DEDICATION
PART A*The Simple Story of
|
ANKIND
HAS BEEN imbued with a compulsion to philosophize as to the
origin, purpose, and meaning of life and to theorize about
what, if anything, occurs after death. Scientists,
philosophers, and theologians (intellectuals) have written
books numbering in the thousands on these subjects. A lay
person might venture a humble opinion that, for the most
part, the experts have merely made complex matters
unfathomable. In contrast, perhaps simple explanations for
everything, based primarily upon the Sacred Scriptures (the
Word of God) would be more readily understood and accepted
by ordinary people.
ACT I*HIGHLIGHTS
|
SCENE 1
* * * * *
HE
PERFECT UNIVERSE with God at the center, surrounded by the
heavenly hosts and all the galaxies, sets the stage for the
opening scene. Several of the spirit beings under the
leadership of Satan challenge God’s authority and rule.
Here, the classical drama’s villain makes his initial
entrance. This event marks the first instance of any
opposition to God—a negative force opposing a positive
force, an evil influence contrasted with a good influence.(38)
Inasmuch as God Himself is perfect, He abhors imperfection.
Herein lies the true definition of sin—anything that is
offensive to God—imperfection.
God immediately banishes Satan and
his followers from His presence, exiling them to dwell in
the atmosphere(39)
surrounding the earth. A future (eventual) reconciliation
between God and this Satanic group(40)
will be required to restore the original harmony. The very
act of banishing Satan and his followers was responsible for
an accompanying cataclysmic disruption. The necessary
introduction of sin (evil) into the newly created, perfect
universe brings on this violent convulsion or Disruption, a
term first recorded in Mt. 25:34-35.*
Whereas the earth together with its plant and animal life
had previously existed in perfect order and balance, the
Disruption caused everything to be turned topsy-turvy into
the jumbled mess we now live upon. Is. 45:18 says the Maker
did not create the earth a chaos. Gn. 1:2 correctly
translated says the earth “became a chaos and
vacant.” This was the Disruption. The remnant of the
spirit beings (the faithful) observed this Satanic rebellion
and its consequences with horror, fear, and trembling—thus
calling for a future conciliatory effort to them. Watch and
see how God ultimately wins their love and adoration.(42)
|
Satan challenges God’s authority and is banished; cataclysmic disruption. |
* Note also that when Jesus gave up the spirit on the cross, there was another violent reaction showing God’s extreme displeasure even though the event was an essential scene in the Grand Drama.(41)
SCENE 2
* * * * *
HE
NEXT SCENE opens with the five-day restoration of the
disrupted earth followed by the making of the first human.
Whereas the spirit beings had no physical bodies, the human
body was formed from the earth’s soil and energized with
the breath of life(43)
and spirit, so that the combination became a living soul*
which God called Adam.(45)
Adam was strictly physical, his body being comprised of
flesh, bone, and blood. Having been made of soil, the body
functions were nourished and sustained by the intake of
food, air, and water. Existing in perfect balance, the
satisfaction of the five senses of sight, sound, touch,
taste, and smell assured the body of the proper
replenishment of all the minerals, chemicals, vitamins,
etc., required to keep it perpetually rejuvenated so that it
never aged. Adam was thus brought on the scene in an elegant
garden which had been planted to sustain the human’s
perfect (sinless) body with life-giving elements forever.
But this actor, like Satan, had been created with a sense of
vanity, a spirit of rebellion, a yearning to be
sell-reliant.
| Disrupted earth restored; first human created, dwelling in an elegant garden; everything perfect to sustain life. |
* Note here that a soul is the result of the union between a physical body and spirit supplied by God; you don’t have a soul; you are a soul. At death your body returns to the earth from which it was formed; your spirit returns to God, who supplied it initially.(44) The soul which was you is no longer; it vanishes—goes to the Unseen (mistranslated as “Hell”). A similar phenomenon may be illustrated by an electric light bulb (the body) and the light (the soul) which emanates from it when the current (the spirit) from the power generating station (God) pulsates through the filament. Switching off the power leaves the bulb dead and the illumination (the soul) disappears (goes to the Unseen — Hell); the power (the spirit) merely rests within the reservoir from which it was originally transmitted; the bulb (body) is discarded and eventually reverts back to the basic elements from which it was made.
