The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

In Matthew 3:2, “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” A distinction must be made between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God.

The Hebrew word "ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν" is translated as the kingdom of heaven, which is the kingdom of God in the heart. Jesus tells the people to turn to God as God draws near into their hearts. The kingdom of heaven is Jesus Christ. For those who repent, Jesus Christ enters their hearts.

 

Angels who sinned in the kingdom of God took off their clothes and their spirits were imprisoned in a pot and became humans. Humans are beings trapped in the world. So humans die twice.

 

In Genesis 2:17, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” The Hebrew Bible says, “die and die.” there is. And in John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It is expressed as “be born again.” The previous one is to die (twice) and be born from heaven. Regarding the two deaths, the first death is death to sin (baptism in water), and the second death is death to the soul (baptism in fire).

 

The death of the cross is the process of dying to sin and taking off the dirty clothes of the soul. So Jesus preached the gospel to the spirits in prison. In other words, He entered into the hearts of all humans and revealed to them that you must die. In 1 Peter 3:19-20, “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.』

 

Water baptism means death to sin. Romans 6:6-7 『Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.』

 

The death of the soul is a baptism of fire, the death of the soul (the first man, Adam) that came from the body. A believer changes from a physical body to a spiritual body (clothes of Christ). In Matthew 3:11-12, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance.” but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.』

 

There are three days between the death and resurrection of Jesus. The third day signifies the building of the temple. In John 2:19, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The saints who die with Jesus have a temple built in their hearts. And resurrection is a change of clothes from a physical body to a spiritual body (new soul). In 1 Corinthians 15:44-47, “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

 

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam created a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; The second man is the Lord from heaven.』

 

Those who die on the cross with Jesus (water baptism) and believe that their physical body (soul) has died (fire baptism) will wear clothes from heaven. This is resurrection. Resurrection is not the resurrection of the former body, but the putting on of a spiritual body (clothes of Christ) from heaven. That is why saints become priests and wear the priest’s holy clothes.

 

Ascension means that the believer enters the temple built in the heart. This is because the temple means the kingdom of God. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

 

And Jesus told the Pharisees to repent, for the kingdom is at hand. Heaven becomes the kingdom of God in the heart. This foreshadows Jesus’ death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension to the kingdom of God. Therefore, saints are also at the right hand of the throne in the kingdom of God.

 

The Second Coming is God entering the temple in the hearts of believers. This is Immanuel, and in Greek it is Parousian. It means the presence of God. Church people still wait for the second coming of Jesus, but the second coming of Jesus has come true for those whose temple has been built in the hearts of believers. So, the saints and Christ meet in the temple and have a heavenly wedding feast.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The tradition of the elders

  The tradition of the elders   Mark 7:5-9  『 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands? He answered and said to them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 』 In the Galilee region, Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus. They came with accusations against Jesus. This is because Jesus' disciples neglected washing their hands, a Jewish ritual of purification. They called it  “ the tradition of the elders. ”  The Jewish leaders ...
Read more

Question 32. How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant?

  Question 32. How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant? Answer. The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in his free provision and offering to sinners of mediation, and of life and salvation by it; and by requiring faith as the condition of their entering into a relationship with Christ, the mediator; and by promising and giving the Holy Spirit to all his elect, he works faith in them, with all other saving graces, and enables them to do all holy obedience; which obedience is a true evidence of their faith and gratitude to God, or the way which God hath appointed for their salvation. If we divide God's covenant into two for convenience, the covenant that appears in the Old Testament is called the first covenant, and the covenant that appears in the New Testament through Jesus Christ is called the second covenant. Luke 22:15-16 “ And he said to them, ‘ I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will n...
Read more

Question 18. What are the works of God's providence?

  Question 18. What are the works of God's providence? Answer. God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all things, and governing his creatures and their actions for his own glory.   God is spirit, which is the opposite of matter. All things refer to everything in the whole world, but the expression that God created all things was good is an expression that all things were created according to the plan established by God before the creation of the world, and does not mean that all things were good in the eyes of God. Therefore, the providential work of God is to make all people living in the world repent and return to the kingdom of God, not to make them live in this world forever. When the providential work of God is finished, God will judge this world with fire. 2 Peter 3:7 "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved for fire against the day of judgment and destructi...
Read more