Eternal Vision Ministries, Inc. | New Philadelphia, Ohio

#503 – A New Look At The Kingdom

A New Viewpoint On the Fall Of Man

A New Dimension of The Person Of God; His Being

A New Aspect of The Responsibility of Ministry

December 28, 2011

The Kingdom of God is as diverse as God, Himself. God did not design the universe in one dimension because He is NOT a one dimensional God. A one dimensional “salvation” must be re-examined to include the diverse salvation offered to man within the total purpose of God. It is assumed by most of the Evangelical church that God’s total purpose revolves around the redemption of man. Therefore, “redemption” has become the central focus of the church instead of the perfection, maturity and the growth of ALL redeemed Christians that is necessary for each of us to fulfill God’s Eternal Purpose! This includes the Kingdom of Priests designed to function in the ultimate Government of God in eternity future. This Ultimate Government of the Eternal Kingdom of God will be fully experiential in the World Yet to Come when God makes “all things new.”

Rev 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

The “all things new” include the New Earth, the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem which are seen as the Tabernacle of God and the “World Yet To Come.” This “vision” of Eternity is God’s Ultimate Purpose Fulfilled. This IS the Eternal Kingdom of God in Full Function And Manifestation. Well, brother, aren’t you just guessing about these things? After all, isn’t these dimensions of eternity beyond the scope of man to understand? Of course, much of what we share is more guessing by interpreting scripture than by direct revelation but how much of each dimension this includes is not known.

The earth recognizes everything in three dimensions. Height, width and length.

However, in the invisible realms of God, He has an unlimited amount of dimensions. How can that be? Because He is SPIRIT and is not limited to any dimension, form, structure, magnitude, thought or philosophy common to earth. Both His Substance and His Essence are for and of another dimension totally unrelated to what is normal in the earth dimension. His very nature is Absolute Truth which transcends all natural barriers. Even His ways are beyond finding out. Man can ONLY approach these invisible dimensions of God by revelation because none of these dimensions are empirical.

empiricism >noun Philosophy; the theory that all knowledge is derived from experience and observation.

There are dimensions in God that can NEVER be known by just experience or by observation. Most of these dimensions of God and His Kingdom can ONLY be known by revelation because they are only “recognized” in the invisible realm.

Since we cannot separate His Kingdom from His Person or His Person from His Kingdom, His Kingdom is just as diverse and is understood to be with unlimited dimensions and therefore it has unlimited viewpoints. This is revealed in a small way in the 34 parables.

Even if we were successful in the last 400 studies on the Kingdom to give many different viewpoints of the Kingdom, there still remains a volume of mysteries that are hidden from view. We could say that His Person correctly describes His Kingdom because they are one and the same. The Character and Purpose of His Person is exactly the same as the Character and Purpose of the Kingdom. Within this realm of purpose God has provided “redemption” through Jesus Christ as the beginning point that is supposed to end in the fulfillment of God’s original design. It is only within the New Creation of a New Inner Man that we see the ultimate need for a complete redemption.

It is for that reason essential that the church grow up into the absolute fullness of Christ to be 100% compatible with the Kingdom of God! Since revelation is only accurately received by the New Inner Man when revelation (understanding from another realm) is imparted and interpreted by the Holy Spirit, maturity is essential to make the transition to the Holy Place Realm of both knowledge (epi-gnosis) and revelation.

The Holy Place Realm is the functioning location of the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek. This Eternal Priesthood translates into a Kingdom of Priests. Since this Priesthood is the Priesthood of the Kingdom, the Character and Purpose of the Priesthood MUST be 100% compatible with the Character and Purpose of the Kingdom and fully compatible with the Person of God, Himself.

If we could just convey this one truth of God’s Perfection to the standing (stationary) church it would settle for them the absolute necessity for the church to grow up in ALL things into Christ, the Living and Abiding Word of God! The Character, Purpose, the World yet to Come and the total fulfillment in the Eternity of God is revealed or at least implied today within the Living and Abiding Word of God. Since the Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ and reveals them to us, it is normal in the church and within God’s will for us to receive and understand these mysteries that have been hidden from all past generations.

Eph 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; 10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

If this revelation is NOT being made known through the church, is it is OK to ask why? If we ask why, does that make us an enemy of the church? Paul said that was his calling and that was what he was doing and the purpose for the grace that was given to him.

If we question the current ministries about why this is NOT being done today, does that mean we want to destroy the church or just to activate and provide the church with what God has already provided and purposed? If the Holy Spirit is NOT taking the things of the Eternal Word of God and revealing them to us, is it reasonable to ask why? Should we complain to God that the Holy Spirit is NOT doing His job? Maybe we should ask the ministries if something is lacking in their lives or if they have offended God and are being ignored by the Holy Spirit until they repent?

It is my opinion that the scriptures promise us that EVERY spiritual provision is available to us in Christ. The Holy Spirit has been authorized to abundantly supply us with every provision we need to complete our calling. Is it OK to ask why there is such a poverty of revelation in the church? Therefore, let us look at God’s unlimited PROVISION for man that was available IN GOD, in His Person, from the very beginning of creation. This IS also the Provision that is still available in His Kingdom.