SCENE 3
* * * * *
N
THIS SCENE, God decided that the human should have a
companion.(45)
Whereas Adam had been created a bisexual human,(46)
God separated the male and female reproductive function by
removing an angular organ from Adam and forming another body
around it; and thus was the female human brought into
existence as Adam’s complement.(47)
Whereas before there was only one human—Adam—now there
became two humans—a man, Adam, and a woman, Eve.*
Having acquired a following
of several spirit beings among the celestials, Satan now
desires to expand his evil influence to include the earth
and its master, the human;(49)
and so Satan disguises himself as a cunning serpent.**
(50)
Now God had planted a very
beautiful tree right in the center of the Garden of Eden,
where Adam and Eve would pass by it every time they walked
about.(51)
Everything about the tree and its fruit was perfection and
irresistible to the human’s sensuous nature.(52)
But God instructed Adam not to partake of the fruit of this
tree and told him that to do so would bring about a process
hitherto unknown to Adam, called dying, a winding down of
life—ending in death.(53)
Knowing how fond Adam was of his new companion, Eve, the
Serpent took her to the Tree of Knowledge first, showing her
the forbidden fruit; that it was so beautiful to gaze upon,
had a sweet smell, smooth to touch, and if she would only
bite into it, she would be captivated by its delicious
flavor. Eve used the same technique with Adam after she had
yielded to the Serpent’s temptation. Eve’s temptation to
Adam’s sensuous nature was reinforced by his own thirst
for knowledge, his desire to be independent; so he also ate
the forbidden fruit.(54)
Therefore, like Satan, Adam had
rebelled against his Creator, choosing to disbelieve God,
thus invoking the penalty of death. Whereas Adam had been,
up to this time, in perfect harmony with God, his failure to
believe Him resulted in the introduction of sin (originated
by Satan) into the world. Being descendants of Adam, all of
us have inherited the same vain nature, a desire for free
will, a thirst for self-determination, and a life devoted
primarily to the satisfaction of our five senses. By the
same token, our bodies, being imperfect, are by definition
sinful and are condemned to death. As long as we exist in
our physical bodies we are bound to conform to the laws of
nature, responsive to the demands of our five senses, yet
doomed to failure in our vain attempts to regain Adam’s
original perfection and to thwart the dying process by our
own efforts.(55)
Thus is set up the conditions upon which to base mankind’s
future capitulation and reconciliation to God through His
grace, goodness, and love.
| |
God makes a companion for Adam. Satan tempts Eve with forbidden fruit, and she, in turn, lures Adam. Thus, both disobey their Creator and bring sin and death into the world. |
_______________
* From this, it should be apparent that holy matrimony reunites the male and female and they become one as they were originally created.(48)
**At this point, the serpent was something to be admired—not the despised creeping thing we now know.
SCENE 4
* * * * *
HE
FOURTH SCENE starts with God’s eviction of Adam and Eve
from the perfect Garden of Eden,(56)
originally prepared to sustain the human in eternal peace
and happiness contingent on Adam’s total reliance upon
God.(57)
Now Adam and Eve are instead condemned to a life of survival
in a hostile environment of danger from weather, wild
beasts, insects, germs, and the unknown laws of nature.(58)
By virtue of his native intelligence (gained from the Tree
of Knowledge) man was able to develop and populate a large
part of the earth in the years that followed Adam’s
expulsion from Eden. Adam and his offspring might have
repented of their renouncement of God and made sincere
attempts to get back into His good graces, but people became
so entangled in their day-to-day life struggles that they
drifted farther and farther from God, living only to satisfy
their carnal natures. The life style which resulted became
so repugnant to God that He decided to eliminate all but one
family of people. This family depended not only on their own
prowess for survival but continued to communicate with and
rely upon Him for guidance.(59)
Thus, a great flood was brought upon the earth(60)
and only Noah and his family were saved.(61)
As before, many generations of people repopulated the earth,
but instead of working to narrow the gap between God and
mankind, the vast majority went from bad to worse, with only
a few holding onto their faith and close relationship with
God.
| Adam and Eve driven out of Eden and forced to live by their own efforts. Mankind became so evil that every human except Noah and his family were destroyed by a great flood. |
ACT II*HIGHLIGHTS
|
SCENE 1
* * * * *
HE
SECOND ACT of the Grand Drama starts with mankind’s
depravity finally becoming so great that God decides to
intervene once more. Instead of annihilating the faithless
people as He had done before, God adopts another course of
action. From all of mankind, God singles out one man, Abram,
who has maintained his faith and continues to look to God
for divine guidance in all things.(62)
Abram is put to the supreme test and demonstrates his
unflinching faith and belief by his willingness to offer up
his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice.(63)
God pronounces Abram a righteous man by virtue of his
implicit belief and trust in Him.*
As a result of this faith, God changed Abram’s name to
Abraham and promised him** that
he would father a priest nation which would lead all of the
other nations to a state of righteousness and ultimate
reconciliation with God.(65)
| Generations after Noah also fell into sinful ways; God chooses one man, Abram, righteous and believing, and trusting God completely, to father a great nation—Israel. |
_______________
* It is of vital importance to note that Abram’s righteousness was not declared as a result of a completed act but on his absolute faith and belief in God.(64) So far, the first man, Adam, disbelieved God and removed himself from God’s care. Next, Noah believed God and God preserved him from the great flood. Now, we have Abram, who believed God, and God declares him to be righteous.
