Monday, April 16, 2012

Is There a Son in the House?

For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 1 Corinthians 4:15

A couple of nights ago I had a dream that me and my son arrived unexpectedly at my father's house. When we arrived he was so excited to see us. It was as though he was anxiously waiting for us to come back home. In the dream I was taken aback because while I love my father our relationship is awkward. We don't spend much time together and dropping in on one anther unannounced is almost never heard of. I awoke remembering the promise in Malachi that Elijah would come and restore the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Hearts are being turned, awakening is coming.

We've been put in the families we are in for a reason. God is taking us somewhere and He has things to teach us and things for us to inherit through the families we are birthed into (whether natural or spiritual). For example within my natural family my father was a product of the Jesus movement. I remember hearing from my great aunt (a nun in Southern California) that she always believed he was called to the ministry. In many ways I believe that I've inherited that calling. My roots are in the Jesus movement and as a result of that God moved on my heart at a young age.

This past weekend I attended a service at a Church I was a part of for many years. While seeing the young people being ministered to I was brought back to the powerful encounters I had during those years. God was doing some amazing things in my life during that season. There was a number of us who were being trained for the work of the ministry and were being raised up as sons in our father's house. Unfortunately a number of things happened that caused many of us in this group to move on and set a different direction for our lives. It grieved me thinking that the dreams of my friends had died. While processing these thoughts I heard the Lord say, "The sons are coming home." What that means or how that's going to come about I don't know. What I do know is that regardless of who stayed or moved on we are still family. It's the Lord's Church and not ours.

But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 1 Corinthians 12:18

More than just needing correct teaching in the Church we need those who can model the message by their life. Paul comments in 1 Corinthians that though there are ten thousand teachers there are not many fathers. We don't need more instructors. We need more fathers. God's method of bringing the Church to maturity is through the relationship of fathers and sons. Fathers are put into the Church to reproduce life into others in the body who can then reproduce that life in another. The great commission given to the Church was to go and disciple, not just convert, all nations. While many of us today are seeking revival and another move of God it will never be sustained without the proper relationship between a father and a son. One of the reasons that revivals fizzle out isn't because people aren't hungry or praying enough but because the structure to sustain the revival has not been accurately built.

When the local Church has to consistently go outside of the body to find ministry it's because the message of the fathers and sons has been neglected. There is a time and place for outside ministry but it should never be considered the norm. God has placed the gifts needed within every local Church body to fulfill the mandate she has been given. We are called to know no man after the flesh, including Christ Jesus, but rather after the new creation man (2 Cor 5:16,17). The problem is that instead of recognizing sons in the local body we've become familiar with the members after the flesh. Rather than making room for those in the body to use their gifts (which will bring increase in the body) familiarity causes the gifts to be hoarded thus stifling spiritual growth. It's time for the fathers in the local body to invest themselves into sons and daughters who can reproduce the ministry in the next generation. As thankful as I am for itinerant Apostles, Prophets and the like who run with the message God has given them I am convinced that God has in the local body those that he has graced to carry the same message.

Where there has been hurt and division in the body because of the neglect of the sons by the fathers God is bringing healing. In this third day the Lord is reviving us and raising us up that we may live in His sight (Hosea 6:2). Restoration is coming to your local Church body. Sons are coming home and the fathers are being prepared to receive them. Hearts are being turned from the fathers to the sons and the sons to the fathers.

In 1 Kings 17 shortly after Elijah performs the miracle of the multiplication of food for the widow and her son he (the son) falls sick and dies. There is no more breath left within him. The sonship message fell sick but the ministry of Elijah will revive it. The miracles of provision and prosperity as seen in the multiplication of the widow's food are not enough to sustain this message.

The widow woman asks Elijah if he's come to bring her sin to remembrance by putting her son to death. Much ministry today rather than brining life puts people back under condemnation by reminding them again and again of their sin. This is the message of doom and gloom. The letter of the law kills but it is the Spirit that gives life. When we are at our deepest need it is the enemy and not God who tells us that things are the way they are because of our sin. New Covenant fathers consistently point people to Jesus and His righteousness rather than to their identity apart from Christ. The old order wants the revival without having healthy sons in the house.

