and because of a huge transformation making everything new:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
[1 Corinthians 15 : 51, 53  NIV]

Blessings, Barry
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

Will God Really Save the World?

The theme of this BLOG for fifteen years or so has been to promote the really good news that God, in his love and extravagant grace, is eventually going to save the whole world.

Although the mainstream church doesn't seem to believe this magnificent outcome of world history, the Bible clearly promotes this hope. 
Even preachers who extol the grace of God, can't see that God's grace will extend that far.
Instead of pointing to God's promises in the Scriptures, current world events and circumstances are used to deny God's success in achieving his grand purpose for his creation.

Which begs these questions: "Is God really trying to save the world?" and "Is this the only day of salvation?" and "Why doesn't everybody who hears the gospel believe it and appreciate what Jesus has done for all of us?"

About six years ago I posted "God is NOT Trying to Save the World Right Now".
You can find it in the BLOG ARCHIVE under 2019/June.
Although it is a simple, clear description of God's plan, it did not answer questions that readers have subsequently raised. So let's explore this topic a bit further with those questions in mind.

It is true that God initially, in this age, only plans to call a select few. 

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
[Matthew 7 : 14  NIV]

I called these few the "milk monitors" in the 2019 post mentioned above. You might like to re-read that post before reading further here.

Jesus was clearly co-operating with His Father's plan by deliberately hiding his identity and message from the masses, so only the chosen few would :
... understand his teachings, 

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 
[Matthew 13 : 10 - 11   NIV]

... see or hear about his miracles, 

He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. ...
Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
[Mark 5 : 37, 42 - 43  NIV]

... know his identity,

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
[Mark 8 : 29 - 30  NIV]

... see him in his resurrected form.

He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
[Acts 10 : 41  NIV]

Paul also mentioned a limited number of witnesses to Christ's resurrection:

... he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, ...
[1 Corinthians 15 : 4 - 8  NIV]

Why all this secrecy? Why was Jesus hiding the truth about humanity's salvation?

God did not intend for everyone to understand His truth, His plan at this time! If He had, they would have understood! But this was clearly not the time, as Jesus' quote from Isaiah demonstrated:

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
    'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
    otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'”
[Jesus quoting Isaiah as reported in Mark 4 : 10 - 12  NIV]

So when will be the eventual saving of the world?

Answers to that question vary according to how the clues we are given in Scripture are interpreted. We'll explore some broad aspects of the "when" in the next post.

Blessings, Barry
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

The Big Picture

Most of the posts on this BLOG focus on God's plan to redeem and reconcile us all to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus almost 2000 years ago.
Even though Jesus' death cancelled sin and His resurrection abolished death, there was a third spectacular event that is also important  - Jesus ascended to heaven 40 days after His resurrection.
This third event introduces us to the wider view of God's plan.

If we remember that God created the original heavens and earth

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
[Genesis 1 : 1  NIV]

giving mankind a mandate to rule

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
[Genesis 1 : 27, 28  NIV]

and eventually that there will be a new heaven and earth

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, ...
[Revelation 21 : 1  NIV]

giving saints a mandate to rule

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
[Revelation 20 : 6  NIV]

we can see that God's plan of redemption and reconciliation is not an end in itself, but an essential component of the main theme, fitting as a bridge between the original heavens and earth and the new heaven and earth.

As important as that rescue operation is, it's only a (necessary) step in God achieving His original goal of bringing heaven and earth into submission and appointing His people to reign with Him.

This has always been God’s plan.
This is the big picture - the eternal plan of God.

Blessings, Barry

PS - We are currently living in the age when He is raising up His people to reign with Him over the new heaven and earth.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Other Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

The Advance Party

St Paul often reminds us that God's plan is to have all His creation reconciled and living in peaceful relationship with Him and each other.
For example:

... God our Saviour, Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 
[1 Timothy 2 : 3, 4  KJV]

Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 
[Ephesians 1 : 9 - 10  ESV]

If this is God's intention, then before the end of time, He needs to give everyone the opportunity to discover Jesus and what He has done for them.
Clearly that's not happening right now, so the time for the completion of God's plan must still be in the future.

Enter "The Advance Party".
In previous posts I have often referred to the Body of Christ as the Advance Party.
What do I mean by this description?
The Advance Party is a familiar term in other settings. 
For example, in an exploration mission, an advance party is often selected to go ahead and decide on the direction the whole party should take.
In a combat offensive, an advance party usually goes ahead to determine the strength and positions held by the enemy.
As a young Uni student I had a vacation job with a company that harvested and processed crops of peas and it was my job to go ahead of the harvesters and determine the readiness of crops by testing samples, the first fruits.