** Watch and see how God controls and schedules future events to bring about the fulfillment of this promise.
SCENE 2
* * * * *
HIS
SCENE BEGINS with God separating mankind into two
categories: (1) the descendants of the believing Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, called Hebrews or Jews (circumcision
saints), who maintained contact with Jehovah (their name for
God); and (2) the balance of humanity, unbelieving heathen
referred to as “The Nations,” or simply, Gentiles. The
events which follow show conclusively that God wished to
deal with mankind in different ways at different time
periods. It could be said that God here originated the
strategy of “dividing to conquer” because He elected to
maintain direct communication with the Jews while at the
same time cutting Himself off entirely from the Gentiles.
The Old Testament division of the Sacred Scriptures details
the events concerning Jehovah’s dealings with the Jews and
how, in His infinite wisdom, He was able to fulfill His
promise to Abraham—that through his seed all of the
nations of the earth would be blessed.
| By separating humanity into two divisions, Jews and Gentiles, God elects to deal with them in different ways and time periods. |
SCENE 3
* * * * *
HROUGH
ESPECIALLY CHOSEN MEN, Jehovah instructed the Jews in the
primitive ways of surviving in a hostile world which was
governed by universal laws about which mankind knew little
at that time. Being a minority race and branded by their
faith in Jehovah, the Jews were subjected to all manner of
mistreatment by the Gentiles. Many of the Jews lost their
faith in Jehovah and fell into the evil practices of the
heathen nations.
Finally, after several generations
of persecution, Jehovah approached the Jews through another
faithful servant, Moses, with a covenant.(66)
In brief, the covenant said that if the Jews would honor and
keep all of God’s commandments, He would send a King to
rescue them from their bondage and guide, protect, and build
them up to a position of world domination. Overlooking the
fact that they were mere human beings and that it was
impossible for them to conform to all of the law
(commandments) which would have required them to be perfect
(sinless), the Jews nevertheless promised Jehovah they would
keep their end of the bargain.(67)
It was Jehovah’s objective to force the Jews to conclude
on their own that they could not observe laws which would
restore them to Adamic perfection—then they would turn to
Jehovah for mercy, guidance, and ultimate victory over the
other nations of the earth.
In the generations that followed,
the people were at first faithful, then faithless to God;
even the religious leaders fell victim to their human
frailties and began to use their positions for selfish
purposes to satisfy their thirst for power and riches. This
was accomplished in part by their generating all kinds of
mystic rituals and ceremonies designed to keep themselves
between Jehovah and the people so that the priests rather
than Jehovah received the honor and glory (as well as the
offerings) of the worship services. In this manner, the high
priests kept the masses in servitude to them and the
religious hierarchy.(68)
Jehovah repeatedly beseeched the Jews to stand by their part
of the covenant so that He could rescue them from their
persecutions and misery. Remembering that it was inevitable
for all humans to inherit Adam’s imperfect (sinful)
characteristics,(69)
it is not hard to understand why the Jews could never
measure up to the perfection which Jehovah’s laws
demanded. Suffice it to say that inasmuch as the Jews failed
to live up to the terms of their covenant with Jehovah, He
was not bound to honor His promise to elevate them to a
position of world leadership during this time period.*
| God instructs the Jews through chosen leaders, enabling them to survive, finally promising them a King to lead them from bondage if they will keep His commandments. Jewish hierarchy established. |
_______________
* It should be emphasized that the covenant was between God and the Jews at a time when no communication link existed between Him and the Gentiles.
SCENE 4
* * * * *
AVING
BEEN TOLD that Jehovah had designated them as “His chosen
people,”(66)
the Jews assumed a haughty, superior attitude with respect
to the Gentiles even though they were far outnumbered.
Failing to realize their shortcomings under the law, they
looked forward to the day when Jehovah would send them a
wise and powerful king to organize and lead them to conquer
the Gentile nations. As a matter of fact, Jehovah did
promise them a king* (whom the
Jews called the Messiah) to lead them to victory in
overcoming the world.(71)
But fulfillment of this promise was contingent upon the Jews
keeping their covenant with Jehovah—to adhere strictly to
the laws He had given them.
