Our Hope Today For His Body

Our Hope Today

In Ephesians we read of the wonderful new hope set before us believers today;

And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Eph 2:1, 4-7

God has declared that we have been quickened (made alive) in Christ, we have been raised together, and seated together in the heavenlies in Christ, exactly the same place where Christ has been raised and seated at the Father’s right hand (see Ephesians 1:19-21). There, where Christ is seated above all of the heavenly rulers and authorities, is our glorious inheritance in front of God’s face. There our blessings are located and there we are the heirs of God. It is not

surprising that Paul brings this wonderful section to a close with these verses; For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Eph 2:8-9

When will our faith be realized? When will God’s Word regarding us come to pass? When will we be seated there in our wonderful new bodies “fashioned like His glorious body”? What is the timing of our hope?

The answer to this is found in Colossians 3:1-4 which flows wonderfully onwards from Ephesians 2;

If then (or since, if does not always mean doubt) you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Be mindful of things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. When Christ our Life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Col 3:1-4

Here we are clearly told that “WHEN” our Lord, The Head is revealed, “THEN” we, the Church which is His Body, will also be revealed “WITH HIM”. That is the timing of our hope; the revealing of our Lord. Here are one or two other versions:

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (KJV) Col 3:1-4

And

If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory. (RV) Col 3:1-4

These three versions use “revealed” “appear” and “manifested” to translate the Greek word “phaneroo”. Here are some helpful definitions of “phaneroo”: Strong’s.

phaneroo; from G5318; to render apparent (literally or figuratively): - appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest (forth), shew (self).

Word Study (E-Sword).

phaneroo; manifest, visible, conspicuous. To make apparent, manifest, known, show openly.

Dr Strong says that the word “phaneroo” comes from another word, G5318 which is “phaneros”. Phaneros means “shining” and itself comes from a word which means “light, to give light”.

When our Lord appears it is a moment of revelation involving great light, a shining forth. Where is this shining forth; this appearing of our Lord? The location is very clearly identified; it is “where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God”. Our Lord will be seated at God’s right hand when He is manifested. We shall look more closely at this in later chapters but for now we recognize this is not in the air of 1 Thess.4, where the clouds are located.

We can see a contrast in this Colossians passage. Notice, our life is “hidden with Christ in God” and while these things are hidden now, there is a time coming when they will be manifested or revealed. This moment will be a very bright one, a blazing forth as some have described it. It will be a glorious moment when our Lord and Head is manifested, but you and I and the rest of the Church which is His Body will be manifested there, in the heavenly places with Him at that same time.

What will this appearing be like? Imagine you are sitting on a chair on top of a hill which, if there was light, would be clearly visible to the city below. The hill and the city are in darkness but there comes a time when the top of the hill is illuminated with a bright light. Then you, sitting on top of the hill, will be clearly visible to all those in the city below. You have been “manifested”, you have been “revealed”, you have “appeared” to all. In a similar but far more extensive way the Lord will appear to all in a blazing forth of light. He will be manifested at the right hand of the Father. He will be seen by those in the heavenly places and by those on the earth beneath. At that same time we will also be seen in the same place seated together with Christ.

Please consider the following verses as an anticipation of future chapters;

For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. Mat 24:27

And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear (phaino- the same family of words giving phaneroo of Colossians 3) in the heavens. Mat 24:29-30 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious (epiphanes-the same family of words giving phaneroo of Colossians 3) Day of the Lord. Act 2:20

And

Jesus said to him, You said it. I tell you more. From this time you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of the heavens. Mat 26:64 And he (Stephen) said, Behold, I see Heaven opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Act 7:56

And this passage;

And when He had opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs when she is shaken by a mighty wind. And the heaven departed like a scroll when it is rolled together. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him sitting on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; Rev 6:12-15

When the Lord is manifested in the heavenly places, the world will be morally, spiritually and physically dark and in that darkened day a light will blaze forth, our Lord shall be visible and “every eye shall see Him”. The heavens will be peeled back and they will see Him sitting on the right hand of God.

