158) A world without Religion

This article was first published May 27^th 2018 in the German language.

Find my definition for the word ‘Religion’ here.

Not long ago I spoke with someone who is a devout Catholic. She and her husband are a wonderful couple. I see no need to give unsolicited advice on theological and spiritual issues if it could totally disrupt their lives. To pull away from under them, the religious crutches upon which they built their whole life could cause great confusion and it is not wisdom or love to do so.

I meet so many people like them who are sincere in their desire to do what they think is right, according to the dogmas and traditions they have been taught all their lives. People should first get to a point in their lives where they begin to question some of the ideas that have been passed on to them. You will sense and discern when someone has become partially receptive to a new idea.

The process and the time it might take is different for each person.

We must be sensitive and only relay carefully dosed truths to the degree they can still calmly process information. The Lord will work with the truth in their hearts and bring them to the place of greater revelation at the time and speed that is best for them. This could be a Saul experience by getting thrown off their religious horse, or like a Nicodemus process, slowly and gradually opening their eyes. Sadly, the way things are in the world now, many will never learn the Gospel truth during their lives here on earth.

But they will be so happy when they meet the Lord face to face.

Thank God, nobody goes to a place called “Hell”, the greatest nightmarish fantasy created by organized religions.

It is important for those who have a growing understanding of the Gospel that we share the truth by whatever means we have at our disposal. As more people around the world embrace the beautiful Gospel of grace and peace, our world will slowly be healed. We are far from having a global impact where every man, woman and child is exposed to the Gospel of the inclusion of all through Christ’s saving work. If we do what we can now, our future generations will greatly benefit, and they will be extremely grateful for the efforts we made.

Please understand that I am not preaching utopianism.

“Any attempt to equate the kingdom of God with social perfection of earthly systems is presumed utopianism” (Author: Jürgen Moltmann, The Crucified God: The Cross as the Basis and Critique of Christian Theology. Pp 64)

Paradoxically, the truth of the Gospel can transform individuals and eventually entire nations, and consequently affect the way people go through life, treat others, and make decisions that reflect their beliefs. So great improvements can develop the conditions of whole societies in our world.
I don’t preach “perfection in the physical material world” per se.

But let’s be honest, all you must do is look at history. Despite much darkness and suffering [not underestimated], humans not only survived, but strive toward excellence and compassionate consideration for those around them. I believe this is the result of the Holy Spirit working in people’s hearts. Even if they have absolutely no idea it’s the Lord’s influence working in them. Even though much of what God is doing in their lives is often misinterpreted and tainted by peoples own views.

This is a key reason why our world is constantly changing. The more people are exposed to religion (self-righteousness), the worse things become in the long run. The Dark Ages are a good example of this. But, as more and more people are exposed to the Good News of the Gospel, our world will be healed and improved.

The Redemption of the world

The eschatological fulfillment of Biblical prophecy reveals an enormously powerful dynamic at work in the spiritual realm behind the physical and material scene on earth for the last 2100 since the cross and AD 70.

Isaiah 2
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Note verse 2 speaks of the last days, not the end of time or the existence of Chronos-time. Because eschatology is often assumed to be the theology of the end of time, people project this to a time in the future when all of time allegedly ends. But the last days are really referring to the last days of an Age, the age of the Sinaitic Covenant.

The last days referred to in verse 2 are not somewhere in our future. They were the last days of the order of the Law of Moses, which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

The word “mountain,” most theologians agree, symbolically refers to the concept of a kingdom.
In this case, the mountain of the Lord is the kingdom of God. At the end of those last days all the earthly kingdoms were made subject to the kingdom of God. Since the end of the kingdom of Judah, the destruction of the earthly temple and Jerusalem in AD 70, the kingdom of God came as prophesied by the prophets, Jesus and the apostles. Remember that the kingdom of God is spiritual, not physical. It is a spiritual reality in each of us. The kingdom of God is the heavenly realm in and around us here on earth.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10-13) which Jesus taught His disciples to pray was exclusively given to them, and for them alone to pray up until the ending of those last days in AD 70. Every part of that prayer was then fulfilled. His will was accomplished in Christ when He came to do the Father’s will on the cross and at His coming on the Lord’s day (AD 66-70).

Hebrews 10
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

(I will devote another article to further study the Lord’s Prayer)

The Coming of the Son of Man

Matthew 24
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

70 AD Was the consummation and the termination of the law of Moses by the coming of the Lord. This word come is the Greek word: Parousia – παροσσία – simply meaning; the coming, the arrival or the presence. This “coming” is traditionally only described as coming to earth from heaven’s direction. Yes, the word “come” is a directional word.