First Fruits of harvest functions in a similar way to its namesake in an exploration expedition (or even in an offensive combat undertaking) that goes on ahead to prepare the way for the main party (or troops). 
For Israel in Bible times, "First Fruits" refers to the first portion of the crop to ripen and was dedicated to God. They were a sample of what the ripened crop would be and a pledge or guarantee of the complete crop to be harvested at the appropriate time in the future.
Indeed, the nation of Israel itself was called the First Fruits from among the nations (Jeremiah 2 : 3)

In a similar way, Jesus was referred to as the First Fruits of the rest of mankind who are to be resurrected as He was. (1 Corinthians 15 : 20 - 23)

In the Scriptures the Body of Christ is referred to as the first fruits of the harvest of all mankind.

The Jewish Christians (Messianic Jews) of the first century were called First Fruits (James 1 :18) and were joined by Gentile Christians to become the Advance Party, the Body of Christ, of all mankind.

God is currently preparing this Advance Party for governing roles in tomorrow's world. 

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 
[Ephesians 2 : 10  NIV]

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
[Revelation 2 : 26  NIV]

What a privilege to be called and to be trained to rule with Christ and to teach under Him when He comes in His Kingdom.
Others, not so called and trained now, or in previous ages, will be called and led to salvation in that glorious future.

Blessings, Barry

Other published Writings at https://www.ibtechservices.com.au

Jesus Kingdom Parables

Even though Jesus directed his parables specifically to Israel in the first century AD, there is much that we can learn from them.
I appreciate there is great danger in creating theology from those parables, or his miraculous events. 

To illustrate this let's consider a farcical example.
Take two cases of Jesus' healing ministry as recorded in the Gospels.

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"
He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."
Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
[Mark 8 : 23 - 25  NIV]

and

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
[John 9 : 6 - 7  NIV]

Theological conclusion?
How about this?
If you want instant healing you must use mud.
Indeed we could go further and absurdly suggest that the first two Christian denominations could be created from such theology - the muddites and the anti-muddites.

Although we need to be careful not to use parables to create our theology, parables can be interpreted and applied in various ways.
Some people consider one way is the correct way and any other ways are incorrect.
However I suggest that most ways have value and show different aspects of the teaching Jesus is presenting in the parable.

A bit like looking at a mountain. You get different views when looking from different sides or looking up from the bottom or from half way up or from an aeroplane or an overhead drone.
All the views are different. Not one is right and the others wrong. But just different views - each giving a bit more information about the mountain.

Let's consider a different interpretation than is usual for a mini-parable Jesus told.
The disciples knew from Jesus’ teachings that He was constantly talking about the Kingdom of Heaven (or the Kingdom of God as some New Testament writers called it).

So they asked Him to tell them what the Kingdom of Heaven was like.
Matthew Chapter 13 records nine parables Jesus used to answer their question.
We’ll focus on the one described in verse 44.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. [NIV]

May I suggest this mini parable (one verse) has at least two views.
The usual interpretation is that the kingdom of heaven is such a precious treasure that we, like the man, should give up everything we have to lay hold of it.
Of course, that’s absolutely true.
—but possibly that is not what Jesus was talking about on this occasion when answering the disciples’ question about what the kingdom was like.

What if this isn’t a parable about something we must do to possess the kingdom?
What if we are not the man in the parable.
What if Jesus is talking about himself?
What if Jesus is the one who finds the treasure and buys the field?
What if we human beings are the treasure?
What if the field is this world, as Jesus described it in an earlier parable?
And what if it is Jesus who gives up everything He had to purchase this world and reclaim it as His possession?
What if that’s what the kingdom of heaven is actually like?

Our Concept of Salvation Enriched
This second way of looking at the parable gives us another way of looking at the gospel of salvation.
Probably, for the first thousand years of Christendom this view was likely the more common way of understanding the concept of salvation.
It is sometimes described as Christus Victor (Christ the Victor).
 
Today the more common view of salvation is penal substitution: that is, Jesus died in our place to pay for our sins.
It’s not that Christus Victor is right and penal substitution is wrong.
They simply represent different ways of looking at the gospel.
God’s work of salvation is so great, like a huge mountain, that we must view it from many angles to gain a more comprehensive picture.

Interestingly, as Augustine put it centuries ago, Christ is both Victor and Victim.
By becoming the Victim and dying on the cross, he also became the Victor by defeating sin and Satan there, being resurrected three days later to conquer death, then ascending to the Father to establish his kingdom.
That used to be a more common way to understand the gospel of salvation.

Other Biblical Support for Christus Victor View
This view of the parable of the treasure in the field – that we are the treasure Jesus found and bought – is supported in other parts of Scripture.
Indeed, this short parable seems to condense several verses about Jesus’ death found in Hebrews and Paul’s letters:

.... is so happy that he goes ...

—“because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, ...”
(Heb. 12:2  GNB).

.... and sells everything he has ...

—“of his own free will he gave up all he had ...”
(Phil. 2:7  GNB).

.... and buys that field

—“You do not belong to yourselves but to God; he bought you for a price.”
(1 Cor. 6:19–20  GNB).

