#70468 - God Is Not a Man And The Kingdom Is Not Optional

God is NOT a more powerful, smarter, immense, omnipotent, all knowing man who lives on another planet but visits earth occasionally. He is NOT a God who will come to earth and set His throne next to Jesus in earthly Jerusalem and rule over the universe. We will NOT walk by and look at His face as if He were a different and glorious kind of Man. Where are these strange concepts conjured up? From the scriptures!

Rev 22:1 And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Rev 22:3 And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; 4 and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 And there shall no longer be any night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever. Rev 22:6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place.

Can God possibly be a “Man” who sits next to Christ Jesus to rule over this current earth, from the earthly Jerusalem? Not a chance! Are the Bondservants natural men like us who can see His face with natural eyes? No! But were they at one time on earth and looked like us and had a body like us? Yes! But now they are no longer on earth or like us because they have left these bodies behind when they came to First Fruit Harvest Maturity and ascended to Mount Zion on the sides of the North of the Heavenly Jerusalem and NOT to earthly Mt. Zion. on the sides of the South of the earthly Jerusalem. We might wonder how these two totally different places could possibly be confused. The scriptures are certainly Not confused over these different realms.

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

These were on earth but now they are no longer on earth. Why? They were purchased from the earth. How? By His own blood! They owed a dept they could NOT pay so they were put on the auction block to be sold to pay off their debt. Jesus paid a debt on Calvary that He did not owe to PURCHASE these slaves ( Doulos) for Himself. This was “legally” according to the Law of the Bond Slave in Duet 15 and Exodus 21. Now, instead of a church full of Bondservants we have pews full of believers (forgiveness of sins) who assume they owed NO debt but through His sacrifice they can freely claim forgiveness of sins. Of course God has made provision for these free loaders in “the gospel of forgiveness of sins.” But we are commissioned to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in which these free loaders are not welcomed. Of course they may be able to see the Kingdom, Mount Zion, and the New Jerusalem, from a very LONG distance of the New Earth but they cannot enter it.

These “bondservants” (doulos) came to “First Fruit Harvest Maturity” and refused to take their freedom from the Master. Even after serving the Master for six years (earth time) with double the service of a hired man ( 0n the seventh year) they refused to take their freedom but went to the door post to have their ear opened. Then they became a Bond Servant forever. ( from the sixth year onward)

Just because we use the scriptures to build our doctrines and concepts about maturity or the end times does NOT mean that our applications are correct. Why? Because there are different realms of God and of His Eternal Purpose and there are different scriptures that tell us about these realms. Using the scriptures that speak of one realm to make applications to another realm is the source of much of the misinformation, most of the mis-applications and several false ideas that result in strange doctrines.

The Bride of Christ will NOT bear a “Man Child” six chapters before the Wedding Feast. Where could we possibly get such an strange idea? From the Scripture!

Rev 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she *cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

All we have to do to arrive at the conclusion that the Bride of Christ will bear a son who will rule on earth six chapters before the wedding feast is (1) to assume that this Sun Clad Woman is the Bride of Christ. Of course it clearly says the “male child” was immediately caught up to the Throne of God. When the “rapture of the man child” took place the woman immediately falls to the ground. Why? The “man child” was keeping her in heavenly places and when he left she fell to the earth. Then 3 ½ years (1260) days later she gives birth to another group. This group was killed in the first half of the great Tribulation. They died as martyrs in verse 11 and were resurrected in the main harvest of the earth.

Rev 12:11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.

Then 3 ½ years after this group dies, she gives birth to the last group who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. These also are killed during the last half of the great tribulation. They also died as martyrs and were resurrected as the gleanings at the end of the Tribulation. These are viewed in verse 15-17.

