The Kingdom of God - do we have access to it now?

[Karl Peters]

Luke 4:43 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God - yet often and maybe most often, I find Christians presenting the Kingdom of God as being a place we go to in the future when we die. Is that what Jesus preached???

I think any, even superficial study of the Bible reveals that is not what He preached. Yes, I believe real believers will wind up there, but it is also clear that the Kingdom of God is obtainable and should be obtained now!!! Indeed, I really think Jesus was explaining that we need to find Him, the King, and thus His Kingdom of God now or we won't be there later!! It that is correct, there are going to be many sadly disappointed Christians. So we need to get this straight, right now!

Mat 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

I find the above verse interesting because Jesus is saying that even right, while He the Christ, was in the flesh He was casting out demons by using the Kingdom of God!! He was in the flesh, so the power was coming from the Kingdom of God!! And look - It was the Kingdom of God that has "come upon" them!!

Jesus, thought the Son of God and God the Son, was not casting out the demons and healing the sick by His power but by using the Kingdom of God!! It was available to Him right then and there at the time!! It was not something for some future use, but to be used right then!!

Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The above verse not only proves clearly that the time for the kingdom of God to come had be fulfilled, but that it was indeed "at hand" if you repent and believe in the good news!! Now I find few quote "Christians" who don't think they have repented, and fewer still that don't think they believe in the "gospel" (Good News), though there may seem to be a question as to what is the Good News? Is it the Bible or is it perhaps that we can personally get to know the King and thus have access to the Kingdom of God. Our failure to understand what exactly is the Good News, could be the problem! But back to the kingdom of God and if it is available to us now.

Mark 9:1 And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

By the above verse we can see that some, but it looks like not all standing with Jesus, will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. So who were they that got to see the kingdom of God before death and who were they not?

I think thse under the "not", part must be those not repenting and believing, according the the verse gone over before, but then what about the others who got to see the kingdom of God. Who were they?

Mark 4:11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,

His disciples, that is to say those close to Him and learning directly from Him via that personal relationship that comes with being His disciple, were given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but the were just getting the info in parables. This is important to understand, because we read in the bible an instruction from God, and other information, about giving speaking to the people so that they don't understand so that with their ears they won't hear and their eyes they won't see.

Is 6:9,10 He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
“Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”

Now we don't know everything God said to Isaiah, do we? Yet we know that at least everything from Isaiah 6 and on was design to keep you from hearing and seeing!! And what had Isaiah just seen before this instruction? Was it not the Kingdom of God?

Is 6:1-3 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Now the throne of the king is not the only place to see in a kingdom, yet Isaiah even saw the throne of the King over the Kingdom of God and the events happening right there. If a person was to actually have access to the Kingdom of God it doesn't mean they would see the throne or only the throne would it? But of course, if a person did not get eyes to see, and that from reading what Isaiah wrote, then they wouldn't see any of it anyway!
I think that might take us back to what is the Good News? It is the writings like what Isaiah wrote, or it is the King Jesus Christ and hearing and seeing Him and His Kingdom?


Luke 9: 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

So if Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God and that was indeed His purpose for coming (see Luke 4:43 at the beginning of this thread) And we know that Jesus was using the power of the Kingdom and not His own power to cast our people and heal them, then the disciples must have bent sent out to do the same thing in the exact same way!! THE KINGDOM OF GOD WAS AVAILABLE TO THEM THEN!!

Luke 9:1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

A king has authority over His kingdom, That authority gives him the ability to command the army of the kingdom. So the power that king has is in the army that fight for him. Jesus gave that authority He had as King, to his disciples and so the disciples could access the army of God and therefore the power of God right then!! So, the Kingdom of God was available to them then, but only based on the what was given to them by the King of Kings at that time!

Luke 10:9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

That was instructions given by Jesus Christ to His disciples. So how is it that we "Christians" so often don't seem to know that the Kingdom of God has come near us???

Luke 17:21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!' or, ‘There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Wow - the kingdom of God is in our midst, and still many don't know about those heavenly hosts that make up the kingdom of God!

Luke 22:29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you

It amazes me to this day how hard it is to simply talk about the angels of God who serve Him in Christian churches!! They all claim to know the Bible, but it is evident that they don't know or don't believe what is written in the Bible, by their responses!!