In Genesis chapters one and two everything they needed to live, to fulfill His Creative purpose and serve God within His will was freely provided for Adam and Eve. The “Garden of Eden” was God’s Person and therefore, the exact place of His Government. All they needed to do was to live in God and to receive the provision that was abundantly available in God. The “Garden” contained everything they needed! Everything that was needed to fulfill God’s purpose was available as long as man lived within the substance and essence of the Divine Person.

Since ALL of man’s needs were fully met within the Divine Person, man could be wholly occupied with God, Himself. Originally, in God, ( the garden) doing His will was their ONLY purpose for life and existence. In the Garden, man could live a God-centered life and by that position in God could interpret his existence from a God-centered viewpoint.

However, when man was deceived and fell from his rightful place in the Divine Person, everything changed. From this point onward Adam had to be occupied with providing for his own needs within the dirt dimension. Man “FELL” from his position in God to his natural, visible position on earth. (They knew they were naked) Even though our sins are forgiven and our iniquities are remembered no more, the earth is still resisting man’s legitimate physical needs. Everything on earth is difficult and time consuming just to make a living! One of the common excuses man uses for not seeking God and His righteousness is that they MUST be continually working just to make a living. Now man MUST be occupied in his own endeavors and be totally focused upon providing for his own needs. For some of us this requires nearly every waking moment and leaves no time for God or to do His will or to be involved in spiritual matters. For that reason the mysteries still remain mysteries after 2000 years of the New Covenant provisions and blessings.

Gen 3:17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you shall eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

The earth dimension was not friendly with Adam and only yielded its shallow provision through sweat and hard labor and many hindrances and contrary and adverse things. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you” as long as you live in the dirt dimension you will only have the dirt provision. Nothing came easy after they were put out of the Person and Presence of God.

Eze 44:17 “And it shall be that when they enter at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and wool shall not be on them while they are ministering in the gates of the inner court and in the house. 18 “Linen turbans shall be on their heads, and linen undergarments shall be on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat. 19 “And when they go out into the outer court, into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments that they may not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.

Here again this requires some guessing but it seems clear that in the Priesthood function there must be at least some returning to the Garden Provision of the needs being met without hard labor and sweating.

Both man’s life and the unfailing provision, inherent within the “Garden,” the Divine Presence of God, were lost. Why? All the provision was “IN GOD.” To lose this inheritance was a loss so great it cannot be intelligently interpreted therefore it is marginalized. Religion can produce NO standard to evaluate this great loss! But surely God’s great mercy would permit man to return to this garden, if he repented.

Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”-- 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.

God obviously is willing and eager to restore man back to this place of PROVISION within God’s immediate Presence and Person. However, now this “Place of Provision” is called the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.

Mat 6:31 “Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ 32 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

These things identified as “food, drink and clothing” are the provision for the realms of man’s physical needs. But what about all the other needs that man enjoyed that were met in that Garden dimension? Are some of them covered in this restoration? Is the Kingdom (God’s Absolute and Sovereign Government) our introduction to the “heavenly” garden of God today?

Eph_1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Here we see the “spiritual blessings” are restored in Christ. In the height of the “prosperity movement” all you had to do to reap these blessings was to give money to the ministry. Seeking “His righteousness” was by giving money to their ministry so it was really easy. Of course the people giving still had to work by the sweat of their brow so the preacher could posses the blessing and enter into Sabbath Rest and cease from his own hard labor. The “minister’s provision” became another entitlement!

When we bring this over into the New Covenant we understand that these “spiritual blessings” are designed for the New Inner Man and NOT for the old creation man! The outer man, after Adam, must still work by the sweat of his brow until he returns to the earth.

The New Inner Man is the Temple where the Living and Abiding Word of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwell. This the reality of the Garden experience that is available to us today. Eating from the Tree of Life, in the Garden, is the John 6 experience of eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood which is the tremendous Provision of LIFE! Within His Life we discover ALL THE BLESSINGS that are IN CHRIST. The food, drink and garments are restored in the Kingdom for the New Inner Man. Here, again, we are speaking of the spiritual dimension because the outer man must work and sweat until he falls back into the ground. The Spiritual Food, the Living Water and the full Priestly Garments are an integral part of the Kingdom Priesthood. Since Jesus said that “In the Kingdom” all these things are supplied, they must be supplied from that Spiritual /Eternal dimension. This is NOT provision from the physical/ visible realm that was taught in the prosperity movement!

There are 4 other places where Paul mentions the “heavenly places” in the Book of Ephesians.

Eph1:20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

Eph_2:6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,

Eph_3:10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Eph_6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

To speak about these hidden / invisible realms was NOT embarrassing for Paul because he was caught up into those realms and saw and heard things from that realm that he was not permitted to speak about. However, Paul was permitted to speak abstractly about these “heavenly places” and to mention these mysteries. Would it be OK to ask why? Yes! This “revelation” was part of the New Covenant ministry and was never designed to become second hand information so a carnal minister can stand in the pulpit and repeat words someone else has gleaned from the spiritual dimension. This is ONLY designed for first hand revelation when those assigned to ministry rise up into those invisible realms to see and hear of these mysteries.

