Making the Case That the Pre-Tribulation Rapture Is Biblical

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Bible Prophecy

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Bride of Christ, catching up, God's Fury, God's wrath, harm's way, harpazo, mid-Trib, persecution, post-Trib, pre-Trib, rapture, Seal and Trumpet judgments, snatching out, The Flood, Time of Jacob's Trouble

‘In time, throughout that land,’ says Adonai, ‘two-thirds of those in it will be destroyed — they will die, but one-third will remain. That third part I will bring through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined, I will test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is my people’ and they will say, ‘Adonai is my God.’ ~ Zechariah 13:8-9, CJB

For God has not intended that we should experience his fury, but that we should gain deliverance through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who died on our behalf so that whether we are alive or dead, we may live along with him. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, CJB

Because you did obey my message about persevering, I will keep you from the time of trial coming upon the whole world to put the people living on earth to the test. I am coming soon; hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. ~ Revelation 3:10-11, CJB

It boggles the mind how so many people who say they are born again, saved, and being sanctified believers in Christ Jesus also could say that the alive Bride of Christ members will be in the Tribulation Period. It is hard to understand how they could believe that God doesn’t say in His Word that the Lord’s Bride will ESCAPE the Tribulation Period.

These non-pre-Trib Rapture believers argue that if the early Christians suffered persecution, and if Christians today in various places on this Earth also are suffering persecution, just because they are Christians, then that proves that God will NOT remove the Bride of Christ off this Earth so that these believers won’t have to experience the Tribulation Period. Then too, even though the Scriptures are very clear that the genuine Bride of Christ ALREADY has been purified solely by the complete work Christ Jesus did on the Cross, there are so many non-pre-Trib Rapture believers who still think that the Tribulation Period is for purifying Jesus Christ’s Bride—they still believe that His Bride has to endure the Antichrist’s wrath and the Seal, Trumpet, and Bowl judgments before She can become holy and righteous enough to enter Heaven. Say what?

If any of the above claim concerning the Bride of Christ being purified in the Tribulation Period were true, then that would mean that Christ Jesus died for NOTHING, especially if believers’ own shed blood, as a result of their persecution, could purify them and make them holy and righteous enough to enter Heaven! For sure, the Scriptures are very clear. Only the blood of Christ Jesus can purify/cleanse sinners and present them before God as justified, holy, and righteous men and women.

Furthermore, many non-pre-Trib Rapture believers think that pre-Trib Rapture individuals are escapists who are just trying to avoid persecution and/or any kind of trouble. This appeal to the flesh or the desire to feel comforted, thus, supposedly is the reason why the pre-Trib Rapture lie originally started. Nonsense, because even if pre-Trib believers don’t want to go through the Tribulation Period, globally many of them still are experiencing plenty of persecution or tribulation (great trouble or substantial suffering), and some of them more frequently and profoundly than others.

Now, one of the reasons why non-pre-Trib believers’ arguments are fallacious is that most of the people who either are making one, or two, or all of the above claims are American Christians, the majority of which, to date, have not and are not suffering any physical persecution. Secondly, Christ Jesus prophesies that there would be much persecution in this world, especially in the last days and end times, which is why this world’s current rising tide of persecution eventually will affect ALL believers worldwide, to some extent. Thirdly, what Christ Jesus also prophesies is that the persecution mankind and demonic forces commit on this Earth IN NO WAY will measure up to God’s Wrath or Fury, which He will pour out on this entire Earth. In other words, the Lord is saying that ALL of the persecution Christians have suffered from the first century A.D., and forward, down to this present century, will not compare to the suffering that happens during the seven year Tribulation Period—during Jacob’s Trouble. That suffering will be unprecedented, so much so that the Lord says:

Indeed, if the length of this time had not been limited, no one would survive; but for the sake of those who have been chosen, its length will be limited. ~ Matthew 24:22, CJB

For this last reason, believers must keep in mind that during the Tribulation Period (Jacob’s Trouble), two-thirds of the Jewish people living in Israel will perish (cf. Zechariah 13:8-9), leaving only that Jewish remnant the Antichrist/Dragon follows to the mountains/hills to kill (cf. Matthew 24:15-16; Revelation 12:17). Additionally, believers also should keep in mind that the Scriptures declare that, between the 4th Seal judgment and the 6th Trumpet judgment, over one-half of the world’s total population will have died during the Tribulation Period (see Revelation 6:8 [1/4 dies] and Revelation 9:13-18 [1/3 dies]). These two amounts of human deaths equal 58.33% of the world’s total population, and the Bowl judgments haven’t even begun yet!

If so many people (the Bride of Christ members, disbelievers, and unbelievers) will be dying throughout the Tribulation Period, then how is Christ Jesus keeping His promise to deliver/save/keep His true Bride from God’s Wrath (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; Revelation 3:10-11), if they aren’t Raptured until mid-Trib or, even worse, post-Trib? Isn’t it Christ Jesus Himself who sends the angelic messenger to the “church” in Philadelphia of Asia Minor (the Asian part of Turkey) to let the believers in that “church” know that because they have patiently and steadily been faithful and obedient disciples, He (Christ Jesus) would save them from the future mandatory testing that would expose the kinds of persons the people dwelling on the Earth really are? Thus, it should be clear that these Tribulation Earth dwellers the Lord speaks about are not His true Christians—they are not members of the Bride of Christ—but rather they are individuals who have rebelled (sinned) against God and refused to accept the Divine Truth in His Word.

Most important, EXCEPT for the holy and righteous Christ Jesus, upon whom God poured out ALL of His Wrath against sin, where in the Scriptures can it be found that God ever poured out even just an ounce of His Wrath on His righteous people? Again, even if the Rapture of the Bride of Christ happens at mid-Trib, that would mean that the righteous would experience some of God’s Wrath, both from the Antichrist’s persecution and from God’s Seal and Trumpet judgments!

Right here, it is necessary to note the difference between tribulation and wrath. Tribulation is the unrighteous persecution of believers by unbelievers. Put differently, tribulation is persecution directed at believers. In contrast, wrath is the righteous punishment of God poured out on those who reject Him. In other words, the Wrath of God is His judgment directed at the unrighteous!

