Category: Kingdom of God

April 27 2021

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Bible, Church, heal the sick, Healing, Kingdom of God, Mission Trips, Missions, Missions Opportunities 0

Last week we looked at the “apostolic” mission of the church, which, simply stated is this: Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil (Colossians 2:15) and reclaimed all authority over the earth (Matthew 28:18). It is now the job of the church to announce that there is a new King on the throne and to bring the culture of this new kingdom into the world.

In this post, we will look at exactly how that mission was passed from Jesus, to His first disciples, and carried by the church throughout every generation.

Obedience to Jesus’ Commands

In our previous look at the word “apostle” in the Greek language, we looked at one definition that said being an apostle “signified not merely a messenger but a delegate, bearing a commission, and, so far as his commission extended, wielding his commissioner’s authority.”¹

It is with this in mind I want us to look at Jesus’ first commissioning of His disciples with an apostolic assignment.

Luke’s gospel does not give much clarification on what the word “apostle” meant. He assumes that the reader would understand the cultural implications.

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…
^{Luke 6:12-13}

In similar fashion, Matthew discusses the authority Jesus gave to the disciples to do the work, then passively refers to them as “apostles,” without directly saying Jesus used the word.

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these…
^{Matthew 10:1-2}

It seems as though the commissioning with authority assumed the word apostle. However, when we read Mark’s gospel, it brings it all together.

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
^{Mark 3:13-15}

Jesus called the twelve, naming them “apostles” and gave them a two-part assignment.

Assignment 1: To Be With Jesus

The first thing expected of these disciple-apostles was that they would be with Jesus, learning from Him how to live in His Kingdom as well as how to demonstrate it when they would go out from Him.

Following the Jewish tradition of a rabbi and his disciples, it was understood that these twelve men would follow Jesus closely, learning from Him how to live under God’s law. Now, however, this law would not simply be the law of Moses, but the law of the Spirit (see Romans 8:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:4-18).

In Jesus, they would learn the ways of heaven, and what it means to live under His Kingship as citizens of this new reality. They would hear His teachings, for sure. More than that, however, they would be with Him in the secret moments, watching Him pray, learning how to hear God speaking, and seeing His obedience, even unto death.

This private relationship was key to their ability to publicly represent Him effectively.

Assignment 2: To Be Sent Out By Jesus to Preach and Have Authority

Once the disciples had learned key lessons, Jesus would then send them out to do the ministry themselves. Their assignment was to proclaim the gospel in word and in demonstrations of power. They were to heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead back to life (Matthew 10:5-11, Mark 9:1). And they did!

Not only did they have the commissioning to go, but they carried the authority of heaven to fulfill this assignment.

The Commission Expands

Later, after the 12 had effectively begun fulfilling their apostolic assignment, Jesus expands this commissioning to other disciples who were close with Him. In Luke 10, He sends out 72 other disciples with the same responsibility of preaching the Gospel and performing signs of the Kingdom’s authority among the people.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “…Heal the sick in (the town) and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
^{Luke 10:1-2, 8-9 (emphasis mine)}

Once again, they did! The went out preaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons, just as Jesus had taught them to do.

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
^{Luke 10:17-20}

Satan Fell Like Lightening

I believe that when Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven,” He was not talking about in ancient times. I fully believe Jesus was telling them, I have been watching what is happening in the unseen world and as you were casting out demons, I have been watching “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)” lose their power over the cities you were in. As the disciples went out, the devil’s strongholds were being destroyed.

However, Jesus tells them not to rejoice that these spirits have come under their authority. While that is amazing, it is not the most amazing thing. He tells them that their rejoicing should be that their citizenship has been transferred from the devil’s kingdom into heaven’s!

The command on all the disciples, beyond just the 12 apostles, was to represent God’s Kingdom in this world.

Jesus’ Multiplying Commission

After training up His disciple-apostles and establishing them, then dying on the cross to bring the final victory over Satan and his demons, Jesus gives the Great Commission. This mandate is that the disciples — the citizens of His Kingdom — are to continue preaching, working in power, bringing the culture of heaven to earth, and raising up future generations of disciples who will all obey the same commands Jesus had given to them (see Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18).

Jesus’ great commission is a multiplying commission. He had conquered the devil and taken authority over the earth. Now the world must hear this gospel!

The Two-Part Mission Is The Same

When Jesus commissioned the disciples, the (perceived) downside was that Jesus would no longer be with them. He was leaving. However, He made a promise to them that He would send His Spirit to live in each one of them. This infilling of the Spirit would actually make intimacy with Him easier and deeper than before. This is why He told them it was “better” for them that He leaves (John 16:7)!

Since the first part of the mission is to “be with Him,” Jesus instructed them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come.

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
^{Acts 1:4-5}

They would not be able to fulfill the apostolic mission without intimacy and clear guidance from the King.

Once the Holy Spirit came, however, part 2 of the mission would commence, and their being sent out would be immediate and massive!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
^{Acts 1:8}

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they immediately took to the streets, declaring the gospel, and reaping the harvest of heaven. The story begins by saying:

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
^{Acts 2:1-6}

After a lengthy sermon by Peter, the story ends by saying:

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
^{Acts 2:37-41}

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

As the early disciples took the gospel to the world, there was a massive expansion of God’s kingdom on earth. They went out, being led by the Holy Spirit, preaching the gospel everywhere, with signs and wonders following them (Mark 16:20).

Jesus prophesied over the 12 apostles that as the church moved forward, revealing Christ’s Kingdom to those He died to liberate, the devil’s ability to defend himself would be useless.

…I will build my church, and the gates (defenses) of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
^{Matthew 16:18-19}

Through the mission and spread of the early church, every corner of the Roman empire (and beyond) heard the gospel and experienced heaven’s reality.

Paul writes to the Corinthian church:

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
^{1 Corinthians 2:2–5}

He writes to the Thessalonians:

…our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
^{1 Thessalonians 1:5}

The actual experience of heaven was central to the early church’s proclamation of the Gospel. In fact, Paul said “the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). An apostolic commission requires the messenger carries authority of the sender. If there is no power behind the message, then why believe the messenger?

We Carry Heaven

With all of this as the foundation of our faith, then the realization must come to us that those early disciples and apostles are long-gone. They laid down their lives to see the gospel of the kingdom come across the whole earth. Some of them went out of this world as victors, some as martyrs, yet in either case their dedication to their King was unquestioned.

Now, however, the commissioning comes upon us. It is our time on history’s stage, and we have a job to do.

Major parts of the world have yet to hear that the devil has been defeated and that there is a new King. They don’t know they have been liberated from sin and death. They haven’t experienced the Father’s love or felt heaven’s touch on their lives.

It is our turn to take up the mantle and the mission and go.

It is your calling to go and preach the gospel. It is your time to live in intimacy with the Holy Spirit of God, hearing His voice, and obeying His direction. It is your work to heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead.

It is the job of the church:

…to preach to the [lost world] the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
^{Ephesians 3:8–12}

It is our job to be the ones who bring heaven to earth in our generation, so that the mission of Kingdom expansion continues!

No More Excuses

When I first became a Christian, I was raised in a stream of Christianity that denies God’s power is for today. I was taught a doctrine called cessationism and believed it very strongly. However, as time went on, both the Word of God and the grace of the Holy Spirit revealed this doctrine to be wrong. Still, in sensitivity, I would keep my “charismatic” beliefs hidden for fear of offending the “unbelieving” believers around me. I am fully convinced, however, this was sinful on my part.

Our job is to obey every command that Jesus gave to the first disciples, and any excuses we may have to keep the word or the power of God hidden is sin. It doesn’t matter what the cost, King Jesus is worth it! It is time to abide in Him in intimacy, and become a living display of heaven to the world. No excuses. No cowardice. No shrinking back.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (listed in Hebrews 11; who have gone before us in the faith), let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
^{Hebrews 12:1-2 (emphasis mine)}

Let’s do this, together. Jesus said we can, and so we must.

Need an Opportunity?

I know this series of posts has been challenging to some people’s life of faith. Although many of you agree with the theology I am writing, you still struggle with the practical, real-life application. The truth is, there is only so much you can learn by reading. You must step out and try it for yourself.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say I would love to help you grow in practical ways. Our ministry, based in east Africa, is always open to take ministry team members on short-term (and longer-term) trips, where we will train you to practically do the things I am teaching here. We will pray for activation and impartation, and give you opportunity to preach, pray for the sick, learn to do deliverance ministry and more. You can find out more about these opportunities here, or contact me directly to plan a personal or church-group mission trip to visit us in Uganda.