This “appearing” of our Lord and Head is far above the clouds and the air of 1 Thess.4. This is before He begins His descent to the earth. In the day; in the moment our Lord is manifested on the right hand of God, we shall be there in our seats manifested with Him. What an honor, what a moment of unimaginable joy. Let each one of us set our affection “where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God”, for there, in front of God’s face we have been raised and seated to “appear with Him”.

That moment of His appearing is when our hope will be realized.

http://www.acts28.net/eAppearing-Free%20Edition.pdf

Appear With Him In Glory

Gathering Together Or Manifestation?

Believer.com

These are the hopes respectively of the dispensation of promise and the mystery. The gathering together (some say rapture) concerns an earth people, who here on the earth expect the coming of the King. Among those who go out to meet Him at His coming are the five wise virgins; the foolish ones not being ready, miss it. The manifestation concerns those whose citizenship is in the heavens, who are seated with Christ at the right hand of God. The manifestation is to be in the heaven of the heavens and to the principalities and powers there. Those who take part in it are those who are there, those whose life is hid with Christ in God.

So the gathering together is for earth-dwellers; and the manifestation is for heaven-dwellers. The gathering together was not a secret hid in God from ages and generations. This resurrection and the change that is a part of it are revealed from the Book of Genesis and throughout the Scriptures.  Hebrews 11:10 clearly tells us that Abraham looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  On that day, when the Lord comes to meet them in the air, the dead in Christ will be resurrected and the faithful ones who are alive will live forever, that is, be changed (1 Cor. 15:52). But the Truth that there would be a people that should have a resurrection in glory and be manifested with Christ the Head was not known to other ages and generations till revealed by the Apostle Paul after Acts 28:28 (see Eph. 3:4-5) .

In the gathering, the believers are caught up (1 Thes. 4:16-17) to the air (not heaven) to meet the Lord as He comes to take over the kingdoms of this earth and rule on the throne of His father David. When Satan is cast out and his angels with him, then the steadfast believers will meet Christ in the air where they will rule and reign with Him as their reward for their faithful stand. All, the guests and the virgins will then return with Him to the earth where a marriage supper will be observed and the King will take over His rule on the earth. At one time the people of Israel were invited to this marriage, but they refused the invitation and even killed some of the servants who gave it. But a day is coming when other servants (angels) will come and gather scattered Israel from the highways (among the nations) and bring them to the supper. These are the nation, a nation born in a day, who will bring forth the fruits of the kingdom, taking the place of those rejected. These are earth-dwellers.

But the manifestation does not pertain to the earth and those that dwell in it. Christ will emerge from the Shekinah glory to be manifested (seen) in the heaven of heavens and it is promised that when He is manifested, then His Church which is His body will be manifested with Him. The members, both living and dead, are there in purpose and potential as their lives are hid with Christ in God and will continue there till their resurrection and manifestation in that place (Col. 3:1-4). Nowhere do we find any of these will be resurrected here on the earth and then have to be transported to heaven for they are seated in Christ Jesus in the heaven of heavens now.

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Day of Christ Not Day of Lord

With the dawning of 

the Day of Christ, 

there will be an unbelievable 

restoration  of all things.

  During the Day of Christ,

 all mankind will be 

Spiritually Illuminated.

            a. Psalm 22:27-28.

            b. Psalm 25:8-9.

            c. Psalm 33:8.

            d. Psalm 67:7.

            e. Psalm 76:8.

            f. Psalm 97:4,6.

            g. Luke 17:24.

            h. Psalm 98:1-3.

            i. Isaiah 52:10.

            j. Luke 3:5-6.

 "Why doesn’t God do something?"

"If God exists, why doesn’t He act."

The Biblical answer

 to all such questions 

and statements is ....

 GOD IS GOING 

TO INTERVENE....

He speaks of a time

 when: 

"Evildoers shall be cut off"

 (Psa. 37:9)

It is when the enemy 

comes in like a flood 

that the Spirit of the Lord 

lifts up a standard against him 

(Isa. 59:19). 

The result of this ...

divine action will be 

that men shall fear 

the name of the Lord 

from the west to the east.

