Kingdom Ready

Introduction

One of the concepts that is described in Scripture is the idea that there are two primary “ages” – or periods of time – during which people will live. The first of those ages is our current age - i.e., the period of time that we are living in now. The second age is the age to come – i.e., a period of time that will take place, in the future.

There are a number of passage in Scripture that mention both this current age, and the age to come. Here are just a few of them:

Matthew 12:32 (ESV):

Introduction

Virtually every religion holds some type of belief about the subject of “life after death” – that is, the subject of what happens to people, after their bodies die.

Of course, Christianity also has beliefs about life after death. However, there are many different doctrines about life after death, among the various Christian denominations. In other words, within the overall Christian religion, there are radically different ideas about what happens to people after they die. So, I think it is worthwhile to take a look at some of those different beliefs.

Alright, time for me to get back on track and start the New Year right with a post in Week #1!  So here we go with something short & easy.

Before Christmas I uncovered in a packed-away attic box – a TON more pamphlets, books, leaflets, and other treasures of theology that my parents had collected back in their day.  There’s a ton of stuff from individuals, Advent Christian publishers, The Restitution Herald (in Oregon Illinois), and the Layman’s Home Missionary Movement.  This particular one here is from the Layman’s – or LHMM for short.  There’s no copyright or published date on it so I’m not sure from when it originates.  But I’d guess from the 1940′s – 1960′s.  I saw the title listed on another site associated with the LHMM, but not the actual content of the piece.  Therefore I thought I would re-publish it to the world-wide-web for all to enjoy.

Introduction

One item that the New Testament brings up, many times, is that knowledge about God and Jesus is necessary for salvation. In other words, in order for people to be granted eternal life, they need to understand about God and His Son. Here are some examples of this:

John 17:1-3 (ESV):

¹When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ²since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

I think the title says it all. The world as we know it is battling with hopelessness. Everything in our society these days has become uncertain. Nothing is guaranteed. Hence many are living in fear and misery. All they see is a pitiful life with no end in sight. Sometimes they wish death would take them and be rid of this little existence. How about when this begins to creep into the church? Today, I want to speak on the subject of hope and its importance in our life. Hope is an integral part of Christianity and each of us must learn about it and live it out.

Matthew 22:1-14 ( NASB)

The Age to Come

Didn’t Even Notice

When my now – teenaged son was not quite 2 years old, I remember walking up the stairs with him in our old 1890′s house, in Pleasant Hill, Ohio.  He was low to the ground and a lot slower than my usual flight up the stairs, and at his ideal location, taking his time walking up the steps, he would pause to pick up a fleck of lint on the dark walnut, hardwood steps.  It would drive me crazy because 1) I was almost always in a hurry to get where I was going, and 2) I had cleaned those steps, and it bugged me slightly to think that he was being so meticulous and would find something that I had missed and hadn’t even noticed!  Yet sometimes, our Bible reading can be just like that! Sometimes, we get in a hurry and miss something, and at times, we may need someone else to bring to our attention what we didn’t even see or notice!

Here’s an interesting piece from Ivan Maddox of West End Bible Fellowship in Atlanta GA.  He brings up some intriguing points concerning the trees in the story of the Garden of Eden.

The following is another new article from my website. 

It is amazing how many people who call themselves “Christian” don’t actually know what the word means. A “Christian” is a follower of Christ, but like most people, I did not know what the word “Christ” meant for many years. Like some, I assumed that it was part of his name. Others know that it is a title, but don’t know exactly what it means. The fact is, however, that the word Christ comes from the Greek word christos, which means “anointed one.” It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word, mashiyach from which we get our English word, Messiah. The titles Messiah and Christ mean exactly the same thing: an anointed one.

The ideas about the Kingdom of God expressed on this and other related sites are not new or radical, nor are they the result of any individual’s solitary study or contemplation. They are not the result of anyone claiming to have “special anointing” from the Lord to understand the Scriptures. These ideas are widely recognized by many Biblical scholars, and have often been written about by ministers from varying backgrounds. As an example, the following is from a book entitled The Theocratic Kingdom, written in 1884 by a minister in Springfield, Ohio, named George Peters.