Let’s Connect

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Footnotes

¹James Hastings et al., “Dictionary of the Bible” (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1909), 44.

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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April 21 2021

Kingdom Ambassadors

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God culture of heaven, devil, Gospel, Great commission, Healing, Jesus, kingdom of darkness 0

Last week we looked at Jesus’ absolute and unconditional victory over the devil as He went to the cross. The gospel — victory message — of His Kingdom has come! The devil is defeated. Jesus is King!

When Jesus finished His time on earth, before ascending to Heaven to take His throne over all creation, He made the announcement that “all authority in heaven and earth” belong to Him (Matthew 28:18). The problem, however, is that there are people on the earth who have not heard of Jesus’ victory, nor do they recognize His rule in the world, and therefore their lives remain unchanged by His grace. Jesus’ victory is undeniable, yet the world is unaware. What can be done?

The Great Commission

Of course, most Christians are familiar with Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20; the passage known as “the Great Commission.”

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The last thing Jesus did before His ascension was to send His followers out as ambassadors of this Kingdom He had come to establish. He had conquered sin, death and the devil, and taken the authority over the nations; now it was their job to be the heralds of this gospel. What did this job entail, though?

Is this commission simply to call people to put faith in Jesus and be saved? Is it only to bring sinners to repentance so that when they die they go to heaven?

I believe the answer is no! This calling involves so much more than just creating converts to the Christian faith. This commissioning was to fully bring the culture of Jesus’ kingdom into the world, to all those He had liberated from the devil’s control.

To get a full picture of Jesus’ intent, however, we must once again take a look at the Greek culture in which Jesus lived, to see the metaphors He used to lay out His plan.

Empires and Conquest

Beginning with Alexander the Great, the Greek empire set a pattern for conquest which would be followed for centuries, by many succeeding empires. Considered one of the greatest conquerors in all of history, Alexander built the largest empire the world had ever seen, up to that time. As his empire grew, however, he did not just seek power for himself, but uniformity among the people under his rule. He would gain power by military conquest, but he would achieve this uniformity through massive cultural transformation.

As Alexander’s empire grew, he would bring a unity throughout the territories he controlled by not only installing a new legal system, but also instilling a new cultural identity as Greeks into the people. Through cultural diffusion, in which conquered people were scattered throughout the empire, and syncretism, in which each people groups beliefs and practices were assimilated and blended, Alexander sought to destroy any previous cultural identity in the people, and to fully establish a unified Greek culture. (This system of cultural transformation was continued and perfected by the Romans through “hellenization.”)

According to wikipedia, the “Greek cultural influence and power reached the peak of its geographical expansion, being dominant in the Mediterranean world and most of West and Central Asia, even in parts of the Indian subcontinent, experiencing prosperity and progress in the arts, astrology, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science¹.”

Greek Culture-Bearers

This conquest and hellenization of surrounding Kingdoms was a two-part strategy for Alexander and future Greek and Roman emperors.

First, the military conquest would ensue. The Greek army would set off each spring and go to battle against the neighboring countries; conquering, pillaging, and dethroning the Kings of those nations (as we discussed last week). The emperor or later, the caesar would be declared King of the defeated territory, and His legal rule would be established.

However, as the military would move on to battle the next kingdom to be overtaken, Alexander would engage part two of the strategy. Another military commander would be dispatched as a cultural emissary to convert the conquered kingdom to the Greek way of life². This “apostolos” or “apostle” would be sent with a delegation of culture-bearers (also called “apostolos” or “apostles”), who’s job was to transform the conquered kingdom to now look Greek.

The delegation would have military leaders, sure, but more importantly it would consist of lawyers, architects, educators, artists, poets, fashion designers, philosophers, entertainers, and more. Their commission from the emperor was simply this: “I have conquered that kingdom, now go transform it to look like my kingdom.”

As Walt Pilcher writes,

“Apostle” was a military term used by both the Greeks and the Romans to refer to an ambassador sent from the government of a conquering country to the conquered country. It was the apostle’s job to change the culture of the conquered country so that it resembled his own so that when the conquering ruler visited he would feel at home.
^{Walt Pilcher, “The Five-Fold Effect” (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2013), 40-41}

Apostolos

Before we get too far, I need to take a moment to give some background on this word, “apostolos,” as it is a widely debated term. According to Harper’s Bible dictionary, “apostle” is

the English transliteration of a Greek word meaning ‘one who is sent out.’ An apostle is a personal messenger or envoy, commissioned to transmit the message or otherwise carry out the instructions of the commissioning agent.
^{Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, “Harper’s Bible Dictionary” (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 40.}

Based on this definition, we might say simply that a Greek apostle would simply be an ambassador for the emperor, which would be true. Yet the term is still a bit tricky.

In early Greek usage, the word apostolos did not signify a person. Rather, it was a general word that simply translated as: “to send with a particular purpose³.” There were other, more common Greek words meaning “to send,” but this word implied an intentional commissioning or specific purpose inherent in the sending.

The earliest usages of ‘apostolos’ referenced an official letter or cargo being shipped. Eventually, it was applied to a royal cargo manifest, listing all the sent items aboard a ship.

In later usage, however, the term began to be used to identify the military official given oversight of the sending operation. At times, he would be in charge of seeing that letters or items fulfilled their intended purposes. Other times, the military leader himself would be the one sent out, carrying a one-man ambassadorial assignment or being placed in charge of special delegations of people, or even entire fleets of ships, being sent as emissaries to represent the king⁴.

This usage, meaning an ambassador or emissary delegation, is that which would be used by Alexander and future emperors as they sent out their apostolos to bring Greek (and Roman) culture to the conquered nations under their rule.

This ambassadorial usage would also be the understanding and intent used by Jesus and the New Testament writers.

Apostles in the New Testament

By the time Jesus lived on the earth, most secular Greek writers had ceased to use the word. However, in Israel, in the Jewish culture, the Greek word was still being used.

According to some scholars it was viewed as an equivalent to the Hebrew word, “saliah” — “an accredited representative of religious authority, entrusted with messages and money and empowered to act on behalf of the authority⁵.” (A direct link between the Hebrew and Greek words is disputed, though a loose connection in semantic usages is obvious.)

According to one Bible dictionary, when the Hebrew culture began to use the word apostolos, it meant “one commissioned” and

signified not merely a messenger but a delegate, bearing a commission, and, so far as his commission extended, wielding his commissioner’s authority. ‘The Apostle of any one,’ says the Talmud, ‘is even as the man himself by whom he is deputed.’
^{James Hastings et al., “Dictionary of the Bible” (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1909), 44.}

Therefore, when Jesus began to use the word “apostle,” it makes sense that it was with the Greek, “commissioned for cultural transformation “idea in mind.

This intent becomes clear when we look at His sending out of the first apostles and the assignment they carried:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles (sent ones) are these…
^{Matthew 10:1-2 (emphasis mine)}

It goes on to say:

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “…proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
^{Matthew 10:5-8 (emphasis mine)}

Heaven’s Culture Bearers

As we have seen before, when Jesus came to present the Kingdom of God, He revealed it in various ways. He proclaimed the kingdom publicly in His teachings. He explained the kingdom deeply, in private to the disciples with “ears to hear.” He demonstrated the kingdom with power by healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, and working all kinds of miracles. Then He taught His disciples to seek God’s Kingdom reality to come into this world, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

What Jesus was doing in all of this was training the disciples to understand Heaven’s culture, and to live their lives in the reality of this kingdom. Every time Jesus spoke about heaven, it was an invitation to enter into heaven’s kingdom, now.

Then, when Jesus commissioned the 12, He was giving them both the authority and the assignment to take the culture of heaven, which they had seen in Him, to the rest of the world! This is what it meant to be Jesus’ apostle. He had won the military victory over the devil’s kingdom of darkness. Now they were commissioned to bring the culture of His kingdom to the nations He now rules.

As one writer says,

An apostle [is] one who is called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to successfully reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches.
^{David Cannistraci, “Apostles and the Emerging Apostolic Movement” (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), p. 29. Quoted in C. Peter Wagner, “Apostles Today” (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2006).}

When the disciples went out preaching, healing, casting out demons, and doing other demonstrations of Jesus authority working through them, it was to reveal the culture of heaven and to invite people into this new reality as they come to serve Jesus as king! They would then gather the believers together as local churches (Greek ekklesia; a term for a legislative assembly), to further establish God’s kingdom on earth, together. (We might say that the gathering of the local church is to be an embassy of God’s kingdom in the midst of a territory yet to be converted.)

