Acts 2:36 Davids Throne !

[savedbygrace57]

acts 2:

36Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Jesus now occupies Davids Throne His Father based upon scripture, and its not going to be in the future in a made up 1000 yr earthly millennial reign..

When we see the word Therefore, we should go back into the immediate context and see what it is therefore , or what thought is being connected to the word . So lets go back to verses 29-35

29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.


30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

34For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

35Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

Peter says Let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David [ Now Peter here being inspired of God, I am sure knew what he was talking about in what follows] God had sworn to David that of the fruit of his loins [ according to the flesh through Mary] He would raise up Christ to sit on his [ Davids] throne; Now David seeing this before [ before he died vs 29] spake of the resurrection of Christ !!

Peter does not say anything about a 1000 yr millennial on the earth, but Peter plainly says That David is speaking about the resurrection of Jesus Christ..

How the false teachers of today can deny this truth, can only be because they are under the judicial blindness spoken of by Paul in 2nd thess 2:

11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

This Jesus hath God raised up [ exalted] now sitting on the Throne of David, The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand until thy enemies become thy footstool; Now please show me within the context of verses 29-35 anything about a 1000 yr earthly millennial reign ?

Peter goes on to say " That same Jesus, whom ye crucified [ and God raised Him from the dead] is now both Lord and Christ. In Heb 1:3 we read that when Christ had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high..

2 sam 7:

1And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;

 

[Benoni]

So what are you saying David's throne is?

 

[savedbygrace57]

So what are you saying David's throne is?

Read the scripture i provided, its speaking not me..

 

[savedbygrace57]

Peter goes on to say, God hath made that same Jesus both Lord and Christ; now the words hath made does not mean that God, just now at the resurrection, made Jesus the Christ, rather it means that God certified or verified that He was the messiah. For He was the Christ when He was born according to lk 2:

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Peter confessed Him as the Christ Matt 16:

16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Jn 1:

41He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

lk 2:


25And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

For He was the prophesied Christ [ anointed messiah] who would come into the world and accomplish the purpose of God heb 10:5-10..

Jesus was also a King when He was born Matt 2:2

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. cp rom 2:


28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

I believe those men in matt 2 2 were the first Jews to worship Him ! I know they were not jews outwardly, but I believe they were Jews inwardly, and God saw to it that they providentially were brought to Him safely to worship their King..

It amazes me that even in light of all this scripture, many today refuse to believe that Jesus Christ was Lord and Christ before His resurrection and ascension, because of a faulty understanding of acts 2:36..

 

[Drew]

Jesus now occupies Davids Throne His Father based upon scripture, and its not going to be in the future in a made up 1000 yr earthly millennial reign..

I certainly agree that Jesus presently occupies David's throne and, more particularly, He is a presently sitting king of all the world.

That this is so is clear in the scriptures, and yet many deny it. Interesting.

A few years back, I held the "mainstream" view that Jesus is not yet a sitting "political" king. Then I was challenged to investigate this for myself. What I found shocked me. Text after text showing that Jesus is presently enthroned as king of this world.

And I discovered that texts like "my kingdom is not of this world" are mistranslations of the original greek. And yet when you point this mistranslation out to people, they often simply refuse to accept it.
Its actually an interesting exercise in human psychology.

 

[savedbygrace57]

drew:

I certainly agree that Jesus presently occupies David's throne and, more particularly, He is a presently sitting king of all the world.

Thats good to hear..for it certainly is scripture truth !

 

[faithtransforms]

SBG, you never cease to amaze me. David's throne was ON THIS EARTH, not in the heavens. Yes, Jesus has already inherited the throne of his father David, and he is already ruler of this world ("all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me"), but the bible speaks unequivocably of a millennial earthly reign in Rev 20:4. Are you denying this? Are you an amillennialist?

P.S.) May I ask what denomination are you in? I am not going to say that one is better than the other, I am just curious what denomination teaches the things you believe.

 

[Benoni]

I read your scriptures and understand them, what I am trying to see is what you see in them. Scriptures mean different things to different people, according to your approach to God's Word.

So what are you saying David's throne is?

Read the scripture i provided, its speaking not me..

 

[Benoni]

According to scripture Jesus is not the only one to rule in reign, read
Acts 15:16-18

16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

17 That the residue (remainder) of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the wor
KJV

And…

Rev. 3: 21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

 

[glorydaz]

Jesus now occupies Davids Throne His Father based upon scripture, and its not going to be in the future in a made up 1000 yr earthly millennial reign..

