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Currently there is a flood of awakening to biblical truth and ecclesial reformation across the world. It doesn’t seem to be changing the Sunday orthodox practices, despite being a challenge to their very bricks and mortar existence. But just as in the Sixteenth Century Reformation, it has taken the medium of mass communication to ignite and spread the liberty of Life in Christ. Back then it was the invention of the printing press that spread God’s truth to ordinary people, as well as an instrument of lies. Today, it is the internet – a vehicle capable of spreading both truth and lies again, but with greater speed and effect. These are indeed exciting times we live in.
Not a day passes without more news of this reformation coming to us. World-wide connections, once slow, now rapidly form, giving rise to new relationships in person. Learning, once cloistered in our seminaries, now flows from open doors across denominational barriers.
Eventually, we will see a greater reaction in “orthodoxy”. My prayer is that this reformation, unlike many of the responses to the Sixteenth Century Reformation, will be peaceable.
I believe Jesus’ ecclesia is under three great strands of revival,
1. An understanding that despite human free will, God’s sovereign will has “all things” under Christ’s feet. This is an established victory in Christ. By faith, it is being enacted by Christian believers on earth who reign with Him, just as the first century saints did in Revelation 20:4 and 6.
2. An understanding of the Second Coming as the fulfilled Day of Atonement already, thus enabling John 14:11-15 to become our reality to also reign with Christ and therefore to practice and establish….
3. The Second Adam’s dominion, with superabundant liberty of life in Christ, ecclesially restored in the ecclesial age, with great healing, beginning in relationships and precipitating into our environment, and every sphere of life, including personal health – which I have experienced and practice.
What I currently find, however, is that the strands above are often, as yet, isolated from one another. But what Holy Spirit power flows when we biblically connect the dots, so easily then seen!
And this will happen.
However, even though these three strands of revival will come together, there is more, much more to learn from what underpins the biblical interpretation of these three doctrines. The most profound consequence will be the erosion of many of our “churchianity” practices, which will suddenly be realised as Old Covenant and binding in nature – and this includes the Pentecostal and charismatic groups. The bondage is the reason that so many are struggling in relationships, and many are depressed, sick and prematurely dying in our Sunday (and Saturday) churches.
But this will change.
This is why I address sincere pastors and priests with the question: Do you occasionally use Hebrews 10:25 to urge your congregants and parishioners to attend Sunday services in your particular building more regularly?
I have heard that verse used for that purpose in many denominations over many decades.
And tell me, when you use that verse for that purpose, do you find one or two other bible verses to ensure everything, whether doctrine or guilt, is established by two or three witnesses?
For I have heard the corroborating witness verification used many times across just as many denominations.
But often there isn’t another valid verse offered to back up Hebrews 10:25 telling believers in this age to gather in a “church building with a sermon”, unless we stretch the point for our own purposes. There are verses used, verses which urge ecclesial community, encouragement and hospitality. But as for frequenting, maintaining and paying for multiple physical buildings in each town, the New Testament is silent.
All evidence is to the contrary. I posit that Hebrews 10:25, itself is to the contrary.
In fact, the ecclesia wherein Christ dwells as head, is a building made without hands.
Hebrews 10:25 was not written to twenty-first century gentile Christians. Yet it was written and included in the canon for all believers. The little prepositions “to” or “for” make all the difference when it comes to understanding a text. We have no doubt about this issue when we read Paul telling the Corinthians that they are carnal people. We don’t always assume it is to us. But we know it is for us. It is important to know that the content of this letter is to babes in Christ with certain needs in discipleship. They couldn’t have been in much deeper carnality; their needs were much different to those of the Ethiopian Eunuch who, after his baptism, just went on his way rejoicing. His evangelist, Philip literally vanished without any mention of church membership, attendance or the location of a building.
Clearly one size does not fit all.
And yet, some have taken the Corinthian meetings Paul advised as a model for all Christian gatherings. Jesus never made such a requirement of those who would follow Him. He often individualised what He wanted them to do after their faith in Him was established.
Context. Every communication, however brief, has its context.
And the book of Hebrews is a letter. So, with each passage, we need to be mindful that we are reading someone else’s mail.
Context always involves the purpose of a text, and nowhere more so than in a letter leading up to 70AD.
