Difference between revisions of "Actual Righteousness 10"

Latest revision as of 11:55, 28 January 2011

Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant from Zion, the City of David. (1 Kings 8:1-NIV)

The Ark remained apart from the Tabernacle throughout the life of David. When Solomon built the Temple, the Ark and the Tabernacle were placed inside.

The prophetic significance of the separating of the Ark from the remainder of the Tabernacle, for a season, can scarcely be overemphasized.

As we understand the meaning, the reign of David represents the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The reign of Solomon represents the new heaven and earth rule of Jesus Christ.

The Ark speaks of the godly remnant who will govern with Jesus during the Kingdom Age.

When the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus begins, the Lord's victorious saints will once again be part of the Church, of God's elect. Then the whole house of Israel will descend through the new sky to be located forever upon the new earth.

We notice that after the seventh trumpet blows and the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of God and His Christ, the Ark of the Covenant is revealed.

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. (Revelation 11:19-NIV)

Let us repeat our central theme. The purpose of separating the remnant from the remainder of the Church has to do with the movement from imputed to actual righteousness of personality and behaviour.

When the Lord Jesus returns, only those who have purified themselves, as the Spirit of God enables, will receive their body back from the grave. The remainder of the Church, not having gained victory over sin, will not be given to eat of the tree of life at this time. They will remain in the spirit realm, according to my understanding.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part 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. (Rev 20:4-6-NIV)

During the thousand years of the Kingdom Age those who did not, prior to the Lord's return to earth, achieve victory over sin will be brought to the place where their inward nature is ready for their body to receive immortality. Then together with the victorious saints they will descend to the new earth and be established for eternity on a high mountain. They will govern the saved nations of the earth.

This is how the whole Church, and eventually the saved nations of the earth, will be brought to righteousness of behaviour. There will be no sin of any kind whatever throughout the countless ages of eternity, which begin with the coming to earth of the new Jerusalem.

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-''Blessed and holy are those who have part 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.'' (Rev 20:6-NIV)
+''Then King Solomon summoned into his presence at Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD's covenant from Zion, the City of David.'' (1 Kings 8:1-NIV)
-Not all who profess the name of Christ will participate in the resurrection and ascension when the Lord returns; only those who through the Spirit of God have entered the program of passing from imputed righteousness to actual righteousness.
+The Ark remained apart from the Tabernacle throughout the life of David. When Solomon built the Temple, the Ark and the Tabernacle were placed inside.
-They will be raised from the dead and then ascend to meet the Lord in the air. From there they will descend and work with the Lord in the installing of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
+The prophetic significance of the separating of the Ark from the remainder of the Tabernacle, for a season, can scarcely be overemphasized.
-The Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will. It is actual righteousness, not imputed righteousness.
+As we understand the meaning, the reign of David represents the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The reign of Solomon represents the new heaven and earth rule of Jesus Christ.
-The overcomers of Revelation, Chapters Two and Three.
+The Ark speaks of the godly remnant who will govern with Jesus during the Kingdom Age.
-''He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'' (Rev 2:7-NIV)
+When the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus begins, the Lord's victorious saints will once again be part of the Church, of God's elect. Then the whole house of Israel will descend through the new sky to be located forever upon the new earth.
-The overcomers, the victorious saints, are always addressed as individuals. They actually are the true Christian Church in the present hour. If you will notice the rewards to the overcomers, they are the privileges we normally associate with the Christian.
+We notice that after the seventh trumpet blows and the kingdoms of the world become the Kingdom of God and His Christ, the Ark of the Covenant is revealed.
-For example:
+''Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.'' (Revelation 11:19-NIV)
-''Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.'' (Rev 3:4-NIV)
+Let us repeat our central theme. The purpose of separating the remnant from the remainder of the Church has to do with the movement from imputed to actual righteousness of personality and behaviour.
-To walk in white is to be a member of the royal priesthood. What the Lord is saying here is that the majority of the believers in Sardis will not participate in the first resurrection from the dead. They were not found worthy to be a part of the royal priesthood, at least not at this time.
+When the Lord Jesus returns, only those who have purified themselves, as the Spirit of God enables, will receive their body back from the grave. The remainder of the Church, not having gained victory over sin, will not be given to eat of the tree of life at this time. They will remain in the spirit realm, according to my understanding.
-This verse brings to mind the white robes of the members of the Bride of the Lamb, as we discussed previously. Those white robes proved to be the righteous acts of the saints.
+I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
-Putting these ideas together we see that the overcomers of the church in Sardis, those who had gained victory over sin, will be part of the advance guard that will descend with the Lord and participate in the Battle of Armageddon.
+(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)
-If the majority of believers in Sardis ever are to be part of the royal priesthood it will have to be at some point after the Lord returns and the first resurrection takes place. Otherwise they never will be part of the Bride of the Lamb.
+''This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part 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.'' (Rev 20:4-6-NIV)
-The first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of the royal priesthood, must be attained, as the Apostle Paul stressed. It is attained, as Paul stated, by laying aside everything else, counting it all garbage that Christ may be won. Nothing less than this qualifies the individual as part of the army of the Lord that will descend with Christ and drive wickedness from the earth.
+During the thousand years of the Kingdom Age those who did not, prior to the Lord's return to earth, achieve victory over sin will be brought to the place where their inward nature is ready for their body to receive immortality. Then together with the victorious saints they will descend to the new earth and be established for eternity on a high mountain. They will govern the saved nations of the earth.
-You can see readily that all of God's work is moving toward the removal of all worldliness, lust, and self-will from His creation. Imputed righteousness is a legal manoeuvre that serves as a means of getting us started on the program of salvation.
+This is how the whole Church, and eventually the saved nations of the earth, will be brought to righteousness of behaviour. There will be no sin of any kind whatever throughout the countless ages of eternity, which begin with the coming to earth of the new Jerusalem.
-To make imputed righteousness the only form of righteousness in the Kingdom of God is to abort the entire program of redemption.
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