I certainly agree that Jesus presently occupies David's throne and, more particularly, He is a presently sitting king of all the world.

That this is so is clear in the scriptures, and yet many deny it. Interesting.

A few years back, I held the "mainstream" view that Jesus is not yet a sitting "political" king. Then I was challenged to investigate this for myself. What I found shocked me. Text after text showing that Jesus is presently enthroned as king of this world.

And I discovered that texts like "my kingdom is not of this world" are mistranslations of the original greek. And yet when you point this mistranslation out to people, they often simply refuse to accept it.
Its actually an interesting exercise in human psychology.

I love it when we find an area of agreement, Drew.
This is one of them.

 

[veteran]

If David's throne was not about an earthly throne, then I guess there's no need for Christ to return to this earth as written then.

For those who know better, then let's cover the Acts 2 Scripture properly, which must agree with the rest of The Bible...

Acts 2:29-36
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

Where was this given? In 2 Samuel 7, and especially Ps.2 and Ps.72. A quick look at those Psalms shows Christ reigning over all nations with a rod of iron. Ps.72 is even more specific, that kings will fall down before Him, and all nations shall serve Him. In what time are all nations to bow to Christ Jesus as LORD and KING? That's for Christ's second coming, which has not happened yet. He's not returning meek as a Lamb this next time. He's coming to reign literally on the earth. That's how Christ sitting upon the throne of David is to manifest, on the earth.

31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption.
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

Our Lord Jesus did not come the first time to fulfill everything written in His Word. He came meek as a Lamb to die on the cross to be the Perfect Sacrifice for sin of those who believe. David was given to prophesy of Christ's first coming especially, in Ps.22, which gives details of Christ's crucifixion. Ps.16 is where the part quoted in Acts 2:31 is given about Christ's Resurrection.


33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand,
35 Until I make Thy foes thy footstool."

Do you notice that quote above from the Psalms is divided into two verses of 34 & 35? Why would the KJV translators do that? Where was that written in the Psalms? Here... and notice what events are tied to it:

Ps 110:1-7
1 The LORD said unto my Lord, 'Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.'
2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.
6 He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries.
7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up the head.
(KJV)

When will Christ come to judge the wicked, rule in the midst of His enemies, and strike through kings in the day of His wrath? At His second coming, which is still yet. That's for AFTER the gathering of the saints to Christ at His return. That Zion has always been about the area of Mount Zion on earth, and that's where Christ will reign when He returns. There's a gap of time in between the Acts 2:34 & 35 verses. Acts 2:35 is yet to be fulfilled by The LORD.

Ps 132:10-18
10 For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep My covenant and My testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation.
14 This is My rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for Mine anointed.
18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
(KJV)

And our Lord Jesus now does sit on the right hand of The Father in Heaven, expecting, until it's time for His return to fulfill that literal rule in the midst of His enemies. That's on earth, so until that time, our Lord Jesus has yet to take reign over the non-believers and judge the wicked. Apostle Paul mentioned that time also didn't he?

Heb 10:12-13
12 But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.
(KJV)

When is The Father going to put Christ's enemies under His feet? When are the kings and nations going to bow to Him as LORD and KING, since it's written that every tongue will confess Him and bow to Him? Is everyone on earth today bowing the knee to our Lord Jesus Christ, confessing Him only as LORD?

We cannot just take a section of Scripture and interpret it anyway we want, ESPECIALLY when the Scripture is quoting from another part of The Bible. 1 Corinthians 15:23-28 also goes with Peter's Message there in Acts 2, so that's a NT witness of Christ's future reign over His enemies. And that's what the throne of David He has inherited is about. Peter was declaring the first part of the prophecy in Acts 2 for his day, which was about Christ's FIRST coming to die on the cross and being raised by The Father to sit on His right hand. The second part is about Christ's enemies being made His footstool, and is about His second coming; that's when His literal throne will be manifested on earth.
.

 

[Benoni]

When you speak of Christ you are not always speaking of Jesus. Acts 15 is speaking of the Melchezidek Priesthood not Jesus. Jesus is not Jesus in the flesh as many see Him; He is exalted and is the mighty God, the everlasting Father. There is no such thing as a rapture or second coming in scripture.

