" The Kingdom of God "
"Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Mat 6:9-10)
For many years several movements have been underway, recognized
variously as "Manifest sons," "Kingdom Restorationists" ..as well as the
more visible but less obvious "Moral Majority." Joining the ranks
include Promise Keepers, Toronto Vineyard, Laughing Revival, etc.
Common goals, to varying degrees, include: Calls to unity, Puri-
fication of the Church as the church becomes more holy and righteous,
Preparing an earthly Kingdom SO THAT Christ can return and rule.
To accomplish this, doctrine is abandoned in favor of compromise.
Children are schooled or otherwise nurtured to be prepared as future
leaders. Goals are to have "christians" in every governmental office,
creating and establishing laws more favorable to God. Making this nation
a "christian" nation. Making the world "christian." Breaking down ethnic
and cross-cultural barriers, establishing a one-world government of
peace. Once this has been accomplished, then, and ONLY THEN, will Christ
come back to earth to reign.
Under these philosophies, Christ is "not able" to return, until
"man" has cleaned up his act, and made the world a peaceful place. If
anyone rejects these teachings, he is accused of "hindering" the return
of Christ. Most of these people reject the Rapture. Or if they believe
in a Rapture, they believe it will happen at the end of the Tribulation.
And rather than the Tribulation being a time of God's Wrath out-poured
to judge the earth, "tribulation" is a time of "purifying the church."
And anyone looking forward to the Rapture is labeled "delusional" and
wanting to "escape" God's chastening of His sons. (Heb12:5-6)
"Why do the...people plot a vain thing? ...Against the LORD and
against His Anointed...He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD
shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure: ...I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask
of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the
ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod
of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'" (~Psa
2:1-9)
This is hardly a picture of the world being presented TO the Lord
(with a "pretty ribbon") BY MAN; And Christ accepting it "from man,"
going on peacefully to rule! Satan tried this tactic, "All these [king-
doms of the world] I will give you."(Mt4:9) God the Father gives it to
the Son! Before Christ rules, He executes judgment on man's rebellion.
Father says to the Son, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies
Your footstool" (Heb 1:13)
"...the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute
judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly...of all their ungodly
deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh
things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 14-15)
And then HE WILL SET UP His kingdom..."In those days and at that
time I WILL CAUSE to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He
shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth."(Jer 33:15)
In the midst of the time of God's Wrath (Rev 6:16-17) ...the
seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
"The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of
His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev11:15) Again...God
is doing this; NOT man!
What about the claimed "Purification of the church?" What does
Scripture say? "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can
stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire...He will purify
the sons of Levi...That they may offer to the LORD An offering in
righteousness." (Mal 3:2-3) This is Israel. Not the Church.
So then...what is prophesied about the church?
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of
demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared
with a hot iron, (1 Tim 4:1-2) "For the time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because
they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and
they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to
fables." (2 Tim 4:3-4)
This is not a picture of the church becoming "Better and Puri-
fied." This is TODAY's Church! People are being "spirit-filled" WITH
demons. They pray TO demons. And sing the "worship songs" OF demons.
Devoid of conscience, they teach a doctrine of "licentiousness"
proclaiming, "Grace! Grace!" (Jude4)
"Walls come down!!" (of Doctrinal Differences) ..is the battle cry
for Unity. In contradistinction to Paul's charge to Timothy, "Till I
come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to DOCTRINE." (1Tim
4:13) And to Titus, "holding fast the faithful word as he [the pastor]
has been taught, that he may be able, by SOUND DOCTRINE, both to exhort
and convict those who contradict." (Titus 1:9)
People willingly follow the pied pipers, peddling their books and
lecture circuits, teaching rebellion against God. "Christian" book
stores overflow with "Doctrines of Demons."
"THE TIME HAS COME for judgment to begin at the house of God"
(1Pet4:17)
And to those who are Christ's; "COME OUT OF HER, my people, lest
you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."(Rev18:4)
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived... (1 Cor 6:9) ...for the kingdom of God is
not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit.(Rom 14:17) ...unless one is born again, he cannot see the king-
dom of God." (Jn 3:3)
In order to be part of Christ's Kingdom on this earth, one must be
part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait
for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ"(Phil 3:20) ...because "you were
washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1Cor6:11)
New Age has replaced God with the "god within." Everyone is part
of Christ. This is "antichrist."
The "church" seeks to replace God's Kingdom with one that is man-
made of the flesh. This, too, is Satan's counterfeit.
"Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the
flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for
pulling down strongholds(2Cor10:3-4)
Prideful man prepares a "kingdom" for a "christ" he doesn't know.
Jesus promised to "Prepare a Place" for His own.(Jn14:3) and bids
us, "HOLD FAST WHAT YOU HAVE TILL I COME." (Rev 2:25)
Amen!
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