Now, Christ assumes a role in the
Grand Drama by taking on a physical body in the person of
Jesus of Nazareth,(72)
the unrecognized Messiah.(73)
Contrary to the Jews’ concept of a great military leader
as their expected Messiah, Jesus presented Himself as a
living example of righteousness under the law. He hoped they
would reconsecrate themselves to keeping the law, thereby
fulfilling their part of the covenant with God and placing
all of their reliance upon the Messiah to lead them into the
establishment of His world-wide Kingdom.(74)
Various prophets had described this King (the Messiah) and
the events which would precede and accompany His appearance
in great detail.(75)
It must be remembered, however, that in those days the
people had to rely upon their religious leaders for guidance
in such matters, as few could gain access to or read the
Sacred Scriptures.(76)
The Children of Israel (the Jews) had been told by the
prophets of old that the corning of the Messiah would be
accompanied by a demonstration of miracles, healing of
blindness, lameness, and deafness; even the dead would be
raised.(77)
Through a declaration from God, John the Baptist was
commissioned to go about the countryside heralding the
Messiah’s arrival and pleading for the Jews to repent of
their transgressions against the law and be cleansed through
water baptism.(78)
If all the Jews had heeded John’s call, the conditions
favorable to the Kingdom’s establishment would have been
met and the Messiah would have been seated on His throne
soon afterward.(79)
But the people generally disregarded the entreaty of this
uneducated lay evangelist because they were misled by their
corrupt, intellectual priesthood.(80)
In the meantime, Jesus selected His Twelve Apostles and
together they spread the good news that the Kingdom was
about to be set up if only the people would repent of their
sins and have them washed away by water baptism.**
(81)
| Christ takes on a human form, being born Jesus of Nazareth, thus fulfilling prophecy and becoming the unrecognized Messiah. |
_______________
* In this promise,(70) the “Kingdom of the Heavens” was first defined as the one that the God of the heavens would set up for His people to gain dominion over all other earthly kingdoms.
** This evangel will henceforth be characterized as the “Kingdom Gospel,” so called from the fact that Daniel prophesied that “the God of the heavens will set up a kingdom . . . It will pulverize and terminate all these kingdoms, and it shall be confirmed for the eons.”(70) This is the kingdom the Jews had long expected after David’s kingdom had declined, Israel was divided, and the people dispersed among the nations. They had prayed for a powerful, fearless Messiah and God had promised them deliverance from their subservience to the Gentile nations through various prophets.(82) The Jews knew nothing of being “saved” from “hell” or “going to heaven” after death. The capitol city of the “kingdom of the heavens” will be new Jerusalem which will be assembled in the heavens and brought down to earth.(83) Many people have been misled into thinking that the description of new Jerusalem given in Rv. 21:11-27 applies to the “heaven” where all good people go after judgment.
SCENE 5
* * * * *
ROM
ALL ACCOUNTS, it is quite apparent that the high priests
recognized Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, but would not
voluntarily yield their positions of authority among the
people to Him.(84)
Instead, they poisoned the people’s minds with falsehoods
and devised a plot to have Him executed.(85)
Following the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the
Ascension of Christ Jesus, Peter and the Eleven Apostles
continued to proclaim the Kingdom Gospel, hoping that the
Jews would repent of their shameful denial of Messiah and
that He would still come back to establish His Kingdom on
the earth.(86)
Then Saul of Tarsus, a highly respected Hebrew and cruel
persecutor of Christians, was himself converted by the
appearance of Christ Jesus on the road to Damascus.(87)
Saul received instructions from Ananias, responded to the
same Kingdom Gospel, repented, and was baptized.(88)
Thereafter, Paul (the new name for Saul of Tarsus)(89)
used his scholarly knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures in the
strongest possible campaign to enlighten the Jews as to the
true identity of Jesus.(90)
He (Paul) also still expected that the Messiah would descend
to earth and set up His Kingdom if only the Jews would
repent and accept Him. Nevertheless, since the Hebrew nation
had been blinded to the truth concerning the purpose of
Messiah’s first appearance on earth, Paul, too, was
unsuccessful in his appeal for the Jews to turn about and
acknowledge Jesus as King. By virtue of their refusal of the
Messiah,* Jehovah was now at
liberty to turn His attention away from the Jews (for a
time) to extend His love and saving grace to the Gentiles.
Act II comes to a close with the
fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise**
to “His chosen people,” not withdrawn, but merely
postponed to a later time period, to allow certain other
vitally important events to take place.
| Christ crucified because Jewish leaders misled the people. The Jew, Saul is converted and tries to enlighten the Jews as to Christ’s true identity. His Anointed rejected by His chosen people, God offers salvation by grace to the Gentiles. |
_______________
* It is important to note that this turn of events signals the first step God took to make good His promise to Abraham—that through his seed (the Jews) all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Be reminded now that since the time the old covenant was made with the Children of Israel, God had dealt with them exclusively and was totally estranged from the Gentiles.(91) Let it be said here that the present-day Jews should not try to rationalize out of the fact that their ancestors were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus—that is a plain and simple historical fact.(92) On the other hand, those Jews were only acting out the parts God assigned to them, and He will justify them.(93) Moreover, the Gentiles should feel most kindly and indebted to the Jews, for (1) they preserved God’s Word for us,(94) and (2) only by their rejection of the Messiah were the doors to salvation opened to the Gentiles.(95)
** God never goes back on His promise—the Messiah will return—His second coming(96)—and He will lead “His chosen people” to world domination.(82) This future Kingdom is in no way related to the present-day nation of Israel.