Rather then answering her questions Elijah tells the widow woman to "give me your son." Here we see the father taking responsibility for the son. The ministry of Elijah bears the infirmities of the weak. We are all called to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). When fathers don't care for weak sons they die. Elijah carries him into his UPPER ROOM and lays him in his own bed. One of the reasons the message of the fathers and sons has been neglected is that we've dealt with it on a horizontal plain. The Lord is calling us to go vertical. Bring sons into contact with the Lord Jesus Christ himself! The father prays for and identifies with the son he is raising back to life. He lays the son in his bed picturing rest. It's from a position of rest that we manifest the kingdom. The Church is in need of some fathers to take sons into the upper room.

Elijah stretches himself out three times on the son. Stretch, stretch, stretch. In the Hebrew stretching here means to measure with a line. God has given us New Covenant fathers so that the Church might go on to maturity measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). In Luke 13:32 Jesus said, "Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected." What did Jesus mean by the third day I shall be perfected? He couldn't have been talking about His death, burial, and resurrection because when He was in the tomb he didn't cast out devils or do cures. So this must have some other meaning. He is the Head and we are the Body. ON the third day (stretched out 3x) the Church is going to come into a place of maturity where Christ is fully formed in them and they are going to rise up out of bed!!! The fathers and sons are going to see the work finished.

The Lord heard the voice of Elijah and revived the son. This is the first time in Scripture we see resurrection. When Christ raised people from the dead it wasn't so that people could see that a powerful miracle had taken place but rather so that evidence could be given that the Kingdom has arrived. It didn't have anything to do without people dying outside of their time. It had everything to do with the new creation coming. We don't need a Church who cries rapture, but one who shouts resurrection. There is a generation that will join in a shout like Elijah and declare "Your son is alive!" (1 Kings 17:23). Dead sons are coming to life in the upper room (the third story).

Upon the son coming to life the widow woman declares, "now I know that you are a man of God." It amazes me that the first miracle Elijah performs for this woman isn't enough. The message of prosperity can only do so much. Revival can only do so much. It's Fathers and Sons that turn the world upside down. When we have the correct pattern accompanied by the miraculous we will see the work finished. Elijah is carrying the son down from the loft and displaying him whole to his mother. Local Church get ready because you are about to be put on display. The nations are going to come into your house because fathers are bringing dead sons back to life.

Are there sons and daughters in your house? Are there people in your local body who have been given prophetic words, dreams, desires that are laying dormant? Fathers bring your sons and daughters into the upper room. Stretch yourself out upon them. Breathe life into them. You don't need more prophetic activation, words, etc. What you have already been given is more than enough to finish the work. Raise up sons and daughters in your local house that can reproduce your vision and I guarantee that when the revival comes that we've been praying for it will be sustained.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Embracing an Incorrect Eschatological Hermeneutic Part 2

"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it... For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel..." - Zechariah 4:9,10

This is the second part of a post I put up on Monday. If you haven't read it I recommend you do as it will help as an introduction to this post. My hope is that this post stimulates some thinking and discussion. Be encouraged! The house of the Lord is being built and it will be completed. Though things look contrary at times and our faith might seem small it's time to rejoice! We are going on to maturity, to the measure (the plumb line) of the stature of the fullness of Christ!

Here are ten things that affect the Church when it embraces an incorrect eschatological hermeneutic. These short paragraphs don't really do justice to the subject at hand. They are meant to make you think.

1. The Church stays in immaturity.

Many in the Church want to go up, not grow up. The rapture craze promoted in books like Left Behind has caused a generation of believers to opt for "fire insurance" only. We've been called to colonize the earth, not leave it. Paul says that he is in the pains of childbirth UNTIL Christ is fully formed in the Church (Gal 4:19). "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways (1 Cor 13:11)." God wants mature believers whose diet consists of meat and not only milk. The author of the book of Hebrews says that, "you have been believers for so long you should now be teachers but unfortunately you need someone to teach you again the elementary truths of God's word all over again (Heb 5:12)." This phenomenon could be said of most of today's Church. Thankfully God is raising up leaders who are calling the Church to walk in the fullness that God has intended for them. Do you hear the call? There is a generation that will finish the work!