By the way, one of the methods Father God uses during the Tribulation Period, when He is pouring out His Fury upon His chosen unbelieving Jewish people and the disbelieving and unbelieving Gentiles, is the Antichrist’s persecution. Although the individuals who become first-time Christians, and those who become truer Christians, during the Tribulation Period, to some degree, will all experience the Antichrist’s persecution, his persecution chiefly will be only part of God’s Wrath, which is meant for Israel and everyone else who rejected God’s preferred Salvation Plan—rejected Jesus the Christ. In a nutshell, the Antichrist and his persecution will be an instrument of God’s Wrath! Furthermore, using the Antichrist to judge and punish Israel is not the first time, in Israel’s long history, that God has decided to use the enemies of Israel to examine and correct His chosen Jewish people!

Back to the mid-Trib Rapture beliefs, wouldn’t those believers who are snatched off the Earth at mid-Trib also be ESCAPING—aren’t they avoiding the most horrific parts of God’s Wrath, since the Word of God describes His Wrath as increasing in intensity and frequency throughout the Tribulation Period, and since the Bowl judgments, which begin during the second half of the Tribulation Period, are the worst of God’s Wrath? So how would believers in a mid-Trib Rapture of the Bride of Christ not be escapists, as well?

Then too, if only those alive believers at the end of the Tribulation Period are snatched off the Earth at post-Trib, right before or at the Lord’s bodily return (His Second Coming), then when do the dead in Christ Jesus get caught up? The apostle Paul clearly says that the Rapture of the Bride of Christ consists of the dead in Christ Jesus, who would rise first, and then those believers who are alive in Christ Jesus would be caught up (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). Additionally, since the angels also don’t resurrect the dead in Christ Jesus before gathering the people from all of the Earth for judgment, at least the Word of God doesn’t say that the angels resurrect the dead in Christ Jesus at this time, how could the Rapture of the Bride of Christ happen at post-Trib, if the dead in Christ aren’t even mentioned in any of the so-called post-Trib Rapture Scriptures?

Lastly, why would Christ Jesus Rapture His Bride at post-Trib and then immediately bring them back to the Earth so that they could be gathered again from the four corners of the Earth, once the Great Tribulation has ended? Aren’t His saints (the Bride who is wearing white linen—see Revelation 19:6-8, 11-16; Zechariah 14:5b)—returning from Heaven with Him? So why would His Bride, the armies of heaven clothed in white linen, need to be gathered again for judgment? Doesn’t the Bride of Christ stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ Jesus, which is in Heaven? Also, why would the Bride of Christ need to be separated from the goats and tares? Would not the Bride already be separated from them, by virtue of the Rapture?

The Bride of Christ, thus, is not coming back with the Lord, during His bodily return or Second Coming, which also is believed to be The Day of Judgment (see Zechariah 14:1-5) , just to be gathered, separated, and judged all over again. Obviously the post-Trib Rapture belief is the reason why there is no way that the end of the Tribulation Period gathering, which by the way is done by the angels and NOT by Christ Jesus, refers to the gathering of anyone who is NOT a Tribulation survivor, as the Tribulation’s survivors ONLY are those individuals who were never Raptured (the surviving Tribulation sheep and goats/wheat and tares).

In contrast, the gathering of the saints (the Rapture of the Bride of Christ), or the snatching out of harm’s way (the catching up of the Bride of Christ), which Christ Jesus does Himself, means that this harpazo must happen before the seven year Tribulation Period ever begins, since the Tribulation Period absolutely classifies as the worst kind of “harm’s way”! Once again, it is the apostle Paul who declares not only to the Thessalonians but also to the Romans and Ephesians that the Bride of Christ (every genuinely born again, saved, being sanctified, prepared, faithful, and obedient believer) IS NOT going to experience God’s Wrath (Jacob’s Trouble; the Tribulation Period; see Romans 5:9; Ephesians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Honestly, if the purpose of “the hour of trial/temptation” (see Revelation 3:10) is to expose the kinds of persons the people dwelling on the Earth are, what would God be exposing about the true Bride of Christ, whose spirit or heart already has been born again from above and already has received its new nature, and whose whole spirit, soul, and body are being transformed into the image of Christ? The Bride of Christ already is in the Household of Faith. Each believer already is a child of God. In other words, the Bride of Christ has been made righteous by Grace through Faith in the work Christ Jesus finished while on the Cross. So, again, what is there to expose about Christ Jesus’ Bride? Absolutely nothing!!!

The problem then with far too many believers’ thinking, where the Rapture is concerned, is that they have not understood the difference between God’s Plan of Salvation (deliverance, preservation, safety) for the Bride of Christ—the Raptured saints—and His Plan of Salvation for Israel—the Tribulation saints, which primarily will be the saved Jewish people living in the Promised Land or Israel, at that time. In other words, these saved Jewish people will be the individuals who are experiencing the prophesied Jacob’s Trouble (the Tribulation Period). However, these Tribulation saints also will include the left-behind Jews and Gentiles out of every nation on the Earth. Furthermore, these surviving saved left behinders will be the “elect” people who become purified, sifted like wheat Tribulation believers. More important, they also will be the people who either never accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, prior to the beginning of the Tribulation Period, or, because of their disbelief, disobedience, unfaithfulness, and/or carelessness, they didn’t prepare themselves for the Lord’s Rapture of His alive Bride (cf. Matthew 25:1-13).

The bottom line is that instead of believers in Christ Jesus being divided about when the Rapture of the Bride of Christ will take place, they should spend more time preparing themselves and looking for Christ Jesus’ appearance in the clouds (the Rapture), while leading as many unbelieving Jewish people and unbelieving and/or disbelieving Gentiles to the Lord, as they possibly can. Furthermore, all believers in Christ Jesus should understand that the prophesied Tribulation Period is not going to be anything anyone can plan to survive. In fact, the only way the people in Noah’s day could have prepared for the Flood was to accept what Noah was preaching: It’s going to rain; the rain will flood the Earth, so repent and walk with God!