ACT III*HIGHLIGHTS
|
SCENE 1
* * * * *
URING
THE INTERVAL when the Kingdom Gospel was being proclaimed by
Peter and Paul alike to the Jews only, several Gentiles(97)
had heard of Jesus, His virgin birth, His miracles and acts
of loving kindness, His betrayal, His disgraceful trial, His
merciless execution, His resurrection and ascension, and His
promise to return and set up His righteous Kingdom to rule
on the basis of absolute truth and justice. Now the time
came for it to be made known to the Jews that while they
were “the chosen people,” God also loved the Gentiles
and yearned for their love as well.(98)
So Peter was given several visions from which he concluded
that certain Gentiles could be included in the worship
services if they would accept and abide by the same
ordinances and rituals the Jewish believers observed.(98)
Having its roots in Judaism, the early Christian church
complied as well as it could, with the law of Moses modified
by the introduction of a few new Christian traditions, i.e.,
water baptism,(78)
foot washing,(100)
and the communion service (commemorating the Lord’s
death).(101)
The Jews very reluctantly allowed Cornelius and a few other
Gentiles to join the church* as
second-class proselytes to the Kingdom Gospel.(102)
During these early days Paul’s
understanding of God’s plan and purpose for the Jews and
Gentiles progressed from the elementary toward a more mature
stage.(103)
First, it occurred to Paul that since the law of the
covenants was given only to the Jews,(104)
and not the Gentiles,(105)
the Jewish precepts should not be binding on the Gentile
proselytes.(106)
In due course, God made known His desire to have the church
headquartered in Jerusalem under the direction of Peter,
James, and John to minister to the Jews (the Circumcision)
while Paul would travel outside of Israel and minister to
the Gentiles (Uncircumcision).(107)
| The Kingdom Gospel
proclaimed to the Jews only by the Twelve
Apostles as well as Paul. God finally reveals His plan
of salvation for the Gentiles to Paul. |
_______________
*The word church is the English equivalent of the Greek word ecclesia which denotes a specific group of people who rally around a common cause or belief. The early Christian ecclesia (church) was comprised mostly of converted Jews, who didn’t realize their need for redemption and reconciliation with God. They had responded to the Kingdom Gospel and their idea of “salvation” was to reign with Christ Jesus after His second coming in the Kingdom of the Heavens here on earth as Isaiah prophesized in Chapters 60-66.
SCENE 2
* * * * *
S
PAUL TRAVELS about evangelizing to the Jews first, then to
the Gentiles, he is gradually brought into full maturity,(103)
step by step, by Christ’s revelations as follows:
(1) Messiah’s first coming was
not to set up the promised Jewish Kingdom—this would be
premature and could not be done inasmuch as the Jews had not
fulfilled their part of the covenant—observed the law of
Moses and attained perfection (a human impossibility) and
thus become reconciled to God;
(2) Then why was a child (Jesus)
conceived by a virgin (Mary) through the power of the Holy
Spirit (God)? Following this Immaculate (sinless)
Conception, did not Jesus fulfill the law,(108)
and at the end of thirty-three sinless years, was He not
innocently convicted and condemned to die on the cross to
bear and “take away the sin of the world?”(109)
Setting up the Messianic Kingdom would have benefited the
Jews, but the Gentiles would still have been on the outside—unsaved;
(3) So God, by His own act of
grace, reconciled Himself to mankind apart from compliance
with the law, by the sacrifice of His only begotten, sinless
Son(110)
So that now all of mankind (Gentile as well as Jew) could be
included in His blessing.(111)
This last step, first revealed to Paul, had been a secret
held from the beginning and was known only to God;(12)
(4) Christ made known to Paul that
certain designated people had been appointed to serve in a
special capacity—that of ministering to the faithful
spirit beings among the celestials.(42)
This group would be comprised of believers who accepted
Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior out of faith alone(112)
and would be identified as the Body Church of Christ;(113)
(5) Each individual would represent
a member of Christ’s Body(114)—with
the union of all members constituting the Body with Christ
being the Head(115)—
at the appropriate future time (known only to God);(116)
(6) Christ Jesus would appear in
the air and call for the Body Church to meet Him and be
taken and seated with Him in glory(117)
For the Body to be complete, every individual believer,
living or dead, would be called forth and equipped with a
spiritual body(118)
of flesh and bone, but no blood;(119)
(7) Among the celestials, the
saints (believers) will present themselves to the faithful
spirit beings as living evidence of God’s grace, mercy,
and love.(42)
The celestials will have observed how mankind, starting with
Adam, had renounced God and pursued Satan’s evil ways.
