John the Baptist,
the Forerunner
of Jesus
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Why
didn’t Jesus set up his kingdom at his first advent?
Jesus healing,
a foretaste
of his kingdom
on earth
Walking
to Emmaus
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Why
man’s redemption precedes
kingdom blessings.
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Is the
kingdom
to be earthly?
or heavenly?
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Waiting
for
God's kingdom seemed absurd
to the worldly-wise.
Jesus taught that his kingdom was not of this world and would not be established until
after his suffering and death.
But zealot Jews rebelled against Rome, endeavoring to set up their kingdom prematurely.
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The Masada The last outpost
of Jewish rebellion in 73 A.D., is the famous location where 960 Jewish zealots chose to
take their own lives rather than submit to a life of Roman slavery.
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"The Kingdom
of God cometh not with observation"--
Yet it would be everywhere present
and powerful.
The spiritual
kingdom
is being set up first
and will be
for a time
unrecognized. |
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 "There was a man of the
Pharisees, named Nicodemus,
a ruler
of the Jews:
The same
came to Jesus
by night, and
said unto him,
‘Rabbi, we know that
thou art from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God
be with him.’"
John 3:1,2 |
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Jesus healing
"Begotten"
and "Born"
of the spirit
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| *The Greek word gennao and
its derivatives, sometimes translated begotten and sometimes born, really contains
both ideas, and should be translated by either one of these two English words, according
to the sense of the passage in which it occurs.
The two ideas, begetting and birth,
are always in the word, so that if the one is stated, the other is always implied, as
birth is the natural consequence of begetting, and begetting the natural antecedent to
birth.
When the active agent with
which gennao is associated is a male, it should be translated begotten; when a female,
born.
Thus in 1 John 2:29; 3:9;
4:7; 5:1,18, gennao should be begotten, because God (masculine) is the active agent.
Sometimes, however, the
translation is dependent on the nature of the act, whether masculine or feminine.
Thus used in conjunction
with ek, signifying from or out of, it should be translated born.
So in John 3:5,6, gennao
should be translated born, as indicated by the word ek--"out of water,"
"out of flesh," "out of spirit." |
+This same
Greek word is translated consider in Acts 15:6.
"The apostles and elders came together for to consider [know or
understand] this matter." The same word is rendered behold in Romans 11:22.
"Behold [consider, understand] therefore, the goodness and severity of
God".
Also in 1 John 3:1--
"Behold [consider, know, understand] what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us." |
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How can a man
be begotten
when he is old?
Repentance
is not the
new birth.
Spiritual begettal
precedes
spiritual birth.
Elisha and his Servant
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"The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 |
What is
spirit begettal?
| *The words "which is
in heaven" (verse 13) are not found in the most ancient and reliable MSS. |
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Jesus taught
about an earthly
kingdom.
The
kingdom
of God
has not yet
reigned on earth.
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Christian
allegiance.
Christ's earthly kingdom will reach the whole earth.
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"He
said therefore,
‘A certain nobleman went into a far country
to receive
for himself
a kingdom
and to return.’"
Luke 19:12
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God’s
kingdom
is not yet set up
in glory and power.
Parable of the Publican and Sinner
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"And again
I say unto you,
It is easier
for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God." Matthew 19:24 |
Needles Eye Gate --
Humans could pass through easily; but large animals, such as camels, had to be unloaded
and kneel to get through. |
Jaffa Gate --
Located at the west side of Jerusalem, the Jaffa Gate has a "needle’s
eye," a small opening used as a security entrance at night when the
large gate was safely shut. |
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Christian
liberty
Christians must be
overcomers
to sit with Jesus
in His Father's throne and reign
over the nations
of earth.
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Overcoming requires death in the Lord's service.
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"Now
ye are full, now ye are rich,
ye have reigned
as kings
without us:
and I would to God ye did reign,
that we also might reign with you."
I Corinthians 4:8
Paul preached that
present suffering
would be followed
by future reigning.
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The
true church has not yet reigned over the earth.
The Pope crowning Charlemagne
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There
can be
no kingdom
without a king. |
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"To
him that overcometh
will I grant
to sit with me
in my throne,
even as I also overcame,
and am set down with my Father
in his throne." Revelation 3:21
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What does
"resurrection"
mean?
"Marvel not at this:
for the hour
is coming, in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth;
"They that have done
good, unto the resurrection
of life; and they that have done
evil unto the resurrection
of judgment (Greek "krisis")."
John 5:28,29
The kingdom work of Jesus
and the Church
Who
are the "Ancient Worthies"?
Abraham
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Jewish
hope --
Believing that God’s Kingdom would be established in
Jerusalem and all nations would come to the "house of the God of Jacob," Jewish
tombs thickly cover the slopes of Olivet, giving evidence to the Jewish faith in
God’s promises of a kingdom and the resurrection of the dead.
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Moslem
hope --
When Messiah comes,
he will enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate; hence, the resurrection and judgment will
begin from here.
Those who cannot walk the line of justice will fall into the Valley of Death below.
Moslem tombs surround the Golden Gate, waiting for the Messiah.
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Christian
hope --
A Christian
cemetery lies in the Kidron Valley between the Jewish cemetery (on Mt. Olivet to the east)
and the Moslem cemetery (on Mt. Moriah to the west).
When Christ returns, he will judge the world in righteousness.
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How
will the
two phases
of the kingdom
operate?
Moses
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When
mankind stands holy
and righteous
at the end
of the 1,000 years, the kingdom
will be returned
to God.
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The
earthly seed and the heavenly seed of Abraham’s promise
The
earthly (human) and heavenly (spiritual) resurrection |
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Stephen’s
sermon shows that Israel was yet to receive their earthly promise.
This gate is
traditionally
the location
where Stephen
was stoned
while giving his
sermon of Acts 7. |
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Stephen’s
Gate --
On the east side of
Jerusalem is Stephen’s Gate, also called "The Lion’s Gate" because of
the carvings of lions in the stones above.
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