|
| |
Our Vision
by Phil Maxwell c. 1999
Defining our "vision" is a
difficult thing to do. On one hand, we envision our ultimate hope of glory to be
when God makes a new heaven and a new earth, such as described in the closing chapters of
Revelation:
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I
make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and
faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life
freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he
shall be my son. (Rev 21:3-7)
...our zeal for the body of
Christ, His Church, causes us to look beyond the framework of mainstream
Christianity, being fully convinced that God will accomplish the gathering
together in one of His people with or without the cooperation and
involvement of the churches of the world.
|
However, we also believe that there is much to be
accomplished between now and the culmination of this. We expect a time of
tribulation such as never before seen in this world, wherein the saints of God will come
under severe persecution, followed by the world being severely judged, and finally the
kingdoms of this world being literally overtaken by resurrected saints coming down from
heaven. This rule will last 1,000 years, and then God will make all things new, as
depicted above. Following are a few of the verses that point to these things:
And it was given unto him to make war with the
saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and
nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
If any man have an ear, let him hear. He
that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must
be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (Rev
13:7-10)
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they
that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from
heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow
them. (Rev 14:12-13)
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is
come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for
the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and
night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Rev 12:10-11)
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were
great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our
Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their
faces, and worshipped God,
Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come;
because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations
were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and
them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the
earth. (Rev 11:15-18)
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. 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. And he
was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. 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.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great
chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the
Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit,
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till
the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the
souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and
which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and
of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Rev 19:11-20:6)
Each sector of mainstream
Christianity has, in its own way, more or less institutionalized
devaluation of various members of the body of Christ.
|
While most
of these things are certain to occur according to the time appointed by Yahweh, the
individual believers of this generation face some challenges and potentially hard choices
regarding their role in these events. We do not presume to know the precise timing
of God, but we do consider time to be short. Regardless, our near term
"vision" centers on a zeal for the body of Christ, Yahshua's Church, and the
coming together of His people in the "unity of the faith." Whether or not
the end of this age occurs in our natural lifetime, we consider this work to be of Yahweh.
And let us consider one another to provoke unto
love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the
manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching. (Heb 10:24-25)
Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to
and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may
grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole
body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of
the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Eph 4:13-16)
But now hath God set the members every one of
them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where
were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the
feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to
be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be
less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have
more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered
the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That
there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one
for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured,
all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in
particular. (1Co 12:18-27)
Of particular concern is the fact that every member of the
body of Christ is significant in the accomplishment of this vision of coming into the
unity of the faith. Although we do not consider ourselves anti-church, we
believe that the Christian establishment, by and large, is in rebellion to this great
truth. Each sector of mainstream Christianity has, in its own way, more or less
institutionalized devaluation of various members of the body of Christ. This being
the case, our zeal for the body of Christ, His Church, causes us to look beyond the
framework of mainstream Christianity, being fully convinced that God will accomplish the
gathering together in one of His people with or without the cooperation and involvement of
the churches of the world.
Thus, our "vision" is presently
focused upon the renewal and restoration of Yahshua's Church, a single body of believers
that are committed to keeping the "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" in
full recognition that "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in
one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who
is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph 4:3-6)
|