Col 3:4 

When Christ, who is our life, 

shall be manifested, 

then shall ye also 

with him be manifested in glory. (RV)

When the Lord is manifested

 in the heavenly places, 

the world will be morally, 

spiritually and physically dark 

and in that darkened day 

a light will blaze forth, 

our Lord shall be visible 

and “every eye shall see Him”. 

The heavens will be peeled back 

and they will see Him 

sitting on the right hand of God.

This “appearing” of our Lord and Head 

is far above the clouds, 

and the air of 1 Thess.4. 

This is before He begins 

His descent to the earth. 

In the day; in the moment 

our Lord is manifested 

on the right hand of God,

 we shall be there in our seats 

manifested with Him. 

What an honor, 

what a moment of unimaginable joy. 

Let each one of us 

set our affection 

“where Christ is sitting 

at the right hand of God”, 

for there, in front of God’s face, 

we have been raised 

and seated to “appear with Him”.

That moment of His appearing 

is when our hope will be realized.

In Ephesians we read 

of the wonderful new hope 

set before us believers today;

Eph 2:1 And He has made you alive, 

who were once dead 

in trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, 

for His great love with which He loved us

Eph 2:5 (even when 

we were dead in sins) 

has made us alive together with Christ 

(by grace you are saved),

 Eph 2:6 and In Ephesians we read 

of the wonderful new hope 

set before us believers today;

Eph 2:1 And He has made you alive, 

who were once dead 

in trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:4 But God, 

who is rich in mercy, 

for His great love 

with which He loved us

Eph 2:5 (even when 

we were dead in sins)

 has made us alive 

together with Christ 

(by grace you are saved),

 Eph 2:6 and has raised us up 

together and made us sit 

together in the heavenlies 

in Christ Jesus,

Eph 2:7 so that in the ages 

to come He might show 

the exceeding riches of His grace 

in His kindness toward us 

through Christ Jesus.

God has declared that we 

have been quickened (made alive) 

in Christ, we have been raised together, 

and seated together in the heavenlies 

in Christ, exactly the same place 

where Christ has been raised 

and seated at the Father’s right hand, 

see Ephesians 1:19-21. 

There, where Christ is seated 

above all of the heavenly 

rulers and authorities, 

is our glorious inheritance 

in front of God’s face. 

There our blessings are located 

and there we are the heirs of God.

 Is it any wonder 

Paul brings this wonderful section 

to a close with these verses;

Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved 

through faith, 

and that not of yourselves, 

it is the gift of God,

Eph 2:9 not of works, 

lest anyone should boast 

has  raised us up together 

and made us sit together 

in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,

Eph 2:7 so that in the ages to come 

He might show the exceeding riches 

of His grace in His kindness 

toward us through Christ Jesus.

God has declared that we have 

been quickened (made alive) 

in Christ, we have been raised together, 

and seated together in the heavenlies 

in Christ, exactly the same place 

where Christ has been raised 

and seated at the Father’s right hand, 

see Ephesians 1:19-21. 

There, where Christ is seated 

above all of the heavenly 

rulers and authorities, 

is our glorious inheritance 

in front of God’s face. 

There our blessings are located 

and there we are the heirs of God. 

Is it any wonder 

Paul brings this wonderful section 

to a close with these verses;

Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved 

through faith, and that not of yourselves, 

it is the gift of God,

Eph 2:9 not of works, 

lest anyone should boast.

Since God’s Word says we, in Christ, 

have been raised and seated 

in the heavenlies where Christ 

is seated at the right hand of God, 

exactly when will we literally 

be seated there 

in the heavenlies or heavenly places? 

In other words, when will 

our hope become sight? 

When will our faith be realized? 

When will God’s Word 

regarding us come to pass? 

When will we be seated there 

in our wonderful new bodies 

“fashioned like His glorious body”? 

What is the timing of our hope?

The answer to this

 is found in Colossians 3:1-4 

which flows wonderfully 

onwards from Ephesians 2; 

Col 3:1 If then (or since,

 if does not always mean doubt) 

you were raised with Christ, 

seek those things which are above, 

where Christ is sitting 

at the right hand of God.

