“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem …
“… and to myriads of angels to the general assembly and church of the firstborn … (Heb 12:22-24)
Journal,
The letter of Hebrews was written shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, in 70 a.d. It was written primarily to Jewish believers, but with cautions and warnings to the whole of the nation of Israel.
The scope of Hebrews includes –
[note color=”#d1def7″]That Jesus Christ fulfills all what God has made provision for with regard to man’s redemption … that He is truly the Son of God, was given the final and supreme authority over all that pertains to God … that He preexisted eternally, that He is greater than the angels, greater than Moses, greater than the prophets … that He is both the author and finisher of our faith, and that the covenant of Moses has been fulfilled entirely in the eternal covenant of Christ … and that the new covenant will have no earthly center as did the covenant of Moses; that the kingdom of God’s beloved Son is not simply an earthly kingdom, and has no need for an earthly center.[/note]Hear the forewarnings …
The Warnings and Cautions
Jesus expressly says that His kingdom is not of this world, that no earthly institution could lay claim to being the kingdom of God, or to being the true Church. The church is a heavenly institution where the rule of God is fully expressed in the hearts of all who belong to Him.
Listen to the warnings and cautions to the Jewish nation, both from the book of Hebrews, and from the Lord Jesus.
“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.” (Heb 13:13-14)
“Then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb 10:9-10)
“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.
“‘For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.'” (Luk 19:41-44)
“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.'” (Joh 18:36)
“Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or, “There it is!” For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.'” (Luk 17:20-21)
A Spiritual State of War
It is interesting to see how the world attempts to remove the name of Jesus, especially in regard to the political scene. How often do we hear politicians say, ‘And God bless America’, yet never make mention of the one name around whom all time revolves, the very One who became the heart and soul for the foundation of this great nation.
Think about it. Time is reckoned on the basis of a Man that appeared on our planet, 2013 years ago. ‘Anno Domini’ [a.d.] is Latin for, ‘in the year of our Lord.’ And politicians are afraid to speak His name?
There is much more to this than meets the eye. First, we must always keep in mind that the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world. Those who framed the constitution of our nation were wise in disallowing the establishment of a state religion. These men were fundamentally Christian, and well understood the tyranny that takes place when a religious institution gains power over the people.
The point being that the Church that came out of the cross has no visible boundaries. It is invisible, indivisible, transcendent in nature, and fulfills itself with the redeemed of all the ages. The church is not the whole of the kingdom of God, but it belongs to the kingdom of God.
The book of Hebrews provides the description of God’s ‘born-from-heaven’ people. Listen carefully:
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24)
Most Bible-believing evangelical groups today have this understanding. And while there are many groupings of Christians, we generally accord with the knowledge that the church is not an earthly institution. We are a people born of heaven, who are living on earth as aliens and strangers.
Yet, I find it interesting how some religious groups set about to physically trace their heritage back to the day of Pentecost, 33 a.d. It seems to me that they are missing the point of what the church is truly about. The church has never been a physical institution.
However, most believers today are regaining this understanding that the church is not of this world, nor is it represented by any particular religious institution.
Our ministry is very careful to make this distinction. For you who are interested, here are our Tenents of Faith.