Just in passing, let’s note that Jesus didn’t just purchase the treasure, he bought the whole field – the whole world.
The kingdom of heaven contains the treasure and the rest of the field. Which again can also be supported Biblically:

“And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.”
(1 John 2 : 2  GNB)

“Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself.”
(Colossians 1 : 20  GNB)

Penal substitution is certainly one way to understand the gospel, but so also is Christus Victor. They both contribute to our understanding of the extent of God's love for this fallen world.

Blessings, Barry

Challenging Mainstream Christian Beliefs

Three prominent beliefs regarding salvation, held by most mainstream church-goers, and supported by texts from popular versions of the Bible, provide a real challenge for thinking Christians. They are:

1.  God wants to save all people.

(God) intends all human beings to be saved and to come to a full knowledge of the truth.
[1 Timothy 2 : 4  DBH]
The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.
[2 Peter 3 : 9  CEV]

2.  God is all powerful, so always gets what He wants.

Our God is in heaven, he does whatever pleases him.
[Psalm 115 : 3  NIV]
We may make a lot of plans, but the LORD will do what he has decided.
[Proverbs 19 : 21  CEV]

3.  Unbelievers will be lost forever.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
[John 3 : 36  NIV]
He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
[2 Thessalonians 1 : 8, 9  NIV]

Now let's put on our thinking caps.
How can all three be true at the same time?
How can we believe that God wants to save everyone, always achieves what He wants, yet many (most?) people will be lost forever?
As a set, the three statements are inconsistent.
A bit like this set of three:
1 + 2 = 3.  2 + 1 = 3.  2 + 2 = 3.  They can't all be true at the same time.

Let's see how others handle this problem before I share how I do.

There are some Christians, who follow the teachings of John Calvin, a French theologian whose views became the basis of Calvinism, who believe the second and third statements to be true, so challenge the first statement.

They believe that God wants to save only those He has chosen to save (modified statement 1),
that He will achieve what He wants (statement 2),
so the remainder, the unchosen, will be lost forever (statement 3).

There are other Christians, the majority in my experience, who follow the teachings of Jacob Arminius, a Dutch theologian whose views became the basis of Arminianism, who believe the first and third statements to be true, so challenge the second statement.

They believe that God wants to save everyone (statement 1),
but God does not achieve what He wants because He has given people freewill which can override His will (modified statement 2),
so those who choose not to be saved will be lost forever (statement 3)

Notice that statement 3 (unbelievers will be lost forever) is always held to be true regardless of which Christian group anyone belongs to.
It is the only non-negotiable belief in the vast majority of Christendom, so other beliefs have to be adjusted to accommodate it.

Yet for me, this is the statement that needs to be challenged.
Not because I don't like it (although that is true), but because it is not what the Bible teaches.
Indeed, the Biblical texts which are used to support statement 3 are not correct translations of the Greek text from which they come.

Let's examine the supporting texts for statement 3 from above.
Firstly John 3 : 36.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
[John 3 : 36  NIV]

If I use a literal translation for this text, I get the following:

He who has faith in the Son has the life of that Age; and the one rejecting the Son will not see (that) life, but God's ire rests upon him.
[John 3 : 36  DBH]
He who is believing in the Son has life eonian, yet he who is stubborn as to the Son shall not be seeing (that) life, but the indignation of God is remaining on him.
[John 3 : 36  CLV]
he who is believing in the Son, hath life age-during; and he who is not believing the Son, shall not see (that) life, but the wrath of God doth remain upon him.
[John 3 : 36  YLT]

The literal translations show that eternal life is NOT being addressed in this verse (and verses like it), but life in the Age, life in the millennial Kingdom.

Secondly 2 Thessalonians 1: 8, 9.

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 
[2 Thess 1 : 8, 9  NIV]

If I use a literal translation for this text, those not seeing life in that Age are:

... those who do not know God and do not heed the good tidings of our Lord Jesus - who will pay the just reparation of ruin in the Age, coming from the face of the Lord and the glory of his might
[2 Thess 1 : 8, 9  DBH]
... those who are not acquainted with God and those who are not obeying the evangel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall incur the justice of eonian extermination from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of His strength
[ 2 Thess 1 :8, 9  CLV]
... those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall suffer justice — destruction age-during — from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength,
[2 Thess 1 : 8, 9  YLT]

Again, missing out on life in the Millennium in the Lord's presence is the loss worn by unbelievers. It is not eternal destruction.

It is only believers who have been chosen to live and rule with Christ during the age of the millennium kingdom.

However, the unbelievers, who have not been chosen for that role and responsibility, will be raised at the consummation of the ages when death is destroyed (1 Corinthians 15 : 26) and God becomes "everything to everyone" (1 Cor 15 : 28) so that God's plan "to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ" (Ephesians 1 : 10) is completed.

To help convey the correctly translated Scriptures supporting statement 3, I would re-word it so that the set, as a whole, becomes consistent.