For the earth will be filled with THE KNOWLEDGE of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. - Habakkuk 2:14

2. The Church wages spiritual warfare ineffectively.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. - Colossians 2:15

Having served the Church in Congo (and being married to a Congolese) I've observed that for many there is more attention given to the power of the enemy instead of the power of God. This problem isn't only limited to the Congolese church. Much eschatology today sends out the message that Satan is taking over. Instead of defeating the enemy many today are empowering him by watering down the teaching of the victory of Jesus Christ. This has caused strongholds (incorrect thought patterns in the mind) to be built in the Church that desperately need to be torn down. Rather than Jesus Christ and His Church ruling and reigning the principalities and powers are the ones said to be in control. Here again the gnostic message of dualism props up its evil head. It proclaims that Satan is equal to God in power. We need to proclaim to the Church again that her enemy is defeated. Satan is not God's enemy, he's yours. Jesus is already seated and God has placed all things under His feet (Eph 1:20-23) The God of peace will bruise satan under your feet shortly and then Christ will return (Rom 16:20, Heb 10:13).

3. The Church focuses on Fear and Despair rather than Hope and Victory.

Again the central message for many in the last days is that of apostasy coming to the Church. Open any end times book and the message is "bad things are coming." Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. God never commissions us to do something that he does not grace us with the ability to do. The Church will fulfill her mandate in the earth.

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. - 2 Corinthians 2:14

4. The Church promotes favoritism among the people of God.

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. - Ephesians 2:14

The teaching of Israel and the Church is another sticky subject for many. We must be careful not to allow any teaching to build back up the wall that Christ died to break down. Paul declares in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2 says that "in times past you were gentiles and called uncircumcised." Much eschatology and theology today makes it seem as though the Church is still gentile and uncircumcision left outside the promises and purpose of God. God's plan is to pour out His Spirit on all flesh, not just on the Jew. In Deuteronomy 29:14,15 in the context of the Palestinian covenant the Lord declares that "He's not making this covenant only with you." The him in these verses anticipate the "one new man". Romans 11 is not meant to be read eschatologically but rather soteriologically. Romans 11:25 tells us not to be ignorant of this mystery that blindness has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles come in. Their blindness is temporary, (UNTIL) not permanent. Imagine Israel being provoked to jealousy by the middle east nations coming to Christ! I pray you would hear my heart in this. Any message that claims Israel's salvation outside of Christ is another gospel. Salvation is coming to Israel and Aliyah is being made into the Kingdom but that doesn't mean we don't proclaim salvation to the nations including "Israel's enemies".

The LORD Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance." - Isaiah 19:25

5. The Church subtly promotes war and violence.

"It's time that a morbid fascination with a supposed unalterable script of God-sanctioned-end-time-hyper-violence be finally... left behind." - Brian Zahnd

To go to war or not? Again the "unalterable script." I have actually heard from teachers that certain wars must take place in order for the return of Christ. War is not, nor will ever be a Kingdom value. Today we have demonized much of the middle east by proclaiming them the enemies of God. We've played into the us vs. them game (America vs. her enemies, Israel vs. her enemies). The characteristic of a son of God is that of a peacemaker (Matt 5:9). Unfortunately today even peacemakers are looked at with skepticism. The consensus has been that if you are working for peace then you are working for the antichrist and his one world system. This kind of thinking needs to change. As believers our calling is to be peacemakers. When Jesus called us to love our enemies I'm pretty sure he meant don't kill them. Brian Zahnd in his book Beauty Will Save the World says, "We are disciples of the one who would rather die than kill his enemies." Anne Lamott says, "You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do." Romans 5:10 declares that, "when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His son." It is time for the Church to rethink her theology of war. Our mission is to beat swords into plowshares, not the reverse. What was once a weapon (enemy of God) is to be used to bring in the harvest.

6. The Church neglects creation care.

"It's all going to burn." This statement is repeated over and over again by believers who don't think it is their job to take care of creation. The first job of man in the garden was to care for creation. Again the misunderstanding between the earth and the world has caused much of this neglect. Global warning, oil spills, and the like are disregarded by Christians as unimportant and not having any spiritual impact. What if caring for creation was an act of spiritual warfare? Jesus came in a physical body and rose in a physical body. God cares for the physical world as shown in His care for the ravens and the lilies (Luke 12:27).

