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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Message of the Two Witnesses, #4
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. (Ephesians 5;3-7)
The previous two essays mention a few of the errors that have made the Christian churches a valley of very dry bones. These poisonous misunderstandings feed upon and reinforce one another and destroy God's entire plan for the redemption of people.
The common denominator of many modern misunderstandings is that the new covenant is different from the preceding Divine covenants in two significant ways: one, the goal of salvation is now understood to be the placing of the believer in a mansion in the spirit Paradise after he dies, where he will rest forever; and two, the believer is made eligible for eternal rest in the spirit Paradise by the observances of whatever church he belong to. How these Christian myths began we have no idea, but there is no support in the Old Testament or the New for viewing eternal residence in Heaven as the goal of salvation and belief in Christian theology and the practice of Christian liturgies as the means of entering Heaven.
Theology and liturgy have value only as they lead us to the Man, Christ. We are brought to the Man, not so we can rest forever in the spirit Paradise (how does that benefit God or mankind?) but so we can be prepared to serve in the new world of righteousness, in the Kingdom of God that soon is to come to the earth.
The new covenant is Christ Himself and we are under the new covenant only to the extent we are abiding each moment in Christ.
A self-serving ministry also has contributed to the spiritually impoverished condition of the Lord's people. There are thousands of pastors and evangelists who, knowing the believers will not accept any negative preaching, any demands on their relatively comfortable lives, are telling them what they desire to hear. They are scratching the itchy ears of the churchgoers, informing them how wonderful they are and at any moment the Lord will whisk them away with the Holy Spirit so they may sit in air-conditioned comfort in Heaven, watching the Jews without the Holy Spirit preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in the face of Antichrist.
It does not seem to matter that such a doctrine is unscriptural and, in fact, preposterous. The people desire to hear it. The pastors want to be well-fed and have every material comfort. They want to "pastor" a large group of people so they will be considered successful. If you put fried chicken and apple pie in their mouth they will cry peace! peace! They do not tell their listeners that if they do not take up their cross and follow the Lord Jesus they neither are disciples nor worthy of the Kingdom of God.
To be continued.