Here's the result:
Statement 1 - God wants to save all people. (agreed - it's a good summation of its supporting texts)
Statement 2 - God is all powerful, so always gets what He wants. (agreed - it's a good summation of its supporting texts)
Statement 3 - Unbelievers will not see the millennial kingdom. (agreed - it's a good summation of its correctly translated supporting texts)

Blessings, Barry

The idea for this BLOG was inspired by the theological and philosophical discussions of Thomas Talbott, Professor of Philosophy in USA, in his book "The Inescapable Love of God" published in 1999, and referenced by Gregory MacDonald in his book "The Evangelical Universalist" in 2006. (Gregory MacDonald is a pseudonym for Robin Parry, Professor of Systematic Theology in USA.)

A Step On The Way

Because this Blog is centred around God's extravagant grace, most of the posts touch on some aspect of the eventual, universal, reconciliation of mankind to God; which fulfills God's role as the Saviour of the world. (1 Tim 4 : 10)
Today's post highlights the salvation of Israel, a step on the way to the salvation of the world.

There are many references to this event in the Old Testament, like Psalm 130 : 8 and Psalm 103 : 2 - 3, together with King David's confidence of his expectation to be "dwelling in the house of the Lord for ever" in Psalm 23.

In the New Testament, the most descriptive mention of this event is in Romans 11, just after Paul illustrates God's faith community using his wonderful Olive Tree allegory.
He tells us that although Israel has stumbled, she will not be rejected, nor has she fallen beyond recovery.
In fact, God has used her stumbling to bring salvation to the Gentile, the non-Jewish, nations in order to make Israel envious or jealous.

Paul then says ...

"Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way, all Israel will be saved."

So Israel will be saved after the full number of Gentiles has come in.

Come in to what?
The context of Romans 11 is the Body of Christ, the disciples or followers of Jesus, part of God's faith community that is illustrated by an olive tree.
So when the Body of Christ is complete, then all Israel will be saved.

(Paul is not talking here about the salvation of the world at the end of time, at the consummation of the ages. 
He is talking about the Body of Christ, the Church, the believers who are chosen as a first group, before the kingdom ages begin, for life and administration responsibilities in those coming ages.)

And we are living in the era or age when the Body of Christ is being filled; so at the end of this age, when this filling is completed, all Israel will be saved.
Looking at the world situation, and the Middle East in particular, it is difficult to imagine how this event might happen.
I certainly don't know *how* it will happen: all I know is that it will - because God's Word has declared it. And even that is a strain for many people.

Let me illustrate.
Suppose a mother says to her child, "You will be in bed by 7.30 pm.".
The child starts thinking, "How does she know that? There's no way that's going to happen. I still haven't finished my homework, I haven't fed the dog yet, or cleaned my teeth."
So how does mother know?
She knows because she has previously made that decision and will make sure that it happens.

So how does God know that all Israel will be saved?
He knows because he has previously made that decision and will make sure that it happens.

We have a role to play in completing the Body of Christ. That's one of the reasons we have been called, chosen early, before the rest of the world who will come to God later.

One aspect of that role is sharing the good news that God loves us and does not count our sins against us - because Jesus has already died for the sins of the world.
When we share God's good news, others who have been chosen to complete the Body of Christ will hear it, be given the faith to believe it, be drawn to Christ and added to his Body - in the same way we were.

Each time that happens the Body of Christ will get that bit nearer to completion and Israel's salvation will be that bit nearer too.

When all Israel are saved, the next part of God's plan for his creation, the kingdom ages, will commence with the Olive Tree having administration responsibilities that we are currently in training for.

Blessings, Barry

Eternal Life is Not on Offer

At the beginning of Chapter 5 in "The Really Good News About God" I mention preachers who ask their congregations, "Where will you spend eternity?"- a question designed to prepare the audience for a "fake news" promotion.

If those preachers understood that Jesus died for the sins of the world (1 John 2 : 2), 
that God is the Saviour of the world (1 Timothy 4 : 10),
that Jesus came to save the world (John 3 : 17) and
that God no longer holds people's sins against them (2 Corinthians 5 : 19),
then they would not ask such a silly question. 

They should all just know the answer: we'll all be together with God.
Eternal life is a given for everyone because of what Jesus achieved on the cross.

An interesting way of saying this is : If you are a descendant of Adam, then you have eternal life.
Really?
Yes, 1 Corinthians 15 : 22 says, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."
(Beware of people, including some translators, who change the order of the words in this verse to support their claim that not all who die because of Adam will be made alive because of Christ.)
I like using the CEV version of this verse, because it makes the order of the words harder to change,  "Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us."

For many people this will not happen until the conclusion of the ages.
They will live their life on this planet giving God no consideration at all, will die, will remain asleep until the resurrection at the end of the realm of time, when, among other things, death is abolished and only life remains - eternal life with God.

Now, about this fake news or fake sales promotion.
Preachers who are trying to sell "eternal life" are trying to promote something to people they already have.
"You need to confess your sins, you need to repent, you need to be baptised, you need to join our church, you need to ... and you will be saved, get eternal life," is a frequent line of approach.
But the fact is: we don't need to do anything now to get eternal life - it's a done deal, for all descendants of Adam.