[note color=”#ccdcec”]Seven Tenets of Faith
I – WE BELIEVE that the sixty-six books commonly accepted by the evangelical Christian church, without benefit of the apocrypha or any other extra-Biblical writing, make up the whole of the Sacred Scriptures, and that these Scriptures alone contain the full and accurate revelation of that which pertains to God and to His creation. [Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:14-17]
II – WE BELIEVE that the Church of Jesus Christ is made up of true believers from every age, kindred, and 
tongue, and that this Church is transcendent in nature, being the body of Christ, existing without schism in its spiritual essence, and that the Church has only one Great Shepherd and Bishop, Christ Jesus Himself. [Matt. 16:17-19; Col. 1:18; Heb. 12:22-24; 13:20,21; 1 Pet. 2:25]
III – WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus meets with every true gathering of Christian believers in the person of His Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, and that He oversees each local church body by the Holy Spirit, and by those whom He appoints as overseers. [Matt. 18:18-20; Rev. 1:17-20; 2:1; Eph. 4:11-13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4]
IV – WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the head of every Christian man and therefore the true head of every Christian family, and that the universal Church, the local Church, and every Christian man and family are each under the direct Lordship of Jesus Christ. (Col. 1:18; Matt. 18:20; 1 Co. 3:21-23; 11:3]
V – WE BELIEVE in the security of the believer, and that every believer is made complete in Christ at the new birth; that in the new birth, believers receive the Holy Spirit as part of their inheritance in the Lord. [John 1:16; 14:16-18; Eph. 1:13,14; Col. 2:8-13]
VI – WE BELIEVE in miracles and healings, in the power and gifts and operations of the Holy Spirit, in the providence and provision of God, and that He has given both instructions and promises as pertaining to these things in the Holy Scriptures. [Matt. 17:19,20; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 1 Co. 12:27-31; 2 Co. 1:19-22; Heb. 2:4; Eph. 1:18-23; 3:20,21]
VII – WE BELIEVE that all authority in heaven and on earth rests in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that believers have been commissioned to do all things in His name, from casting out demons, to water baptism, to asking and receiving in prayer, and that believers in every place should bear witness to Jesus Christ by whatever means possible. [Matt. 28:18-20; Rev. 4:11; 5:13; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:46,47; Acts 2:37-40; Col. 3:17; John 14:12-14] [/note]
Perhaps we need a better understanding on what God meant, when He said…
Come Out of Her My People
The book of Revelation is often thought to chronicle what is called, ‘the times of Jacob’s troubles,‘ that is, the last seven wrap-up years of this age as we know it. These final seven years are fraught with political, government, and social upheavals, as well as Satanic influences rampant on earth, and includes the judgments that come from God.
There are varied opinions about Revelation, but there is one statement that I find very compelling. It is where the angel of God says…
” … ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.’
“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues…'” (Rev 18:2-4)
To define fully what and who mystery Babylon may be, is not a simple task. Her tentacles have overreached through the ages. She changes colors and adapts to each age very well. One thing we know is that the mystery Babylon represents an earthly government power that functions within a framework of religion.
And why did God speak of mystery Babylon as, ‘Her’? There is a key there. Mystery Babylon has always had a pantheon of gods, with a primary worship to a female goddess.
Rather than taking up the task of trying to give an exact telling of this great mystery, let me simply draw attention again, to the one statement that let’s us know that mystery Babylon has some of God’s people in her. It is to His people who the Lord speaks through the angel, saying, “Come out of her, my people!”
What makes this even more interesting is that the statement, ‘Come out!’, carries a compelling that cannot be ignored. It models itself on the very command that God gave to Abraham, in telling him to come out of the land of the Chaldees (Babylon) –
“Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you’…”. (Gen 12:1)
So, is God calling His people out of governing religious systems that have replaced Him with their assemblage of gods? Yes – Jesus said that His sheep would hear His voice and would not follow another.
Think about it.
That leaves us with one last issue. If the church has essentially no single government representation on the earth, where then are we to look?
Wow, I’m glad you asked that. Take time to read through these Scriptures:
[box title=”My Sheep Hear My Voice” color=”#91b5c6″]“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” (Luk 10:19-20)
“But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.” (Gal 4:26)
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21)
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev 21:1-2)
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create [new] Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness.” (Isa 65:17-18)
[/box]As a final note, always remember that the church is in the world but not of the world. With this in mind, we are to gather in our respective appointed places of gatherings. Each local church body belongs to the body of Christ.
Are you getting the picture? I hope so.
Think about it. The Lord will help you to read between the lines.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRTVHrlucNU[/youtube]
In Christ Always,
Buddy
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