When Jesus later sent out another 72 disciples to do this apostolic work, the message behind every healing, deliverance, and miracle was, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:9).

The Apostolic Mission of the Church

Jesus’ apostolic assignment did not end with the twelve apostles or an “apostolic age.” It also was not limited to those who saw Jesus face to face, as some have claimed. Far from it!

Remember, in the Greek culture, the military commander given charge by the king, as well the individuals being led by that commander were all called apostolos. In the same way, the great commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28 extends His apostolic commission beyond the twelve, to the church, throughout every subsequent generation⁶.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
^{Matthew 28:18-20}

It is as if Jesus told the disciples, “I have revealed heaven to you. It is your job to bring heaven’s reality to the world I now rule, but you won’t be able to do it alone. Equip others to do the same work I am assigning to you.”

As those original 12 raised up disciples and enlisted them into the kingdom work, the apostolic mission has advanced, and continued to this day.

We live in a world that belongs solely to King Jesus. The problem is that so many people are still living as though the devil remains on the throne. Salvation, righteousness and the reality of God’s kingdom are available to all, yet they have not yet seen it.

It was Jesus’ work to defeat the devil. It is our job to reveal this new King and His kingdom to those He came to liberate.

Their Commission is Our Commission

Back to our original questions: Is Jesus’ commission simply for us to call people to put faith in Jesus to be saved? Is it only to bring sinners to repentance so that when they die they go to heaven?

No! That only scratches the surface.

The assignment on the church is not just to get people into heaven when they die. It is to get heaven’s reality to all people, now.

Mark’s version of the Great Commission reads this way:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name (or “by my authority”) they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16:15-18

In the same way as Jesus sent the apostles, we are to go, preach, heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, work miracles, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the poor, raise the dead, etc., etc., etc. And as we go, we are to declare, “this is God’s kingdom and you are invited in!”

We have the privilege of being Kingdom Ambassadors.

We do not live on earth, waiting for heaven. We now live as citizens of heaven — under the rule of King Jesus and in the culture of His kingdom — bringing our reality to the world.

Let’s Connect

Footnotes

^{1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_period}

^{2: According to John Eckhardt, “Before (the word apostle) found its way into our Bible, it was a secular term used by the Greeks and Romans to describe special envoys who were sent out for the purpose of expanding the dominion of the empire. May of these envoys were military generals with authority to go into new territories and fight, if necessary, to establish the Greek or Roman culture in that region. They were also responsible for teaching and training the new subjects in the laws and culture of the kingdom.” (Quoted from John Eckhardt, “Moving in the Apostolic” (Minneapolis: Chosen Books, 1999), 23.)}

^{3: A. F. Walls, “Apostle,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 58.}

^{4: “After Herodotus in the 5th century BC… it generally means ‘fleet’, or perhaps occasionally ‘admiral’.” (ibid, 58)}

^{5: ibid, 58}

^{6: As Pilcher writes, “In establishing His own apostles along with the other four of the five-fold ministries, Jesus created a self-replicating ambassadorship whose mission was, and is, to represent the Kingdom on Earth and to establish its culture here so that Jesus will recognize it as His when He returns for us, His church. To Him, it will look a lot like Heaven.” (Pilcher, The Five-Fold Effect. 41.)}

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April 13 2021

The Gospel of the Kingdom

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God 2 Corinthians 2:14, Bible, colossians 2:15, Gospel, Jesus, Jesus is king, Jesus is Messiah, Jesus' Gospel, kingdom of darkness, Kingdom of Heaven, the devil is defeated, triumphal procession, understanding the gospel 2

In the last post we saw how Jesus revealed and demonstrated that His new kingdom had come into the earth in His ministry. However, the final battle in the war between His kingdom and the kingdom of darkness was yet to take place. It would be Jesus’ death on the cross, burial, and resurrection from the dead that would seal His victory for all eternity. Although we have looked at the depth of His salvation (sozo) already, in this post, we will dig deeper into the “gospel of the Kingdom.”

What is a Gospel

Before the New Testament writers began using the word “gospel” – “evangelion” in the Greek – to discuss Jesus’ work on the cross, this word was widely used in Greek and Roman culture to describe a message of victory being reported from the battle field. When a military would achieve success over their enemy, a messenger would run to bring the “gospel” or “good news” of the victory back to the home country.

As the New Bible Dictionary says,

In classical literature the word designated the reward given for good tidings. It also indicated the message itself, originally the announcement of victory, but later applied to other messages bringing joy.
^{R. H. Mounce, “Gospel,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 426. (Emphasis mine.)}

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

Jesus takes this same, culturally-understood idea, and declared the gospel of His own victory over the Kingdom of darkness. This gospel, or good news, is that Jesus went to war with the Kingdom of darkness and won the victory, and now that message is being proclaimed.

Although Jesus had already revealed His kingdom in word and deed, when He took the punishment for sin on His body and died in our place, He put the final seal on the devil’s destruction. The cross was the final blow to the devil’s kingdom, he was defeated.

Originally, it was through the sin of Adam that the devil took authority over the earth (Luke 4:5-6) and by which death entered the world (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:19). However, it was in the sinless life and atoning death of Christ that the reign of sin, death, and the devil came to an end. The means by which the devil gained His authority was reversed! The gospel of the Kingdom is that Jesus has defeated the devil, and is the undisputed victor in the invisible battle for the world!

More Than Human Salvation

I think the biggest misconception about the Gospel is that the “good news” is only about spiritual salvation in Jesus.

Yes, Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. That is foundational to the Gospel. However, that was just the first effect of a much larger plan. God’s goal was to completely undo the effects of the devil’s global power grab at the fall of man, and the cross of Christ achieved that goal. Just take a look at the military references made throughout the New Testament.

A King is Conquered

When the Roman army would go into enemy territory and defeat that kingdom’s army, they would then plunder the nation for all of it’s valuables, and make a spectacle of the defeated king before the people.

The Roman commanders would take the defeated king and remove all symbols of his authority from him: his crown, sword, scepter, royal robes, signate rings, etc. They would then strip the fallen king naked, bind him in chains, and lead him throughout his own defeated kingdom, in front of his people, shouting that he was no longer the king. “Caesar is king!” The people would then watch as their king, other surviving military and government leaders, and all the spoils of their land would be marched out of their cities, back to Rome.

The Apostle Paul, when writing about Jesus’ victory over the devil employs this same imagery. In Colossians 2:15 we read:

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities.” That is talking about the devil and his demons. Jesus took down their defenses, removed their weapons, and stripped them of all power and authority. He then “put them to open shame,” meaning that Jesus didn’t quietly declare his victory over the devil. It means He bound him in chains, and led him about to become a spectacle for all to see. When the name of Jesus is proclaimed, the devil has no ability to withstand. He is a defeated enemy.

The verses right before make it clear that this work was accomplished, not just by Jesus’ performing miracles and living a righteous life. It was directly through His atonement for sin on the cross.

A Victory Parade

This same imagery is used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:14-26:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life…

The Greek word here for “triumphal procession” is the same as in Colossians for “triumphing over them.” Both of these verses are discussing the same victory parade, where the devil and his demons are put on display as being defeated enemies. Where Colossians seems to discuss the beginning of the parade, as the defeated king was removed from his own kingdom, 2 Corinthians seems to picture the end of the parade, when the victorious military commander would present the enemy and the spoils of war to the Roman people.

As Freeman and Chadwick write:

A Roman military triumphal procession was one of the grandest spectacles of ancient times. It was granted to a conqueror only when certain conditions had been fully complied with. Among these it was required that the victory be complete and decisive…and that it put an end to the war… When the day arrived the people crowded the streets and filled every place from which a good view of the procession could be obtained. The temples were all open and decorated with flowers, and incense was burned on every altar. Fragrant odors from burning spices were profusely scattered through the temples and along the streets, filling the air with perfume.
In the procession were the senate and chief citizens of the state, who by their presence honored the conqueror. The richest spoils of war—gold, silver, weapons of every description, standards, rare and costly works of art, and everything that was deemed most valuable by either conqueror or vanquished—were carried in open view in the procession. The general in whose honor the triumph was decreed rode in a chariot that was of peculiar form and drawn by four horses. His robe was embroidered with gold, and his tunic with flowers. In his right hand was a laurel bough, and in his left, a scepter. On his brow there was a wreath of Delphic laurel. Amid the shouts of the soldiers and the applause of the populace, the conqueror was carried through the streets to the temple of Jupiter, where sacrifices were offered, after which there was a public feast in the temple.
^{James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 541–542.}

Jesus is King

In these references to a victorious military parade, Paul pictures Jesus riding at the head, clothed with royal robes and carrying the scepter of victory. Behind him are the spoils of this war; that is us — we are His reward. We are the precious things Jesus has taken for Himself.