So what justification is there for preachers to offer eternal life to people?
Unfortunately, poor translation of our English Bibles.
Most of our popular translations of the New Testament mention eternal life 42 times which gives preachers the Biblical backing for asking their question.
However in all of those 42 occasions, the underlying Greek word is aionian, which means "belonging to/during the eon or age", not "eternal". **

For example, look at 2 Peter 1 : 11 from two popular translations (ESV and NIV) and two literal translations (YLT and CLV).

• For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (ESV)
• and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NIV)

• for so, richly shall be superadded to you the entrance into the age-during reign of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (YLT)
• For thus will be richly supplied to you the entrance into the eonian kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (CLV)

Given that Jesus is going to hand over His kingdom to the Father at the end of the ages (1 Cor 15 : 24), it is impossible for His kingdom to be eternal, just age-during or eonian, showing how obvious is the translation error in our popular translations.

So the offer really being made is for eonian life, life during the ages, life in the kingdom of Christ, life in the Body of Christ during the remaining eons, and not having to wait till the end of the ages when all will receive eternal life.

So what about those verses that say you have to be a believer to have eternal life?
Correctly translated, they are saying you have to be a believer to be in the Body of Christ, to have life and rule with Christ through the coming ages.
And what a blessing that will be!

Blessings, Barry

 ** To read more about this wrongly translated word, go to our webpage at www.ibtechservices.com.au, enter Main Website, click on The Bible image, click Bible Background, click on Translations, and read about Nouns and Their Adjectives.

How Will We Look in the Millennium? - Part 2

In our previous post, we noted two different resurrection bodies of Jesus.
One looked quite human and one looked very celestial.
The human-looking one was worn by Jesus when he was on earth after his resurrection and the other was worn by Jesus after his ascension to heaven.

So what body we have probably depends on where we will be ruling with Jesus in the millennium.
If on earth, then with a human-looking body like the resurrected Jesus on earth: if in heaven, then with the celestial body like the resurrected Jesus from heaven.

So where will we be in the millennium?

My guess about where we will be and therefore what bodies we will have in the millennium is influenced by another guess that I am currently investigating.
I am guessing (and trying to establish) that redeemed Israel will rule on earth while the Body of Christ will rule in the heavens, the celestial realm.

So my current guessing leads to ...
If you are a believer, and therefore a member of the Body of Christ, you will be ruling with Christ in the heavenlies and will therefore have a heavenly body, a celestial one, one like Jesus had when he met Saul on the road to Damascus.

If you belong to redeemed Israel, and therefore a member of the Bride of Christ, you will be ruling the nations with Christ on earth and will have a human-looking body, one like Jesus had when he ate breakfast with his disciples on the seashore.
 
What do you think?
Blessings, Barry

PS 1. If you are an non-Israelite unbeliever, the only category of humankind remaining, you will not be aware of the millennium as you will be asleep until you are resurrected at the consummation of the ages.

PS 2. I promise I'll get back to more faith-building topics next.

How Will We Look in the Millennium?

This post is a thought bubble about our millennium bodies. Hardly an important, faith-building topic, but one that sometimes piques our curiosity.
I haven't delved too deeply into it, nor have I tested it to see if it is consistent throughout Scripture as I usually do before posting. But I wanted to share this thought from left field with you and invite your feedback on a "lighter" subject for a change.

With Easter approaching, I started this thought trip while musing about the resurrected body of Jesus.

Firstly, Jesus kept on just turning up, seeming to arrive from nowhere.

On that same day two of the disciples were walking to Emmaus, a village seven or eight miles from Jerusalem, and were conversing about all these recent events; and, in the midst of their conversation and discussion, Jesus Himself came and joined them, though they were prevented from recognizing Him.  [Luke 24 : 13 - 16 Weymouth]

Secondly, Jesus moved through walls, a bit like sound does, maybe.

It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. "Peace be with you," he said.

A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." [John 20 : 19, 26 GNB]

Thirdly, Jesus looked "normal", having flesh and blood and eating food.

"Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don't have flesh and bones as you see I have."
After Jesus said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.

The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it. Jesus then asked them, "Do you have something to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish. He took it and ate it as they watched. 
[ Luke 24 : 39 - 43 CEV]

But then the resurrected Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus.

When Saul had almost reached Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice that said, "Saul! Saul! Why are you so cruel to me?"
"Who are you?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus," the Lord answered. "I am the one you are so cruel to.  [Acts 9 : 3 - 5 CEV]

Wow, that one's different.
The resurrected Jesus from heaven (after His ascension) looks a bit different to the resurrected Jesus on earth (before his ascension).

Are there any other clues?
What about the glimpse Jesus gave to Peter, James and John in the presence of the "resurrected" Elijah and Moses?

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John (the brother of James) and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone.
Jesus' appearance changed in front of them. His face became as bright as the sun and his clothes as white as light.
Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them and were talking with Jesus. [Matthew 17 : 1 - 3 GW]

And John's frequent reference to Jesus as the Light.