7. The Church gets involved in political activity Christ never asked us to get involved in.

Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world." - John 18:36

Do we really believe that it is the meek who inherit the earth (Matt 5:5)? It is not the politically powerful or the strong who inherit the earth. The government of the Kingdom is not by political means but is rather upon his shoulders. It is not in the shoulders of the state but rather the corporate body of Christ. Jesus is lord, Caesar is not. Jesus can never be used to endorse capitalism or communism. He came to endorse love. If you truly believe that what America needs is this or that politician to be in power you are mistaken. What America needs is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit like never before!

Ecclesiologically, “the composition of the church changed” from a persecuted minority to “everyone.” Before, it took some courage to become a Christian; after Constantine, “it would take exceptional conviction not to be counted as a Christian.” He begins the next paragraph (Yoder): “What this means, of course, is that the meaning of the word ‘Christian’ has changed." - Peter J. Leithart

8. The Church has an incorrect view of judgement, the grace of God and the finished work.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. - Hebrews 9:28

Living in the San Francisco bay area I hear numerous reports of judgement about to be poured out here in California. Many of these prophets are quick to jump on California saying that it is a sinful place in need of God's judgement. My question is what about the rest of the country where tradition and religion hold people in bondage to legalism not allowing for them to live in the freedom Christ obtained for them. We see time and time again Christ rebuking the Pharisees for this kind of behavior. Even James and John wanting to call fire down from heaven were rebuked. Jesus said they did not know what spirit they were of. The son of man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them (Luke 9:56). Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Romans 5:20). God is raising up a people in these dark places that are going to carry the scent of Christ in such a way that whole cities are going to turn to Him! Cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles have been stigmatized for far too long. Like the Samaritan woman at the well they are about to receive a visitation from the bearer of living water. God isn't finished with California.

9. The Church neglects the poor and works of social justice.

"The church doesn't have a social strategy, the church is a social strategy." - Stanley Hauerwas

"The church's future lies with the left wing of the Reformation." - Jürgen Moltmann

With so much focus being on doom and gloom many believers today have stocked up in case of the coming wrath. Pantries stuffed with food, shelters, and survival kits have been set aside just in case something happens. Instead of spreading the message of the good news we've been hoarding it unto ourselves. As much as we have done it unto the least, we have done it unto Christ (Matt 25). For much of the Church this passage in Matthew 25 of the sheep and the goats is in reference to the end times. What if caring for the poor, visiting those in jail, clothing the naked and more were really that important in the coming days?

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. - James 1:27

10. The Church sees her mandate as getting people to heaven rather than bringing heaven to earth.

"If we don't understand what the first Adam lost and what the second Adam (Jesus Christ) came to re-institute then we will be preaching just on the little benefits of the kingdom and not connecting people to the kingdom itself." - Ronald Pillay

The Gospel that Jesus preached is the kingdom of God. Man is constantly in search for what Adam lost (Gen 1:26). When we get a revelation of the kingdom we will preach the gospel of the kingdom. Religion distracts us from God's original purpose in colonizing the earth with Heaven. Seek first the kingdom and his righteousness... - Matthew 6:33 THY KINGDOM COME!

Some things a healthy eschatology promotes:

1. The Lordship of Christ

2. Maturity (Apostles' Doctrine)

3. Unity in the Body of Christ (Fellowship / Breaking of Bread)

4. Prayer and worship

5. Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom (Missions)

Let's not divide over eschatology but let's discuss it together in a spirit of love and unity. Knowledge puffs up but love edifies. We need one another more than ever before. The name calling because someone doesn't agree with us needs to stop. It's not our church but rather His.

Regardless of your millennial beliefs (a/post/pre) we are called to be a prophetic picture of this age. The new has come. Whatever is characteristic of the millennial age is to be our present hope. Peace, long life, poverty alleviated, social justice, an end to war and more are Kingdom values we need to live in the present.

The shaking is taking place. The earth is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God. Fathers are in travail until Christ is fully formed in us. The end result of the shaking is not our destruction but rather the glory of God. There is a serious transition taking place in the church. We are all going through a shift on some level. We are not waiting for a kingdom to be established. It's already here.

It's my hope that this post will cause you to rethink through some of the things you've been taught concerning eschatology. Let victory and hope be your foundation. The house is being built and you as a living stone have a place in it! You were created for such a time as this. Be encouraged! Kingdom blessings!