They know that God had the power to overcome Satan but chose
instead to achieve His victory by a demonstration of His
unbounded love, giving up His sinless Son to humiliation and
death to atone for mankind’s sin against Him. Thus, as
onlookers to God’s superabundant grace to unbelieving
humanity,(120)
the faithful spirit beings will also be drawn to Him out of
love and adoration, rather than through the fear and
trembling that bound them to Him originally.*
Paul then proclaimed this new
evangel to everyone calling for the acceptance of Christ
Jesus as Lord and Savior for which all (Jew and Gentile)
would receive as a gift the righteousness of Christ in the
sight of God. This new concept which Paul had been
commissioned to declare revealed for the first time the
destiny of all believers.(42)
| Paul is led into a mature understanding of God’s reconciliation to mankind (Jew and Gentile alike) by grace and acceptance of Christ as their Lord and Savior. |
* What a difference is this Pauline Evangel as compared to the Kingdom Gospel! Whereas, under the Kingdom Gospel, a believer could at best look forward to an earthly millennial Kingdom, the new covenant declares that believers shall enjoy eonion life among the celestials).(121)
SCENE 3
* * * * *
AUL
TRIED HIS BEST to share this new concept with his Jewish
brothers, the Christian leaders, Peter, James, and John in
Jerusalem, referring to the Kingdom Gospel as a useful but
only an interim stepping stone toward the more mature “salvation
by grace” concept.(122)
The real import of the Pauline Evangel escaped the Jewish
believers entirely because of their extreme jealousy toward
the Gentile believers.(123)
Whereas the Kingdom Gospel had required the Jews to comply
strictly with the law(124)
now under the Pauline Evangel, the Gentiles would gain equal
status with the Jews without requiring the Gentiles to do
anything except to believe.(125)
The important point was, of course, that now both Jew and
Gentile Christians had a celestial destiny,(42)
thereby escaping the future period of indignation here on
earth.* (126)
Having its roots in Judaism, the
Jerusalem (Christian) church held on to many of its Jewish
traditions, believing in error that the Messiah (the
Bridegroom) would soon reappear(128)
to receive His Bride (the church)(129)
and rule the world; they did not realize that the promise of
the Kingdom was given to the faithful Hebrew nation—not to
the church.(130)
They could never grasp the idea that the time for this
Kingdom had been postponed(95)
until the Body Church(113)
had been called out(117)
and sent to exhibit God’s grace to the faithful spirit
beings in the celestials.(42)
Then the Kingdom of the Heavens would be established on the
earth with Messiah as King.(131)
These two different beliefs were
the underlying basis for the two Christian churches. The
Apostolic Church, under the principal leadership of Peter,
James, and John, preached repentance, water baptism, and the
observance of the law and traditions with only a hope of
being declared worthy for participation in the coming
Kingdom of the Heavens. The other church, the Body Church of
Christ (evangelized by Paul), declared all believers to be
justified in Christ by faith without works under the law;
there were no ordinances, no ceremonies or rituals, and no
hierarchy, having the expectation of righteousness by faith.(112)
Out of gratitude and adoration for God, the saints
(believers)(132)
sought to learn His ways (from the written Word—the Sacred
Scriptures)(133)
and tried to live in a manner pleasing to Him.(134)
They realized that as human beings they would fail to
achieve perfection and be sinless,(135)
but were confident that He understood their human frailties
and would be true to His word and overlook their
transgressions,(136)
declaring them justified in Christ Jesus.(137)
The Kingdom Gospel, proclaimed by
John the Baptist, Jesus Himself, Peter, and the other
Apostles,(138)
did not attract large numbers of orthodox Jews, who were
temporarily blinded to the reality of Jesus being God’s
Son and their long-awaited Messiah. On the other hand, a
considerable number of the Gentiles of Corinth, Ephesus,
Galatia, Colosse, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Rome were
quite receptive to a God of love since they had known only
heathen gods who demanded cruel sacrifices from them.(139)
Paul would no sooner get a church founded on the “salvation
by faith” concept, however, when a team of “kingdom
gospel” Jews would come along, imposing upon them various
“works” requirements,(106)
i.e., laws, ordinances, rituals, and ceremonies.(141)
Looking into the future, Paul warned his followers to beware
of various religious leaders who would come after him with
all kinds of false teachings in order to establish
themselves as intermediaries between the saints and Christ
Jesus.(142)
Thus, over a period of several
hundred years, a blending of Judaistic, Christian, and Pagan
beliefs resulted in a “new” Christian church resembling
that headed by the former Hebrew high priests who practiced
all manner of corruption and deception(143)
to promote and preserve their power and authority over the
masses at the expense of truth.(144)
God was depicted as a fierce ruler Who would keep records on
every human being(145)
and call everyone to an accounting for his deeds on Judgment
Day.(146)
A person’s destiny would be in doubt until his trial was
concluded, (147)
then he would be sentenced to an eternity in “Heaven” (a
city with golden streets somewhere up in the air) or in “Hell”
(a place of fire and brimstone).(148)
By living a life patterned after that of the Savior (walking
in His footsteps);(149)
observing all of the church ordinances, rituals, and
ceremonies, recognizing the church authorities and making
sacrificial financial offerings to the church,(150)
one had a better than average chance of being saved—resurrected,
judged, and taken into heaven.(151)
There was always that possibility, though, that the balance
might swing toward total and everlasting punishment,(152)
because no final, authoritative list of dos and don’ts was
ever made available by which to pattern and evaluate one’s
conduct;(153)
the lists have always been subject to change with time and
different church administrations.(154)
Of course this “fear” religion(155)
gained acceptance based on people’s ignorance and
superstition, and the “Kingdom Gospel” church,
headquartered at first in Jerusalem, became rich and
powerful over the centuries, finally gaining world-wide
religious prominence as the Roman Catholic Church.