John wasn't that light. He came only to tell about the light. The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. [John 1 : 8 - 9 CEV]

Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, "I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won't be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life." [John 8 : 12 CEV]

"While I am in the world, I am the light for the world." [John 9 : 5 GNB]

Now John says that we, the children of God, will be like Him.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever he is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. [1 John 3 : 2 LEB]

So, if we are going to be like Him, which Jesus will we look like?

I will continue this thought bubble in the next post (after Easter).
In the meantime, what are your thoughts?

Blessings, Barry

The Parable of the Local Football Match

To ensure there was a good crowd for the opening match of the season, the coach of a local football team was authorised to give tickets to every person who lived in their small country town.

In addition, he gave gold passes to those who were his close friends, which entitled them to attend the pre-match lunch in the clubrooms with club officials and the players involved in the match.

So everyone in the town got to enjoy the first match of the year, and there was a special treat beforehand for the coach's close friends.

Sounds a bit like what God has in store for His creation, doesn't it?

We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, and especially of those who believe. [1 Timothy 4 : 10 NIV]

All of creation gets to enjoy eternity (the match) with God, but the friends of the Coach (believers - members of the Body of Christ) get to enjoy the pre-eternity ages with Him.

And just as the coach's friends were chosen by the coach well before the day of the match, so believers (members of the Body of Christ) have been chosen well before eternity, even before the ages began.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ. [ Ephesians 1 : 4, 5 NIV]

How exciting is that?
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the world, you have been chosen before the creation of the world to be adopted into sonship.
Indeed, you weren't chosen because you believed, you were given belief (faith) because you were chosen.

Just like these Gentiles ...

The Gentiles listened with delight and extolled the Lord's Message; and all who were pre-destined to the Life of the Ages believed.
[Acts 13 : 48 Weymouth]

We are very privileged people. But we also have great responsibility, not only in the now, but also in those pre-eternity ages - yes, we have been chosen for a purpose.

In the now ...

God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.  [Ephesians 2 : 10 GNB]

In the pre-eternity ages ...

... and did raise us up together, and did seat us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that He might show, in the ages that are coming, the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, [Ephesians 2 : 6, 7 YLT]

Doesn't that excite you? Chosen for ministry on earth now and ministry in the heavens in the coming ages. I don't feel as if I can stop writing about this at the moment. But I must. Just one more verse...

Do you not know that we shall judge the angels? How much more, then, the things of this life!  [1 Corinthians 6 : 3 GNB]

Blessings, Barry

PS. I am not tempted to de-gender "sonship" in the Ephesians 1 quote above because to do so would lose so much of Paul's thrust here. "Adoption to sonship" is a legal expression that referred to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in the Roman culture of his time. So Paul is saying that believers have full legal standing as adopted sons (I call them male sons and female sons) and heirs with Christ in God's family.

What About John 3 : 36 ?

Several years ago, I posted "Jottings from John" on the blog, which included several verses that described God's inclusive and universal plan to save all his creation through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Today let's discuss John 3 : 36, a verse usually promoted to disprove this plan.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them. [NIV]

As usual, I need to challenge the translation of the Greek "aionian" into the English "eternal" and replace "eternal life" by "life in the ages". I will also add "this" to help link the second reference to this life later in the verse.
So my adjusted NIV translation becomes ...

Whoever believes in the Son has life in the ages, but whoever rejects the Son will not see this life, for God's wrath remains on them. [BV]

which is not far from the Young's Literal Translation ...

He who is believing in the Son, has life age-during; and he who is not believing the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God does remain upon him. [YLT]

So we see that this verse is not referring to the eventual outcome of God's plan, with many of his creation lost forever, but to the kingdom stage where only those chosen to believe in the ages (during the realm of time) will be experiencing life, while the others not seeing life until the consummation of the ages.

And this conclusion is consistent with what John said earlier in Chapter 3 (verse 17) ...

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [NIV]

I am much more comfortable believing our God of love and mercy will fully achieve his purpose for the world than believing many of his creation will overturn his plans for them through their current unbelief.

Blessings, Barry

The Cancer Parable

Those who have been following our family cancer journey will know that for several months I have been researching alternative treatments that might kill and/or prevent cancer.

One of the things I have learned is that cancer cells cannot survive in an alkaline environment, while healthy cells flourish.
These destructive little cancer critters are themselves destroyed when the body they are invading is alkaline - has a PH somewhat above 7.

So Darrell, who has had his third case of brain cancer in less than 10 months, is working at maintaining his PH at 8 or 9, a level which is about 50 or 60 times more alkaline than it normally is.
If the science we have been reading is correct, Darrell's cancer cells (and any other unwelcome products of an acidic environment) should be killed in this environment and expelled from his body.

I have also been thinking a lot about the kingdom of God lately, and how we can live successfully as participants in it.
And I've been noticing an interesting parallel with my cancer research.