At that time, the apostolic “letters” were considered scripture. A fact attested by the apostle Peter long before the collation into the New Testament canon. See 2 Peter 3:16. So we know that we will benefit by understanding this “scripture”. But to read it as if it was a letter to us now, will skew the message in important places.
Yes, it can be said to give us the highest biblical view of Christology. And we can share that with believers who are ready to learn; but we need to teach literacy in this age, especially with Hebrews, or we miss a really important message that I never heard in a “sermon” in all the decades of my life.
Learning literacy first means we observe:
- Who the writer of a text is – which begins to inform…
- The intended audience of the text
- And find the Purpose of the text – at the time of writing
- Having the time of writing the text leads us to inquire about
- The culture of the setting
- And importantly we observe the nature / genre and register of the text.
- Is it parable, history, letter, prophecy, or a mix of these?
- Are there references, quotes or allusions to other works?
- Is the form in prose or poetry (this does not mean a rhyming ditty, but a higher, symbolic and concentrated use of images to convey a greater meaning).
- What “person” does the writer take? “I”, as Paul does, or third person as the Gospel writers use?
These considerations are not burdensome, as once we have used the above check list a few times, we will be accustomed to using it subconsciously. It becomes second nature.
Hebrews was written by someone wholly conversant with Old Covenant (OC) Scriptures and practices. But beyond the usual rabbinic kind of learning of the first century, this writer had become a believer in Christ. He had gained insight into the fulfilment of OC types and shadows in Christ. These were concepts that the Bible tells us, were hidden from even the prophets who brought the OC messages. See Matthew 13:17 and 1 Corinthians 2:8-10.
The Hebrews writer was a companion of Timothy (Hebrews 13:23) with whom he intended to travel. In all likelihood, this writer is Paul, using an amanuensis, hence the non-Pauline style of writing. But let’s just call him “the writer” as he is not nominated in the opening verse as is Paul’s usual style.
The book can be dated as near to, but before 70AD by Chapter 8 verse 13. It is written to first century Jewish Christians under tremendous persecution from their own countrymen.
This last piece of contextual information is crucial to Hebrews 10:25. The passage is most commonly taken out of this context and misapplied. It does have an application for us today to stay faithful and to be encouraging of other believers and associate with them, in our hospitality and gatherings. But, it is not about building attendance or faithfulness to one denomination. Hopefully, the misapplication is not done deliberately. Hopefully it is done with the best of intentions. However, to mishandle the Word is a serious error, and in this case, has caused more harm than good.
People think the building is the church; they come to think that going to church is being a Christian. But there is little opportunity to actually demonstrate being “in Christ” in liberty while sitting in a pew. They hear that they must attend this building so that they won’t be thought of as backslidden. But what is “backsliding”? According the Lord In Isaiah 59, it is shedding innocent blood, telling lies, denying the Lord, speaking oppression and revolt, running off to do evil things and not upholding justice.
Countless numbers attend church out of a sense of obligation and because, simply, they have been told this is the way to heaven when you die.
However, in our contemporary society, many have tried this kind of religion and grown weary of its repetitive nature and frequent failures to measure up to the promises of the Lord.
The church hierarchies, committees, rosters and financial obligations, tend to obscure the weightier matters Jesus speaks of. Teaching things like curses if one doesn’t tithe, and blessings if one does, cause congregants to actually fall back into carnal religiosity. Programs and committees, hierarchies and constitutions along with state affiliations are not given us by Jesus Christ. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Believers should be free to mix with all believers of every type and persuasion in their locality without fear of condemnation, or accusations of “church shopping” /”church hopping”. They should be free from fear of questioning. We should test all things and be tested – checked by healthy debate, using the Word as authority without fear or favour.
It is in the reading of Hebrews as if it was written to us in our Sunday boxes that we make a major error as Bible teachers. As I did for many decades.
This mis-reading keeps us from understanding what 70AD did for the people of God – and still does today, if only we understand its significance.
Hebrews was written because the main persecutors of the young believers after the ascension were those of the synagogues. These were people with a materialistic mindset, blinded by their own unbelief and selfishness.