For sure, just like God, via His Wrath, which manifested as the Flood, destroyed ALL the wicked, unfaithful, disobedient, unbelieving individuals living on the Earth, but spared the righteous, obedient, and faithful Noah and his family, God, via His Wrath, which will manifest as the Tribulation Period, will destroy the wicked, unfaithful, disobedient, unbelieving individuals who are living on the Earth, but will spare the holy, righteous, obedient, and faithful Bride of Christ! There can be doubt that God is NOT going to destroy, via His Wrath, His sons and daughters—not after He has given them the gift of Salvation! This Divine Truth is why it just boggles the mind that any believer could think God would do something like that!

Finally, the spiritual stakes are extremely high! That’s why it is important that everyone who is born again, saved, and being sanctified, who also loves God and the Lord, should do his or her best to share the Gospel with the world’s lost souls NOW, and why each believer in Christ should live a bonafide Christlike life, for the entire world to see so that hopefully countless lost souls will long for Salvation and long to achieve the same kind of Christlike lifestyle.

Please view the below videos on the Rapture, Tribulation and the Great Debate. In these two videos, Andre Hendricks makes the case that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is indeed not only biblical but also the only possible time the Bride of Christ will be removed from the Earth. Be blessed!

The Rapture, Tribulation and the Great Debate, Part 1

The Rapture, Tribulation and the Great Debate, Part 2

Stop Living Your Life Out of Position: You’re Seated with Christ in the Father’s House

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Spiritual

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abandon, abdicate, attitudinal adjustment, carnal or fleshly, desert, destitute condition, elevated, Huios, imprudent, justified, kingly priest, kingship, lost coin, lost sheep, negative attitude, physically lost, physically poor, positioned in Adam, positioned in Christ, priesthood, priestship, prodigal son, reckless, riches of God's Grace, seated in heavenly places, spiritually lost, spiritually poor, spiritually separated, unsaved, wandering

Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he summoned one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ‘Your brother is here,’ he told him, ‘and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him.But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ ‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ~ Luke 15:25-32, HCSB

All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ…. ~ Romans 8:14-17, HCSB

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In loveHe predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved. We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His gracethat He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. ~ Ephesians 1:3-8, HCSB

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ~ Ephesians 2:4-8, HCSB

But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. ~ Ephesians 2:13, HCSB

His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. ~ 2 Peter 1:3-4, HCSB

On the surface, the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son is about God’s unconditional Love and Forgiveness, as well as about God’s redemptive Grace and Mercy. Underneath the surface, however, are many layers of rich meanings. Because the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son is not as cut-and-dried as many Bible teachers would have people to believe, there are way too many truly born again and saved believers in Christ Jesus who have missed the deeper meanings of this parable.

Oh most believers understand why the younger son is described as the prodigal son—the one who, in a carelessly extravagant fashion, wasted his inheritance, but very few of these believers understand that far too many of the world’s born again and saved believers behave just like the prodigal son—just like the son who stayed with his father (see the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32). That’s right! Only a few of today’s believers understand that both sons are prodigals—both sons are reckless and imprudent. Furthermore, since in said parable Christ Jesus is speaking to the proud, judgmental, self-righteous Jewish Pharisees and Scribes, there is no doubt that they (the Jewish Pharisees and Scribes) also would have seen both sons’ behavior as being offensive to their father!

Definitely the younger son does an unspeakable thing—he makes a disrespectful and shocking demand. He asks his father for the inheritance that wouldn’t normally be his, until after his father had died. Basically, because he asks for his inheritance while his father is still alive, the younger son is saying to his father: “I wish you were dead.” Thus, from the start, this younger son’s condition is visibly lost (he’s horribly destitute), so much so that by the time he gets his inheritance and leaves home, there is no denying that, spiritually speaking, he is leaving unsaved (dead spiritually)!

Similarly, the older son also does an unthinkable thing—he accuses his father of treating him unfairly, and he criticizes his father for giving so much of his riches to his wayward son. The older brother also behaves as if he is much better than his younger brother, so his destitute condition also is seen from the start. The older prodigal son’s attitude undoubtedly is extremely negative: he is arrogant, self-righteous, critical, harsh, and domineering. Therefore, he too is lost, even though he stays home (he’s at home and, spiritually speaking, born again and saved, but so out of touch with his father). More important, he’s apparently more concerned with the work he has been doing for his father than he is concerned about the work his father, who represents Father God, already has DONE for him; thus, he is estranged (spiritually separated) because of his attitude.

Put differently, most believers understand that like the first Adam who sinned/rebelled against God, when he recklessly abandoned his condition and position, the younger son in the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son also recklessly abandons his condition and position. Indeed, because of the sin in this younger brother’s life, it takes him running out of his earthly inheritance before he recognizes his life’s destitute condition—it takes becoming financially poor before this young man is forced to realize that as long as he remains in a faraway territory or physically separated from his earthly father, who, as previously mentioned, symbolizes the loving, forgiving, merciful, gracious, and more than abundantly rich heavenly Father God, he (the younger prodigal son) would continue to have no riches, no deliverance, no healing, no hope of reconciliation, and no future glory. In other words, the younger brother now recognizes that he not only is physically poor but also spiritually poor (his destitute condition)! Additionally, he also realizes that he is both physically and spiritually out of position—physically separated from his earthly father and, thus, spiritually separated from his heavenly Father (spiritually dead; spiritually lost).

As for the older prodigal son, once again, most believers fail to recognize or understand that to some degree, like the first Adam, the older brother also recklessly abandons his condition and position! Though the older son stays with his earthly father and continues to help him build up his estate (symbolically, helps Christ Jesus build up God’s Kingdom), by working in the field (laboring in the vineyard as a born again and saved believer, so to speak), inwardly, the older brother is blind to the fact that he too is far away from home (out of position) and blind to the fact that he is also experiencing a destitute condition (unaware that he is spiritually carnal; spiritually immature; spiritually in need of an attitudinal adjustment). In other words, because the older brother isn’t being changed from the inside out—isn’t being changed from his spirit to his soul to his body—so that he could reflect the level of spiritual maturity that he should have been achieving by staying with his father (by being a born again and saved child of God), he ends up displaying a negative attitude (negative thinking and/or feelings)—he is angry, argumentative, arrogant, selfish, unforgiving, and joyless (cf. Luke 15:25-29). Furthermore, his stinking attitude is presented in contrast with his father’s positively sweet-smelling attitude, which is loving, peaceable, gentle, humble, selfless, kind, compassionate, forgiving, and joyful (cf. Luke 15:31-32).