What if the direction was also an entrance. An entry and presenting before the Father. This seems to match Daniel’s vision.

Daniel 7
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

These verses also speak of the glorious heavenly ceremony of the coronation of a king

Matthew 26
62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

The high priest then tore his clothes in his anger. According to the law of Moses, by tearing his clothes, he technically disqualified himself from the position of high priest. Isn’t it interesting how religion, often holds to double standards?

When the Old Testament prophets spoke of God coming in the clouds, it always meant that God was coming with judgment. Jesus quoted Daniel 7:13. The Jews were very familiar with the verse and understood the meaning very well. What Jesus really said was that He is the Son of Man whom Daniel prophesied about, and it shocked them.

It meant that Jesus claimed He would be the eternal King and that dominion, and the kingdom would be given to Him. He was essentially telling the High Priest that He would be crowned King, and that He would then come back and judge them and seize the kingdom of their hands. In essence, this meant that Jesus was telling them that their end was coming. He told them that the then kingdom of Judea and the Jewish religious system (the order of the law of Moses, with its sacrificial system and priesthood) and their rulership would be taken away from them.

Matthew 21
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Some translations translate the word “fruits” as the word “obedience”. However, the word “obedience” would be an error in translation. The New Creation in Christ (super) naturally produces its own fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The King’s coronation

From the time of His ascension, Christ fulfilled the office of High Priest, waiting until the time when He appeared before the Ancient of Days to receive His Crown and coronation as King of kings.

Revelation 5
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

The moment Christ received his coronation as king, he turned to Jerusalem to judge apostate Israel. This was the coming of the Lord in judgment.

Revelation 19
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations (?): and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

I added the (?) after the word “nations” because it is the Greek word: éthnos – and refers to the word “tribes”. Some translations, for example German translations added the word “Heathen” (Heidenvölker) as a prefix before the word “Nations”. There is absolutely no reason to add the prefix “Heathen”. The word “Heathen” is also not found in the Greek original and would force a complete change of context. The hermeneutic context requires that these verses in Revelation amount to prophetic language of the judgment against the apostate twelve tribes of Israel and Judea just as Jesus had warned them.

The word “see” in Matthew 26:64 above also means: see with the eyes, see with the mind, perceive, know, know by experience.

Oh yes, during that crucial time when Jerusalem and the Temple were burned to the ground, the same high priest Jesus prophesied to, (Matthew 26:62) just before His crucifixion, about 37/40 years prior to the desolation, could now see with his own eyes and perceive with his own mind that what Jesus has told him was coming to pass. Therefore, the Book of Revelation as is its title suggests, in the Greek language “apocalypse” is literally translated as – revelation, which means; Laying bare, a revelation of truth, disclosure, states or persons hitherto hidden from view, appearance, and made visible.

The main theme of the book of Revelation is not the revelation of the Antichrist, it is not the revelation of the false prophet. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ, His coming and judgment upon the then unbelieving Jews, the deliverance of believers, and the restoration of all things.

Revelation 1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

and

7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Side note: the words “All Kindreds of the Earth” absolutely is a mistranslation, and therefore presents a completely wrong notion that this event would be a global and cosmic event. The words should be accurately translated as; all tribes on the land. This is about the twelve tribes of Israel in the land of Judea and those who were scattered throughout what was then the Roman Empire.

The old system of law kept people blind and unable to see the truth

2 Corinthians 3
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. **

Once it became clear that the religious system of the Sinaitic Covenant with its Law of Moses were abolished, and destroyed, never to return, that generation who rejected Christ (The Messiah) and claimed to follow to the Law of Moses, realized they were experiencing a shocking revelation.

The destruction of Jerusalem was prophesied even hundreds of years before it happened. Christ’s teachings and parables brought the subject to the forefront, declaring that the event was near. The apostles were sent throughout the known Roman world to all the scattered Jews to preach the same message, the news of what was soon to come. They proclaimed that the Son of man would come in their lifetime to establish His kingdom, and that He would come as was prophesied, and that just as judgment would come, he would deliver those who would believe in him.

As all twelve tribes were barely reached, the prophesied end would come.

Matthew 24
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world (The [known] Roman Empire) for a witness unto all nations (The scattered twelve tribes); and then shall the end come.

The judgment of the law according to its legal requirements came upon unbelieving Jews (Unbelieving Jews: Those who rejected Christ and had active part in suppressing the truth of the resurrection of Christ [Romans 1:18]) who ignored the warnings and when the Roman armies attacked Judea approximately 67 A.D. tried to find refuge and protection hiding inside the city of Jerusalem and the temple.