They were the ones who had plotted and collaborated with Rome to have Jesus Christ crucified, swaying the masses in front of Pilate, despite Jesus having said to the High Priest Caiaphas, “Nevertheless I say to you, hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the heaven.’” Caiaphas knew this Hebraism, “coming in the clouds” meant in judgment. Instead of heeding the warning, his disbelief and pride claimed it as blasphemy. The next day, Jesus was delivered to Pilate. The apostate priesthood used Rome, sided with their oppressors, Stockholm syndrome style, and had the Lord of Glory crucified.
The way that Jesus’ own people treated Him, was the way the nascent ecclesia was also treated. This, Jesus had prepared the disciples to face. They were to go into all Judea with the gospel and then the world according to Matthew 28:20, but expect persecution.
Persecution of believers and ecclesial groups was social, economic and religious. The apostles visited synagogues in Judea and the empire, bringing good news of Messiah. But it was often assumed that this meant the new believers should obey all the Mosaic law. This was often expected of those who were born Jews and had become believers, but some even insisted that gentiles be circumcised. That’s why the Jerusalem council was held.
This compulsion is understandable, since the Old Covenant system was still in place. Christianity, called things like “The Way” or “The Nazarene Sect” had come from Jewish expectations of a liberating Messiah. Back in those days there was no way of making a national announcement about the gospel as the fulfilment of all prophecies, types and shadows. The good news of liberty in Christ had to be taken on foot, with beasts of burden if they were lucky, via dusty roads, to faraway places. And it must be remembered that the Jews didn’t all live in Israel. Many were scattered throughout the empire, coming on Sabbath days to synagogues, with which Jews identified their chosen status and in which they heard their OC read.
These, however, if they rejected the gospel, also made life miserable for those who were converted to faith in Messiah. Many of Israel who were saved believed the new faith to be part of Judaism and insisted converts attend to all the law, including sacrifices and festivals. They were expected to be in synagogue or temple.
And this was why the book of Hebrews needed to be sent to those who had come out of the OC and into the New.
In the years between the ascension and 70AD, the Roman Empire was in more turmoil than that which came through Jewish zealotry. It was a time of war and rumours of war throughout, with skirmishes developing, uprisings to be quelled and political manoeuvring.
The apostles make mention of the fiery trials that the new believers were undergoing. The apostles had walked with Jesus before and after the cross and it was plain to them that the ecclesia was under refinement and facing both tribulation and the Day of Atonement. Paul acknowledged that the Day of Judgment was approaching in Hebrews 10:25. He was urging them to abstain from temple observance and instead of going to synagogue or temple, he was advising them to keep away from that system. Instead, he urged them to keep company and identify with the believers, giving and receiving encouragement to stand firm in faith all the more, “even as you see the day approaching.”
Now how could they see the day approaching? And what “day” is implied? Remember, we are reading someone else’s mail. The Hebrews writer had already explained that the New Covenant (NC) promised in Jeremiah 31 superseded the old sacrificial system of types and shadows. He writes, “When He (God) said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.” You can look at this koine Greek adverbial phrase “about to” in any was possible, but it will always mean it is about to happen.
Here we see that the Old Covenant (OC) system was not taken away until the Day of Atonement secured the vindication of the martyrs and judgment of the wicked. Revelation 6:9-11.
But back to Hebrews verse 25 of Chapter 10 – how did they know the Day of Judgment of sin, the feast of carcasses (Matthew 24:28) prepared, was approaching? Jesus had given a set of signs to His inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John which we read about in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13. The signs were all over the Roman Empire by the sixth decade of the First Century.
While the New Testament does not relate the events as an historic account, we do have it in apocalypse, rich in Hebraisms from the prophets and Old Testament – and again, in the form of a letter. But this time from nonother than the risen Lord Jesus Christ, Himself.
In our day, people point to geo-political events, things like earthquakes, famines, wars and rumours of wars and false Christs. They say this shows to say the Day of Atonement / Christ’s return is imminent. Except it never happens.
The writer of Hebrews is clear – He expected the return of Jesus Christ as promised – and that in “a very little while. We read in Chapter 10 verses 36 -38, after saying they can “see” the day approaching (see the signs Jesus warned of), so they need the endurance Jesus stresses in Revelation 2 and 3:
“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
‘For yet in a very little while,
He who is coming will come, and will not delay.