|
Paul’s evangel was unpopular among Jewish believers, but gratefully received by Gentiles. Paul’s converts (former heathen) were soon overwhelmed by Jewish believers’ age-old relationship with God and the Kingdom Gospel. Result was the evolution of the powerful, world-wide Roman Catholic Church. |
_______________
* All living unbelievers will suffer God’s wrath during the time the righteous Kingdom is being established.(127)
ACT IV*HIGHLIGHTS
|
SCENE 1
* * * * *
T
LAST, one student of the Sacred Scriptures (Martin Luther)
rediscovers the Pauline Evangel,*
which revealed God’s true character of unbounded 1ove(156)
granting mankind Christ’s righteousness as a gift(157)
with only one requirement—our acceptance of Christ as God’s
Son, our Lord and Savior on faith alone.(112)
No ordinances, rituals, ceremonies, or hierarchy;(150)
only love and adoration for God, the Father, and Christ, the
Son,(158)
with each of our lives dedicated to spreading the “Good
News.”(159)
So, (once more) there were two Christian churches, the Roman
Catholic Church and the Protestant (Lutheran) Church.
| At last, Martin Luther rediscovers the Pauline Evangel, salvation by faith alone, breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church and re-establishing another Christian Church—the Protestant Lutheran. |
_______________
* Protestant Reformation established, October 31, 1517.
SCENE 2
* * * * *
UT
EVIDENTLY it was not yet time for God to bring mankind to
the mature status called for by the Pauline Evangel(160)
people could not get away from their primitive, human
concept of working and earning a reward;(147)
they couldn’t understand God’s act of love in granting
salvation to mankind as a gift.(161)
They had not yet reached the stage where they could be
weaned from the “milk diet” to one of solid food.(162)
So while Protestantism (denominationalism) got away from the
Roman Catholic Church authority and tradition for a short
time, there were other religious leaders ready to supercede
Martin Luther and build other hierarchies based upon the
concept of heavenly rewards for the fortunate and hellfire
and damnation for the unIortunate.*
(147)
| Masses of people do not grasp the impact of God’s grace, respond instead to fear religions. Lutheranism results in Protestant denominationalism. |
_______________
* There is a strong ecumenical movement now under way to weld the denominational groups together with the view in mind ultimately of bringing the Protestants and Roman Catholics into one Christian Church. It should be apparent that the resulting church would just embrace another conglomeration of man-made, compromised set of rules, regulations, ceremonies, titles, and lines of authority supporting the faith-and-works concept.(163)
SCENE 3
* * * * *
TARTING
WITH Paul’s proclamation of the new evangel
(salvation by grace through faith alone),(125)
there have been many Gentiles and Jews who have been called
and accepted Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior,(18)
thus gaining membership in the Church which is the Body of
Christ(113)
with a destiny in the celestials.(42)
The members of the Body Church of Christl(164)
are saints (believers) who are to be found in all walks of
life all over the world, some in the Roman Catholic Church,
some in every denominational church, and many with no church
affiliation whatever. They are members of the Church which
is Christ’s Body, whether they realize it or not.(114)
But the fact is that God has ordained only a relatively few
believers to reach maturity in Christ(160)
at this point in time, and these are, for the most part,
unknown one to the other; for only God can look into a
person’s heart and know if he is a true believer(165)—a
member of the Body Church.