Rev 12:15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

It is clear that the “harvest of the earth” is in three parts and perfectly in line with the seven harvest feasts of the Lord which are called “The Appointed Times Of The Lord.” (1) The Harvest of the First Fruits (2) The Main Harvest and (3) The Gleanings. These correspond to the three doctrines of the churches about the end time. (1) The Church will be raptured before the Great Tribulation (2) the Church will be caught up in the middle of the Great Tribulation (3) the Church will be caught up at the end of the Great Tribulation. This doctrine is called (1) “Pre-trib (2) Mid-trib (3) Post-Trib. Of course all three are correct but only the Man Child (first Fruits) is raptured and the other two groups are resurrected. Why? Because the last two groups are killed during the Great Tribulation and they enter into eternity by resurrection and NOT by rapture. The “man child” was taken up alive. The explanation can be found in the “appointed times of the Lord” and they are related to the harvests of Israel but the Harvest we are speaking about is the End Time Harvest of the Earth.

Mat 13:37 And He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

To study the end of the age we should include the Harvest of the earth which IS the end of this age but Not the end of the world. The harvests are called “the appointed times of the Lord.” Within the three time periods of Harvest there are seven feasts.

Lev 23:2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘The LORD ‘s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations--My appointed times are these:

Lev 23:4 ‘These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them.

Lev 23:5 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover.

Lev 23:37 ‘These are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the LORD --burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and libations, each day’s matter on its own day--

The three feasts times were, (1) the first month; Passover for the sheaf of the First Fruits (2) 50 days later; Pentecost for the Grain of the First Fruits and the Main Harvest (3) In the 7 month the Feast of the Day of Atonement; the rest of the final Harvest for the year including vegetables, nuts and fruits. The gleanings are seen in the story of Ruth and Boaz where she was allowed to pick up any sheaf that had fallen or harvest the corners of the fields.

The last Harvest was for the last “crops” that was not taken in the mid-trib harvest but fell to the earth was gathered up at the very end of the Harvest of the Earth. These are the gleanings.

Lev 19:9 ‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 ‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.

In other words the interpretation of Harvest Scriptures should fit into the types shown in the Old Testament if we expect to be accurate. There are two different Harvests of the First Fruits. One was the “sheaf” of the First Fruits. In this feast they went into the field BEFORE the main harvest was ripe and pulled up stems of grain that were ripe before the main harvest. They put them into a small sheaf and waved it before the Lord. That was called the “Sheaf of the Wave Offering.” This “sheaf” offering is related to the “man child company” that was birthed from the visible church. These were ready BEFORE the main harvest.

Then the time of the full ripe grain when all the grain of the main harvest was cut and threshed. Some of the very best of the grain was set apart as the Grain of the First Fruits and was brought in from the field and was ground into VERY fine flour. It was then baked into two loaves of bread and brought into the house of God and offered up to God. This is also called the Bread of the First Fruits. This “grain” was ground into very fine flour during the first half of the Tribulation.

This “grain offering” applies to the Main Harvest in the middle of the great tribulation. We can see this GREAT harvest in Revelation 7. These are identified as those who have come out of the Great Tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. These are NOT on the Throne but stand BEFORE the throne. They have palm branches in their hands and cry out Salvation unto our God.

Of course the FIRST of the First Fruits (sheaf) are speaking about the rapture of the Man Child company that is caught up to the Throne of God. Their job will be to rule over the Nations with a rod of Iron. These are called the Overcomers of Revelation 2:26.

Rev 2:26 ‘And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;

This group will have been especially prepared to rule with Christ. They have been broken into very shall pieces so they could receive authority to rule. Why? Because that is exactly how Jesus received authority from His Father. To rule with a rod of Iron is very serious and a carnal person could cause a lot of problems exercising carnal authority. Being broken to small pieces is the safeguard to ruling like Jesus. After this understanding there will be fewer who will want to rule with Jesus but this is the requirement to participate in the Government of the Kingdom.