Consequently, the Lord describes the older prodigal son as being disobedient, since he refuses to leave the field and enter back into his father’s house, even though he knows that is his father’s will. There can be no doubt, then, why the father, who comes out to meet his younger son who is returning home (the son who once was dead but now is alive), also has to go back out to meet his older son in the field. He goes to his older son so that he can plead with him to rejoice along with him over his younger brother’s return. The picture here is of God’s born again and saved older son who, because of Christ Jesus’ sacrifice, and because of God’s Grace and the Power of His Holy Spirit, has inherited the Father’s estate—has inherited ALL the riches of God’s Grace, which God has lavished on him—YET he is not behaving like he has inherited his Father’s true Nature (His merciful, gracious, loving, forgiving, holy, righteous character, and so forth). In a nutshell, this older brother is being depicted as someone who neither shows his earthly father nor his earthly brother genuine love, kindness, or compassion, which, spiritually speaking, also means he is treating Father God and His Offspring the same way!

Lastly, this older brother is described as a believer in Christ Jesus who is unfaithful, primarily because he doesn’t understand what he already has inherited. In other words, because he doesn’t have a clue about how rich and blessed he already is, and therefore NEVER utilizes the abundance that always has been at his disposal, his unfaithfulness ends up diminishing the value of the work he has done. The point here is that although he stays with his father (although he never loses his relationship with his father), he has chosen to live spiritually out of position—has chosen to live spiritually estranged from his Father, because he hasn’t chosen to live a Christlike life! The reason why all of these statements are true is that, once again, in the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son, the earthly father symbolizes the heavenly Father, who has given each and every born again and saved son and daughter His Spiritual DNA and lavished on each one of His children ALL of the riches of His Grace!

It is important to note here that neither the younger nor the older brother’s behavior is unique. According to Scriptures, when the first Adam recklessly and imprudently sinned, he also recklessly and imprudently deserted his condition—he lost his God given spiritual DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, along with his God-given Power, Will, spiritual gifts, dominion, and so forth). That is to say, the first Adam immediately was introduced to his destitute condition—he instantly learned that he was spiritually poor. Moreover, when the first Adam also recklessly and imprudently abandoned his priestly and kingly position, he immediately not only outwardly lost his priestly and kingly dominion on Earth but also inwardly his spirit lost its seat in heavenly places. In other words, because of the original sin, Adam became spiritually dead—spiritually separated from God.

Consequently, every person born thereafter of earthy parents has come into this world positioned in Adam and having his same destitute condition. To be exact, every born alive human being immediately receives Adam’s imputed sin nature, which results in an immediate spiritual death. This means that as a lost soul (as a prodigal son whose inner spirit has not been born again and, thus, has not received the gift of Salvation by Grace (by God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense; see 2 Peter 1:3-4) through Faith in Christ Jesus, he or she also neither will have God’s DNA (Divine Nature & Authority) nor His Will, Power, spiritual gifts, and etc. Additionally, because he or she hasn’t received Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior, by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ, this Divine Truth is why every person’s inner spirit also will remain spiritually dead (will be spiritually separated from God). This all means that before each believer could become Christ Jesus’ disciples and Father God’s sons, his or her dead spirit first had to be rejuvenated—first had to be born from above by the Power of the Holy Spirit!

Once believers’ individual destitute condition changes from being spiritually lost sons (spiritually dead, impoverished, lacking, hopeless, hurting, sick, and etc.) to spiritually reborn Sons (or Huios, in the Greek language, which means Father God’s Offspring), this change will mean that at the very moment when the gift of Salvation is received that is when believers also receive Father God’s Spirit of adoption (their heavenly Sonship). Furthermore, because of the Lord’s imputed righteousness (Him making believers’ individual spirit or heart spiritually righteous or justified), these born again and saved believers’ position in Adam (being spiritually separated from God, because of Adam’s imputed unrighteousness or sin nature, which everyone receives at birth) also changes to their position in Christ Jesus.

In essence, because of Christ Jesus’ righteousness, which also is God’s righteousness that believers are accredited with the moment they receive Salvation, they now have been presented as if they had never sinned; they have entered into a royal relationship with God. Their royal relationship means that not only are they His Sons but also His priests and kings. Moreover, they have received eternal life; they have received the indwelling Holy Spirit who subsequently infills them; they have received God’s DNA (His Divine Nature and Authority, as well as His Will and His Power); they have received spiritual gifts; and they have received so much more, all because of God’s GRACE (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense; cf. 2 Peter 1:3-4).

Now even though Christ Jesus’ sacrifice, God’s Grace, and God’s Holy Spirit (Power) have dealt with born again and saved believers’ sin nature that was in their old heart (old spirit), which means their old sin nature no longer can rule them (they no longer can be a slave to sin), because they have died to sin (cf. Romans 6:2; 6; see also Ephesians 4:20-24) and now are free from sin (cf. Romans 6:7), the sad truth is that way too many born again and saved believers’ individual condition remains destitute! Like the older prodigal son, within their souls is a vile attitude—an attitude that is carnal, negative, and rebellious. As a result, too many born again and saved believers live their lives out of position; that is to say, they are NOT living like the priests and kings they have been raised up in Christ Jesus to be.

In other words, where EVERY believer’s condition and his or her position in Christ Jesus are concerned, his or her old nature’s rulership is never the issue. Every born again and saved believer absolutely has been conditioned (reborn) and positioned (justified) in Christ Jesus, which means the Lord has removed EVERY believer’s sins and his or her sin nature from his or her human spirit. Put differently, Christ Jesus’ shed blood didn’t just cover every believer’s sins and sin nature. His shed blood actually eradicated every man and every woman’s sins AND his and her old-man nature (sin nature), and this means that each believer now has a new-man nature—he and she now is a brand new creation. Therefore, the sins he or she might commit, after being born again and saved, are not because his or her reborn spirit has been separated from God again. No, no. What is happening, when a born again and saved believer sins, is that this person is being disobedient and unfaithful to his or her day-to-day relationship with the Lord.