But My righteous one will live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’” He quotes Habakkuk 2:3 and 4 where God answers Habakkuk’s cry for justice in Israel. It was promised not to delay, despite the necessary “tarry”. The fellow martyrs / prophets were yet to die (Revelation 6:10-11).
This is why Jesus told the parable that begins Luke 18. Verse 8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” this word commonly translated “earth”, was γῆ (gē) – meaning, would Jesus find faith in the ancient land of Israel upon His return to judge?
To deny it has happened in 70AD, is akin to calling Jesus Christ a liar. The book of Revelation, itself a letter (containing prophecy) quotes Jesus saying that these things will “shortly take place. He says it in the opening pages of His letter and at its conclusion, ” Rev 1:1 and 22:6. Also the words, (to John) “Don’t seal the book”, are a Hebraism for, “This is now applicable”. We see the opposite in Daniel 12. Daniel was told to seal his writing because it wouldn’t be for a long time to come. In fact, it wasn’t going to come to fruition until the time of the end. Notice he doesn’t say, “the end of time”. The “end”, spoken of is the end of the Old Covenant age that is the subject of Hebrews. (αἰών – aiōn).
In the First Century, believers lived through the signs Jesus had predicted in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13. They observed all these things, particularly the rise of zealots wanting to throw off the yoke of Rome, not only in their own country, but in the dispersion as well. There were wars and rumours of wars across the empire. The young ecclesia faced tremendous persecution, with fathers against sons etc. If, for example, one in the family had left the sacrificial temple system of worship, these believers then suffered economic sanctions, even from their own family, from whom they were estranged because they had left the Jewish religious building. No-one would trade with them – let them buy or sell (symbolic of their seal as opposed to the mark of the beast / alliance with Rome / gentile lawlessness having killed Christ – Rev 13:16 and 17). This economic hardship tested the young converts regarding their faith. According to Hebrews 10:25, some had buckled under pressure and gone back to the animal sacrifice system. Some tried to straddle two belief systems – Judaism with the family, and keeping their faith in Christ quiet, not identifying with their brothers and sisters in their homes. This was where the ecclesial gatherings tended to happen.
To abandon the home gatherings and encouragement in favour of the religious buildings and rituals was the problem; not the reverse which we constantly hear falsely preached.
The writer gives five strong warnings to these synagogue attenders not to put their faith in the system that was soon going to vanish away (8:13). He also warned that to go backwards into the OC, would mean their future would be “a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:27-29
This time of the final war for Israel as a failed theocracy (their “end), was when the judgment thrones of Daniel’s prophetic vision were set up (Daniel 7:9 and 10) and the books opened with the evidence. This was the evidence the martyrs under the symbolic altar (in reality Christ) had been patiently waiting for (Rev 6:9-11). The worthy One (Jesus Christ) had opened Daniel’s sealed prophecy (symbol of starting the judgment).
This was going to be the terrible time because as Jesus had prophesied, “these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled. Woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:22.
It would begin with zealotry, continue into sedition and be fulfilled by the nations / gentiles (Empire of Rome, aligned with Idumean Kings). It was not merely contained in Israel, although Jerusalem was destroyed. There were uprisings all over the empire. Nation had already been against nation, but the Roman domestic political upheaval even came to a head during the Roman-Jewish war.
Who were these enemies of Christ in this last battle of the “time of the end” of the OC that the Bible speaks of? (Daniel 2:44; 12:4; Matthew 24:14; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Those who wanted to maintain temple festivals and religion – to keep to types, shadows, the Levitical priesthood (tribe of Levi) as opposed to the royal priesthood under Christ (i.e., the tribe of Judah, priest after the order of Melchizedek ). These enemies of Christ are the lawless one (man of lawlessness) as opposed to the One, Man of righteousness, or Messiah. Apostate Israel is the one who has killed all the prophets and now her own blood is required. She is Babylon, the whore as opposed to the bride who escapes because her groom has made a Way for her escape from this awful judgment.
You can read how precise these prophecies of the Roman-Jewish war, symbolised by the Gog-Magog mentions in the Bible were already fulfilled in 70AD. Providentially, a Jewish historian wrote of the downfall of his own nations, being a witness who was used by the Romans to record all that happened in that 3 1/2 years. The horrors that Jesus predicted will astound the reader. It is available at https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2850/pg2850-images.html It is also a text on many pastor’s shelves, but few have read it thoroughly enough, or know Hebraic imagery well enough to see the text is, in prose, what the Bible warns of throughout for ancient apostate Israel.
