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MILLENNIAL KINGDOM...
You must seek the Kingdom to gain the Kingdom or else you will lose the Kingdom. The penalties of losing the Kingdom are eternal. But, you will NEVER lose eternal life. Eternal life is an unconditional gift to you and can’t be taken away. The Kingdom and rewards that God wishes to give to you in heaven are CONDITIONAL, based upon how you choose to come under His Lordship in ALL things, becoming His disciple to do ALL things He has commanded, and in changing your behavior by crucifying your flesh in order to conform to the maturity and stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11 - 15) We are born IN this present world but we are not to be OF this present world system — not to partake in its sinful lusts or goals, or be part of its sinful operations or false worldly religions. Our present status from God’s point of view is that of a betrothed virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2 & 3). However, even though a betrothal, according to Middle Eastern custom, was binding and led towards formal marriage, it could be canceled by the husband if he found any “uncleanness” (fornication) in his future wife. (Matthew 1:18 - 25) This principle of “uncleanness” is expanded in the New Testament to include “spiritual” uncleanness as well as “physical” uncleanness and as we see a little later, many of the specific sins that Christians are found, by the Lord, to be practicing as “life-styles” are named. These specific sins are cause for Christ to reject any Christian who practices them, as His future bride in heaven and Scripture warns that He WILL reject them. (This is NOT loss of salvation. Remember, this study is entitled: MILLENNIAL KINGDOM......LOST!; NOT salvation.)
What will Christ’s future wedding be like with those Christians who have pleased Him? What will it be like with those who have submitted to Him; with those who have become His TRUE disciples, made Him their personal Lord of their life, and have carefully woven their wedding gown or righteous deeds or acts which they will wear at their wedding to the Lamb?
The gown WE make is the
“righteous acts” (deeds)
“of the saints”. She (the bride) is
responsible for (1)
“making herself ready”,
and (2) “clothing herself” in fine
linen. “...making herself ready”
means we MUST separate sin, maintaining always, the goal to stop sinning. We
must cleanse ourselves daily by confession God holds us responsible for ALL our actions done in the body and, of course, in our heart and mind also. Salvation does NOT give us a well-disciplined life immediately. WE must now cultivate the habitual practice of righteousness in all our thoughts, words, and actions. (2 Corinthians 7:1) It is these righteous actions that gradually weave our wedding gown. (KJV error is the reason why Christians have not understood “Kingdom” teaching.)
a. automatic membership in the Kingdom
Obviously, the first three types, verses 19, 20, and 22, NEVER achieve Kingdom status. Also, the 4th type is in a very exclusive category. (Matthew 9:36 & 37) Since few Christians will actually do the things I am sharing with you today, only those few in the 4th category who bear fruit will be Christ’s bride. Few will be married to the Lamb. Few will be in attendance at the wedding feast. Few will inherit the Kingdom to co-rule and co-reign on His throne with Him, and few will live in the bride’s city, the New Jerusalem. Most Christians, this verse reveals, will NOT work for the promotion of God’s Kingdom through the means of sharing the gospel to the lost so that they, the lost, can have the opportunity to attain eternal life, escape eternal hell punishment, and inherit the Kingdom. This verse reveals that most Christians over the whole church age period have not cared for the lost, nor pitied their hopeless condition, nor lifted a finger to get them saved. MOST Christians, this verse implies, are lazy to work for God, or to submit to all His commands. Most Christians care only about themselves, and those close to them, but generally avoid the unsaved, at least in the sense of sharing with them spiritual things. Many Christians are hard workers for their employers, but not for their Lord. In other words — MOST Christians are hard workers....for a “buck” instead of for the Lamb.
Verse 8 is the key verse. Verse 15 reveals a verdict of devastating complete loss of ALL rewards, because he had none based on “righteous”, Spirit-led, sin-confessed, merciful actions to help the lost. Not a single action of ANY kind of that Christian passed the test. All THAT Christian has is eternal life; NO wedding gown. Thus, the Christian in verse 15 reveals he has nothing; no righteous acts, no betrothal, no future marriage with Christ, no wedding, no wedding feast, no Kingdom inheritance, no future in the Bride’s city. (1 John 4:16 - 18) Fear of not doing what is right to do produces punishment.
a. verses 2 - 8:
The Jews
People who do not share the gospel — the first three types of people talked about in #6 — and who do not witness, testify for Christ, and leave the lost and unsaved to “die in their sins” without hearing a word from your lips about salvation, will be judged — on the basis of service, or lack of it — SEVERELY and WITHOUT mercy, because they showed no mercy to the lost.
Doing is the key to inheriting the Kingdom. No doing; no Kingdom. You will be labeled as a second class Christian for all eternity by lack of a shining gown. (Daniel 12:2 & 4)
Notice that these, verses 11 & 12, are exhortative, but use the conditional word “may” to signal God “may” do these things. The implication, however, is IF we obey the exhortation these things may follow but if we don’t do those things, then the opposite can be expected. Excuses of the 2nd and 3rd types of persons mentioned in #6: (Luke 9:57 - 62)
1 Corinthians 6:8 & 9 A disinherited Christian is one who has not experientially sanctified or separated himself from habitual sins, and who continues to live in the flesh, rather than to purify himself. (1 John 3:2 & 3)
Acts 20:32 - Why does He say “among all those who are sanctified” (separated from the regular practice of sins)? The answer is because while all Christians are positionally sanctified by the blood of Christ through faith, they are NOT all experientially sanctified by crucifying the flesh. Positional sanctification is ALL of Christ’s doing. Experiential sanctification is ALL of OUR doing (with the power of the Holy Spirit). Some Christians will die in the condition of NO experiential sanctification. No experiential sanctification, no inheritance in the Kingdom. On the other hand, the “those” He is pointing out here are the Lordship disciples, the Bride of Christ, who are busy making their linen gowns of righteous deeds in preparation for the wedding. (Ephesians 5)
Acts 26:14 - 18
Ephesians 5:1 - 6
Colossians 1:13
Hebrews 2:1
Hebrews 4:1 - 11
OLD TESTAMENT FAILURES AS WARNINGS OF
John 13:1-17 (verse 8) washing feet DAILY = confession daily Verse 8 - “no part with Me” = No fellowship, no Bride, no Kingdom James 5:19 & 20 - Our obligation is to use church discipline to restore a carnal, sinning brother if possible. We “wash his feet” (John 13:14) in love, when we turn him back to the truth to confess his sins and get right with God. We restore him back on the pathway to the Kingdom, and have helped him to be pure before God again.
Hebrews 13:17 - They will give an account of you as a primary witness as to your status as a Christian in this life while you were under them. The verdict will probably be either carnal or committed Christian. You will also be judged by the Law of Liberty = Scriptures. (James 2:12 & 13)
A.
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