Look at it this way: Even though every believer has a new holy and righteous nature (new heart or new spirit), his or her mind and body haven’t been thoroughly changed (successfully reprogrammed). As a result, he or she still will have some of his or her old wrong and/or sinful values, beliefs, and practices, which need to be transformed. In a nutshell, every believer’s leftover sinful thinking and sinful behavior also must experience a metamorphosis, in order to be rid of the residual stinking thinking and ungodly behavior that, more often than not, have kept him or her from becoming more Christlike.

Until this metamorphic process is completed, many believers’ relationship with the Lord regularly is influenced more by their individual unregenerate, lacking complete reprogramming soul (mind, will, emotions, conscience, affections, personality, desires, imagination, and so forth). Unlike their born-again spirit, which daily is influenced by the indwelling and infilling Holy Spirit, every day their soul is influenced by their body’s external surroundings, primarily everything that stimulates the five senses—everything their body feels, tastes, sees, hears, or smells. Because believers’ soul and body have not become instantly transformed, nor instantly saved, these Divine Truths are why God gave believers His Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit gradually could sanctify or transform believers’ old stinking thinking, old desires, old emotions, old flesh, and so forth, to Christ’s thinking, desires, emotions, and lifestyle.

The point here is that while all believers are protected from eternal judgment/punishment (see Romans 8:1), too many believers’ individual spirit, soul, and body are not becoming wholly sanctified (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23). Because so many believers do not realize that when they were reconciled back to God (justified) they received a brand new identity in Christ Jesus, they spend much of their spiritually born again and saved lives in a condition and a position that do not represent their new identity. From the Lord’s description of the older prodigal son, and from the apostle Paul’s description of believers in the “church” at Corinth, which perhaps is the best example of believers having received their condition and position in Christ Jesus but they aren’t living in accordance with their condition and position, some believers today can see that too many professed born again and saved believers also do not operate in all of the riches of God’s Grace, which He has lavished on them!

For sure, even though the spiritual condition of all believers is perfect (their individual “spirits” are completely holy), instead of them living their day-to-day lives in a Christlike manner, they end up having a relationship with their Father God that is based on their work for Him instead of based on their Love for him (see Luke 15:29); they are quarreling/feuding among themselves (see Luke 15:28-30; 1 Corinthians 1:11); they are carnal or fleshly (see Luke 15:28-30, 1 Corinthians 3:1-3); they are arrogant or puffed up (see Luke 15:28-30, 1 Corinthians 4:18); they are failing to judge the immorality within their fellowship community (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-5), and they are guilty of not holding everyone in their fellowship community accountable, but rather were suing believers in secular courts (see 1 Corinthians 6:7). In essence, like the older prodigal son and the “church” members in Corinth, too many of today’s believers are angry, argumentative, arrogant, selfish, unforgiving, and joyless. Additionally, they neither show their heavenly Father nor His children true Agápe love, kindness, or compassion!

The Good News is that, while many believers in Christ Jesus might not function with all of the riches of His Grace (their total spiritual inheritance), the result of which is that they end up reflecting to a lost world their imperfect and sinful soulish condition that ultimately leads to these believers living out of position, they never will lose their relationship with God. Why won’t they lose their relationship with God, when they become estranged because of their spiritual condition and spiritual position? The Divine reason is that every believer in Christ Jesus, no matter whether he or she behaves carnally or spiritually, shares eternal life (John 20:31; 1 John 5:11-12), shares the Lord’s imputed righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9), shares the election of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:1-2), shares the destiny of Christ Jesus (Romans 8:16-17; Romans 8:23; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11), shares the Sonship of Christ Jesus (Romans 8:16-17; Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 3:26), shares the heirship of Christ Jesus (Romans 8:16-17; 1 Peter 1:4-5), shares the priestship of Christ Jesus (Hebrews 10:10-14; 1 Peter 2:5-9), and shares kingship or the eternal Kingdom of Christ Jesus (2 Peter 1:10-11; Revelation 1:5-6). The sad news is that, even though all true believers, whether carnal or spiritual, will make it into Heaven, many of them will get there looking and smelling like they barely escaped through fire (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:15), instead of looking and smelling like the priests and kings their identity in Christ Jesus says they are.

The bottom line is this: In order to understand fully the deeper meanings of the Parable of the Lost Son/Parable Son, it is important to know the structural unity between the chapter (Luke 15) and the parables that are in this chapter. It is important to know that the chapter begins and ends with grumbling—the initial grumbling comes from the Pharisees and Scribes, and by the end of the chapter the grumbling comes from the older son in the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son. Additionally, it is important to know that the three parables in this chapter are parallels—they are analogous to one another. In other words, although each parable can stand alone, it is obvious that Christ Jesus is teaching that these three parables in this 15^th chapter of Luke are meant to be heard or read as individual components that are part of a complex whole. Put differently, there is no doubt that each parable not only edifies but also, to some degree, is being edified by the other two parables. That’s why it also is important to know that in each of the three parables, the crisis is not at the end of each parable but rather near or in the middle. This last point means that the focus in the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son is on the grumbling son!

Having said all of the above about Luke 15’s structural unity, it should be obvious, then, that the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son is a contrast between the son who visibly is lost (in a faraway territory) and the son who is lost at home. Furthermore, based on context, which means based on the two parables preceding the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son, the visibly lost younger son, to some degree, is like the one sheep in the Parable of the Lost Sheep (see Luke 15:3-7). The lost sheep and lost son both have wandered off (gone astray; recklessly deserted their condition and position), which is why Christ Jesus is saying in these two parallel parables that just like the lost younger prodigal son is subject to his new environment (position), and as a result eventually begins to consider himself worthless and damaged (condition), the lost sheep also is subject to its environment (position) and, as a result, definitely could damage its wool or be harmed in other ways, which no doubt would diminish the sheep’s value (condition). These truths are why a good shepherd always will search for every lost sheep so that he can reconcile and restore it, especially since a sheep doesn’t know how to search for its shepherd or its sheepfold!