 

[Benoni]

Obadiah 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion (the high places of Ruleship in the kingdom) to judge the mount of Esau (Flesh); and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

 

[savedbygrace57]

faithtrans says:

SBG, you never cease to amaze me. David's throne was ON THIS EARTH, not in the heavens

Obviously you dont believe the scripture here !

acts 2:

30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

 

[Benoni]

Acts 2:30 speaks of that which has already happened when Jesus lived 33 years in the flesh, there is no reason for him to live in a flesh corrupt body that dies again, his flesh body was only in the Hades/hell three days.

Obviously you do not believe in the scriptures reference to the Melchizedek Priesthood?

This is such an important point.

The Jesus we knew as an earthy Jesus has no reason as an fleshly earthy Jesus. Know Him no more as Flesh. His resurrected flesh that appeared before the astonished eyes of the wondering Thomas. Carnal earthy man must guide himself by what he can see, feel and handle.

This is why the disciples wanted Jesus to remain. This is the core of all ritualism and ceremonialism, of all the blinding creeds and lifeless traditions systems, of all the foolishness of candles and crucifixes and incense and ages and robes and temples and programs and ordinances and prayer books. It is the essence of idolatry.

Men want to see God, therefore they make images of Him, or an object of ceremony or ordinance that He can be present in. I do not laugh at ritualism; it is intensely human. It is not so much a sin of presumption; it is a sin of mistake. It is trying to undo the going away of Jesus Christ. It is trying to make believe that He is still here IN THE FORM.

If men cannot have the historical Jesus here in the flesh, they then create some fleshly thing to represent Him. And the fatal fallacy of it is that it defeats its own end. He who seeks God in tangible form misses the very thing he is seeking, for God IS A SPIRIT.

The desire burns within man to see God and this desire is given him to make him spiritual, by giving him a spiritual relationship; and he cheats himself by exercising the flesh instead of the spirit! Hunger and thirst after God are given us by the gracious hand of our Creator to raise us out of the realm of the seen and the temporal, for the things which are SEEN are TEMPORAL, but the things which are not seen are eternal, says the Lord.

But instead of letting the spiritual appetite elevate us into the realm of the Spirit where God dwells, we are prone to degrade the very instrument of spiritualization and make it minister to the flesh.

It was expedient in order that the disciples of Jesus should be SPIRITUALIZED that Jesus should become A SPIRIT. They could not have Him in the flesh and in the Spirit too; His bodily presence would hinder the spiritual indwelling. They must part with the Jesus they knew before they could receive the GLORIFIED JESUS as the Spirit. Christ Himself had to give up the life He had before He could be glorified either in the heavenlies or in us. Even so, in our union with Him in the Spirit, we too must give up the Christ we have known in the past, however we have known Him, if indeed we are to become partakers of all He is by the Spirit.

This is hard to grasp, we are so earth-bound, used to visible forms and appearances, and the very word "spirit" leaves one groping for something more tangible. Yet because of His inner moving and the unfolding revelation of Himself within, I have come to realize that to settle for a "form", ANY FORM, is to possess the alabaster box without the higher experience of knowing the fragrant ointment within. It is not the box we want, it is the ointment!

Thus we refuse to cling to the "form" for our hearts are crying out for the "essence". God has often accommodated His people in their childishness and for a time provided a "form", but later He SHATTERED THE FORM that they might become aware of the essence. The hour has arrived when every man and woman of God who would follow on to KNOW THE LORD must experience a total breaking forth from every structured form and encrusted tradition, that we might KNOW HIM, the essence. Yes, it is a shattering process, most severe as the forms of rituals, ceremonies, religious systems, creeds, ordinances, ministries, and religious exercises of many kinds are literally swept away that we might now come to KNOW CHRIST ALONE as the inner Reality and Life.

The inspired writer of the book of Hebrews penned one of the most profound statements in all the Word of God when he wrote, "He taketh away the first that He may establish the second" (Heb. 10:9).

"He taketh away the first that He may establish the second." The writer says, "I acknowledge you have lost something - something very beautiful and comforting, something that has met your spiritual needs for centuries. But I want you to look beyond that loss, and find the splendid meaning of it, and see how that it is really the figure of a more glorious worship and a greater reality of life than ever Israel has known before." He taketh away. This is God's work.

And God's taking is just the opposite of His giving!