Behind us comes the enemy, the devil and all of his demonic generals, stripped of their authority and bound in his chains. He has lost his throne over the nations. He is no longer king of the world. Jesus is the King!

As we shout our praise of Jesus, and lift our worship to God, Paul says we are the “fragrance” of death and life. Just as the Romans would celebrate with flowers and incense, our praises become the smell of life to those who are submitted to Jesus as King, but they are the fragrance of death to those who stand with the devil in sin.

The Final Declaration of Victory

Now, some will argue that the devil is yet to be defeated. Clearly, much of the world is still surrounded in darkness, and sin still has the hearts of mankind. They want to say that the devil’s defeat on the cross of Christ was incomplete, and that we must wait for Jesus return in the future to finally finish the job.

To that I must quote from so many great theologians throughout history: “the devil is a liar!”

Jesus, after He rose from the dead and spent time instructing the disciples about the future of His Kingdom, gives the Great Commission, and He begins with these words:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
^{Matthew 28:18a}

Jesus did not mince words or misspeak. He declared that his victory in the battle was final, and that He, now, has all the authority in creation. He has the authority in heaven, which was never lost to sin; and He has all the authority in the earth, which formerly belonged to the devil (see Luke 4:5-6).

The only problem we have now is that too much of the earth does not know their king has been defeated and that Jesus reigns. That is the rest of the final commission Jesus gave, and where we will turn our attention next week.

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March 26 2021

How Jesus Revealed His Kingdom

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Christian, Christian Life, deliverance, God's Kingdom, Gospel, gospel of the Kingdom, Jesus is God, Jesus is king, Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven 1

When Jesus showed up on the earth, bringing His new kingdom into existence, it was evident that everything changed. The devil’s authority was overthrown (Colossians 2:15, Matthew 28:18). The penalty for the fall of man into sin was paid in full. There was now an offer to every person for salvation, healing, and deliverance, as we choose to follow this new King!

In this post, I want us to fix our attention on how Jesus revealed this new reality during His time on earth. This is especially necessary as there are many Christians who hold to a theological belief that, although Jesus launched His kingdom at His first coming, the benefits of this new kingdom cannot be experienced until His second coming. This view, however, twists or completely overlooks major portions of the gospel narrative! His kingdom is here, now, even if not yet fully realized. The question is not if we can experience it; but how much of His kingdom can we experience now, before He comes again?

Kingdom Revealed

The first thing Jesus did as He entered the public ministry, was to declare to Israel that the fulfillment of God’s promise of a new king — a Messiah — was coming to pass in front of their eyes.

According to Luke, after Jesus was baptized (Luke 3:21-22) he spent time in the wilderness overcoming the enemy’s temptations (Luke 4:1-13) and being empowered by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14). Then, in His first act of ministry, He went into the synagogue at Nazareth and revealed Himself as the promised Messiah!

First, he stands up to read from the scriptures. He chooses to read one of the most well-known prophetic promises about the King-to-come from Isaiah 61:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
^{Luke 4:18-19}

He then puts away the scroll, and takes his seat to teach the congregation regarding the scripture. However, instead of giving an exegetical explanation of the passage, Jesus looks at the hopeful Jews and says, essentially, “Ta-da! I’m the one!” The bible says:

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
^{Luke 4:20-21 (emphasis mine)}

For anyone who says, “Jesus never claimed to be God.” They are wrong. Over and over again, Jesus claims to be one with the Father, and the fulfillment of all the promises. For example, Jesus said:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
^{Matthew 5:17 (emphasis mine)}

He also said

…the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
^{John 5:37-40 (emphasis mine)}

It is clear that Jesus revealed Himself as the King and Messiah of God.

Kingdom Proclaimed

From this first introduction as God’s coming King, Jesus proceeded to spend His entire earthly ministry proclaiming the good news of this new kingdom. Everywhere He went, this was His only message: the kingdom of God has come.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…
^{Matthew 4:23}

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…
Matthew 9:35

Remember, a “gospel” is the “good news” concerning a victory which has taken place. The “good news” Jesus proclaimed, is that the Kingdom of God is here, now, replacing the kingdom of darkness which has reigned since the fall:

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
^{Luke 17:20-21 (emphasis mine)}

In other words, the kingdom of God is right here, within your reach. Don’t miss it!

Kingdom Explained

Beyond His public proclamations, we also see that in every teaching, Jesus had one central message: life in the kingdom of God.

He continually taught the disciples what life in the Kingdom looks like. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 has been called by some scholars, “the Kingdom manifesto,” because Jesus is demonstrating the cultural and lifestyle differences between His kingdom and the kingdoms of men.

In almost every parable, Jesus begins by saying, “the kingdom of God is like…” and “the kingdom of heaven is like…” Just read through Matthew 13 for a number of examples.

It was not enough for His disciples to know that the kingdom was present in Him. He wanted them to understand the new reality which they were being called to live in, themselves. They were being set free from the world’s rules and expectations, and must learn to see their lives through the eyes of God’s kingdom culture.

Up until His final teaching at the last supper, Jesus was explaining how life in His kingdom is different:

And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you…”
^{Luke 22:25-26a}

Kingdom Demonstrated

Although the message of God’s kingdom was a continual theme in Jewish writings and teachings, in hearing it from Jesus, it was different. For the first time, the words being spoken came with authority and demonstrations of power to back them up!

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, testified to Jesus:

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
^{John 3:2 (emphasis mine)}

Returning to the verses already quoted above, not only did Jesus go around “proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom…” but they go on to say,

…proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
^{Matthew 4:23}

…proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
^{Matthew 9:35}

Matthew 8:16 says, “they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.” Matthew 12:15 says that, “many followed him, and he healed them all.”

The point is that Jesus didn’t just do a few miracles, signs, and wonders. Everywhere He went He was healing the sick, casting out demons, and demonstrating God’s kingdom. The culture of His kingdom was different, and it was evident! In fact, responding to a challenge by the Pharisees, He declares that all of these signs prove the Kingdom of God is present!

…if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
^{Matthew 12:28}

In another place, He says that the physical manifestations also prove His ability to forgive sin, something only God can do (See Matthew 9:1-8)!

This is why the Apostle Paul, later declares,

For the kingdom realm of God comes with power, not simply impressive words.
^{1 Corinthians 4:20 (The Passion Translation)}

Kingdom Sought After

Jesus not only proclaimed the kingdom with word and demonstrated it with power in His own life; He also tells the disciples that their prayers should be seeking a greater demonstration of this power in the earth as a whole! When he taught them “the Lord’s prayer,” He instructs them to pray and ask God to manifest the Kingdom:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
^{Matthew 6:10}

As long as we live in this world, our desire and prayers must be focused on His kingdom being manifested around us!

Kingdom Commissioned

Finally, after revealing, proclaiming, teaching, demonstrating, and telling the disciples to seek the kingdom, He commissioned His followers to join Him in bringing this kingdom to the world.

It began with the 12:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction… These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
^{Matthew 10:1, 5-8}

Later, the same commission was given to 72 other disciples:

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. (And He said to them) Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
^{Luke 10:1, 8-9}

As Jesus began to prepare for His departure from the earth, He made this incredible promise:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
^{John 14:12 (emphasis mine)}

And in His final commission before His ascension, He commissioned the entire church, throughout future generations, to continue proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God, until He returns.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
^{Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis mine)}

Mark’s gospel shares this same commission this way:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
^{Mark 16:15-18 (emphasis mine)}

And that is exactly what happened!

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
^{Mark 16:19-20 (emphasis mine)}

The Kingdom Is The Point

When we look at all that Jesus taught and did, it becomes clear that He had one mission while on earth, and that was to launch His kingdom among men, ushering us into the rule and reign of God.

As we will see in the next post, to limit Jesus’ gospel to simply the salvation of our souls at the end of time is a big mistake. His Kingdom came then, it is here now, and it will increase for all eternity (Isaiah 9:7). As believers, we must join Him on this mission of revealing His kingdom to the lost world, until the day He comes again (Matthew 24:14).