Col 3:2 Be mindful 

of things above,

 not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3 For you died, and your life 

has been hidden with Christ in God.

Col 3:4 When Christ 

our Life is revealed, 

then you also will be revealed 

with Him in glory.

Here we are clearly told 

that “WHEN” our Lord, 

The Head is revealed, 

“THEN” we, the Church which is His Body, 

will also be revealed “WITH HIM”. 

That is the timing of our hope; 

the revealing of our Lord. 

Here are one or two other versions:

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, 

seek those things which are above, 

where Christ sitteth 

on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2 Set your affection 

on things above,

 not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3 For ye are dead, 

and your life is 

hid with Christ in God.

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life,

 shall appear, then shall ye also appear 

with him in glory. (KJV)

PLAINER WORDS …THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST

http://plainerwords.com/past_isuues.shtml

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).

The Apostle Peter, in Acts 3:19-21, was divinely enabled to speak concerning “the times of refreshing” which is to come from the presence of the Lord. He was talking about the “restitution of all things” which was, perhaps, the major theme of the Hebrew Bible because he stated that God spoke about it “by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” In Paul's writings, he was inspired to refer to this future time as the Day of Christ. This term is grossly misunderstood by most Bible students. Failure to “see” its’ significance results in misunderstanding the plot of the Bible. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke about His Coming Day, but most Christians are unaware of Him having a Day. We’re not talking about a twenty-four hour day but a period of time marked by the Supremacy of Christ in all matters—the Day of Christ.

The Lord Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:56; “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.” Jesus Christ said that Abraham saw (i.e. perceived) His Day. How did Abraham “see” His Day? God revealed Christ’s Day to him; hence, Abraham saw the Day, by faith, and was “glad.”

   

Notice Paul's references to the Day of Jesus Christ:

1 Cor 1:8. “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Cor 5:5. “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

2 Cor 1:14. “As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our’s in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Phil 1:6. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Phil 1:10. “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ:”

Phil 2:16. “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

The Day of Christ begins with the appearing (the epiphaneia) and kingdom (basileia ) of Jesus Christ (2 Tim.4:1) and the blazing forth of the glory of the great God, even our Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). This is when the hope of the calling of the Mystery is realized.  This is when our faith gives way to sight. This is the next event on God's prophetic clock. This is when Christ Jesus, in His role as the Head of the high calling, convenes [calls into session] His Ecclesia (Church) which is His Body.  As the Great Convoker, He, alone, calls His Ecclesia into session. This marks His assumption of sovereignty over the nations. Those who have been memberd into “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” will either be raised out from among the dead, or will be changed from mortal to immortal, and will take their place, or station, in His Government.

For two-thousand years, Christ has silently been building His Ecclesia (Church).  Ever since Acts 28, He has been calling and choosing those who are to be revealed as members of this present body of believers who are to be “called on high.” He is silently calling and building His Ecclesia on the grounds of Present Truth. The religious Christian world is unaware of this. Most Christians believe He is active in building the visible church, and they are unaware that the visible church is the work and contrivance of men.

The Lord is building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, “In Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In Whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph.2:21-22). The hope of the present calling will be realized when 2 Timothy 4:1 and Titus 2:13 take place.

Most all Bible commentaries squeeze Truth which is related to the Kingdom of God into the Millennium.  To do so, overlooks one of the great dispensations found in all of Scripture; the dispensation of the Kingdom of God. This dispensation is referred to as:

The latter days (Jer.23:20; 30:24; Dan.2:28; 10:14. Hos.3:5).

The last days (Gen.49:1; Isa.2:2; Mic.4:1; Acts 2:17). These must not be confused with the “last days” (2 Tim. 3:1) of this present dispensation.

My Day, as previously pointed out in John 8:56.

The regeneration as found in Matthew 19:28. Regeneration means to generate again. This speaks of the restoration of the earth and mankind to their pristine state as it existed before the Flood.

