Heaven when you’re dead, or kingdom now 21 feb 09

This posting is based on a previous comment I put on-

http://chrismccarley.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/true-religion/#comment-19 

How did people get saved before Jesus?

What does “salvation” mean?

If you look at the Old Testament you will see virtually no reference to where we go after we die!

To them salvation

WAS NOT- HEAVEN WHEN YOU’RE DEAD.

To them salvation

WAS- DELIVERENCE FROM PHILISTINE FAMINE AND PLAGUE.

Jesus started his ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth, with this reading.-

 Luk 4:17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And unrolling the book, He found the place where it was written,

Luk 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me; because of this He has anointed Me to proclaim the Good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and new sight to the blind, to set at liberty those having been crushed,

Luk 4:19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

NO REFERENCE TO HEAVEN WHEN YOU’RE DEAD!!!!!

His anointing was not to preach heaven when you’re dead!!!!!!!! Read it again to verify this!!!!

His anointing was not to preach heaven when you’re dead!!!!!!!! Read it again to verify this!!!!

His anointing was not to preach heaven when you’re dead!!!!!!!! Read it again to verify this!!!!

Imagine Jesus meeting a blind man or a cripple.  ”Don’t fear my son,  just believe in me and it’ll be great when you’re dead. “

When John the Baptist, and Jesus, and the disciples, went forth preaching the gospel, what was it they said?

Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND.

“At hand”, meant that it was right where they were, available but hidden from view. Jesus then proceeded to show exactly how close “at hand” it was by doing all sorts of  ”kingdom”  things.

What does the church say? “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is WHEN YOU’RE DEAD”. It is “dead” easy to promise the uncheckable and unprovable.

Why do they change the meaning of the message? Simply because the church no longer has the faith to demonstrate the truth of the invisible Kingdom of God like Jesus and the early christians did.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY SONS OF GOD IN THIS EARTHLY LIFE, HEAVEN WHEN YOU DIE IS, HOWEVER, SIMPLY A TRANSITION. –TIME TO GO HOME TO FATHER!

 And please note that eternal life starts when you are reborn, and it cannot be lost through sin or rebellion etc. otherwise it could never be ETERNAL!!!

Notice, when Jesus rebuked Nicodemus,-

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3:4 Jesus answered, truly truly, I say to you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

It was about seeing and entering the hidden kingdom. It requires new birth, from above. This was not about having to believe in what Jesus was going to do on a cross three and half years later!

All the Old Testament saints were “Born from above” , and this was obviously well before the cross.

IT IS A FACT THAT JESUS PAID THE PRICE FOR ALL SALVATION WITH HIS BLOOD! 

It was not and is not a fact that we need to comprehend about this to get to heaven when we die. Otherwise no one from before the time of Jesus would be there with us at the last day.

It is about time we took the mythology out of Christianity. It would help us to understand what the actual purpose of the Gospel is.

ie. What the bible says it is

Understanding about the cross, is about walking as a believer in the power that the cross gives.

The purpose of the Gospel is about the REIGN OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THIS LIFE!

IT IS ABOUT LIVING FROM OUR DWELLING PLACE IN THE HEAVENLIES.

If you have just read this posting, and pass on from it without comment, doesn’t that make you indifferent to challenge? Or maybe you totally agree with me.

I welcome your thoughts on this post.