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. - Galatians 6:15,16

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Embracing an Incorrect Eschatological Hermeneutic Part 1

This post has been difficult to put together. The subject of eschatology is a hot topic for many in the Church today. My prayer is that this post will allow for you to think through some of the things you've been taught. The house of the Lord is being built in this day and it's crucial that the foundation is accurate. I'm not suggesting that I have all the answers to the questions being asked in this post. Regardless the questions need to be asked. My goal is for us as the Church to think through this together. Some of the things that I say here may not be what you've always heard. If you don't agree with me I won't be offended. Our relationship is more valuable than this short post. Because this is a hot topic I'm going to try my best to refrain from certain theological terms that will get you the reader sidetracked. One thing I have observed is that many say they hold to a certain eschatological position yet in practice its almost never the case. The majority of my formal training came from an author whose eschatological position was the opposite of the school I attended. The material was forced to fit into a position that it wasn't meant to fit in. I find this to be the case in much of the Church. That being said its okay to let the Lord redefine/change your position. Reformation, transition, shifting, and more are more than just prophetic buzz words in our day. Clearly things are changing. This post is not meant to attack anyone's position but rather to cause you to think things through with the help of the local Church. Wisdom is what builds the house and He will finish it. Kingdom blessings!

“From first to last, and not merely in the epilogue, Christianity is eschatology, is hope, forward looking and forward moving, and therefore also revolutionising and transforming the present…" - Jürgen Moltmann

What we believe determines how we live. Eschatology is important to the body of Christ today is because it affects how we live in the present. The question that lead me to write this post was, "What happens when we embrace an incorrect eschatological hermeneutic?" Eschatology for those who don't know simply refers to the study of the end of things (end of the age, world, etc). Hermeneutics has to do with the study of how we interpret the Scriptures. Simply put what happens when we interpret the word of God incorrectly in the area of eschatology?

In our day the Gospel is advancing faster than ever before. Nations that were once closed now have thriving Churches. God is restoring His Church and pouring out His Spirit in marvelous ways. These are truly exciting times to be alive. Unfortunately good news doesn't sell. Christian magazines, authors, television, and the like are proclaiming that this move of God will not last much longer. Dark days are on the horizon they say and soon our enemy will have free reign to do as he pleases. Victory and hope are cashed in for fear and despair. As Hal Lindsay once said, "The future is big business." The problem is that we are living with the tension of light and darkness growing at the same time. There are wheat and tares in the field and they are both going on to maturity. However when the Son of man comes its the tares that will be removed and not the wheat. We are sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not nor will we ever belong to the night or to the darkness (1 Thess 5:5). Our light shines brighter and brighter until the final day (Prov 4:18). The kingdom of darkness is not increasing, ours is!

Much of the Church today is in a place like Israel was when Jesus came. They had a way they thought everything would go down. The Messiah was going to come and set up his throne, vindicate His people, and send the Romans packing. Today we have a timeline as to how everything is to go down eschatologically. We've created an unalterable script and when fresh revelation comes if it doesn't fit we send it packing. As we all know the Lord is in a process of reformation in His Church going all the way back to Martin Luther. Things like water baptism, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, ascension gift ministries, and more have been restored to the Church to prepare the way for the return of the Lord. Make room for the Lord to do things outside of your timeline. If your theology and understanding of the character and nature of God has never changed it begs the question, "are you growing?" At one time I was resistant to the move of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't until someone gave me Jack Deere's book Surprised by the Power of the Holy Spirit that I encountered God in a new and fresh way. We proclaim and prophesy that we are in the greatest reformation the Church has seen but again the question is, "what is being reformed?" This reformation is not just for our wing of the Church. It's for every nation (denomination). The trumpet is sounding. The Church is coming together to pray and to send out laborers as we are entering the greatest harvest the Church has ever seen.