The times of refreshing; Peter uses this expression in Acts 3:19 to highlight one aspect of the Kingdom of God when it comes. The refreshing times speaks of the “curse” being lifted which is intimately associated with the “manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19) and mankind being delivered from “the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21).

The times of restitution of all things, Peter declares in Acts 3:21, was a subject that all of God’s holy prophets spoke about “since the world began.” Literally, it is the “times of the restoration of all things.” The Lord Jesus Christ mentioned the fact that Elijah truly shall come first and restore all things (Matt. 17:11). This fact makes this restoration to precede the Second Coming of Christ.

Concurrently with the many events taking place when Christ Jesus assumes sovereignty over mankind and the nations, the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) will actively and aggressively restrain evil (John 16:7-13). People who sin will die for their own sin (Jer. 31:30). The Spirit will hinder transgressions because man’s conscience will have been quickened (made alive).

The Day of Christ is synonymous with all of the above, including the Kingdom of God, and comes before the tribulation and the second coming (Parousia) of Christ.

During the Day of Christ, heaven and earth will be governed by Christ Jesus from His heavenly Throne. This dispensation is set in contrast to the Millennium or the Day of the Lord.  To say the two are the same is to say that “one-plus-one equals one.”

Most all Christians realize that the Day of the Lord (i.e. the Tribulation and the Millennium) begins with revolution, bloodshed and violence which will be an unprecedented event in all of human history. The Old Testament has a lot to say about this Day—the Day of the LORD.  Isaiah speaks about the Lord's imposition upon the world of His Millennial Rule; “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with wrath, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh:  and the slain of the Lord will be many” (Isa. 66:15-16).

Psalm 50:3 says; “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him.” Psalm 97:3; “A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about.” These verses relate to Jesus Christ Personally returning to earth to put an end to the nations’ revolt against His Rule from heaven (2 Thess. 2:1-12).

When the Kingdom of God comes to Israel, it comes silently, “without observation” (Lu.17:22). It will not come suddenly or dramatically.  Its’ coming is likened; “as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mk. 4:26-28).              

When the Kingdom comes, it comes without calamity with no harm being done to anyone.  Notice a much overlooked passage; “He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory” (Matt.12:19-20). Matthew quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4 which informs us that the Kingdom (i.e., God’s Government) begins with the Gentile nations. Israel will not be a nation at this time. They will still be scattered, or dispersed, among the nations. While ruling over the nations, the Lord begins His work of re-gathering the Jews. Over time, He leads them back to the Promised Land ─as believers. No unbelieving Jew will be brought back to Palestine; no, not one! The unbelieving will remain scattered among the nations. [This brings up the question; ‘What about the Israel that now is?’ All we’ll say for now is; the present Israel is not of God’s doing. When He brings them back, there will be no disputes regarding borders or whose land it is].

“And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezk.20:38).

If words have any meaning, then we must conclude that something begins silently, mysteriously, without observation, without strife, without Christ being heard, and without damage being inflicted.  On the other hand, something else begins (i.e. the Lord’s Day) with a colossal display of vengeance, wrath, and cataclysmic punishment which will be openly displayed.

It is a contradiction to insist that the two descriptions relate to the beginning of the same event. In plainer words, the Prophetic Word informs us that there is coming the Day of Christ which is another term for the coming Kingdom of God.  We are met with a non-Scriptural term, The Millennium, which relates to the 1000 year reign of Christ upon the earth.  The Biblical term for this is the Day of the Lord.  It is essential to distinguish between the two. The Holy Spirit does. We should do so, also.

If we force all truths connected to the Day of Christ into the Day of the Lord, the result is utter confusion.  Not only that, but we rob the Lord Jesus Christ of His Day of Exaltation.

During the Day of Christ, He will draw, or compel, all men unto Himself.  He will be exalted from the earth as every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.  His Day begins with His “appearing and Kingdom,” and He begins to judge the quick and the dead. (2 Tim.4:1).  This is when the glory of the great God, even Jesus Christ our Savior, blazes forth (Titus 2:13). Isaiah speaks of this event in 40:5; “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” and at the same time.