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March 16 2021

A New Kingdom

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Christian, deliverance, Healing 1

A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at how a new kingdom of darkness became the reality on the earth, after heaven’s departure at the fall of mankind. We saw that there was a new, innate identity in mankind – “sinner” – which had effects on all of creation, creating brokenness and bondage to the devil. However, as we will see today, all of that changed when Jesus showed up.

There were many prophecies regarding the Messiah who would come, bringing salvation to mankind. Last week, we looked at how Jesus fulfilled all of these prophetic pictures throughout the Old Testament, but what were the effects? It isn’t enough that He fulfilled prophecies, if there is not tangible evidence that anything changed.

The good news (gospel) is that Jesus brought a brand new reality into the world when He went to the cross. He pronounced that the Kingdom of God has come (Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 9:35), and demonstrated this Kingdom in miraculous ways.

God’s Plan for Restoration

All along, God’s people held to God’s promises to restore all things. Not only did He promise to renew the creation itself, but for people, God promised salvation, healing and deliverance. Just take a quick look at Psalm 103:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit…
^{Psalm 103:2-4 (emphasis mine)}

Yet as mankind was in bondage to sin, they struggled for generations to keep the faith and continue hoping for these promises to be fulfilled. However, when “the fullness of time” came, and Jesus made His appearance into the world, He established a new Kingdom which changed everything!

How did He do it? By restoring lost humanity to what we were before the fall!

Sozo

The Greek word for the salvation which Jesus brought into the world is “sozo” (or “sodezo,” depending on who is transliterating). It is used, in some grammatical variation, 192 times in the New Testament and is used in various ways to describe different aspects of salvation.

Salvation

In Mark 16:16 it says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved (sozo)…” This is the same usage as when the angel prophesied to Joseph in Matthew 1:21, telling him, “[Mary] will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save (sozo) his people from their sins.” At the most basic level, “sozo” means salvation from sins.

Healing

In other places, however, “sozo” is translated to mean physical healing. In Mark 6:56, for example, it says, “And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well (sozo).” It is obvious, then, that sozo does not just have effect on the soul of man, to save us, but that Jesus’ salvation also carries with it the healing of our physical bodies!

Deliverance

Still, in other places, “sozo” is used to mean deliverance from bondage to demons. In Luke 8:35-36, for instance, after Jesus has cast out the legion of demons into a herd of pigs, the Bible says, “Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed (sozo).” Now, even though the English translators chose the word “healed” in this passage, this man was not sick. He was in bondage. Jesus’ salvation delivered this man from the power of the devil. “Sozo,” then, also means deliverance from the power and authority of the devil and His demons!

I could give many more examples where the biblical writers used the word “sozo,” but let’s just summarize by seeing what a Bible dictionary says about this little word:

Sozo means “save, rescue, deliver; keep safe, preserve; cure, make well.”
^{Barclay M. Newman Jr., A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament. (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft; United Bible Societies, 1993), 177.}

This is Complete Salvation

As human beings, we are made up of three distinct parts, which form our existence. We are a soul (psyche), living as a spirit, all contained within a physical body.

Your soul, at the most basic level, is you. It is your mind, will and emotions. When I say, “I am Scott,” I am speaking of my soul — the thing that makes me who I am. It is the soul of which Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” It is your soul that was transformed by sin, and which needs to be saved.

Your spirit, on the other hand, is the supernatural essence of your being. It is your spirit which was transferred into Satan’s custody through the fall into sin and rejection of God. Your spirit must be delivered from this bondage.

And your body, which is the physical (natural) aspect of your being, as it exists inside the creation, broken by the effects of sin and God’s curse, must be restored to health and wholeness.

To put it simply Jesus did not just die to save your soul. He died to save you completely! That is “sozo.” Let’s take a minute to look at how.

Mankind Redeemed

As we discussed before, although mankind was created in the image of God and appointed to represent Him as stewards over the creation, when we entered into sin, that image inside us was marred. Instead of “good” as God had created us, our very nature was changed and we were now “sinner.” However, Jesus’ greatest promise of salvation was that our sin could be forgiven and our hearts (psyche) could be restored back into alignment and fellowship with God. When Jesus saved our soul, our identity is changed!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…
^{2 Corinthians 5:17-18}

When Jesus died on the cross, there was an exchange that took place. Jesus took our sin into Himself (1 Peter 2:24), experienced our separation from God (Matthew 27:46), and bore the curse of death on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Then, as soon as we put our faith in Him, we receive His righteousness, imputed to us (2 Corinthians 5:21), as all the record of our sinful history is erased (Colossians 2:14). Not only is righteousness “imputed,” but grace is imparted to us to remain righteous moving forward (Romans 6:17-19).

In every way, Jesus saved us from our sins!

Deliverance from the Devil

As we have looked at before, when mankind sinned there was a transfer of authority that happened in the creation. In the beginning, God gave mankind the mandate to govern over creation. However, when we broke fellowship with Him through sin, our authority was transferred to the devil (Luke 4:5-7)! His kingdom of darkness consumed the creation, and we became his faithful citizens.

As we lived in sin, we were dominated by the king of sin. In the most literal sense we had been adopted into the devil’s family, which is why Jesus continually rebukes the faithless religious leaders by calling them “children of the devil” (see 1 John 3:8 and Matthew 13:38).

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”
^{John 8:42-44}

However, when Jesus saved us from our sins, our identity changed, the Bible declares that the devil lost his rights to us!

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 1:12

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
^{Colossians 1:13–14}

The Apostle Paul also talks about this transfer when he writes to the Ephesians. He begins by recalling the old life, lived in blind bondage to the devil:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
^{Ephesians 2:1-3 (emphasis mine)}

However, when Jesus saved us, all of that changed. Not only did He save us from our sins, but He spiritually removed us from the devil’s domain:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
^{Ephesians 2:4-6 (emphasis mine)}

Just as our soul was saved and we were reconciled to God, our spirits are delivered from the power of the devil and are now hidden in Christ. As believers in Jesus’ gospel, we now live in a new Kingdom!

This is one of my favorite mysteries of the Gospel: that when Jesus saved us, His Spirit came to live inside of us, while our spirits have ascended to sit with Him in heaven. That is a current reality, not a future expectation! The gospels are full of stories of how Jesus delivered people from the grips of the demonic when He forgave sin and removed their authority. It is an inseparable part of His (sozo) salvation.

Healing for Brokenness

Finally, as Jesus forgave our sin and transferred us into His Kingdom reality, He brought healing to all the brokenness in our physical bodies. Since we still live in the midst of the broken world, it is true that some of His healing will not come until the final restoration of all things. However, as believers who pray like Jesus prayed (see Matthew 6:10), it should be our desire to see as much healing take place now as God wants to release!

Peter, quoting from Isaiah 53:5, declares:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
^{1 Peter 2:24}

Peter does not put this in the future tense. He says it is already your reality in Jesus! Just as He has already forgiven all of your sins; He has also purchased your complete healing by the marks on His physical body.

Repeatedly, everywhere Jesus went, He healed the sick. It was a physical manifestation of His (sozo) salvation, which we now share through faith in Him.

Jesus’ salvation for humanity covered us completely — body, soul, and spirit — as He saves, heals, and delivers those who believe in Him. In the next post, we will see how Jesus’ put these gifts of salvation on full display when He revealed His Kingdom to the world.

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March 9 2021

When Heaven Came Down

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Heaven, heaven came down, Is Jesus god?, Jesus & The Gospel, jesus christ, Jesus fulfilled prophecy, Jesus is God, Jesus is the messiah, messiah, prophecy fulfilled, Savior, son of God 2

Over the past few weeks, we have taken a close look at what happened when mankind fell into sin, the curse came upon creation, and heaven’s presence departed from the earth. We have seen the promise of heaven’s return, given through many pictures and metaphors, yet we have also seen the devastating reality of human life in the absence of heaven. However, 2000 years ago, in a moment unnoticed by almost all humanity, heaven returned to the earth, and since that day, nothing has been the same!

One of the biggest prayers in the Old Testament was “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). As we will see, today, God did just that.

An Unlikely King

We all know the Christmas story; how the angel came to Mary and told her she would miraculously conceive a child, though she was a virgin. The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

This would not be the first son of a god in the world. There had been many before; men who had been born in great palaces, rulers of empires and conquerors of nations, who had taken that title for themselves. When Israel lived in Egypt, they served the Pharaoh, who would be called the son of Amun-Ra (the Egyptian creator-god). Later, the Jews would live in exile under the rule of Babylonian and Assyrian kings, who also took the title, “son of god” for themselves. Even at the moment of Mary’s conception, Israel was living under the authority of Caesar, who was declared the “son of god” and worshipped as divine throughout the Greco-Roman world.