If the Scriptures are correct, being filled with the Holy Spirit also produces two outcomes.
Firstly, the sin/worldliness in us is killed and expelled from our lives and ministry, as evil cannot survive in a spirit-filled environment.
Secondly, the good/Godliness already in us is enriched and empowered to be even more effective in kingdom duties and responsibilities.

So just as Darrell is working to keep his body more alkaline to rid his body of unwanted nasties and to enrich his healthy cells and organs, we need to work at keeping ourselves more spiritually saturated and Christ-oriented to rid ourselves of the nasties that compromise our witness as followers of Jesus and to make us more responsible and productive members of Christ's kingdom.

Blessings, Barry

That Wonderful Verse ... again

1 Timothy 4 :10 is a great verse, one of my favourites.  I don't think I have blogged about it for a couple of years, so please indulge me.

Paul says in writing to Timothy ...

"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."

So often I am told that the bit that comes after the last comma is a denial of the bit that comes before it, so the verse "clearly" says that only believers will be saved.

I confess that I am only a mathematician, but my English grammar skills are good enough to see how ridiculous that sort of interpretation is.

I say to anyone who will listen ...
"I love icecream, especially when it's chocolate coated."
Am I saying that I only like chocolate coated icecream? 
Of course not! 
I am just saying that I like chocolate coated icecreams best.

I have a friend who is mad keen on Holdens and thinks they are all "nice" cars, especially the Calais models.
Is he saying he only likes the Calais models? 
Of course not! 
But there is something special about those models that really appeals to him.

So what is Paul saying in his salvation statement to Timothy?
God saves all people, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, and will be given timeless life at the end of the ages. 
Believers have something extra, something special.  
They are given their life now, during the ages, starting from the time they are given the faith to believe, so they can play their part with God in implementing his plan for the ages.

Aren't we so privileged to have been given faith in our lifetime on this planet?  We have been chosen NOW.
And doesn't that give us a huge responsibility?  
We have "ruling" or kingdom work to do now, and in the age to come.  We have been chosen to partner with God in implementing his plan to bring salvation to all.

And linking this thought with yesterday's kingdom ruling thoughts ..... to be ruling WITH and FOR him means he needs to be ruling IN us.

Blessings to all you chosen, wonderful bloggers, 
Barry

The Kitchen Sink

One of the mysteries of the Christian faith that many find difficult to understand is how we can be IN Christ and, at the same time, Christ can be IN us.
The Bible declares both these situations to be true.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
[Romans 8 : 1]

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
[Colossians 1 : 27]

A simple illustration in our familiar physical world will help us understand this spiritual reality.
Suppose you fill your kitchen sink with water and then place a cup into it.
Is the cup in the water or is the water in the cup?
Unless you live in a different world than I, you would have to answer 'yes' and 'yes.' 
Both are true and at the same time.  When you immerse a cup in the water, water fills the cup.
When we are immersed in Christ, we are filled with him at the same time.

I was reminded of this illustration early this morning when I was awoken for a two hour lesson on the kingdom of God.  (It's obvious God lives in the timeless realm of eternity and doesn't realise I should still be asleep at 4 am - LOL)
Bottom line: 
Being in the KOG means ruling with and for God
AND
being ruled by God at the same time. 
(me being in the water means the water being in me)

I can't be ruling for God if I am not being ruled by God !!

Simon the Sorcerer had this pointed out to him by Philip as I mentioned yesterday, and that was the conclusion God reached in his lesson to me early this morning.

I found that both helpful and challenging.  Isn't that usually the way with God?
Blessings, Barry

Trusting God

Although I finished writing Chapter 2 a long time ago, I am far from finished learning about the sovereignty of God.

One of my "side" studies recently has been about the kingdom of God, and I have been asking the Lord to show me if the kingdom (the millennium) has already commenced or is still in the future.

In the process of this investigation I have been considering the position that the kingdom of God is not a physical thing to be set up somewhere, sometime, but is God's rule in the hearts of people who are committed to him and who trust him.  And it is this kingdom that will spread and cover the earth "as the waters cover the sea" as all people are eventually reconciled to God.

An application of this definition of the kingdom is our willingness to be content with whatever God sends us - good or bad - because of our willingness to trust God's love and sovereignty.
Indeed it could be a good test of whether we are "in the kingdom" or not.  To be worried about anything suggests we are not trusting God in that thing.  And I am so guilty of that - not trusting that God is sovereign in ALL my circumstances.

God loves me and will never send me wrong things.  They may be things I do not like, be extremely unpleasant or cause great hardship, but they are never wrong if they come from a loving God who only wants the best for me and is planning to make me Christ-like.

Whatever God sends me will be beneficial - if I allow it to do the thing God designed it to do.
Remember my translation of 1 Cor 10 : 13 that I shared a couple of months ago?

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide the planned outcome (or sequel) so that you can endure it. [BSV]

It is becoming a key verse in my life.

The greatest evil ever was the murder of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son.  
But look at the benefit to the whole world that evil brought!