On the other hand, Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd, also is saying that He definitely would search for every lost prodigal son/sheep who not only recognizes that his destitute condition is because he is out of position but who also has begun seeking the Lord for reconciliation and restoration. That is to say, unlike the lost sheep who wouldn’t know how to get back to its shepherd or sheepfold, once the lost younger prodigal son recognizes his unrighteousness (condition) and recognizes that because of his unrighteousness he is absolutely unsaved and spiritually dead (lost his position; separated from God), he eventually would know where to find his Savior (Good Shepherd). Then too, as it is in the Parable of the Lost/Prodigal Son, just like Father God and/or the Good Shepherd/Savior would recognize every lost sheep/lost prodigal son from a far off, the lost sheep/the lost prodigal son also would recognize his heavenly Father and/or his heavenly Good Shepherd/Savior from a far off. In the parable’s younger prodigal son’s case, he also would realizes that his father, who symbolizes Father God, has been looking for him, too.

There can be no doubt that Christ Jesus is giving an example of God’s Divine Grace—Christ Jesus is confirming that from eternity Father God ceaselessly has been searching for His wandering sheep/prodigal sons, and that He eternally has been waiting for them to believe, repent, and receive His Salvation gift. In other words, God has known from eternity that every one of His prodigal sons not only would realize that he was lost (that he has wandered down the wrong path), has become disoriented, confused, and/or has been turned around, but also God knew that every one of His prodigal sons would realize that he needs to return to his Father, where he not only could receive reconciliation and restoration but also where he would see how joyful his Father is, when the Father sees his son coming from a far off.

In contrast, the older son who is lost at home is, to some degree, like the coin in the Parable of the Lost Coin, which is lost not because it has wandered off nor because it lost some of its value. For sure, similar to the older prodigal son, who is lost because of his own unfaithfulness, the coin is lost because of the woman’s unfaithfulness (see Luke 15:8-10). Without doubt, the coin in the Parable of the Lost Coin could be seen as a valuable part of that woman’s dowry, which means that losing even one coin not only suggests that her stewardship has been unfaithful but also that her unfaithfulness definitely would bring shame to her family. Thus, because that coin is very valuable to this very poor woman, the coin’s worth is why, when she loses it, she uses great effort to find it.

However, the main difference between this woman’s unfaithfulness (poor stewardship) and the older prodigal son’s unfaithfulness, his reckless desertion of his spiritual condition and position, is that while she had not been a “good” steward, she rectifies her error by faithfully searching her house thoroughly until she finds the lost coin, which apparently is an essential asset! Since the older prodigal son never realizes how rich and blessed he is—that everything his father owns is at his disposal—he resents what his father has given to his younger brother instead of appreciating and focusing on everything his father has given to him to use. Put differently, the older lost prodigal son never values the spiritual riches of God’s Grace, because if he had he would have put forth an effort to find out what those riches are and/or how those riches can be put to good use for him, as well as for his Father’s benefit and the benefit of others.

Then too, not only has the older brother failed to see the value of everything his father already has put at his disposal, but also he has failed to realize the value of his brother’s repentance and return. This latter truth is why he doesn’t go to his father. His father has to come to him to bring about restoration and reconciliation. The point the Lord is making with the lost coin and the lost older prodigal son is that God not only puts forth great effort when it comes to recovering lost souls (the younger prodigal) but also He gives His Offspring (the older prodigal) an extremely valuable inheritance to use in the here and now: His Grace’s riches. Therefore, those recipients who do not use the riches of God’s Grace not only are unfaithful stewards but also reckless and imprudent sons.

For these above reasons, believers in Christ Jesus need to know that it is not just the unsaved, unbelievers who are prodigal sons—prodigal sons because they are guilty of wasting their natural inheritance on lewd, crude, rebellious living. Too many true believers also are prodigal sons, because they are wasting their spiritual inheritance by not taking advantage of, never utilizing, the immeasurable spiritual riches of God’s Grace that are at their disposal!

The Good News is that it doesn’t matter whether someone is visibly lost (unsaved; spiritually dead and wandering in faraway territories) or whether someone is lost while at home with God (lost child in the household of Faith). The Divine Truth is that God has placed a great value on every spiritually lost and spiritually sick soul who willingly comes to Him by Grace and through Faith in His Son (Jesus the Christ)—the younger prodigal son. Additionally, God also has placed a great value on every spiritually unfaithful and contentious believer, so much so that He kindly corrects him or her so that he or she also will see (via His Holy Spirit and His Word) his or her true identity and relationship (condition and position) in God’s family—the older prodigal son. Once we who are like the younger and older wayward prodigal sons repent and turn to God with either a contrite reborn heart/spirit or a repentant renewed mind, we both are welcomed back home.

As a final point, it is obvious that NOT every believer in Christ Jesus clearly understands that when he or she became born again and saved he or she also was raised up with Christ Jesus to sit in heavenly places. Then too, NOT every believer in Christ Jesus clearly understands that each truly born again and saved believer spiritually has been elevated to the position of a royal or kingly priest. In other words, NOT every believer in Christ Jesus clearly understands that he or she now not only is spiritually seated in heavenly places as a priest AND king but also he or she is a heavenly king and priest living a natural experience on Earth. That’s right! He or she is in two realms at the same time!

As Heaven’s kingly priest on Earth, each believer has been given Christ Jesus’ authority—the authority to pray, sing, worship, and or preach; the authority to function as an ambassador, apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, or teacher; the authority to cast out demons and lay hands on the sick so that they will be healed; and the authority to rule and reign in his or her assigned spiritual domains (spiritual jurisdictions), which are where each believer has been sent by God to establish Heaven’s rule on Earth—where he or she has been sent to bring God’s Kingdom and His Will down to Earth, just like they are in Heaven.

Furthermore, since every believer is seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, this Divine Truth also means that as a kingly priest every believer’s privileged closeness to God definitely provides each son and daughter with ample opportunities to offer up spiritual sacrifices—praises to Father God. Then too, as a kingly priest, every believer’s privileged closeness to God in Heaven also most assuredly provides each son and daughter with clear instructions that go with his or her position as a priest on Earth, which include but are not limited to him or her keeping his or her temple holy, receiving vision from Father God, speaking blessings to others, and teaching others.