What is seen is the glory of the LORD, not the LORD descending from Heaven; to this, Numbers 14:21 agrees; “But truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”  When the Kingdom comes, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters covers the sea” (Hab.2:14). The Psalmist says; “And blessed be His glorious Name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory” (72:19).  The world will experience the revealing of His Glory without Christ Jesus leaving His Heavenly Throne. The shining forth of the glory of God takes place before the Day of the LORD. It is noted in Isaiah's vision that the seraphim see Christ's Day and say; “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the earth is full of His glory.”

During the Day of Christ, the “times of refreshing comes from the presence of the LORD.” All things are rejuvenated while the Heavens retain Christ (Acts 3:19-21). The pristine, pre-Noah flood conditions will be re-created (Isa. 65:17; 66:22).​

When the Day of Christ begins, all of mankind will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit and realize that Jesus Christ is LORD! Christ will begin His benevolent rule of the world. Then, He will begin converting His ancient people, Israel.  Read Ezekiel 20:23-33, and notice how the Lord begins a work in their hearts and will lead them back into the Holy Land as a Christ-believing people. As the Day of Christ draws to a close, the restraints of the Spirit are gradually withdrawn.

Then, there comes a “falling away” from the enlightenment.  Apostasy will set in which leads to the rise of the man of sin. Satan deceives the world except for the elect.  Nations conspire against the rule of Christ's Government and desire to overthrow His rule (Ps. 2). Because of the revolt, the Lord sends a strong delusion so that most people should believe “the Lie.” The Great Tribulation begins.  The “abomination of desolation” takes place in the re-built Temple. The Lord Jesus returns and destroys the Wicked One with the brightness of His coming, and He condemns all who chose to believe not the truth and had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This ends the Day of Christ, and the Day of the LORD begins. The Great Tribulation ends with the Parousia [the Second Coming] of Christ (1Thess. 4:16).

Satan will be bound and is cast into the bottomless pit. Christ will rule the nations “with a rod of iron;” sitting upon the Throne of David in Jerusalem for 1000 years.

The Lord Jesus Christ rules and governs the world from Heaven during the Day of Christ. But, He rules the world from Jerusalem during the Day of the Lord.

~END~

Tom Ballinger

P.O. Box 1302

Lancaster, TX 75146

PLAINER WORDS

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Plainer Words Online

​by

Tom L. Ballinger

Plainer Words since 1968

No. 156

August 9, 2006

PLAINER WORDS …THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).

The Apostle Peter, in Acts 3:19-21, was divinely enabled to speak concerning “the times of refreshing” which is to come from the presence of the Lord. He was talking about the “restitution of all things” which was, perhaps, the major theme of the Hebrew Bible because he stated that God spoke about it “by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” In Paul's writings, he was inspired to refer to this future time as the Day of Christ. This term is grossly misunderstood by most Bible students. Failure to “see” its’ significance results in misunderstanding the plot of the Bible. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke about His Coming Day, but most Christians are unaware of Him having a Day. We’re not talking about a twenty-four hour day but a period of time marked by the Supremacy of Christ in all matters—the Day of Christ.

The Lord Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:56; “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad.” Jesus Christ said that Abraham saw (i.e. perceived) His Day. How did Abraham “see” His Day? God revealed Christ’s Day to him; hence, Abraham saw the Day, by faith, and was “glad.”

   

Notice Paul's references to the Day of Jesus Christ:

1 Cor 1:8. “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Cor 5:5. “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

2 Cor 1:14. “As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our’s in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Phil 1:6. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Phil 1:10. “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ:”

Phil 2:16. “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

The Day of Christ begins with the appearing (the epiphaneia) and kingdom (basileia ) of Jesus Christ (2 Tim.4:1) and the blazing forth of the glory of the great God, even our Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). This is when the hope of the calling of the Mystery is realized.  This is when our faith gives way to sight. This is the next event on God's prophetic clock. This is when Christ Jesus, in His role as the Head of the high calling, convenes [calls into session] His Ecclesia (Church) which is His Body.  As the Great Convoker, He, alone, calls His Ecclesia into session. This marks His assumption of sovereignty over the nations. Those who have been memberd into “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” will either be raised out from among the dead, or will be changed from mortal to immortal, and will take their place, or station, in His Government.