The writer of the Hebrews wanted to save these Hebrew believers from the wrath that was about to come in 70AD. So, the opening pages of Hebrews explains to these folk, that Christ is the only way, the fulfilment of those OC shadows they want to return to. The writer tells them that Jesus Christ has superseded the prophets’ message, the angels, Moses and every High Priestly function.
This last understanding was a critical explanation, because Messiah had been presented by the prophets, but it was mistakenly assumed by many that He would lead those under Roman rule in deliverance from Rome. It was a materialistic thought process that missed the mark of spiritual freedom from spiritual bondage.
It was essential to teach these materialistic thinkers about Jesus Christ as High Priest and the cleansing of the sin nature of humans. He needed to be understood as the One bringing cleansing of sin for the whole nation on the Day of Atonement.
He had gone into the heavenlies and would return in judgment and every eye responsible for piercing Him would see Him. This would be at the time the vultures gathered to the carcasses (Matthew 24:26-28). This in itself was an horrific picture Jesus was painting. He is speaking of the land, not the whole geographic earth. It is in the Promised Land where he should have been welcomed by all. Now all who pierced Him would see Him as they perished and passed from wrath to judgment. His visibility is not as a quick flash of lightening – the word is φαίνω (phainō) -it means visible to the natural eye – long enough to be clear Who they would now see. Lightening commonly strikes the ground, or goes across the heavens in a quick zap. The light that goes from east to west is that which is also symbolised in Psalm 19 – the sun discloses Him – the bridegroom has come!
Jesus has returned in judgment already. This brought an end to soul sleep and the righteous saints’ resurrection. Those, like the apostles have already enjoyed the first resurrection (Rev 20:4) and they joined the OC saints. Then, and only on the point of mortal passing, those believers who were left alive, having passed from death to life also, would be joining those who had gone before. St Paul assures the Thessalonians that the earlier saints would not miss out, and certainly the living ones wouldn’t go before the former. No believer would miss his resurrection day.
Soul sleep was now to be over. Immediate rising would be the new order since 70AD. Some to continue their abundant life and some to judgment / punishment of the age (not eternal – the grammar does not indicate eternity – that’s an Augustinian interpolation.
So if we are waiting for Jesus Christ to come yet again, physically, when His real presence is in His temple, His people, you may have missed the fact that The feast of Tabernacles cannot happen until after theDay of Atonement return of Christ as High Priest, declaring the perfection of the people of God without spot or wrinkle as in Revelation 21:9-27. This must be before the Feast of Tabernacles in our typology year. So that means – if we really believe He is indwelling us – Atonement Day is completed – even if it did take the 40 years of preparing the Bride.
The feast, too has been and gone in terms of the end of the Old Covenant law which discloses sin leading to death. Even this last enemy, death has been defeated. Jesus emergence to deliver justice to the oppressed, which is set up now for every one – appointed to die physically and then face the judgment. All because the High Priest, Jesus has returned as King – for His bride.
This was a royal wedding.
But the high priest under OC law had to be from the tribe of Levi and a son of Aaron. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. This was a key shift in the fulfilment of the law because Jesus not only fulfilled the law as High Priest, His priesthood predated even the law, going back to the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek, King of Peace came to Abraham, man of great faith. Levi was under Moses law. And the law brought knowledge of sin and death. All of this needed explaining to ancient Jews. For us, it gives us insight into the mercy and justice of God, and the riches of His grace, if we will take the time God gives to read about such things.
It was because it was socially and economically more convenient to revert to the animal sacrifice yearly Days of Atonement over and over again, to get rid of their sin, that the Hebrews letter tells them they risk losing their salvation altogether in the soon coming judgment and eradication of the temple system of sacrifice.
Following Hebrews 10:26, the writer says, “For if we go on sinning wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,” (verse 26). What sin? The sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. This is the sin of not heeding the Holy Spirit – the only sin not forgiven in the OC or NC age – in other words – they would have to go through the tribulation and war. This was the place of weeping an gnashing of teeth in the first instance before their appearance before the throne of God even.