There are two passages in the New Testament which, taken together, form perhaps the most perfect illustration of this principle of which we have been thinking that can be found anywhere. They are these: (1) I go unto My Father (2) I am with you always. Jesus Christ: took Himself from His disciples' eyes that He might give Himself to their hearts. They lost the first, the physical presence, that they might find the second the spiritual presence. And as we seek ever to have the Spirit of Christ and do His service, so in countless ways shall this great principle of true gain by seeming loss have effect on our lives. Ever we shall be losing the less to find the greater; losing the outward to find the inward; losing semblance to find realities; losing shadows to find substance; all the former things shall have passed away and all things shall have become new
!
How many millions of children have gone through Sunday schools, grown up, attending church all their lives, listening to preachers and teachers explaining Moses and Jesus of Nazareth; and if you ask them on their death bed, what they know of Christ; they picture baby Jesus, Mary's son growing up, or Jesus teaching the multitudes, laying His hands upon the sick and suffering, and being nailed to the cross. They know that He came back from the dead for forty days, and then ascended into heaven, never to be seen or heard from again in that body of flesh. These know absolutely nothing about CHRIST THE SPIRIT, CHRIST AS HE I-S, THE GLORIOUS CHRIST W-I-T-H-I-N!

Ah, how do WE see Him? As He WAS, or as He IS? Is our understanding of Him as the lowly Son of man, great and wonderful as He was in that former state, or do we see Him as He IS in His exalted position at the right hand of the majesty on high? Do we see Him as the crucified One? It is wonderful to see Him in that way. Do we see Him as the One who endured the cross, despised the shame, conquered death and rose triumphant from the grave? Or do we see Him as the ascended One, the glorified One; the One who transcended the law of sin, rose above the confining, limiting physical laws of nature and ascended into the Spirit realm of God, the Head of all principalities and powers, far above them all; crowned with glory and honor; Lord and King of the universe; FILLING ALL THINGS WITH HIS QUICKENING LIFE. Do we see Him as a physical Man, or do we see Him as Saul of Tarsus saw Him on the Damascus road, as the Light of God brighter than the noonday sun. Do we see Him with gentle blue eyes, seamless robe, and feet shod with the sandles of yesteryear; or do we see Him as John the Revelator saw Him on Patmos with eyes as a flame of fire, His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters!

faithtrans says:

SBG, you never cease to amaze me. David's throne was ON THIS EARTH, not in the heavens

Obviously you dont believe the scripture here !

acts 2:

30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

 

[savedbygrace57]

ben says:

Acts 2:30 speaks of that which has already happened when Jesus lived 33 years in the flesh, there is no reason for him to live in a flesh corrupt body that dies again, his flesh body was only in the Hades/hell three days.

So you dont believe scripture testimony of the prophet David nor the Apostle Peter ?

acts 2:

30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

 

[veteran]

When you speak of Christ you are not always speaking of Jesus. Acts 15 is speaking of the Melchezidek Priesthood not Jesus. Jesus is not Jesus in the flesh as many see Him; He is exalted and is the mighty God, the everlasting Father. There is no such thing as a rapture or second coming in scripture.

Our Lord Jesus is our High Priest after the order of Melchezidek. Do you know what that name means per the Hebrew? It means 'King of Righteousness', even as Paul showed in Hebrews 7. That was our Lord Jesus back in the Old Testament Who met Abraham, and offerred him bread and wine. And that's what Hebrews 7 shows if one pays attention to what it's teaching. Thinking there can be more than one King of Righteousness is a Gnostic teaching.

 

[savedbygrace57]

ben says:

Acts 15 is speaking of the Melchezidek Priesthood not Jesus

What are you talking about ? Where in acts 15 does it bring up melchezidek ?

 

[Benoni]

The priest and Levite would then take the sacrifice to the brazen altar which was situated just inside the gate, sacrifice it unto the Lord, and the sinning Israelite could go away free--until he sinned again. Nor could he go into the sanctuary itself, for that was reserved for the priests. This was no arbitrary arrangement on God's part. His heart longed for a whole nation of kings and priests, and in the fullness of time He would create such a nation. God had promised them: "Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). Because of their disobedience they could not attain to it then, and the promise remained unfulfilled. When the true Sacrifice was made, and an unchanging priesthood was established in Christ, the promise was once again brought forward from God's heart: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Pet. 2:9).