I believe that after His ascension and during His time in heaven Christ appeared before the Father to receive His coronation, followed by His coming in the Air, meaning His Parousia (presence, spiritually), to exercise His royal power to deliver those who believed His warnings to leave Jerusalem and who escaped before the city was completely closed off and destroyed. This event became a supernaturally assisted escape.

Here is just one comment of many speaking about the Christian flight from Jerusalem.

Adam Clarke, a British Methodist Theologian (1837) “Matthew 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. This counsel was afterwards remembered and wisely followed by Christians. Eusebius and Epiphanius say that at that moment, after Cestius Gallus had increased the siege and Vespasian was drawing near with his army, all who believed in Christ left Jerusalem and fled to Pella and other places beyond the Jordan; and so they all miraculously escaped the general shipwreck of their country: none of them died”. (Adam Clarke’s commentary on Matthew 24)

Even though the Christians who were still alive escaped Jerusalem when they realized, by virtue of all the signs, that it was time to go, they had an even greater hope. On the run, they would escape a horrific physical combat. They knew what was coming to their great city and it would spell the end of their nation and their world. Yet they were really seeking the greater glory to be revealed in them.

The Rapture

What follows next could completely silence the dispensational eschatological view. The apostles kept speaking of the coming of the Lord and the day of wrath that would happen in their generation and not 2,100 years later. The more you read the New Testament in this context, the clearer all the wrath and judgment verses will become.

Some of the main themes that tie in with all of this is the promise to Israel of the resurrection of the dead. The apostle Paul gave the most detailed foretelling account of this resurrection in his writings at the sound of last trumpet, which would be immediately followed by the rapture of those who were still alive and were to be changed or transformed in an instant to meet the Lord in the air and be taken home to heaven.

1 Corinthians 15
⁵⁰ Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4
¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

There you have it. The Christians who were alive during this event of the Lord’s coming were translated. They were given their immortal bodies and taken out of the world. Wow!

The resurrection of the dead, and living believers given their immortal bodies and taken out of the world?

It was the most powerful supernatural event of all time.

Matthew 24
³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The angelic powers of heaven were sent to gather the elect from the land.

Hebrews 1
¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

The word “salvation” here is certainly not directly referring to eternal redemption. The context in the chapter demands that this is about deliverance. The entire book of Hebrews was written just before the destruction of Jerusalem. It was addressed to Christian Jews who were under pressure tempted to go back into the system of the Law of Moses and ignore Jesus’ warnings about what was about to happen. In accordance with His promises, Jesus came as King and High Priest of the New Everlasting Covenant of Peace to deliver His followers and establish His kingdom (spiritually) on earth.

Flavius Josephus, a non-Christian Jewish historian, was captured by the Romans and tasked with chronicling the entire event of the siege of Jerusalem.

He wrote:

“Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one and twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared: I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. Moreover, at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner [court of the temple,] as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, Let us remove hence.”

Josephus. The Complete Works [Joseph. BJ. 6.5.3–6.5.4. Translated by William Whiston. Christian Classics Ethereal Library pp. 1484–1486]

Statement

My friends, his kingdom came. It’s a spiritual reality now, and it’s here in all of us and around us in the spiritual realm. Christ our King reigns in our hearts through love, not through terror and the threat of punishment and judgment.

Religion has been destroyed since the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple with its priesthood. All of the official records of Jewish genealogy preserved in the Temple archives were destroyed when it burned to the ground. The futurist eschatological view is that one day the Temple of Jerusalem will be rebuilt. However, the records of geneology were destroyed in AD 70. According to the law of Moses, only the Levites could be priests. When the records of geneology are gone, no one can prove they are a direct descendant of the Levites. No, God caused the Sinaitic elements to be gone forever. folks it’s over The need to earn God’s blessing no longer exists.

On 25^th August 2018 The Roman Catholic Pope Francis visited Ireland. The entourage, pomp and media coverage was enormous. It was announced that the Church and Irish Government invested €27 million in this event. He led a mass and asked forgiveness from victims of clerical child sex abuse. He also made it clear that he was committed to eradicating the problem of child sex abuse within the church. As much as I truly value every Catholic, their salvation does not lie in the dogmas, sacraments, rites, and priesthood of the Church. Salvation lies in the all-encompassing work of Christ and only in what He has done.