For two-thousand years, Christ has silently been building His Ecclesia (Church).  Ever since Acts 28, He has been calling and choosing those who are to be revealed as members of this present body of believers who are to be “called on high.” He is silently calling and building His Ecclesia on the grounds of Present Truth. The religious Christian world is unaware of this. Most Christians believe He is active in building the visible church, and they are unaware that the visible church is the work and contrivance of men.

The Lord is building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, “In Whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In Whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph.2:21-22). The hope of the present calling will be realized when 2 Timothy 4:1 and Titus 2:13 take place.

Most all Bible commentaries squeeze Truth which is related to the Kingdom of God into the Millennium.  To do so, overlooks one of the great dispensations found in all of Scripture; the dispensation of the Kingdom of God. This dispensation is referred to as:

The latter days (Jer.23:20; 30:24; Dan.2:28; 10:14. Hos.3:5).

The last days (Gen.49:1; Isa.2:2; Mic.4:1; Acts 2:17). These must not be confused with the “last days” (2 Tim. 3:1) of this present dispensation.

My Day, as previously pointed out in John 8:56.

The regeneration as found in Matthew 19:28. Regeneration means to generate again. This speaks of the restoration of the earth and mankind to their pristine state as it existed before the Flood.

The times of refreshing; Peter uses this expression in Acts 3:19 to highlight one aspect of the Kingdom of God when it comes. The refreshing times speaks of the “curse” being lifted which is intimately associated with the “manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19) and mankind being delivered from “the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21).

The times of restitution of all things, Peter declares in Acts 3:21, was a subject that all of God’s holy prophets spoke about “since the world began.” Literally, it is the “times of the restoration of all things.” The Lord Jesus Christ mentioned the fact that Elijah truly shall come first and restore all things (Matt. 17:11). This fact makes this restoration to precede the Second Coming of Christ.

Concurrently with the many events taking place when Christ Jesus assumes sovereignty over mankind and the nations, the Holy Spirit (the Comforter) will actively and aggressively restrain evil (John 16:7-13). People who sin will die for their own sin (Jer. 31:30). The Spirit will hinder transgressions because man’s conscience will have been quickened (made alive).

The Day of Christ is synonymous with all of the above, including the Kingdom of God, and comes before the tribulation and the second coming (Parousia) of Christ.

During the Day of Christ, heaven and earth will be governed by Christ Jesus from His heavenly Throne. This dispensation is set in contrast to the Millennium or the Day of the Lord.  To say the two are the same is to say that “one-plus-one equals one.”

Most all Christians realize that the Day of the Lord (i.e. the Tribulation and the Millennium) begins with revolution, bloodshed and violence which will be an unprecedented event in all of human history. The Old Testament has a lot to say about this Day—the Day of the LORD.  Isaiah speaks about the Lord's imposition upon the world of His Millennial Rule; “For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with wrath, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh:  and the slain of the Lord will be many” (Isa. 66:15-16).

Psalm 50:3 says; “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him.” Psalm 97:3; “A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about.” These verses relate to Jesus Christ Personally returning to earth to put an end to the nations’ revolt against His Rule from heaven (2 Thess. 2:1-12).

When the Kingdom of God comes to Israel, it comes silently, “without observation” (Lu.17:22). It will not come suddenly or dramatically.  Its’ coming is likened; “as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mk. 4:26-28).              

When the Kingdom comes, it comes without calamity with no harm being done to anyone.  Notice a much overlooked passage; “He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory” (Matt.12:19-20). Matthew quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4 which informs us that the Kingdom (i.e., God’s Government) begins with the Gentile nations. Israel will not be a nation at this time. They will still be scattered, or dispersed, among the nations. While ruling over the nations, the Lord begins His work of re-gathering the Jews. Over time, He leads them back to the Promised Land ─as believers. No unbelieving Jew will be brought back to Palestine; no, not one! The unbelieving will remain scattered among the nations. [This brings up the question; ‘What about the Israel that now is?’ All we’ll say for now is; the present Israel is not of God’s doing. When He brings them back, there will be no disputes regarding borders or whose land it is].