The OC system with its annual Day of Atonement used to cover sin, but since the cross and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, this was now obsolete, says the writer of Hebrews. He explains to them, that to align with what is obsolete is to align with a shadow -and above all, it meant the rejection of Jesus Christ as King and His Kingdom in favour of the Kingdom of Darkness (Col 1:13).
The veil may have been rent at the crucifixion, but God allowed the Old Covenant sacrificial system, with its slaughter of animals etc to continue for 40 years – the time of one generation. This was the same length of time that the Old Covenant took to come in. The twelve tribes of Israel had the type of Passover established with their escape from slavery followed by 40 years of wandering in the wilderness due to unbelief. It was “one generation” in terms of time. All the people who entered the Promised Land under Joshua were new born and had not physically escaped from Egypt. Their parents were the escapees from slavery on their behalf. The generation that did not enter, failed because of unbelief. So, we can expect to see this as a type when we see the reality in Christ. When the unbelief generation were dead, the “children” of Israel were allowed to enter. This generation who fell / were wiped out in the Roman-Jewish war and sedition is the “generation” Jesus continually referred to when addressing the unbelieving Sanhedrin, scribes, Pharisees and their followers. John the Baptists had even warned them of “the axe” being laid ready to chop the dead wood, unless they repented.
Those wilderness events for Ancient Israel, as real as they were, were the pattern, the shadow, the types along with warnings of the entry into the Promised Land. Rebirth, by faith would be the prerequisite to enter the new land that Paul spoke of in Galatians 4 – the spiritual Jerusalem.
Yet throughout the New Testament we read some off grammars. Salvation is spoken of as a done deal by Jesus’ death on the cross, yet the believers are urged by Paul, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12. See also Hebrews 2:8 and 9 as well as 10:25.
The apostles warn the believers who lived between the ascension and 70AD that they had to stand firm in their faith against persecution and tribulation that was coming on the land. Paul even spoke of filling up what was missing in the sufferings of Christ, Colossians 1:24. What? The Bible says all is fulfilled in Christ.
When we see these seeming contradictions, we know there is a wider truth not obvious to the casual reader. That truth is the New Man or New Adam understanding that Jesus Christ has made for us to be “in”. His righteousness is complete in and of Himself and in and of His suffering on our behalf. As we enter Him and become His body, we prove Him -we demonstrate our faith to the hoards of darkness by also being faithful untp death. Why? Because satan holds onto people, holds them in sin, through the fear of death. Since we have already been raised with Christ (first resurrection Rev 20:6), then we have also passed from death to abundant life in the spirit which will always overcome the flesh. This was Paul’s message.
Further, The Day of Atonement return of the Lord mirrors the shadow / typology of Ancient Israel’s experience of 40 years of testing. It was during those 40 years after the resurrection and ascension, that the new born believers were also tested.
The earth was groaning and waiting for the manifestation of these sons of God. In a sense, this is the same with each succeeding generation.
We have much to thankour first century brothers and sisters for. They endured to establish Christ’s ecclisia on earth through fiery trials.
Christians used to sing of entering Beaulah Land as their reward after death. And there certainly are varying rewards after death that the Bible speaks of. But Beaulah land as only post-mortem is not the Bible’s teaching. Much erroneous thinking needs the mind renewal of the Word (Romans 12:1 and 2). The Promised land is all of time post 70AD living in the new creation spirit, including post-mortem Life for the believer. Our job is to be overcomers of the enemy, sin, sickness, demonic oppression, all of it will go when we are obedient to John 14: 12-18,. We overcome whether flesh or spiritual in this life. Our dominion has been restored. That which Adam lost is not just something to be restored post-mortem. What good would that do in the earth, and for the lost?
But we can only understand this super-abundant Life in Christ, when we take our materialistic glasses off and look through the precious Holy Spirit given lens to see all things under Christ’s feet. It is our job to keep them under His feet, our feet, indeed since we are in Christ.