Now all this “explanation” is valuable to show the difficulty with interpreting the Scriptures related to the Kingdom of God. However, these mysteries will be revealed by the Church He is Building. Nevertheless, a sloppy use of scripture will convey the whole wrong idea of the Kingdom and the End Times. This also is true with interpreting Israel’s participation in the end times and their destiny related to the Tabernacle of God and the World yet to come. It is deceiving to use a few scriptures to prove an agenda that does NOT fit into the revealed plan and purpose of God.

Over the past 40 years we have heard the “end time message” change every time there was a change in politics or policies in Asia, or Europe, or in Israel. This happened even though the scriptures concerning the end time never changed. This indicates that the interpretation of scriptures over the last 40 years was at fault. Now the focus is upon the Muslims and powerful weapons from Iran that are identified as the beast and anti-Christ of the Book of Revelation.

The primary question we should be asking is this; Is Israel the time table for the coming of the Lord OR is He coming back for a full grown Church / Bride without spot or wrinkle, holy and blameless? Is it possible that Jesus will break through the clouds and then discover that His expected bride is just a baby or imperfect in many ways? Will Israel grow up in all things into Christ and be ready without spot of wrinkle or any such thing but be holy and blameless? Will Israel always be a separate entity from the Church He is Building or must Israel be included in the Church He is Building? Will there always be two groups, Messianic Israel and the Gentile Church, or will there just be one new man, the Last Adam? If there is only one new man then who will inhabit the New Heaven and the New Earth? Has God included in His Eternal Plan several groups of believers that have grown to different levels of maturity that is less than that which is required for the Kingdom of God or for the Bride of Chris? Is it possible that God has a place for everyone but everyone will not be in the same place?

If any of this is true and accurate what should our message be to the believers (those who have forgiveness of sins) sitting in the pews in a static or comatose state? Should we be careful Not to offend them by disturbing their status quo mentality by preaching the demands of the Kingdom of God? Should we warn them that eternity is coming and they are too carnal to be accepted into the Kingdom or become citizens of the New Jerusalem? Should we disturb them with the facts about the end time? If they refuse to grow up but they wish to be part of the Tabernacle of God they should be prepared to be killed during the Great Tribulation. This will not even get them close to the Throne but it could permit them to find a place on the New Earth.

Of course, we could explain the Consecration Offering and how they can totally surrender their lives as bondservants of God to do the Whole Will of God and permit God to do a deep work of sanctification and perfection in their lives. They could give themselves to the plan of God and begin to grow up in ALL things into Christ and walk in full obedience to the Head.

Romans 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

We generally hear a lot about our freedom in Christ but not much about making ourselves slaves of God. However, this relates us to the consecration offering that was the last experience required before the priests could enter into the Holy Place ministry. This is not generally taught to the church so today it sounds like a strange doctrine so we avoid teaching this preparation.

At least the believers (forgiveness of sins) would understand a little of the cost of discipleship and entering into that realm where He can begin to teach you. If we feel sorry for the believers because they are like sheep without a shepherd and fail to inform them, will their failure to be prepared for His coming be placed at our feet. Will we each have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ to answer for our apathy, ignorance or unconcern? There may be a terrible time coming where every “minister” will be held responsible for their mis-handling of the ministry intrusted to them. What if His called Ministers are sowing tares instead of the Word of the Kingdom? Will they be evaluated as sons of the evil one?

Our concern is about all the strange things that are being taught about the End Time, the Kingdom, the Prophetic Voice, the Church, Israel etc, etc. In order to explain these many questions that are being asked now I want to share a hypothetical story to show how these things happen.

Let us suppose that I am interested in proving that Israel will always be Israel and receive the promises made to Abraham and the patriarchs through out all eternity. To do that I must first assume that Israel will be a separate entity in the eternal heaven and the Gentiles will always be Gentile. This will assume that there will be a messianic Jewish Church and a Gentile Christian Church and they will be separate entities for eternity. If my thesis is Biblically correct I should find clear scriptures to defend this position. But what if I can’t find real truth in the scriptures to defend this position? If I just begin by searching the scriptures solely to see if my thesis is true and if it is not supported by scripture I just drop the search and begin a new project.

