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Redeemed by His Blood

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The Book of Revelation applies several terms to the  “ assemblies of Asia ”  that are under assault from without and within. The men and women who have been redeemed by Jesus form a company that transcends all national, social, geographical, and cultural boundaries. For them, “ tribulation ” is not an aberration to be avoided at all costs. Persevering through trials while faithfully bearing witness is what it means to follow the “ Lamb wherever he goes .”

This Evil Age

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The death of Jesus inaugurated the messianic age with consequent changes in the status of God’s people . In his epistle to the Assembly in Galatia, Paul declares that his apostleship originated from the same God who raised Jesus from the dead, the Messiah of Israel who gave his life to “ deliver us from this evil age .” His declaration anticipates his proposition in the body of the Letter that the arrival of Jesus changed the status of the Law for the people of God, the “ children of Abraham .”

The Spirit and Mission

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In the Second Psalm, the Messiah is identified as the Son of God and the ideal king who is anointed by Yahweh to rule over the nations, the one to whom the “ Kings of the Earth ” pay homage. In the four gospel accounts, he is anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism in the Jordan River, equipping him for the proclamation of the “ Kingdom of God ” to the people of Israel. In turn, he grants the Spirit to his disciples, empowering them to announce His Good News and sovereignty to all nations.

His Priestly Kingdom

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Disciples reign with Jesus as priests who render service in his Tabernacle and mediate his light and Word in the World . The present sovereignty of Jesus is based on his past death and resurrection, and his disciples participate in his reign over the Earth. Like him, their position is paradoxical. It is characterized by self-sacrificial service rather than overlordship over their enemies. The shedding of his blood is what consecrated them as “ priests ” for God, and priestly service for others IS how the disciple reigns with him.

The Mission

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Jesus charged his followers to announce the same message to every nation that he preached, which he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” Through the Risen Christ and his Assembly, God’s rule is being established but in unexpected and paradoxical ways. By the moment of his return, he will establish his complete sovereignty over the nations and subdue all his “ enemies ,” including “ Death .” Until then, his disciples must proclaim his message to the “ uttermost parts of the Earth .”

One Spirit, One People

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Paul is adamant. “ In Jesus ,” no longer can there be “ Jew or Gentile .” The old distinctions are wholly inappropriate for the One People of God. By his shed blood, he “ dismantled the middle wall of partition ” that separated Jews and Gentiles so “ he might reconcile them both in one body for God through the Cross .” In him, God is building Jews and Gentiles into one building, one habitation of God “ in the Spirit .”

Paul on the State

Paul instructed believers living in the Roman Empire not to resist the government since its existence and authority were arranged by God .  Writing to the churches of Rome, Paul presents principles for Christian conduct in relation to the State. Believers must “ subordinate themselves to governing powers, for there is no authority except by God .” His statement was written when Nero ruled the Roman Empire, the same man who became the first emperor to persecute the church.

Kingdom or Christendom?

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In popular usage, the English term ‘Christendom’ refers to “that part of the world in which Christianity prevails,” either because most of a nation’s citizens claim to be Christian, or because a specific church or denomination is recognized by the State as the country’s official religion. Thus, that nation becomes identified as “Christian,” it is one of the “Christian nations” of the world as opposed to the less enlightened non-Christian peoples and cultures elsewhere on the planet.

The Spirit of Antichrist

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The Antichrist is viewed as a political tyrant intent on world domination in many interpretations. Whether this proves to be true, Jesus and his Apostles expressed more concern about the deceivers who will ply their trade in the Assembly. Where the term Antichrist is found, it is applied to false teachers who were infiltrating the Body of Christ, distorting apostolic teachings, and raising false expectations about the future. The “ Spirit of the Antichrist ” manifests itself in deceivers, false prophets, and their deceptive activities.