Equally true is that, as a kingly priest, each believer’s privileged closeness to God in Heaven not only provides him or her with a crystal-clear understanding of his or her spiritual orders but also guarantees him or her that he or she will be supernaturally outfitted with the appropriate spiritual weapons he or she needs to fight his or her spiritual battles on Earth (EVERYTHING each kingly priest needs to invade, to occupy, to influence, and to manifest the Kingdom of God’s dominion on Earth, as well as EVERYTHING each kingly priest needs to be able to acquire provisions, which he or she is to generously share with others. In other words, each kingly priest is to share the wonderful riches of God’s Grace with others via his or her good deeds (see 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 13:15-16).

To conclude, believers in Christ Jesus are supposed to be reflecting in this Earth their kingly priest supernaturally privileged identity, which they received once they became heirs with Christ Jesus—joint-heirs to the Kingdom of God (see 2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 2:6; Hebrews 13:15-16; 1 Peter 2:5, 9; 1 Peter 3:15; Revelation 1:5-6). Once again, the main reason why way too many true believers in Christ Jesus are not living according to their royal or kingly priest position in Christ Jesus—the primary reason why they are not living in accordance with their priestship AND kingship—is because they have deserted their position. Now this desertion EITHER is because they do not understand what their position in Christ Jesus means (they know little to nothing about their riches of God’s Grace or spiritual inheritance already at their disposal, and they know little to nothing about their right and responsibility to offer spiritual sacrifices, or their right and responsibility to rule and reign, or their right and responsibility to discipline one another), OR they know and understand their position in Christ Jesus but have decided to abandon their priestship, preferring instead to worship sensational “religious leaders.” Likewise, they know and understand their position in Christ Jesus but have decided to abdicate their kingship, preferring instead to serve worldly systems, in this case, secular governments.

These above reasons are why it is time for prodigal believers who behave like the elder son in the Parable of the Lost Son/Prodigal Son to stop living their lives on this Earth out of position! A word to the wise should be sufficient! Amen.

For additional information about believers’ spiritual DNA, please read Our Spiritual DNA: Divine Nature & Authority.

Our Spiritual DNA: Divine Nature & Authority

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Rev. Nadine Drayton-Keen in Spiritual

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

born-again spirit, Christlikeness, Divine Nature and Authority, DNA, first Adam, glory, God's Image, God's Likeness, God's Nature, honor, joy, Kingdom of God, majesty, new-man nature, peace, power, righteousness, royalty, second Adam, spirit to Spirit, spiritual wealth, Spiritually Dead, splendor, Will

The time came when the Lord God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person. ~ Genesis 2:7, TLB

When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you have made— I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him! And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels (or Elohim, in Hebrew) and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head. ~ Psalm 8:3-5, TLB; the inserted parenthetical words are this blogger’s emphasis

He told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and earth.Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ ~ Matthew 28:18-20, TLB

that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead…and lifted us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms—all because of what Christ Jesus did. And now God can always point to us as examples of how very, very rich his kindness is, as shown in all he has done for us through Jesus Christ. Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. ~ Ephesians 2:5a&b, 6-8, TLB

In the blog entry, Being Changed from the Inside Out, the main point is that, even though there can be no doubt that God certainly saves everybody just as he or she is, it is evident in His Word that God never intended to leave anybody the way He finds him or her. For sure, the second a believer in Christ Jesus is born again in his or her spirit/heart, God Himself deposits in that believer’s heart or spirit His DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to His Power and His Will, the Source of which is His Holy Spirit). Therefore, it should be obvious that God’s intent always was, and still is, to begin His Holy Spirit’s sanctification process, which is what changes from the inside out each born-again believer who has received God’s Gift of Salvation.

This Divine Truth also is touched on in the blog entry, Working God’s Perfect Will Out of Us. In this blog entry, the main point is that the ultimate goal of every believer is NOT to make it into Heaven. Without doubt, the central purpose of God’s Salvation Plan is to have every one of His sons and daughters achieve Christlikeness, while he or she is living on this Earth. Now, the only way to achieve this Christlikeness objective is to work OUT of every believer in Christ Jesus everything God Himself already has worked INTO each believer’s born-again heart or spirit—for example, to work God’s Perfect Will out. It is important to note here that the Holy Spirit not only is every believer’s Source of godly Power, Authority, spiritual gifts, practical sanctification, and so forth, but also the Source of God’s Perfect Will in each believer’s born-again heart or spirit is His Holy Spirit!

This working OUT of believers what God Himself has put inside them also is addressed in the blog entry, Your Old Man Is Dead. The main point that is made in this blog entry is that through the apostle Paul’s marriage analogy or metaphor, believers are shown that just like the Jewish wife, whose first husband’s death releases her from the marriage part of the Law, believers’ new-man nature, which is married to the Lord, also has been released from the Law. In other words, the one point of Divine Truth in the apostle Paul’s marriage analogy or metaphor is this: Death removes a person from the bondage of the Law. Put differently, the reason why every born-again spirit (heart) within each believer is no longer under the Law is because every believer’s old man or sin nature no longer exists! The believer’s spiritually DEAD heart (spirit), in which the old man used to live, has become a New Creation (see Romans 6:4,6; Ephesians 2:5-6; and Colossians 2:12-13). Thus, because of God’s Grace, each believer in Christ Jesus now has new life—is a new man with a sinless nature.

Having said all that, it now is important to mention that from the beginning of mankind God’s plan has been to put Himself inside of human beings. This Divine Truth is documented in Genesis 2:7. Furthermore, the only way that the dust God formed Adam from was able to become the structure in which the living, moving, breathing person (Adam) could exist was because the eternal Creator God filled Adam full of Himself—God breathed His Spirit into Adam. As a result, the original purpose of Adam’s body was to house his true self, which was his spirit.

Scripture says that Adam’s spirit, which is who ‘man’ is—NOT the dust God breathed His Spirit into—was created to be a little lower than the Triune God who made him (see Psalm 8:5a). For this reason, beginning with Adam, it is clear that once human beings have inside of them God’s spiritual DNA (the God-breathed Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to God’s Power and His Will) their individual identity (true self) is then determined by that spiritual DNA that is in their own spirit, instead of by the DNA from their ethnic, cultural, or other known physical roots.

