Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

What is this Gospel which Paul bears witness to? Many have assumed to know and have used the passage of scripture in John 3:16 to base their Religious faith on, not knowing the Truth, which is far from this passage, though it is indeed part of it. Just as our being given the right to become sons (children) of God which is first realized in our Redemption, it to is only part of the overall plan and purpose of God, hidden in His Will. The Gospel of Christ's resurrection and rebirth in mans soul is found both in Romans10:5-13 and 1Corinthians15:1-8 when both are heard and then received in spirit and Truth. This Gosple is what Paul said was hidden in the OT scriptures and came to Life both in and then through Christ. Lesson to it again: to make you a minister and a witness both of these things which you have seen, and of those things in the which I will appear to you; now I send you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to Light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.” This being said, I will now turn to the warnings of Paul that are found in his many Epistles, but I will begin with the book of persuasion to the faltering Hebrew believers. Those who first chose to receive the LORD as their Messiah and then to forsake all others as required by the law of Love and Faith. This letter was written before all others, the next one I feel is Romans because it follows closely in the pattern of Hebrews. Paul uses such terms as I beseech you, bewares of and many other such terms to warn against our being over taken by vain things or to return to our former ways life. All of which is found in the religious spiritual idolatry and fornication's of our time, by use of habit and the not rightly dividing of God's Word and Will. Both of which equate to His divine and royal law.

Our First Warning
to take heed to what the Lord Jesus Reveals
Hebrews 2:1-4 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels (in the OT it was usually the Son manifested who was both heard and seen as an angel because of His angelic likeness of form) was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at first was began to be spoken by the Lord, and is confirmed to us by them that heard Him; God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own Will? (Hebrews 2:1-18)
The writer then expounds on Christ Jesus as the Son of man being greater than both the angles though He came for a short time a little lower than the angels as a man. And is greater than Moses.

The Second Warning
not to come short of the promised Rest
Hebrews 3:7-11, 12-15, 16-19 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost said, To day if you will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted Me, to prove Me, and saw My works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known My ways. So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest.) (Hebrews 3:7-4:13; look at Joshua 23:11-16) 
 
We just saw how Israel failed.

Take heed, lest there be in any of you an evil (callous, as in having a bad nature, evil wicked) heart* of unbelief, in departing from the Living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (I could say sins Religion here). For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end; While it is said, To day if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. 
 
We here hear of our need for perseverance in our partaking of Christ's Spirit.

For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom swore He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

This was Israel's fault and is the same for many in our own day, because unwittingly they to walk in unbelief and disobedience.

The Third Warning
against sloth and apostasy

Hebrews 5:11-14 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, *seeing you are dull of hearing.(this is the outcome of having a calloused heart) For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that uses milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:11-6:20; Isaiah 6:10; 1Cor. 2:6-8, 14-15, Phil. 1:9-10)

Here is the difference between the slothful and the mature or perfected.   

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