Believers today are taught that there are ages like the Old Covenant, the New Covenant, a Millennium and an age to come, by which they mean “heaven’. But since all true believers have passed from death to life, and we are now seated with Christ in Heavenly places, I put it to you, that the “age to come” is the Messianic Age, the time after 70Ad when the ecclesia, birthed at Pentecost, established through her refinement and learning to put all things under the feet of Christ resulting in her escape of Judgment in the final war in which Jerusalem and that carnal religious system fell – that is from 70Ad and ongoing, is the Messianic age. Jesus only speaks of two “ages”, this one (the OC one they were in) and the “age to come” – post 70AD – the New Covenant Age. And this is the everlasting covenant that carries those blessed with this first resurrection to carry on through the vale of physical death and on with Christ post-mortem – that is the second resurrection for them. Not prior to those OC saints who had fallen asleep prior to &) AD. That was the resurrection. But we rise after them, Paul was at pains to tell the Thessalonians that no-one misses out, the OC saints were to be raised at the general judgment of 70AD. We are to meet in the “air” in that wonderful heavenly spiritual realm wherein we have been spiritually seated since we believed. We have already passed from spiritual death to life. The judgement thrones were set in place at the time of the fall of Jerusalem -it began with the House of God. Thereafter all must face judgment because whenever one was born, whether pre70 AD from Sheol or thereafter, it is appointed once for man to die and then the judgement. Soul sleep ended in 70AD
That Day, so very important in ancient Jewish time, had been an annual event and festival that did not find itself interrupted by the other feasts, like Tabernacles. The Day of Atonement, which was the ancient return of Jesus Christ as High Priest from Heaven to Judge the living and the dead had to be finished before the family tabernacling could be a reality.
Now I know many, if they have read this far, will drop me here and call me a Preterist. But I ask you to stay. Nothing is lost by reading further. Everything is lost when we assume the return of the Lord is material. Lives depend upon our understanding what centuries of Dark Ages have cost our earth. This is the earth that the meek should inherit. The earth itself is groaning waiting for the manifestation of the Sons of God, while we play at religion. We can do a certain number of things to benefit the planet physically, but our spiritual manifestation and dominion life in the earth can effect far more.
To the waiting believers, hopeful of Jesus’ return, which was “shortly to take place”, the 40 years seemed too long. But in his Hebraic expression, “a thousand years is as a day”, Peter has assured them it was about to happen, literally “it is the time of the beginning of the judgment from the house of God, and if first from us, what the end of those disobedient to the good news of God?” 1 Peter 4:17. And we see in peter’s mind, the Hebraic use of the “thousand” as symbolic of God being beyond time. The use of a single thousand is always a superlative metaphoric expression in Scripture. It expresses fulfilment, which the anti-type Day of Atonement does. This is the “day” that the New Testament writers all write about or allude to throughout the NT.
As a young woman, I noticed that the frequent use of adverbial phrases indicated that the apostles believed the Lord’s return was imminent. So many preachers stated that the apostles were mistaken! Why would they assume such an error? Simply because of the materialistic lens that Greco-Roman culture peered through and twisted translations with, after the church and state were one. That was where diabolical influence took charge, leading to the Dark Ages, from which, I posit, the church has never fully recovered.
The forty years between the judgment on those who rejected Christ gave time for the gospel to be taken, not only throughout ancient Israel, but as St Paul said in “Colossians 1:23, to the whole world – meaning the known Roman world of the time as this was their expression. Of course it had to go to the Roman empire, because this was the “iron and clay” of Daniel 2 and the beast “terrible and fearful” and its rising blasphemous “horn” whom Christ destroyed at His coming (Daniel 2:34 and 35; 7:17-27 and 12:7). All these are consummated in the Roman-Jewish war of 66-70AD – 3 ½ years. When we read the details by Jewish historian of the day, Flavius Josephus, we see so much biblical prophecy fulfilled concerning the apostate nation, cleansed from the promised land in the bloodiest, most irrational war of history. There the vultures gathered. Threre the grapes of wrath were trodden. And the believers, true to God’s Word escaped to spread the gospel to the gentiles as the next wave of refining persecution hit them, from Rome this time.
To teach Hebrews 10:25 as a “should” or “ought to “ in relation to physical church buildings or regulations, is a backwards step into Old Covenant thinking with its tithes in place of a generous heart, its hierarchies of a separate priesthood divided from the flock. It speaks of backwards facing church with programs, vison statements, set goals and all manner of paper work. There is only one paper we need. One book, One Lord one faith one baptism.
With Jesus, we need to cry, “come out of these denominational boxes – or at least, let the people” go.