Hope you're learning to trust God in ALL things quicker than I am.
Blessings, Barry

Kingdom vs Salvation

I have possibly discussed this here before, but Rog raised the question in his comment this morning on the Willy Wonka post (20th April), so I'll address this topic here.

As mentioned in my short reply there, I still have so many unanswered questions about the kingdom.

•     What is the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven (if any)?
•     When is the kingdom in operation - now or the future or both?
•     Who are its leaders, who are its citizens without leadership roles?
•     Is it physical or spiritual, or both?
•     Does national (redeemed) Israel have a special role?

And I could go on.........

Of course Rog is correct about salvation. 
We will all "get there" in the end because God will make sure he gets what he desires.
He has chosen to redeem us all and THE Sovereign of the universe gets whatever he decrees.
(We've discussed this several times, the book is full of it, and 1 Timothy 2 : 4 - 6 sums it up well.)

Now let me share some of my (current) thoughts on the kingdom.........
The kingdom is for those who have been chosen to believe in this age.
They have been given life in the age and are the first to be saved, a kind of first fruits of the total harvest of souls.
(Many loose translations call this life 'eternal life', but the original clearly is talking about 'eonian life' or life in the age or ages.)

The leaders (co-rulers, administrators, managers,  vice-regents) in the kingdom are those who have used their chosen position to prepare themselves for these roles.
They are variously called
    victorious, see Revelation 2 : 10;  2: 26 - 27;  3 : 21
    faithful,  see Matthew 25 : 14 - 30;  Luke 12 : 12 - 27

So I think the Willy Wonka movie is demonstrating how Satan, as an employee of God, provides the trials and tests over which we have the choice to be victorious, to be faithful, or NOT.
Only Charlie valued his everlasting gobstopper and stayed true to Wonka's requirements, regardless of the tests Slugworth provided, and was thus rewarded with the chocolate factory.
Charlie inherited Wonka's Chocolate kingdom.

Similarly, those who have built works that withstand God's fiery inspection will earn the reward of a position as co-ruler with Christ in the kingdom (the reward is NOT salvation) .
See 1 Cor 3 :  10 - 15 for reward conditions of those whose foundation is Christ.
See also Rev 19 : 7 - 8 indicating that it is the bride's efforts that make her ready to share the throne with her bridegroom.

Salvation is a gift for all eventually. 
The order we are chosen to receive it is entirely up to God, as all gifts are given in the timing of the giver.

Kingdom rulership is awarded to those who have already been given the gift of salvation and who have prepared themselves for a leadership role.

Salvation is a gift; 

ruling in the kingdom is a reward.

What do you think?
Would love to hear from you here on the blog.
Blessings, Barry

Willy Wonka

Have you ever seen the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?"
Yes?  How long ago?
Do you remember the closing scenes in the 1971 version (with Gene Wilder playing Wonka)?

Grandpa Joe and Charlie Bucket are meeting with Willy Wonka in Wonka's office (where everything is cut in half).

During the previous tour of the factory, each of the children had been given an everlasting gobstopper as a gift from Wonka on condition that they not give it away.
Grandpa, in his anger, threatens to give Charlie's gobstopper to Slugworth, the character who had been so desperate and cunning in trying to get hold of one to duplicate.
Instead, Charlie places his gobstopper on Willy's desk.

Willy excitedly bursts out with ....
"So shines a good deed in a weary world. 
Charlie . . . my boy . . . You won!  You did it!  You did it! 
I knew you would; I just knew you would. 
Oh, Charlie, forgive me for putting you through this.  Please, forgive me. 
Come in, Mr Wilkinson. 
Charlie, meet Mr Wilkinson."

As Mr Wilkinson enters, Charlie immediately recognises him and exclaims, "Slugworth!".
"No, no, that's not Slugworth.  He works for me," replies Willy.
"For you?"
"I had to test you, Charlie.  And you passed the test. You won!" announces Willy.
"Won what?" asks Grandpa Joe.
"The jackpot, my dear sir, the grand and glorious jackpot."
"The chocolate?" asks Charlie.
"The chocolate, yes, the chocolate, but that's just the beginning."

Charlie's disobedience in drinking the fizzy lifting drink was not counted against him.  Because he had clung to his everlasting gobstopper and had not betrayed Wonka, he was given chocolate for life AND inherited the chocolate factory as well.

Willy had used one of his employees (Mr Wilkinson portrayed as Slugworth up until now) to help him sort out who would be worthy to win this prize and to run the factory the way he desired.

Isn't this just like God in the Job story - and so many of our stories?

In God's realm, Satan is no more than one of God's employees. 
God uses him to determine how we react to the thoughts and temptations that are whispered into our ears.
Those who pass the test, and hold on to their everlasting gobstopper, not only get the chocolate (life in the age) but inherit the factory (the kingdom) as well.
The Bible calls these the overcomers.

Clearly, both God and his employees (including Satan) play for the same team, with God as the captain.
God is truly sovereign over all.

It's amazing how many Biblical themes are lurking in unexpected places - even in Hollywood movies.
Blessings, Barry