Yet for the child born to Mary, this title was not self-proclaimed. Although He was not born in a palace or to a wealthy family, the testimony of His birth reveals His true nature. Not only did the angel appear to Mary, but on the day of Jesus’ birth, angelic choirs sang of His coming to the shepherds in the field (Luke 2:8-21). At his dedication in the temple, His identity was proclaimed by Simeon, through the Holy Spirit’s revelation (Luke 2:25-35), followed by the prophetic declarations of His arrival by the prophetess, Anna (Luke 2:36-40). If all of that was not enough, later, at His baptism in the Jordan River, the voice of God was heard by the crowds, “this is My beloved Son, in whom I AM well pleased” (see Luke 3:22).

Though many Kings had called themselves the “son of God,” this was different. God Himself was revealing His Son to the world, and giving Him the title of King!

Prophecies Fulfilled

As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, there were many prophetic pictures given, pointing to Heaven’s return. Though many of them were masked in mystery, the New Testament goes out of it’s way to show how Jesus fulfilled them all!

He Was the Seed of Abraham

We previously discussed how in Genesis 12:2-3 God promised Abraham a son, who would lead to a global blessing. This promise, however, was not fulfilled in Isaac, nor any of Abraham’s immediate descendants. Instead, it looked forward to Jesus, as the New Testament proclaims.

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
^{Galatians 3:16}

Jesus was the child of Abraham who would bless all nations.

He Was a Priest Like Melchizedek

From the days of Moses, the tribe of Levi was appointed to be the priests of the nation of Israel. This would create a problem for Jesus, who was to be born of the tribe of Judah, according to prophetic promises. However, God uses the Old Testament Priest, Melchizedek to point to Christ, who was not a priest according to the law, but according to the Spirit of God.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
^{Hebrews 5:7-10}

Although He was not a Levite, Jesus fulfilled God’s calling and design for a human priesthood, serving as mediator between God and man.

He Was God’s True Tabernacle and Temple

As we have already seen, God used various geographic locations as home to His presence among men. First, He dwelt in the Garden of Eden, where heaven literally dwelt on earth. Later, His presence came down and dwelt among Israel in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, then the Temple in Jerusalem. Yet, even these we imperfect pictures of what was to come in Christ.

Jesus made clear that His appearance marked a change in God’s relationship to humanity.

Luke writes in the book of Acts,

“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands…
^{Acts 7:44-48 (emphasis mine)}

This is written to demonstrate that God had other plans for how to house His Spirit in the earth, and it all began with Jesus!

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
^{John 2:18-22}

Jesus was the Temple for God’s Spirit — His presence and His glory — on the earth!

He was the Final Passover Lamb

Not only was Jesus God in the flesh, the Great High Priest and Promised King, but He was also given by God to be the ultimate sacrifice for humanity. Over and over again, all throughout the law and sacrificial system, God makes it clear that there must be a sacrifice to cover the sin of humanity and demonstrate their full faith in God.

Even Abraham prophetically declared to Isaac, when taking him to be sacrificed on the mountain, that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8).

What we see when Jesus is killed on the cross over the passover weekend is that He truly was the Lamb of God, just as John the Baptist had spoken over Him in the wilderness (John 1:29). The night before He went to His death, He spoke to the disciples about this eternity-defining event:

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
^{Luke 22:14-20 (emphasis mine)}

He was Declared King and Messiah

As you read through all the Old Testament’s predictions about the One who is to Come, and then look at the life of Jesus, it is undeniable that He fulfilled them all. This was not only done in word, but His actions, which astonished both the crowds and the religious elite, proved that his was a sort of man, never seen before.

At one of His first public readings of scripture, Jesus declares Himself the Messiah:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
^{Luke 4:16-21}

After revealing who He was, Jesus lived the life to prove it:

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
^{Matthew 11:2-5}

Heaven Has Returned

In Jesus, Heaven made its return to the world in power and glory, and since that day, nothing has been the same. Prophecy revealed Him to all who were looking! All of the things the Old Testament used to demonstrate Heaven’s return to earth were pointing to a future reality which was fulfilled in Jesus, and He became the Savior of the World! And that is where we will turn our attention next.

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February 23 2021

In The Absence of Heaven…

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God, Uganda Bible, Identity, Noah, Old Testament 0

In the last two posts, we have discussed what happened when heaven departed from the earth, at the fall of man in Eden, and we have looked at the biblical promise, through various pictures and metaphors, that one day heaven would return. In this post, however, we will look at the reality of life on earth in the interim period.

Yes, God set up a system of worship and sacrifices to temporarily cover the sin of humanity, and claim a people for Himself. Still, there was a new reality that people have faced since we walked out of the garden.

A New Identity

As heaven departed, the first thing that changed was the reality of who we are. As we said in the first post, in the garden Adam and Eve were created in God’s image and were clearly marked as His legal representatives. Their identity was in God Himself and who He said they were.

However, upon their rejection of God’s rule and relationship in pursuit of becoming like God themselves (Genesis 3:5), their innate identity was marred. No longer were they “good” as God had declared them. Their identity, now, was “sinner.” They were cut off from God, and would now face extreme turmoil from inside themselves, struggling to create an identity for themselves.

This new struggle with sin and identity is repeated again and again in scripture:

When God flooded the world to wipe out mankind, it was because He saw “that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5-8). Only one man, among all humanity was found to be righteous before the Lord.

When mankind decided to build a tower at babel, it was to demonstrate their own greatness, still trying to attain heaven (godhood) on their own.

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’”
^{Genesis 11:4}

Even the Psalmist records of humanity,

God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.
^{Psalm 53:2-3}

From the day heaven departed, all of mankind has been lost and struggling to figure out who he is.

A New Reality of Life

Not only was our identity marred, but the reality of the world we live in was also broken. The creation itself was cursed by God, and is awaiting restoration at heaven’s return (Romans 8:20-22). Before God removed Adam and Eve from the garden, He spoke to Adam, saying,

“…cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
^{Genesis 3:17-19}

From that day onward, humanity has faced natural disasters and global crises stemming from this new reality. We have faced famine, pestilence, drought, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and more.

In the last year alone, where I live in Uganda, we have faced major flooding of Lake Victoria and the Nile River, destroying many homes and fields in the south. We have faced three waves of desert locusts, wiping out thousands of acres of farmlands in the north, as well as in Kenya and other nations. And we have joined the world in the battle against COVID-19. All of this is in the midst of our ongoing struggles with malaria, TB, HIV, poverty, lack of education, and more.

When we look back into the garden, none of this was the plan. Yet, when heaven left earth, all the blessings went with it. What is left is the fruit of sin, which is brokenness, sickness, and destruction.

This means that when heaven returns, it must bring more than a simple salvation from sin, but it must also bring healing to our bodies and the world!

A New King Over Creation

To top it all off, as if dealing with the newfound identity crisis while also facing a cursed world were not enough, Adam and Eve came face to face with one more reality, which has marked the world in heaven’s absence. That is, when they sinned they inadvertently handed over the authority which God had given them in the creation, to the king of sin — the devil; the demon-serpent himself, who had tempted them in the first place.

Thousands of years later, when Jesus is on earth, the Bible tells us that the devil makes this claim, himself, as he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, and Jesus does not deny it!

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
^{Luke 4:5-7 (emphasis mine)}

This demonic kingdom has had it’s roots in sin since Adam and Eve fell, and until human sin is dealt with once and for all, this kingdom will continue to reign. As Ephesians 2 tells us, it is the nature of all lost humanity:

“…following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
^{Ephesians 2:2-3}

Even among the religious elite in Israel — those who were attempting to perfectly keep God’s law — Jesus tells them, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires” (John 8:44).

That is a crazy statement! Not only is the devil the king of this world; the prince of the power of the air, but he is also the father of all who follow him in sin! Not only had God’s divine image been destroyed, but now sin is in our DNA. (This is why I do not doubt people who claim sin as a lifestyle claiming “I was born this way.” Unfortunately being born broken is not an excuse. However, that is a conversation for another time.)

This means when heaven returns, not only will there need to be salvation from sin and healing for our bodies, but there must be deliverance from bondage to the devil, as well!

Complete Salvation Must Come

Fortunately for us, when God promised heaven’s return, He promised all of these things: salvation, healing, and deliverance!

