FOUNDATIONS

Lessons designed to promote the integrity of scripture and church!

I Corinthians 3:11“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is    JESUS CHRIST  

All articles are written using the NKJV, unless otherwise noted! All articles are written by David Hicks, unless specified otherwise.

 

THE BODY OF CHRIST

ADDITIONAL DESIGNATIONS FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST – ESTABLISHED KINGDOM vs. PREMILLENNIALISM – LESSON THREE.

God’s Integrity Cannot Be Challenged!

Fact #1: God was in control of all the events concerning Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and coronation!!!

It is vital for all the children of God through Jesus Christ our King that we understand that God’s words from the beginning are not promises in the sense that we as men understand. In fact, in the Hebrew there are no corresponding words to the English word ‘promise’. Instead, because of the training of God, there is only the Hebrew ‘Davar’ – which means ‘speaking’, ‘speech’, or ‘to speak’. Then there is the Hebrew ‘Dmar’, which means ‘To say’; and finally the Hebrew ‘Omer’, which means ‘speech’.

This is a significant understanding that God has instructed by the fact that He does not truly promise, but simply states his intentions! And in the case of prophecy, He always states it as if it is already accomplished, leaving out any doubt concerning His ability to fulfill His word.

To think that God was not in full control of the events surrounding all of the events concerning Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and coronation is ludicrous!

As the Lord appeared to His chosen disciples after His resurrection, He stated without equivocation this:

Luke 24:44Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”

If in fact the plan to deliver an earthly kingdom was thwarted by the Jews in crucifying Him, wouldn’t He have amended this statement? Wouldn’t Luke, writing this to Theophilus after the fact, have amended these words?

In fact, there was no reason to amend these words, all that transpired was exactly as God fore-ordained, purposed, and completed.

Listen carefully to the words of the Lord to Peter the night of His arrest:

John 18:11So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?”

Three things become very important for us to understand:

Everything that Transpired Concerning the Death, Resurrection, and Coronation of Jesus as Christ, was exactly as God said it would be!

Just as the Lord stated to His chosen in Luke 24:44; He fulfilled everything that was spoken of Him in the Law, Prophets, and the Psalms. This includes:

Psalm 2:6“Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”” See: 1 Corinthians 15:25-26; Hebrews 12:22-24, 28.

Daniel 7:13-14“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”” See: Acts 1:9-11; Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:9.

These are just a couple of prophesies that the Lord said He had fulfilled by His suffering victory. This terminology of ‘suffering victory’ comes from the last of the ‘Great Servant Songs’ found in Isaiah. We are all probably familiar with Isaiah 53, which speaks in detail concerning the suffering death of the Great Servant of God; however, in the preceding Chapter, there is a preface to the suffering detail of Chapter 53, note:

Isaiah 52:13-15Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men; 15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.” See also: Psalms 22.

Clearly, it was God’s intent from the very beginning that the Messiah must suffer in order to be victorious and established as King!

This is exactly what the Lord said was fulfilled in order for Him to be preached as the Christ (more to come on the significance of the term “Christ” in upcoming lessons), note:

Luke 24:45-47And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. 46 Then He said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

There was absolutely no failure here, but exactly what was planned and purposed by God! This was preached by the Apostles of Jesus Christ as well, note:

Acts 2:23Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death”

The Leaders of the Jews Wanted Him Dead from the very Beginning of His Earthly Ministry, but in Fact Could do Nothing Until God’s Plan was Complete!

In the Gospel of John, the Apostle records very early on that the leaders of the Jews wanted Jesus dead, note:

John 7:25Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill?”  

Yet, it was time and again when they sought to carry out this notion, that they could not. They could not because, specifically, it was not as God intended for it to be, and could not transpire until it was as He intended, prophesied, and completed.

John 8:20These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.”

John 8:59Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

John 10:39Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.”

The Lord told His disciples often exactly how it was that He would suffer and die in order to fulfill exactly what had been said of Him, and it could not transpire any other way than God had said – Matthew 16:20-23; Mark 8:30-33; Luke 9:21-22; Matthew 17:2-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43-45; Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34.

This perfect foreknowledge could never be construed as failure, but everything God purposed and planned from the very beginning. It has perfect fulfillment in prophecy, the Lord’s words, and its fulfillment should give us the complete trust that everything He said He would do, He did!

Mark 9:1And He said to them, Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”

In Fact, Everything that Transpired in the Coming of Jesus was God’s Eternal purpose in Him!

God’s plan for the redemption of man from sin included the need for the Christ to rein at the same time, note:

Romans 5:18-21Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The suffering victory of the Lord Jesus Christ (by the way, “Lord” is from the Greek which means Ruler!) has become emblematic of the victory over death that all of us have put our trust and hope in, note:

1 Corinthians 15:57-58But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

The “Body of Christ” (“The Called Out”, the “Church”), was not a secondary plan, but in fact is synonymous for the kingdom and what God intended from the very beginning (and note Paul does not refer to Him as failure, but Ruler!), note:

Ephesians 3:10-11to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord

The Apostle John, who wrote to the seven churches of Asia, and spoke clearly (present tense at the writing of the letter), and without any doubt concerning their shared tribulation, service “in the kingdom”, and patience “of Jesus Christ”, note:

Revelation 1:9I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Next:

God’s Integrity Cannot Be Challenged!

Fact #2: The kingdom of heaven was never to be an earthly kingdom!!!