An End Time People

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The Assembly of God is the battlefield where the final war is being waged between the Lamb and the Ancient Serpent, the Devil . The  Book of Revelation  is addressed to seven first-century congregations in the Roman province of Asia. It deals with their real-life situations and trials. In the process, it presents messages relevant to all the assemblies of God throughout the present age, the period known as the “ Last Days ” which began following Calvary. The daily struggles of the Asian churches provide a microcosm of the great cosmic battle that is being waged between Jesus and the Devil.

Tribulation of the Church

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In  Revelation , John saw countless followers of the “ Lamb ” exiting the “ Great Tribulation ” after persevering through it. This striking image is central to his vision of the “ Innumerable Multitude ,” the men from every nation and people who were redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Having “ overcome ,” John saw them standing triumphantly in worship and celebration before the “ Lamb ” and the “ Throne ” in the “ Holy City, New Jerusalem .”

Tribulation vs Wrath

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The terms “ tribulation ” and “ wrath ” are  NOT  synonymous in Paul’s letters or the  Book of Revelation . “ Tribulation ” is what the disciples of Jesus endure for his sake. “ Wrath ” is the horrific fate that awaits the wicked at the final judgment. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes that God did not appoint them to “ wrath .” Yet, in the same letter, he states that believers are destined for “ tribulation .”

One in Christ Jesus

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In  Galatians , the Apostle Paul compares the Mosaic Law to a “ pedagogue ” in its supervision of Israel “ until the seed came .” That “ Seed ” was Jesus. In Greco-Roman society, the “pedagogue” was usually a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity. The minority status of the child and the authority of the custodian over him were both temporary.

The Sanctuary of God

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Apart from the contacts between Jesus and the early church with the priestly authorities from the Temple, the New Testament shows minimal interest in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Far more frequent are the applications of temple language and imagery to the New Covenant community built by Jesus and his original apostles. What the old Temple and its predecessor, the Tabernacle, foreshowed is coming to fruition among his disciples, the “ Body of Christ .”

Ekklésia – The Assembly

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The New Testament usage of the term “ assembly ” is based on the language and imagery of Israel when the nation was assembled before Yahweh for worship in front of the Tabernacle. The Greek noun rendered “ church ” in many English translations is  ekklésia . It means “assembly, congregation, convocation.” In secular Greek, it could refer to an “assembly” of citizens gathered to conduct matters of state. However, that is not the sense found in the Greek New Testament.

Seated in the Sanctuary

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Jesus will not “ arrive ” to gather his “ elect ” until two events occur: The “ Apostasy ” and the “ revelation of the Man of Lawlessness ,” and the two are inextricably linked. It is not just the presence of this dark figure but his unveiling in the Assembly that will signal the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord .” Not only will he cause many to abandon their allegiance to Jesus, but also his “ revealing ” will take place when he “ sits down ” in the “ Sanctuary of God .”

The Redeemed of the Earth

The  Book of Revelation  applies several terms and symbols to the church that is under assault both from without and within. The men who are redeemed from the Earth by Jesus form a company that transcends all national, social, and cultural boundaries. And “ tribulation ” is not an aberration to be avoided at all costs. Instead, persevering through trials and faithfully bearing witness in persecution are part and parcel of what it means to follow the “ Lamb wherever he goes .”

Pentecost - Outcome

The final paragraph of the second chapter of Acts summarizes the results of the Spirit’s outpouring. It describes the basic practices of the young congregation that resulted from the Spirit’s presence – Teaching, shared meals, fellowship, prayers, unity, and material support for individuals in need. The one unique feature is the holding of possessions “in common” under the administration of the Apostles.

Absent Church?

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After Jesus finished dictating his letters to the seven “ Assemblies of Asia ,” John saw an “ open door in Heaven ,” and he heard the voice from his first vision summon him to “ come up here .” He then found himself standing before the “Throne sitting in Heaven.” Does this image symbolize the physical removal of the Church from the Earth before the visions of chapters 5 through 22, the so-called ‘Rapture’?