However, if I begin with an agenda to prove that Israel will always be Israel and the Gentile Church will always be the Gentile Church my goal will not be Truth but proof. If my agenda is to prove that God will always make that distinction between Jews and Gentiles because of His promise to Abraham then my agenda is primary and Bible Truth is secondary. To make the proof absolute I must then use scripture that has nothing to do with my subject and twist them to say what I need them to say to prove my point.

Hypothetically speaking suppose I want to show that Messianic Israel and the Gentile Church are the two olive trees and the two lampstands who are the two witnesses in Revelation 11 that prophesy for 3 ½ years clothed in sackcloth. However, I need to “prove” they are these two churches (Israel and Gentile), and are the two lampstands and that the “two” olive trees and two witnesses to show/prove that they are separate entities. I don’t necessarily begin searching the scriptures for facts that support my thesis but I start with my agenda and then search for scriptures that I can use to support my agenda.

Of course we know that is not legitimate exegesis but that is how many of these strange teachings begin. The Woman in Revelation 12 that is clothed with the sun is certainly a heavenly creature who has “in her” some overcomers who will be caught up to the throne of God and will rule the nations with an authority called a “rod of Iron.” This authority is of the same kind as Jesus received. This also takes place before the woman falls to the earth and Satan is cast out of heavenly places. That means before the Tribulation begins.

Could this woman possibly be the bride of Christ who falls to the earth and goes through the whole Tribulation? Is it possible that she then gives birth to two more offspring and then disappears (fails to exist) when her last offspring is resurrected? Not Likely! But what if I had an agenda wanted to prove that the church will go through the Great Tribulation and be caught up at the end. I must do my best to twist these scriptures until they loosely support my agenda.

Of course in Revelation 19 while the Tribulation is taking place on earth, the Bride is in heaven getting ready for the marriage feast of the Lamb. After the wedding feast Jesus returns to the earth to fight the last battle to bring to a close the Great Tribulation.

Even though my interpretation may be flawed, at least I didn’t need to twist the scriptures to say something they obviously do NOT say. Nevertheless, multitudes who are ignorant of scripture will gladly accept these “my new agenda books” and never know they are fantasy.

Of course some of these “fantasy books” never really hurt anybody or cause them to lose their salvation but they cannot help anybody either. Why? Because they are deceptions and only profit the writer IF he can sell the books. Today about every book has been written that can be written so the competition for selling books is fierce. For that reason you must have a new gimmick that promises something new and exciting to sell new books. Some writers are more interested in discovering some new gimmick to promote a new book than in discovering new Truth that will edify the church. Receiving a “heavenly impartation” while reading this book sounds like we should buy it.

Not all writers are deceivers that only want your money. Some just don’t know any better and try to sell us ideas that have no authority in scripture. Many are sincere but also sincerely wrong and by their ignorance they are guiding the church into irrelevant areas of enquiry that can produce no life.

Therefore, the only protection we have against these errors is to know the scriptures ourselves and stop depending on someone else to search out truth and tell us what we ought to believe.

The New Covenant promises us that we can now be taught by God. 1 John 2:27 assures us that we have an anointing that abides within us and we will not need men to teach us because this anointing will teach us all things. If the church was actually living in this promise, experientially, we wouldn’t need books to inform us of spiritual things or end time events.

1John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.27 And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

This IS our ultimate protection but it is NOT automatic. Too many have NO ANOINTING and therefore are subjected to false interpretation and are led after strange doctrines. There are many cults that have established their own agenda and many other that try to deceive us into their accept their philosophy. The real protection we have is to know the scriptures ourselves and to fellowship with others who have a clear vision of God’s purpose and of His methods of bringing us to our predestined destiny. The sad reality is that these “informed people” are very difficult to find and multitudes are openly deceived.