The Catholic Church is unfortunately an amalgamation of Sinaitic old covenant principles, it’s priesthood, sacrificial systems and ancient Babylonian paganism and part Gospel truth. However, because the soup contains so many alternative religious ingredients, the truth of the Gospel is very difficult to discern. In fact there is very little of the Gospel of the kingdom of God and the New Covenant preached in the Catholic Church. Sadly, as determined as the Pope seems to be to combat child sex abuse in the Catholic institution, strifing to achieve anything for the purpose of becoming righteous and accepted before God by observing rites and rules, will only make the problem worse. That’s because forbidding someone to do anything, who is prone to certain temptations, such as fornication, addictive behaviour, yielding to unbeneficial attitudes rooted in fear, etc, activates the lust to do them. 

This is a fact according to the Gospel: Christ is now our great High Priest and since his death and resurrection God did not ordain a select few to be a priest serving as mediator between God and man anywhere on earth ever. Scripture reveals that as Christ ascended to heaven He made all of us, no one excluded, Kings and Priests unto God our Father.

Revelation 1
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Any priesthood which by default usurps authority over people based on the presumption they are the “go between” God and man is no more than artificial and instituted by man. It is a desperate attempt to hold on to the ancient Sinaitic covenant code and a carnal form of worship. Every one is a King and Priest unto God the Father. Does everyone know they are? Obviously not. Most people don’t have an inkling of this being even remotely true. But should a believer grasp the revelation of their sovereign position in Christ and realize this truth they begin to stand and function in this role to which they were ordained by Christ, not man.

Christians and religious people around the world are destroying themselves by continuing to submit (partially only to selected commandments) to the order of the ancient Sinaitic law of Moses. Someone will argue “but if you keep the ten commandments then surely you are upholding wholesome principles, and that person would never commit murder.” Perhaps, but the order of the Law of Moses also demanded 100% adherence to all the laws on the priesthood, the sacrificial system, the annual feasts, and you can’t just pick and choose which laws you like and only keep them and not the others. Breaking or not keeping any of the 613 commandments would invoke the wrath of God and release a curse with the punishment of death. Not murdering someone is obviously how it should be, but not because the commandments of the law of Moses, but because of the New Covenant commandment “love one another as I (Jesus) have loved you.” This commandment does not come with a threat of punishment if it is not followed. Therefore, it does not resuscitate sinful desires.   

Now imagine for a moment;

Imagine the world right now without religion. None at all. No temples, mosques, no synagogues, no church buildings, no cathedrals, no Vatican, no holy places. Absolutely nothing. So that means absolutely no observance of sacred laws with a threat of punishment if you break God’s laws. No pope, no priest, no pastor or any spiritual leader whom we have to follow as mediators between God and man.

Imagine: Every person on this planet is free to live their life the way they want. They can reach all their potential and do something great or not. I’m not suggesting total chaos and anarchy, and I certainly don’t support the idea of antinomianism. Some people become instantly concerned that if there were no God-given law, people would just live unchecked. Really? Do you need a law to tell you murder is wrong?

Let’s imagine that every human being on this planet intuitively knows that they were born into this world in absolute oneness with God. That there is no one to tell them what they must do to be made righteous before God. They believe that they are already perfectly righteous, accepted, loved, and one with God. They know that the presence of God is in their lives 24/7. They walk with God in the cool of the day. They know who you are. They have a full revelation of their identity in Christ. They live their daily life’s only on the basis of their sense of identity in Christ and are always aware of their deeply rooted connection with God. They know that nothing they do or don’t do will ever change that fact. The way they skillfully live their lives, the choices they make, the way they treat others is all a fruit of who they are and how they see themselves accordingly.

They don’t feel the need to prove that they are someone. They know that they already are everything God intended them to be. They know they are part of the eternal kingdom of God that is within them and they know their King. They live this way, talk this way, behave this way, raise their children this way. Wow, what a different world that would be. Sounds almost heavenly to me.

No more need to build nuclear weapons. No more need to fight wars.

Isaiah 65
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.

I don’t know who got that wrong when they said “the lion and the lamb” because it’s not in the Scriptures. As you can see, it’s the wolf and the lamb. This was used symbolically to say that the two most unlikely animals would come together and make peace. It refers to the Jews who were living under the law of Moses and the Gentiles (Non-Jews) living outside that law.

Through Christ, God made a new man out of these two groups that were at odds with each other. The Jews religion (the Sinaitic covenant with its laws and the priesthood) seperated them from the non-Jews in the world. But all of humanity is now a brand new creation in Christ. Despite a lot of hate and pain and conflict in the world. This Gospel will change hearts one by one.

May many come to the revelation of the truth of their true identity, in Christ our King, and His kingdom, power and glory in Us forever and ever, Amen.