And what amazes me even more is that those who do know the Kingdom of God at church so often don't want to talk about it, and help people to understand what is available to us right now!!

Is 1:29 Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen.

Yeah - Isaiah wrote in parable form and that so what with your ears will be dull and your eyes won't see. But if you truly seek the KING OF KINGS, He will explain that parables to you so that you might know about the Kingdom of God!

Yet you choose to listen to the oaks which you have desired and you like the gardens which you have chosen, instead of seeking the King.

 

[Adam]

I'll tell you the secret to the Kingdom of God right now: You're already in it, you just can't see it. God is inside everything and everyone, we are all one.

 

[Episkopos]

Luke 4:43 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God - yet often and maybe most often, I find Christians presenting the Kingdom of God as being a place we go to in the future when we die. Is that what Jesus preached???

I think any, even superficial study of the Bible reveals that is not what He preached. Yes, I believe real believers will wind up there, but it is also clear that the Kingdom of God is obtainable and should be obtained now!!! Indeed, I really think Jesus was explaining that we need to find Him, the King, and thus His Kingdom of God now or we won't be there later!! It that is correct, there are going to be many sadly disappointed Christians. So we need to get this straight, right now!

Mat 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

I find the above verse interesting because Jesus is saying that even right, while He the Christ, was in the flesh He was casting out demons by using the Kingdom of God!! He was in the flesh, so the power was coming from the Kingdom of God!! And look - It was the Kingdom of God that has "come upon" them!!

Jesus, thought the Son of God and God the Son, was not casting out the demons and healing the sick by His power but by using the Kingdom of God!! It was available to Him right then and there at the time!! It was not something for some future use, but to be used right then!!

Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The above verse not only proves clearly that the time for the kingdom of God to come had be fulfilled, but that it was indeed "at hand" if you repent and believe in the good news!! Now I find few quote "Christians" who don't think they have repented, and fewer still that don't think they believe in the "gospel" (Good News), though there may seem to be a question as to what is the Good News? Is it the Bible or is it perhaps that we can personally get to know the King and thus have access to the Kingdom of God. Our failure to understand what exactly is the Good News, could be the problem! But back to the kingdom of God and if it is available to us now.

Mark 9:1 And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

By the above verse we can see that some, but it looks like not all standing with Jesus, will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power. So who were they that got to see the kingdom of God before death and who were they not?

I think thse under the "not", part must be those not repenting and believing, according the the verse gone over before, but then what about the others who got to see the kingdom of God. Who were they?

Mark 4:11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,

His disciples, that is to say those close to Him and learning directly from Him via that personal relationship that comes with being His disciple, were given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but the were just getting the info in parables. This is important to understand, because we read in the bible an instruction from God, and other information, about giving speaking to the people so that they don't understand so that with their ears they won't hear and their eyes they won't see.

Is 6:9,10 He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’
“Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”

Now we don't know everything God said to Isaiah, do we? Yet we know that at least everything from Isaiah 6 and on was design to keep you from hearing and seeing!! And what had Isaiah just seen before this instruction? Was it not the Kingdom of God?

Is 6:1-3 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Now the throne of the king is not the only place to see in a kingdom, yet Isaiah even saw the throne of the King over the Kingdom of God and the events happening right there. If a person was to actually have access to the Kingdom of God it doesn't mean they would see the throne or only the throne would it? But of course, if a person did not get eyes to see, and that from reading what Isaiah wrote, then they wouldn't see any of it anyway!
I think that might take us back to what is the Good News? It is the writings like what Isaiah wrote, or it is the King Jesus Christ and hearing and seeing Him and His Kingdom?


Luke 9: 2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

So if Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God and that was indeed His purpose for coming (see Luke 4:43 at the beginning of this thread) And we know that Jesus was using the power of the Kingdom and not His own power to cast our people and heal them, then the disciples must have bent sent out to do the same thing in the exact same way!! THE KINGDOM OF GOD WAS AVAILABLE TO THEM THEN!!

Luke 9:1 And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

A king has authority over His kingdom, That authority gives him the ability to command the army of the kingdom. So the power that king has is in the army that fight for him. Jesus gave that authority He had as King, to his disciples and so the disciples could access the army of God and therefore the power of God right then!! So, the Kingdom of God was available to them then, but only based on the what was given to them by the King of Kings at that time!