David did not live on Mount Zion by himself, if you want to understand spiritual Mount Zion you need to look at the natural mount Zion. Look at the connections, King and Priest, Mt Zion. When you speak of the Tabernacle of David we are speaking about God’s ark, which is Jesus. It was an OT example and a physical example of God’s glory. David lived with the ark for years at Mt Zion. So did his court.

1 Corin 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world (age) are come.

example NT:5178 a : Strong’s: tupikos (toop-ee-kos'); an adverb related to NT:5179; found only in 1 Cor 10:11: as a warning, by way of example, typologically (i.e. figuratively, as a prophetic type, a typological interpretation of Scripture)

Melchezidek was a King and Priest so please lets us look at what God’s Words says about this issue. It is sprinkled all over scripture.

Obadiah 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion (the high places of Ruleship in the kingdom) to judge the mount of Esau (Flesh); and the kingdom shall be the LORD's.

Notice here is Mt Zion again and we have saviors

Revelations 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

When you speak of Christ you are not always speaking of Jesus. Acts 15 is speaking of the Melchezidek Priesthood not Jesus. Jesus is not Jesus in the flesh as many see Him; He is exalted and is the mighty God, the everlasting Father. There is no such thing as a rapture or second coming in scripture.

Our Lord Jesus is our High Priest after the order of Melchezidek. Do you know what that name means per the Hebrew? It means 'King of Righteousness', even as Paul showed in Hebrews 7. That was our Lord Jesus back in the Old Testament Who met Abraham, and offerred him bread and wine. And that's what Hebrews 7 shows if one pays attention to what it's teaching. Thinking there can be more than one King of Righteousness is a Gnostic teaching.

 

[Benoni]

Know Him no more as Flesh

His resurrected flesh that appeared before the astonished eyes of the wondering Thomas. I do not hesitate to say that the strongest temptation to every man is to guide himself by what he can see, feel and handle. This is why the disciples wanted Jesus to remain. This is the core of all ritualism and ceremonialism, of all the blinding creeds and lifeless traditions systems, of all the foolishness of candles and crucifixes and incense and ages and robes and temples and programs and ordinances and prayer books. It is the essence of idolatry. Men want to see God, therefore they make images of Him, or an object of ceremony or ordinance that He can be present in. I do not laugh at ritualism; it is intensely human. It is not so much a sin of presumption; it is a sin of mistake. It is trying to undo the going away of Jesus Christ. It is trying to make believe that He is still here IN THE FORM.

If men cannot have the historical Jesus here in the flesh, they then create some fleshly thing to represent Him. And the fatal fallacy of it is that it defeats its own end. He who seeks God in tangible form misses the very thing he is seeking, for God IS A SPIRIT. The desire burns within man to see God and this desire is given him to make him spiritual, by giving him a spiritual relationship; and he cheats himself by exercising the flesh instead of the spirit! Hunger and thirst after God are given us by the gracious hand of our Creator to raise us out of the realm of the seen and the temporal, for the things which are SEEN are TEMPORAL, but the things which are not seen are eternal, says the Lord. But instead of letting the spiritual appetite elevate us into the realm of the Spirit where God dwells, we are prone to degrade the very instrument of spiritualization and make it minister to the flesh.

It was expedient in order that the disciples of Jesus should be SPIRITUALIZED that Jesus should become A SPIRIT. They could not have Him in the flesh and in the Spirit too; His bodily presence would hinder the spiritual indwelling. They must part with the Jesus they knew before they could receive the GLORIFIED JESUS as the Spirit. Christ Himself had to give up the life He had before He could be glorified either in the heavenlies or in us. Even so, in our union with Him in the Spirit, we too must give up the Christ we have known in the past, however we have known Him, if indeed we are to become partakers of all He is by the Spirit.

