In the second chapter of the book written by the Prophet Joel we find God telling him to write this: “And it will come to pass afterward that I (God) will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh ….” (vs 28). The prophet wrote his book between 795 and 755 B.C. Some 800 years later and we find Jesus Christ (the God of the Old Testament) pouring out His Spirit on His disciples on the Day of Pentecost, 31 A.D. When people heard about the strange goings-on in a particular building they flocked to the area to see what was happening. Each year at this time Jews gathered in Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate Passover and Pentecost. Each spoke the language of their native nation. Incredibly, they were now hearing their native language being spoken by some local Jews who knew only their own language. What was happening? they asked the disciples. Hear Peter’s reply: “THIS IS THAT WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHET JOEL: ‘And it will come to pass afterwards (in the last days), says the Lord, I will pour out of My Spirit ….” (Acts 2:17). Read The Tongues Controversy. Key word–Tongues.
In Acts 2 we find God fulfilling the prophecy He proclaimed through the Prophet Joel, then identifying it as His prophecy through His Apostle Peter. Peter’s words–“THIS (OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT) IS (THE FULFILLMENT OF) THAT (PROPHECY) which was spoken by the Prophet Joel” (Joel 2:28) signaled the beginning of the last days of this world which will end with the return of Jesus Christ. His departure in 31 A.D. had resulted in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as He had promised in Acts 1:8, which had taken place as recorded in Acts 2. Thus began Phase I of the New Covenant Era–the filling of God’s saints with His Holy Spirit power which would enable (empower) them to obey His Law which He had written in their hearts (Jer. 31;31-33/ Heb. 8:8-12). Those who complete Phase I with their holiness intact (Mat. 10:22) will enter Phase II upon Christ’s Second Advent which will follow the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord which will take place in the near future. Immediately following His arrival He and His Very Elect (first resurrection) saints will establish the Kingdom of God in the Holy Land from whence He and they will rule, first the earth, then the universe from their Jerusalem headquarters. Read The Resurrections, The Kingdom of God, Life After Death and God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe. Key words–Resurrections, Kingdom, Death and Caretakers respectively.
Let it be understood that entrance into Phase II of the New Covenant depends solely on the believer’s successful completion of Phase I which consists of one all-inclusive activity–OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S TEN COMMANDMENT LAW. This is the Law that Paul calls holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12), the Law that we must obey to prove our love for Christ (Jn. 14:15,13), the Law we must obey to receive eternal life (Mat. 19:17), the Law we must obey to abide in Christ’s love–the same Law He had to obey to abide in God’s love (Jn. 15:10), the Law Christ came to earth to magnify and make honorable (Isa. 42:21), the Law which, if obeyed, will bring the believer to “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13) which is necessary in order to be saved upon His return (Mat. 10:21/ Rom. 5:21; 6:22). Those who believe God and obey His Law will, with Him, usher in Phase II of the New Covenant era.
Phase II begins with the first resurrection–the resurrection of the Lord’s “firstfruits” upon Christ’s arrival in the air above earth. At that time “the dead IN CHRIST will rise first (from their resting places in the earth) to meet Him in the clouds. This will immediately be followed by the resurrection of those who are living IN CHRIST upon His arrival in earth’s atmosphere. Phase II will feature man’s rebirth–the “born again experience”–which Christ experienced upon His resurrection from the dead three days after His death. The born again experience is necessary in order to enter into His presence and to enter the Kingdom of God which Christ will establish immediately upon His return. Recall Him telling Nicodemus that, in his flesh and blood body he could not enter God’s Kingdom which will remain in heaven until His return. Man’s body must be changed from flesh to spirit in order to enter it. Recall that Jesus prayed to the Father that: “Thy kingdom come on (to) earth as it is (at that time and still is) in heaven” (Lk. 11:2). Jesus will bring the kingdom with Him when He returns to earth where He will establish it as His universe headquarters. It will be known as the Kingdom of God, which was the subject of His gospel and the subject of His apostles to this day. Read The Kingdom of God. Key word–Kingdom.
As was the case while the kingdom is in heaven, only spirit beings will be allowed into the Kingdom of God. Read Born Again. Key word–Born. Just as Christ’s bodily transformation from flesh to spirit consistency enabled Him to enter God’s presence following His resurrection, the true saint’s rebirth will enable him to enter Christ’s presence upon his (man’s) resurrection. To be born again is to change from flesh to spirit bodily consistency. Then saints will look exactly like their Savior–totally spirit. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. John tells us that following the saints’ change from flesh to spirit: “we will be like Him (in body), for we will see Him as He is (bodily)” (1 Jn. 3:2). This can only take place upon His return if we have lived like Him while in our flesh body. Contrary to universal church opinion, man’s resurrection, rebirth (change from flesh to spirit) and entrance into the presence of Christ depends totally on his manifesting the spiritual characteristics that Christ manifested during His human life (1 Jn. 2:6; 3:3/ Rev. 3:21). This fact was Scripturally documented in a previous paragraph, as well as in numerous other passages in the Holy Scriptures. Though God’s command for holiness and godliness are proclaimed as plainly as possible, those in the Institutional Church (Catholicism/Protestantism) deny the need for holiness and godliness on their part. Instead, they “know” that all they need to do in order to inherit eternal life is to believe in Jesus and to repent following their inevitable sins. And their god smiles.
The general schedule of events that will lead up to the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth is as follows:
The New Covenant Church came into being on the Day of Pentecost, 31 A.D. when Jesus baptized His disciples in His Holy Spirit, thereby providing them with power to obey His Law which was necessary for receiving eternal life. Throughout the remainder of their lives disciples obey His Law, thereby qualifying for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Upon His return He will resurrect those who have remained true to Him by obeying His Law. After meeting his Very Elect saints in the air, He will take them to Jerusalem where He will establish God’s kingdom. Headquartered in Jerusalem, the Lord and His saints will rule the earth and its inhabitants for 1000 years (the “millennium”), then, following the second and third resurrections, the manifested sons of God will rule the entire universe. Read The Millennium: 1000 Years in the Kingdom of God and The Millennium Ends: Then Comes the Second and Third Resurrections. Key words–1000 and Ends respectively. L.J.
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