Right now, the faithful Jews still
look for their Messiah and the promised Kingdom of the
Heavens. On the other hand, members of the Body Church live
in the joy and expectation of Christ’s appearance to take
them away into the celestial realms.(166)
The vast majority of the world’s peoples, like the first
man, Adam, persist in their conviction that they can find
all the answers to life through knowledge, independent of
God’s will and purpose. So the drama continues with people
seeking to create their own Utopia as they did years ago.(167)
The world has been drifting toward this end for many years,
but most notably during the twentieth century. World War I
was the war “to end all wars”; the League of Nations was
the organization which was going to insure man-ordained
justice throughout the world so that wars would be outlawed
forever. Then Hitler came along, and World War II, and now
we have the United Nations. The world will not give up its
determination to bring about peace and justice through the
amalgamation of the world’s races, cultures, rights, and
religions. A mixture of gold and copper, iron, lead, and tin
results in some kind of a conglomerate material—but it is
not gold. The consolidation of all peoples into a world
government will not represent a population dedicated to the
glorification of God and His Son, Christ Jesus. To bring all
world factions together as “One World” will require
several years and, as might be expected, will be accompanied
by the greatest affliction, torture, and bloodshed the world
has ever known. But thank God, those who have been
designated by Him, called, justified, and glorified with
Christ(18)
should find solace in the realization that they shall be
called away before the horrible events which take place on
the earth in the times that follow—the Day of the Lord.(127)
| The destiny of the “Body” Church (not an organization) contrasted with the disbelieving Jews’ expectation of their Messiah to set up His Kingdom of the Heavens. Most people agnostic, work to bring about their own ideal world. |
SCENE 4
* * * * *
HE
SEQUENCE of events leading up to the Day of the Lord
commences when the last person so designated accepts Christ
as Lord and Savior, thus completing the Body Church of
Christ.(168)
Then Christ will appear in the air and call all members
(living as well as dead) to meet Him.(117)
They shall all be changed(169)
and given spiritual bodies(118)
with which to be able to dwell among the celestials
performing their assigned missions.(42)
| Body Church complete; Christ calls all members to meet Him in the air. Dispatched to the celestial realms. |
SCENE 5
* * * * *
ITH
THE BODY CHURCH called away, what is to become of the people
left on the earth—the unbelieving Jews and heathen
Gentiles? Will God forget His promise?(170)
No, God merely postpones the establishment of the Kingdom
until the Body Church has been assembled and sent on its
special mission to the celestial realms.(95)
It should not be hard to imagine
the turmoil which will follow the calling away of the Body
Church from the earth. People from every walk of life will
disappear instantly irregardless of their activity—airline
pilots, bus and car drivers, government officials, store
clerks, restaurant employees, etc. Everything will be thrown
into chaos. Out of this bedlam, a leader, mistaken for
Christ, will appear and the various world-wide factions will
be welded together. This is the Desolator or the Man of
Lawlessness spoken of by Isaiah and Daniel.(171)
All but a faithful few Jews will be deceived by this
representative of Satan in spite of Jesus’ warning that
there would be those who would come in His name.(172)
Paul also begged the early Christians not to be taken in by
imposters.(173)
Nevertheless, when Satan’s christ has established himself
as the supreme ruler and the world begins to worship him,(174)
Christ Jesus will assemble His armies in heaven*
and the day of God’s vengeance begins.(176)
| Chaos on earth after the Body Church called away. Order re-established by Anti-Christ. Christ assembles His armies in heaven. |
_______________
* This time, every member of the Hebrew race will instantly recognize their long-awaited King as He descends from heaven with power and glory.(175)
SCENE 6
* * * * *
HE
ANTI-CHRIST, in the meantime, will have mobilized his mighty
forces at Armageddon(177)
for the great battle which ensues, with Christ leading His
armies to a glorious Victory.(178)
The resulting millennial Kingdom of the Heavens will be
ruled by Christ, demanding absolute compliance with God’s
righteous law as outlined in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount(179)
and by His Kingdom Gospel Apostles. From this position of
righteousness under the law, the converted Jews will move
out into an unbelieving heathen world, executing the Great
Commission given to them in Mt. 28:10-20.
| Anti-Christ mobilizes his forces at Armageddon; meets Christ, who wins a glorious victory; Satan locked up; the millennial Kingdom established on earth. |
ACT V*HIGHLIGHTS
|
ACT V
* * * * *
HE
FIFTH AND LAST Act commences with Satan being loosed from
his bonds to deceive all the nations and lead them against
Christ and His followers.(180)
The enemy (Satan) is finally dispatched once and for all by
Christ and His righteous army.(181)
The last enemy, Death, Christ abolishes(182)
by decree, then all of the dead are vivified.(183)
Whereupon, Christ brings the whole of Creation, the faithful
celestials, Satan and his band of rebellious spirit beings,
and all of mankind(184)
to the Throne of the Almighty God.(185)
Each of us will then reflect upon our lives on earth and be
pricked in our hearts when we remember all of our sinful
acts of commission and omission; against this background we
cannot fail to glorify God, the Father, for His goodness and
mercy—forever. Then Christ, the Son, will lead the whole
production company to bow before the Father and joy and
happiness reigns eternally. This is the Consummation(185)
of the Universe, when God realizes His ultimate aim—to be
All in All.