After man was expelled from the Garden / God dimension and fell into the visible and natural earth dimension, the Garden dimension became invisible and a mystery to man. So it is today! These “heavenly places” remain in the unknowable realm for the natural / earth bound persons. However, He who ascended has chosen, anointed and separated to Himself certain ministries to restore to the church these hidden dimensions and to unveil the mysteries.

If this is not happening today, is it OK to ask why?

It is the New Inner Man who is designed to live in these “heavenly places” and to see into the mysteries and to hear words from that realm. To be “raised up” is NOT a matter of elevation or distance but of vision and spiritual perception.

If the “ministries” are just preaching a “natural dirt gospel,” is it OK to ask why?

Would that make the questioner an enemy of the church or a repairer of the breach? Until we realize how FAR MAN FELL from God and His purpose, we will not recognized how far back into the garden dimension it is or the struggle and transformation it requires to arrive in that realm. The casual believer is content to dwell in the “east of the Garden” realm. Even though the natural man is forbidden from the Garden Realm he is content to dig in the dirt and repeat natural words from the dimension from which he was taken.

Gen 3:23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Tree of Life was IN THE GARDEN of GOD. It still is! The New Jerusalem is IN

THE GARDEN OF GOD and the TREE OF LIFE is still there.

Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.

The entire City is IN THE TEMPLE but the Temple is Almighty God AND the Lamb. The Tree of Life is in the City so the Tree of Life is in God, the fulfillment of the Garden of Eden. This TREE is the source of Life and Ministry in the New Covenant! The contrast is still between LIFE and the tree of knowledge (gnosis). Those who are “ministering” GNOSIS from the pulpit are pretty much wasting everybody’s time. The “Gospel of Gnosis” is still popular in the visible church but is a big offense to God. Be careful to avoid those flaming swords.

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. 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;

It seems obvious that the Bondservants will eat the 12 kinds of fruit from the Tree of Life and live FOREVER. However, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. I am guessing that the “leaves of the Tree” are NOT for eating but are still quite useful for the nations of the New Earth. From Genesis 3, it seems obvious, that the best choice for the man of God is eating from the Tree of Life and then ministering LIFE. Multitudes are seeking out this ministry of life because they already are disappointed with the ministry of flesh.

Now, since the Kingdom of Priests will function near to the Throne of God it seems reasonable that the Fruit from the Tree of Life is the food for the Kingdom of Priests. Of course the ones who eat are identified as Bondservants so there must be a correlation between the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek and the Bondservants. Because of the proximity to the Throne of God it is reasonable that the Kingdom of God, the Priesthood, the Bondservants, the River of Life, the Word of Life and the Tree of Life are all related.

Then what does all this have to do with our titles and our thesis? Have we proved our Thesis? Is our Thesis even relevant for the church today?

A New Look At The Kingdom

A New Viewpoint On the Fall Of Man and Full Salvation

A New Dimension of The Person Of God; His Being

A New Aspect of The Responsibility of Ministry

Our Thesis; The Kingdom of God is as diverse as God, Himself. God did not design the universe in one dimension because He is NOT a one dimensional God. A one dimensional “salvation” must be re-examined to see if that is the authentic Salvation provided by Calvary.

The real question is this; Is the one dimensional salvation that is offered by the modern gospel (forgiveness of sins) sufficient to fulfill God’s Eternal Purpose and to prepare man to take his place in the Kingdom of Priests? It should be obvious that what we observe in the visible church is woefully lacking in content, purpose and revelation! It is certainly lacking in unveiling the mysteries!

IS IT OK TO ASK WHY? Is This The Responsibility Of The Ministries?

Should we just pretend that everything is progressing according to God’s Eternal Design? Well, brother, it is obvious that you are just bitter because you lost your church!

I pastored a group for 30 years and I miserably failed to complete God’s purpose for the Ministry. All the things I am saying is a confession of personal failure in bringing the saints to perfection. This failure did NOT involve sin! All the excuses that have been given about “corporate responsibility” do not make up for wasting my time and the time of those who attended the meetings.

In 1998 my vision was to build a bigger group so we needed a bigger building which required greater income and more sweat and hard labor. After more than two years of sweat and hard labor in the dirt realm, my spiritual life fell to “east of the garden” dimension. Attempting to get back into the Presence of God and the realm of understanding was met by the flaming swords and took over two years of guilt and distress.

NOW, My warning to other “pastors” who are wasting their time preaching “a message” and wasting the time of those listening is out of personal experience. My message is this; DON’T DO WHAT I DID! Make EVERY effort to get into that secret place of the Most High and dwell under the Shadow of the Almighty. Hear and minister words from that realm. THESE are the Words that do NOT return to Him void and without Life but will accomplish what He sent them to do! All this other activity is a big waste of time!

Trying to build a big mausoleum to warehouse bodies is a big waste of time.

Is it OK to confess such a negative thing?