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
^{Psalm 103:1-5}

When heaven returns, God will bring a complete salvation to humanity and the world. When Jesus comes, He would fulfill all the prophecies of what Messiah would be. That is where we will turn our attention in the next post!

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February 5 2021

The Promise of Heaven’s Return

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God heaven on earth, messiah, problem of sin, promise of god 1

Last week we looked at God’s original perfection in His creation, when heaven and earth coexisted in a place called Eden. God’s presence dwelt with mankind, and humanity had full access to everything God brought into existence. However, through one act of sin, when the man and woman doubted God’s Word, and aligned themselves with the demon-serpent, there was a rip in the creation. Adam and Eve were removed from the garden, and heaven departed earth.

However, as we will see this week, when God withdrew Himself from man, it came with a promise of a victorious return. This promise was relayed, over and over again, throughout the generations, and demonstrated in types and shadows. That is where we will fix our attention today.

The First Gospel

When God brought His judgement on humanity, due to the sin of Adam and Eve, we have already looked at the curses they (we) faced. Yet in the middle of those curses, there is one statement made to the demon-serpent that launched humanity’s hope for a redeemer, who would fix what was now broken.

In Genesis 3 we read what has been titled the “protoevangelion” or the “first gospel.” God speaks to the serpent:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
^{Genesis 3:15 (emphasis mine)}

From this one, simple sentence, we see that God is setting in motion a plan, in which a child, representing all of humanity — now in subjugation to sin, death, and the authority of the serpent — would rise up and overcome the demonic power which had taken control of God’s creation. Before Adam and Eve left the garden, there was hope of restoration!

The Seed of Abraham

The next major promise of this restoration came in a promise to a seemingly insignificant man named Abraham. God uproots Abraham from his home and family, and sends him on a journey to a new land. Then God tells him:

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
^{Genesis 12:2-3}

Now, this promise is a big deal because up to this point, God’s dealings with humanity have not really been about blessings. It was all about mitigating the rise of sin in the earth. God flooded the world to destroy all flesh, saving only righteous Noah and his family. Later, God divided humanity into various groups by confusing their languages. This was to prevent them from building a sinful, “We can be like God”-based kingdom among themselves.

Yet the promise to Abraham is one of blessing. Not just blessing for himself, but blessing through Abraham to all families of the earth.

Of course, Abraham didn’t fully understand this promise, and did some shady things along the way. Doubting God’s ability to protect him, he hid his marriage, and let his wife be taken in by other men, claiming she was only his sister. Then, doubting God’s ability to give him an heir (and the promised innumerable descendants) through his wife, he helps God out by taking a servant girl as a concubine, and giving birth to a son (one God had not promised). Nevertheless, Abraham continually returns in humility to the Lord’s presence and Word, and was counted righteous due to his faith in God’s promise (Genesis 15:6).

From this time, Abraham’s family began to grow, just as the Lord spoke. Throughout the Old Testament we continue to see the special relationship between God and humanity being reestablished through Abraham’s lineage. Just as the promise was received by faith, this relationship was to be continually cultivated by faith.

The Priesthood of Melchizedek

One of the first outworkings we see of Abraham’s faith, in relationship with God, comes in his brief encounter with Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-20). This man is the King of Salem (translated as King of Peace). When he comes to meet Abraham, he brings out bread and wine (which should bring to mind another important “supper” in the scriptures.) And then this “Priest of the Most High God” blesses Abraham, who also gives a tithe to this priest, even though the law of Moses was still hundreds of years away.

This priest, according to Hebrews 7, was a forerunner and picture of the Messiah to come. (Full disclosure, I am of the opinion that Melchizedek is a “preincarnate appearance” of Jesus Christ, rather than only a picture. Nevertheless, Melchizedek points to a priesthood ordained by God, outside of the Mosaic law.)

The Passover Lamb

A few generations later, God has taken Abraham’s family through many good times and bad. Abraham’s family, through his son, Issac, and grandson Jacob (Israel), has flourished, and Jacob becomes father of 11 sons who would eventually grow to form the tribes of Israel.

Through the story of Jacob’s son, Joseph, at the end of Genesis, we see God’s presence upon a defendant of Abraham “blessing the whole world” by preserving them from famine, as well as giving the family space to grow from a small clan of 70 people, to a nation of hundreds of thousands 400 years later. Of course, this time of growth also shifted the people’s status in Egypt from guests to slaves. Still, God’s sovereignty was at work.

Just as He had revealed to Abraham in Genesis 15:13, after the 400 years was completed, God brought Abraham’s family out of Egypt. For their grand escape, however, the people of Israel had to once again demonstrate their trust in the Word of God, through an action that would seem barbaric to the civilized Egyptian mind. They would slaughter a lamb and use the blood as a covering for their household, so that the angel of death would “pass over’ their family. As God brought his final judgement in Egypt for Pharaoh’s sin, all the firstborn sons of every household in Egypt died, except those covered by the blood of the lamb.

This became an annual event for the Lord, remembering what God did in Egypt, but also pointing to a bigger, future event, in which God would provide a Lamb to cover the whole world and remove the power of death completely.

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness

As Abraham’s family journeyed through the wilderness, after leaving Egypt, God established His presence with them continually. First, in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, He led them. Then as they camped near Mount Sinai, He met with Moses on the mountain, surrounded by clouds and lighting. Then finally, God commanded the people to build a tabernacle (tent) for His presence to abide in, which would be the first recreation of Eden – Heaven’s home on the earth – and would be mobile, so as to journey with the people until they reached their promised home.

This tabernacle would be the place where the priests would meet with God, interceding on behalf of the people. It would be where their sacrifices of lambs and other animals for sin would take place. And it would be the place where the glory of God would rest, in power, among the men and yet just out of their reach.

In the tabernacle, to touch God’s glory meant immediate death. Yet this earthly tent pointed to a future, better, heavenly reality, still yet to come when God’s presence would dwell with all mankind, in perfect union (see Hebrews 9).

The Promised Land

Finally, after 40 years of wandering, God brings the people into the land promised to Abraham. It was a land of blessing. It would be a land of God’s presence. But it was also a land built on a covenant. Deuteronomy 28 guarantees that so long as the people would remain faithful to God, He would fill the land with blessings and peace. Yet, if they traded their worship of Him for the worship of false Gods, and allowed sin a place in their lives, they would lose the blessing, and eventually be cast out of the land.

Even the promised land, however, was only a shadow of God’s promise still yet to come. Hebrews makes clear that when Abraham followed God from his home, he was looking for a supernatural home;

For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
^{Hebrews 11:10}

Abraham was not just looking for a plot of land, but for that future city where God’s presence and reign is over all! (I believe Abraham saw ahead to the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21.)

The Throne of David

Once established in the land, the hearts of the people became hardened against the Lord. No longer being satisfied by God’s direct rule over themselves through prophets and judges, they called for a king. This sinful desire led to the Lord sending a brutal man to rule over them, just as in the other nations. A man, Saul, who would abuse the people for his own benefit. Eventually, however, in another shadow of what is to come, God supernaturally overcame King Saul and his earthly pursuits and replaced him with a heaven-focused king named David (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22).

Throughout the book of 2 Samuel, and all throughout the book of Psalms, we see David set up as a picture of the Messiah-King who would one day rule all the nations. Not only would this Messiah-King be of the line of Abraham, but He would also be a son of David.

The Temple of God

After the city of Jerusalem is established as the capitol of David’s Kingdom, his one passion becomes bringing the Ark of the Covenant – the resting place of God’s presence among men – into Jerusalem. With great worship and fanfare, David achieves this goal, and sets out to build a house for the Lord. No longer a tent, that can be moved at will, but a permanent residence for the Lord among His people. Another Eden, yet still not the perfect dwelling place still to come.

God’s presence did fill the temple, and dwelt there among His people. The king would worship while the priests made atonement for sin. Picture upon picture, things were taking shape. Yet one thing kept God’s perfect plan from coming into existence.

Despite all the promises and all the forward motion set in place through these events and achievements, sin still reigned in the hearts and minds of men.

From Abraham’s sinfulness of giving away his wife and doubting God’s ability, to the Jewish rejection of Moses’ prophetic leadership (Exodus 2:14; Numbers 16:1-3), to the sons of Aaron’s sacrilegious actions in the tabernacle (Leviticus 10:1-2), to David’s sinful distractions from his relationship with the Lord (2 Samuel 11:1-5; 1 Chronicles 28:2-3), the problem has always been sin.