Thus, before Adam sinned, his spiritual DNA made him the highest kind of created being. Indeed, once God had filled Adam full of Himself, Adam had become spiritually bountiful, wealthy—he was holy, righteous, healthy, spiritually gifted, and etc., as well as spiritually royal and majestic; in essence, Adam was crowned with glory and honor; see Psalm 8:5b. This Divine Truth means when Adam was created, he lacked nothing!

Now the reason God filled Adam full of Himself was so that in this Earth Adam would be a visible being who was created after God’s Likeness, in His Image, and having His Nature. Then too, God also filled Adam full of Himself so that Adam would multiply God’s Likeness, Image, and Nature in this Earth—so that Adam would pass God’s Nature, Likeness, and Image (the Creator’s Holiness, Righteousness, Royalty, Majesty, Power, Will, Health, Wealth, and so forth) on to his offspring.

However, once Adam sinned, he immediately became spiritually dead. As a result, God’s DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which includes but is not limited to His Power and His Will)—God’s Holiness, Righteousness, Majesty, Royalty, Power, and so forth—left Adam.

While there can be no doubt that Adam was born to rule, born to have dominion over Satan, Adam lost control of this Earth the second he rebelled against God—the moment he sinned. Thus, because Adam spiritually lost EVERYTHING God originally had breathed into him, and because it always was God’s intent for mankind to be filled up with Him, centuries later God made the Sovereign decision to send His beloved Son, Jesus the Christ, to the Earth to be the second, and last, Adam. It is through Christ Jesus that everything God initially had given to the first Adam now had been restored.

This restored spiritual DNA is why Jesus the Christ taught the Kingdom of God was within believers, and why He stressed how important being born again was. These Divine Truths mean that the only place God not only Planned but also Willed for His Kingdom to be set up is in believers’ hearts (born-again spirits). In other words, God’s Kingdom rule begins in the heart or spirit of born-again believers. For this reason, as much as believers allow Him to rule in their individual heart or spirit is the degree to which God also is able to rule in their individual day-to-day life.

For sure, because of Christ Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, since the Day of Pentecost, after the Lord ascended from Earth to Heaven, the Lord’s centuries of disciples’ bodies have housed their true selves or born-again spirits, just like the first Adam’s body used to house his true self or spirit, before he sinned. Moreover, through Christ Jesus, God now is able to call human beings back to their true identity—back to that initial “new thing” God first did in Adam, which was to make a “man” who had God’s Spirit and His Mind housed in flesh. As a result, God’s spiritually born-again children supernaturally are able to live, move, and breathe in His presence, as well as supernaturally communicate with and worship God, spirit to Spirit, just like Adam once was able to do.

Furthermore, since God not only has given the Lord’s disciples His Likeness and Image but also His Nature, having His Nature means that being like God will come naturally. That is to say, those parts of His “Nature” that God put inside of believers in Christ Jesus will establish their “natural” response to His Nature. In other words, just like the first Adam didn’t need to be taught how to live, move, think, or speak like God, the same is true for the Lord’s centuries of disciples. In fact, having God’s Nature also means that He should see His children’s born again new nature (spirit), their being sanctified soul (mind, will, emotions, etc.), and their being sanctified body doing what they are naturally expected to do, which is living and behaving totally Christ-like (holy, righteously, lovingly, friendly, compassionately, and so forth).

However, until the majority of today’s believers in Christ Jesus see themselves the way God sees them, the Body of Christ members never will be able to manifest in this Earth what God has put inside of each believer, which is His Kingdom—these believers never will be ready to see His Kingdom come and His Will be done on Earth the way they are in Heaven. In other words, until this 21^st century’s countless believers in Christ Jesus see themselves the way God sees them, His Kingdom on Earth, which is inside each one of them, never will manifest in the ways that resemble His Kingdom in Heaven.

Now the apostle Paul says that when God resurrected and lifted Christ Jesus up to Heaven, He also did the same for the Lord’s believers. That means that we, in our born-again spirit, right now are sitting in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 2:5-6), even though we physically are living on this Earth. Therefore, until we stop treating our outward appearance, our body in which our spirit is housed, as if that is who we truly are, we will continue to live way below our true identity. Once again, our true identity in God is His children who have been filled with God’s spiritual DNA (His Splendor, Glory, and Honor—His crowned royal, majestic kings or queens, who spiritually have abundance/wealth and the authority and power of God on the inside).

In the Kingdom of God on this Earth, we who are truly born again, saved, and being sanctified by the Holy Spirit are the only ones who have been given God’s spiritual DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to His Power and His Will), which will manifest, for example, as God’s righteousness, peace, and joy in the Earth. The people who profess to be born again, saved, and being sanctified believers in Christ Jesus yet do not manifest righteousness, peace, and joy in the Earth either do not know about (or have not accepted) their true identity’s spiritual DNA, which only can be found in their born-again heart or spirit.

Ultimately it is by the Holy Spirit, who both lives in and infills true believers with God’s spiritual DNA, that true believers in Christ Jesus literally are being changed from the inside out! Because the Holy Spirit is the only One who has been given to believers to work out of them EVERYTHING God has put inside them (to get them to manifest Christlikeness, righteousness, peace, and joy in this Earth), there is no other way for God’s circle of divine life in mankind to be perfected.

The Creator began His circle of divine life in mankind with the first Adam, intending that Adam pass on to his offspring God’s Likeness, Image, and Nature. When Adam failed, because of sin, God sent His only begotten Son to restore in mankind EVERYTHING Adam had lost, which was God’s spiritual DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to His Power and His Will). These Divine Truths are why it is only by way of the Holy Spirit that God’s Kingdom on Earth is able to manifest righteousness, peace, and joy, and this manifestation happens only when those individuals who have God’s spiritual DNA are functioning as the holy, righteous, and spiritually wealthy royal kings and queens God has raised them in Christ Jesus to be.

The bottom line is that any believer in Christ Jesus who doesn’t naturally know about (or hasn’t willingly accepted) his or her true identity in God never will have the Kingdom of God worked out of him or her so that he or she can see the Kingdom of God manifested in this Earth. A word to the wise should be sufficient. Amen!