“And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezk.20:38).

If words have any meaning, then we must conclude that something begins silently, mysteriously, without observation, without strife, without Christ being heard, and without damage being inflicted.  On the other hand, something else begins (i.e. the Lord’s Day) with a colossal display of vengeance, wrath, and cataclysmic punishment which will be openly displayed.

It is a contradiction to insist that the two descriptions relate to the beginning of the same event. In plainer words, the Prophetic Word informs us that there is coming the Day of Christ which is another term for the coming Kingdom of God.  We are met with a non-Scriptural term, The Millennium, which relates to the 1000 year reign of Christ upon the earth.  The Biblical term for this is the Day of the Lord.  It is essential to distinguish between the two. The Holy Spirit does. We should do so, also.

If we force all truths connected to the Day of Christ into the Day of the Lord, the result is utter confusion.  Not only that, but we rob the Lord Jesus Christ of His Day of Exaltation.

During the Day of Christ, He will draw, or compel, all men unto Himself.  He will be exalted from the earth as every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.  His Day begins with His “appearing and Kingdom,” and He begins to judge the quick and the dead. (2 Tim.4:1).  This is when the glory of the great God, even Jesus Christ our Savior, blazes forth (Titus 2:13). Isaiah speaks of this event in 40:5; “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” and at the same time.

What is seen is the glory of the LORD, not the LORD descending from Heaven; to this, Numbers 14:21 agrees; “But truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”  When the Kingdom comes, “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters covers the sea” (Hab.2:14). The Psalmist says; “And blessed be His glorious Name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory” (72:19).  The world will experience the revealing of His Glory without Christ Jesus leaving His Heavenly Throne. The shining forth of the glory of God takes place before the Day of the LORD. It is noted in Isaiah's vision that the seraphim see Christ's Day and say; “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the earth is full of His glory.”

During the Day of Christ, the “times of refreshing comes from the presence of the LORD.” All things are rejuvenated while the Heavens retain Christ (Acts 3:19-21). The pristine, pre-Noah flood conditions will be re-created (Isa. 65:17; 66:22).​

When the Day of Christ begins, all of mankind will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit and realize that Jesus Christ is LORD! Christ will begin His benevolent rule of the world. Then, He will begin converting His ancient people, Israel.  Read Ezekiel 20:23-33, and notice how the Lord begins a work in their hearts and will lead them back into the Holy Land as a Christ-believing people. As the Day of Christ draws to a close, the restraints of the Spirit are gradually withdrawn.

Then, there comes a “falling away” from the enlightenment.  Apostasy will set in which leads to the rise of the man of sin. Satan deceives the world except for the elect.  Nations conspire against the rule of Christ's Government and desire to overthrow His rule (Ps. 2). Because of the revolt, the Lord sends a strong delusion so that most people should believe “the Lie.” The Great Tribulation begins.  The “abomination of desolation” takes place in the re-built Temple. The Lord Jesus returns and destroys the Wicked One with the brightness of His coming, and He condemns all who chose to believe not the truth and had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This ends the Day of Christ, and the Day of the LORD begins. The Great Tribulation ends with the Parousia [the Second Coming] of Christ (1Thess. 4:16).

Satan will be bound and is cast into the bottomless pit. Christ will rule the nations “with a rod of iron;” sitting upon the Throne of David in Jerusalem for 1000 years.

The Lord Jesus Christ rules and governs the world from Heaven during the Day of Christ. But, He rules the world from Jerusalem during the Day of the Lord.

~END~

Tom Ballinger

P.O. Box 1302

Lancaster, TX 75146

PLAINER WORDS

No Subscription Price

We endeavor to put in print and in plainer words Bible Studies which we recommend to students and teachers alike. This is our 44th year of publishing Plainer Words. Plainer Words is emailed to anyone upon their personal request.

Visit our Web Site:

www.Plainerwords.com  

       

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