The Prophecies of Restoration

God’s presence cannot abide forever where the sin of man persists. Nevertheless, the promise of God for Heaven’s full return to the earth continued to be promised and proclaimed throughout the generations of Israel.

In every season of life, God raised up prophets calling people to repent of sin, and return in faith to the Lord. True, God’s judgment would come on the sin of the world (see for example Isaiah 13:11; Malachi 4:1-3; Joel 2:11), but His restoration of creation is still certain. He will overcome sin. He will rebuild what was broken. And He will dwell with mankind, personally and permanently!

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
^{Jeremiah 31:31-34}

“Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.
^{Ezekiel 36:33–36}

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
^{Joel 2:28,32}

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
^{Isaiah 65:17}

Let’s Connect

In the next post we will look at what happened in creation from heaven’s departure, until heaven’s return. To make sure you never miss a post, please subscribe to my weekly newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your information with others.

You can also connect with me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #GospelLeadership insights throughout the week, and to discuss what the Lord is doing, together. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Parler, and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

Disclaimer: The Old Testament pictures pointing to the Messiah and the coming Kingdom are many. It would take books, not blog posts, to do an in-depth presentation. I hope the brief highlights shared in this post give enough substance to the narrative to see the validity of the biblical expectations I am laying out.

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January 26 2021

When Heaven Departed

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Creation, Jesus 1

Christian or not, you are likely familiar with the Bible’s creation story, where God created everything in just under a week’s time. (He rested on the seventh day.) You know how He created light, separating it from darkness. How he formed the stars and planets, and brought forth land from the waters. He then filled the earth with all the plants, birds, fish, and animals. Then, as the epitome of His creation, He made mankind in His image.

You also have likely heard the story of how He put the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden, and gave them the right and the authority to cultivate, build, grow, multiply, and fill the earth. That is, until the serpent showed up and threw everything back into chaos.

Scott, Do You Really Believe Those Stories?

I actually believe it is very sad that these stories have been cast aside by many in the church today as children’s stories, or worse, fables to be disbelieved altogether. The reality is that so much of the Bible hinges on the verifiable truth of the Genesis account, that to throw it aside, will also require giving up major parts of the Christian faith.

To give just one example, if Adam was a mythical figure, and not a literal person, then what do we do with Paul’s adamant statement that Jesus is the second Adam?

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
^{Romans 5:12,15}

If Adam was only a metaphor, then what is Jesus? Needless to say, I do believe the Genesis account of creation is accurate, which is continually reflected through my writings.

Eden: Heaven on Earth

As we begin to look at this story, I continually look in awe at how many times the Bible and Christian authors, philosophers, and thinkers throughout the ages have expressed the biblical idea of getting back to the garden of Eden. Here is one of my favorites:

We must come to understand that life in the Garden of Eden was God’s perfect plan for all eternity. We must remember that when God created Adam and Eve, there was no death. There was no “when we die, we go to heaven,” because they wouldn’t die, and heaven was already there.

Not only was the garden full of everything necessary for sustaining life — food, water, building materials, etc. — but the garden was also the place where God would walk among His creation. There was no need to pray for God’s Kingdom to come on earth as in heaven. Eden was not just a utopia. In the most literal sense, Eden was heaven on earth.

The First Temple

For many Jewish scholars, Eden is also considered to be God’s first temple on earth.¹ It shares many of the same characteristics, such as it’s eastward orientation (Genesis 2:8; ), the rivers which flowed out of it (Genesis 2:10; Ezekiel 47:1-12, Zechariah 14:8), the precious stones listed (Genesis 2:11-12; Exodus 25:7, 11, 17, 31), the Cherubim standing guard. (Genesis 3:24; Exodus 25:18-22) There are so many parallels, that John H. Walton writes:

“Genesis 2 is not trying to develop the idea that Eden is the place of God’s presence, or the holy of holies of the cosmic temple. Those are givens that are simply assumed by author and audience.”
^{D. A. Neal & John Anthony Dunne, “Eden, Garden of,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).}

Mankind as God’s Holy Priesthood

If the Garden of Eden is setup as the place where God’s Presence would dwell on earth, with mankind, and the place from which His authority and rule would go out, then it should not be a surprise that when God created mankind in His image, it was to act as His representation on the earth. God was the King, but mankind was His legal representation to the creation. Or, to use Biblical terminology, all of mankind was a royal priesthood before the Lord. This is why God would commission Adam in his work:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
^{Genesis 1:26-28 (emphasis mine)}

Although Adam had free reign over the earth outside the garden, he was also given certain limitations as to touching the things of God:

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
^{Genesis 2:15-17 (emphasis mine)}

This one commandment of the Lord would be the defining mark that Adam and Eve were righteous toward God, and would remain in relationship to Him.

Everything was Very Good

So God created everything. And this creation was not supposed to be separate from God. It wasn’t a temporary holding place for humanity, until one day they would enter God’s presence for eternity in heaven. No! God’s full intention was to dwell together with His creation, within His creation, having fellowship and sharing life with them.

After He had made everything, placing mankind in the garden, granting them their authority in the earth, and being happy with His work, God said that “it was very good.” He then rests on the seventh day.

So What The Heck Happened?

If God made everything perfect and right, and had eternal plans for this creation, then why is that not what we see today? Why the wars, and violence, and poverty, and famine, and sin upon sin?

We rejected heaven. That’s what happened.

One day when God had left the Garden for a time (possible on His day of rest, although scripture isn’t specific), another voice appeared in the garden. The serpent in the Garden, who like the Garden was also a blend of heavenly and earthly, showed up and challenged the whole thing.

This demon-serpent spoke to Eve (in front of Adam) and called into question whether God’s plan for them was actually good enough. He promised them more. He told them that if they would overstep the boundaries God set, they would go beyond themselves and become more.

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
^{Genesis 3:4-5 (emphasis mine)}

The devil called into question the Word of God — the rule by which heaven and earth could co-exist. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, a tear was made in God’s creation.

When God returns to the garden, new vocabulary comes into use. Adam says I heard You coming and “I was afraid” (Genesis 3:10). The holy relationship between Adam and Eve was broken in the heart of man. Before God spoke a single curse, the relationship was already dissolving.

And Heaven Departed From the Earth

Immediately, when God begins to speak in response, we learn that the roots of sin would now effect everything on the earth. Creation would now default to producing thorns and thistles, and man would need to work hard to produce his fruit. Women’s fruitfulness, too, would be difficult and painful. And from this time, forward, mankind would be in a continual struggle with the demon-serpent who deceived them. Then they would die (See Genesis 3:14-19).

The blessings of God departed. The protection of God departed. Worst of all, the presence of God departed. Heaven itself left the earth, and an angel was placed at the gates to ensure that no man would be able to pass between them. (Note: The cherubim guards the way to the tree of life — Genesis 3:24 — which according to Revelation 22:1-2 is located just near God’s throne. It did not remain on the earth.)

Through the failure of obedience of Adam and Eve, everything in creation was turned over to a new king. As mankind turned their loyalty to satan, through a rejection of God’s Word, their dominion in the earth was taken over by him.

He is “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” who sets the “course of this world” (Ephesians 2:2).

Since that day, our struggle is that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

It’s Not The End of the Story

The fall of man really did happen, and from it, the rest of the Bible takes shape. Yes, God promises redemption. God promises restoration of all things. There is salvation and healing for humanity.

The Bible looks forward to the day, promised by John, when “the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31) and will be thrown into chains in the bottomless pit, unable to deceive the nations any longer (Revelations 20:3).

However, there is a lot of middle ground to cover, before we get there.

Over the next few weeks, we will pick up on this cosmic battle, and find our place in the story as the redeemed of God, living in enemy’s territory. We will look at the life and death of Christ and the full depths of our salvation. We will see how Jesus revealed His Kingdom on the earth, what it means to proclaim the gospel of this Kingdom and talk about our call to live as ambassador’s for Christ, now. We will look at how we are to be carriers of His Kingdom in our everyday lives and how we can keep ourselves free from the devil’s influence and control. Then, finally we will look at what the Bible says about God’s final consumption of all things, when a new heaven and new earth will come, fully united once again. I hope you will stay tuned.

Let’s Connect

Next week we will look at the promise of heaven’s return. If you are enjoying what you are reading, you can make sure never to miss a post by signing up to receive my weekly newsletter below. I promise never to SPAM your inbox or share your information with others.

¹ For more on this concept, see the book, “The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God” by G.K. Beale

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