This is hard to grasp, we are so earth-bound, used to visible forms and appearances, and the very word "spirit" leaves one groping for something more tangible. Yet because of His inner moving and the unfolding revelation of Himself within, I have come to realize that to settle for a "form", ANY FORM, is to possess the alabaster box without the higher experience of knowing the fragrant ointment within. It is not the box we want, it is the ointment! Thus we refuse to cling to the "form" for our hearts are crying out for the "essence". God has often accommodated His people in their childishness and for a time provided a "form", but later He SHATTERED THE FORM that they might become aware of the essence. The hour has arrived when every man and woman of God who would follow on to KNOW THE LORD must experience a total breaking forth from every structured form and encrusted tradition, that we might KNOW HIM, the essence. Yes, it is a shattering process, most severe as the forms of rituals, ceremonies, religious systems, creeds, ordinances, ministries, and religious exercises of many kinds are literally swept away that we might now come to KNOW CHRIST ALONE as the inner Reality and Life.
The inspired writer of the book of Hebrews penned one of the most profound statements in all the Word of God when he wrote, "He taketh away the first that He may establish the second" (Heb. 10:9). The writer of this letter had a great task before him. He had to try to make some people see the meaning of a loss. In what tender and masterly fashion he did his work matters not to us for the moment. Suffice it to say one can scarcely conceive of it being done better. The letter was written to some Hebrews who could not reconcile themselves to the loss of the Temple, with its splendid ritual, its stately and impressive worship, its wealth of form and type, and its endless symbolism. While in some sense entering into the spirit of the New Day, they were still partially dominated by the habit of a thousand yesterdays.


"He taketh away the first that He may establish the second." The writer says, "I acknowledge you have lost something - something very beautiful and comforting, something that has met your spiritual needs for centuries. But I want you to look beyond that loss, and find the splendid meaning of it, and see how that it is really the figure of a more glorious worship and a greater reality of life than ever Israel has known before." He taketh away. This is God's work. And God's taking is just the opposite of His giving!
Let us notice a few of God's firsts and seconds. God's seconds are always better than His firsts which He gives to mankind. Meditate deeply upon these: Cain - Able; Cain's sacrifice - Able's sacrifice; Ishmael - Isaac; Esau - Jacob; Letter - Spirit; First Covenant - New Covenant; Water baptism - Spirit baptism; First Adam - Second Adam; First earth - New earth; Old man - New creation; Jesus in flesh - Jesus in Spirit. The New Testament presents a more glorious message than the Old; the last Adam redeems what the first Adam lost; the message of God's grace unfolded in the New Testament far excels the Law of the Old. The second is greater than the first. It always is when God takes and gives. As someone has written, "In His great wisdom our God has arranged many things in pairs, or shall we say, by contrasting twos. Some of the 'firsts' may seem to be very good, and for a time quite acceptable, but in due time they are to be followed by the 'seconds' which are higher, better, and more desirable than the firsts. Perfection is found in God's seconds. Often the firsts are but a type and a shadow of the reality which is later to be found in the seconds. In the former we find the negative realm working out its purpose, and in the latter there is the glorious positive fulfilling its sphere. The more one ponders each fragment of truth revealed, the more they yearn to leave behind the realm of imperfection, fragmentary, and enter into the freedom of the Spirit of Life in fullness" -

The first is of the earth earthy - the second is of God from heaven. And that is an epitome of the whole process of salvation, both for the individual and for the creation. He taketh away the outward that He may establish the inward, the seen that He may establish the unseen, the material that He may establish the spiritual. Israel had a religion that appealed to the senses. It was to some extent spectacular. Its tendency was temporal and local. It was a religion of times and places. The believing heart could not cling to it and at the same time enter into the timeless and universal gospel of Jesus Christ. And so the vision of the eyes had to go that the vision of the heart might grow clearer. The vision of Jerusalem of Judaea had to fade that the child of God, born now from above, might see the New Jerusalem, the City of God, coming down from heaven - a city ever being built of lives transformed by heaven's life into the radiance of God's glory on earth.

There are two passages in the New Testament which, taken together, form perhaps the most perfect illustration of this principle of which we have been thinking that can be found anywhere. They are these: (1) I go unto My Father (2) I am with you always. Jesus Christ: took Himself from His disciples' eyes that He might give Himself to their hearts. They lost the first, the physical presence, that they might find the second the spiritual presence. And as we seek ever to have the Spirit of Christ and do His service, so in countless ways shall this great principle of true gain by seeming loss have effect on our lives. Ever we shall be losing the less to find the greater; losing the outward to find the inward; losing semblance to find realities; losing shadows to find substance; all the former things shall have passed away and all things shall have become new, praise His wonderful name!

ben says:

Acts 2:30 speaks of that which has already happened when Jesus lived 33 years in the flesh, there is no reason for him to live in a flesh corrupt body that dies again, his flesh body was only in the Hades/hell three days.

So you dont believe scripture testimony of the prophet David nor the Apostle Peter ?

acts 2:

30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.