If victory and hope are not the two pillars of your eschatological foundation it's time to rethink your eschatology. Fear, despair, and the like have no place in our future. Our mandate is to populate earth with heaven. In the Lord's prayer we pray your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven. Prayer gives us the revelation of the Kingdom coming on earth. What is this revelation? The kingdom of heaven is like a small mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds when it grows it is the largest plant in the garden and becomes a tree. The small stone cut out of the rock without hands becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth. The question today is, "Is the seed stillborn or will it complete the work it was sent to do?" I am confident that He who has begun a good work in you (plural) will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Phil 1:6). The seed will grow, mature, and finally take over! Nothing can hinder its progress!

When we hold the ten commandments as the foundation for the kingdom, rather than the beatitudes we are on a shaky foundation eschatologically. The old covenant was never meant to interpret the new. Rather the old covenant is properly understood through the lens of the new. In the field of eschatology we must have on the lens of the finished work. If your eschatology does not reflect the character and nature of God as revealed in His son Jesus it needs to be done away with. God in Christ teaches us to love and pray for our enemies not call down judgement on them. Much eschatology today does not reflect this attitude. Rather than holding to hope for places like the Middle East we have scapegoated these people as the enemies of Christ and His people. This has to change. The words, "you have heard it said, but I say unto you" are being said to the Church again.

Another trend in much of today's eschatology is the comparison of America with the Church/Kingdom and the Church with America. This attitude reeks of arrogance when compared to places like North Korea, China, Iran and more where Christians live under constant threat of persecution. This belief resembles the British Israelism movement which believes that those of Western European descent are the ten lost tribes of Israel. Much of our Gospel preaching today is America centered. God never entered into a covenant with any nation other than Israel before Christ. The only holy chosen nation God recognizes today is his Church (1 Peter 2:9). No nation can ever claim the status of Christian as long as Caesar is in power. America is not the Church, nor is the Church America. This is not to say that God does not have great things in store for the Western world, He does. But a nation can only be considered righteous insomuch as the Lord governs the hearts of the individuals in that nation. We are nation builders. We invade culture. We don't wield the power of Caesar or fight in the "us vs them" game. The Kingdom of Heaven in America and the nations is like the little leaven mixed with flour that permeates every part of the dough (Matt 13:33). While things may look dark in America and much of today's world we can rest assured that all nations will remember and turn to the Lord (Psalm 22:27).

Unfortunately many today have accused the Apostolic Prophetic movement of gnosticism claiming that those involved claim special revelation only known among themselves. That would be like saying that Jesus was a gnostic because he said, "he who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus is still hiding things from the wise and revealing them to babes. Gnosticism has however been more subtle. Much eschatology today reeks of it and it doesn't just belong to one stream of the Church. Teaching that we need to leave this present evil earth to live as disembodied spirits in another world called Heaven is more gnostic than Christian. An escape from the created order, rather than the redemption of it is an unbiblical view of the Kingdom. The kingdom comes, it does not go. Heaven is not the goal. Life after life after death (NT Wright) in the new creation where Heaven and Earth are joined together is our destination.

We've confused the earth and the world for one another. The earth has always been the Lord's (Psalm 24:1). Satan however is the prince and god of this world (John 12:31, 2 Cor 4:4). The word for world in the Greek is kosmos meaning adornment (think cosmetic). This world system is temporary and passing away. A great Christian statesman once said, "Satan may be the god of this world, but he's not the god of my world." Creation declares the glory of God. When God saw all that He made He declared that it was "very good!" In this seventh day of rest we are getting a revelation of the "very good." The earth is the Lord's!

"The rule in theology is: When you've got two truths which you can't hold in harmony, you don't solve the problem by letting one of them go. You hang on tight and hold them both in paradox. At least that way you don't end up sweeping jewelry under the rug in the name of compulsive neatness." - Robert Capon

Lastly much prophecy is cyclical meaning one verse/passage may have multiple fulfillments. Some passages may speak of Israel, Christ, and his Church all in one. I have found that in the wisdom of God he can be speaking what to us seems like two totally different things yet somehow they are the same things. That being said much eschatology is not necessarily wrong but rather incomplete. When studying Scripture we don't need a Hebrew or Greek mindset but rather heavenly one. We have been given the mind of Christ. Kingdom people set their affections on things above. What matters is that we are teachable. Maturity does not imply that we know it all, but rather that we are teachable.

This post serves as an intro to part 2 which will be up Thursday. I've been reading a lot of NT Wright lately and his intros are 100 pages long so count yourself lucky! :) Blessings!