Luke 10:9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

That was instructions given by Jesus Christ to His disciples. So how is it that we "Christians" so often don't seem to know that the Kingdom of God has come near us???

Luke 17:21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!' or, ‘There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

Wow - the kingdom of God is in our midst, and still many don't know about those heavenly hosts that make up the kingdom of God!

Luke 22:29 and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you

It amazes me to this day how hard it is to simply talk about the angels of God who serve Him in Christian churches!! They all claim to know the Bible, but it is evident that they don't know or don't believe what is written in the Bible, by their responses!!

And what amazes me even more is that those who do know the Kingdom of God at church so often don't want to talk about it, and help people to understand what is available to us right now!!

Is 1:29 Surely you will be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, And you will be embarrassed at the gardens which you have chosen.

Yeah - Isaiah wrote in parable form and that so what with your ears will be dull and your eyes won't see. But if you truly seek the KING OF KINGS, He will explain that parables to you so that you might know about the Kingdom of God!

Yet you choose to listen to the oaks which you have desired and you like the gardens which you have chosen, instead of seeking the King.

All of creation is awaiting the revealing of the sons of God. This time we live in presently is a time where the kingdom realm in the Spirit is available to all people. We are to seek first His kingdom while we yet live. There is no seeking for His kingdom when we are dead.

 

[Karl Peters]

I'll tell you the secret to the Kingdom of God right now: You're already in it, you just can't see it. God is inside everything and everyone, we are all one.

Isaiah saw it!! Jerimiah say it!! John saw it!!

Jesus said:

Rev 3:19,20 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

So we clearly read that if anyone hears His voice and opens the door, He will come in to him -- but for that to happen HE IS NOT inside everyone - thus HE IS NOT inside everything.

Saying what you said make that verse in John wrong - but it is not wrong!! You are wrong!

However the verse does say that those who do hear His voice He comes into!!

And He did actually pray:

Jn 17: 20-22 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;

It is not everyone!!!!! It is for those "who believe in" Jesus Christ!! And that "even as You, Father are in " Him.

So it is important to understand how the Father and Jesus Christ are one!!

Now I did see something about how this Christian Forum, does not want anyone writing about the Father and Jesus Christ are one!! (meaing this verse)

But let me just point out that Jesus said He did and said only what the Father told Him! Note how in the verse above we read "through their word". Jesus gets the words He says from the Father, and Jesus explained that His sheep hear His voice!! And it is also written that faith comes from hearing a word from Him (Rm 10:17)

Therefore if we did repent, hear His voice, open up to Him so that we talk back and forth with Him (The King) then He does come into us (not before but then) and we do become one with Him, like He is (opp - sorry we can't discuss this part).

 

[Karl Peters]

All of creation is awaiting the revealing of the sons of God. This time we live in presently is a time where the kingdom realm in the Spirit is available to all people. We are to seek first His kingdom while we yet live. There is no seeking for His kingdom when we are dead.

Yes - Yes - Yes - exactly correct!

And this is important to clearly understand!!

We want to be in the kingdom of God before we die!! And we know that Jesus does not want anyone to perish - so who is behind the idea that the kingdom of God is not available to us now?? Don't come into agreement with those spirits!

 

[Adam]

Rev 3:19,20 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

How does Jesus come into you, if you are you and Jesus is Jesus? You're setting up a false duality, Jesus cannot be in you if there is a duality of you versus Jesus as separate beings. For you to have Jesus in you, you must only be discovering what is already there.

 

[Karl Peters]

How does Jesus come into you, if you are you and Jesus is Jesus? You're setting up a false duality, Jesus cannot be in you if there is a duality of you versus Jesus as separate beings. For you to have Jesus in you, you must only be discovering what is already there.

WHAT - you r just being silly

He comes into you when you listen to Him!! How did you miss that??

Rev 3:19,20 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

So if you do hear His voice you become one with Him - simply because He talks to you and you with Him. That happens via His Holy Spirit!

Jn 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Jn 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

If anyone truly talks back and forth with Jesus Christ they do so by Him sending His Holy Spirit to give you spirit His words - and that happens inside you so that the word of God we preach is found in our hearts and sometimes coming our out mouth! So why do you ask, if you are hearing His Holy Spirit speaking to your spirit inside you?

But if you are not seeking Jesus Christ and His words for you, then you are not receiving His Holy Spirit and not finding the word of God we preach in you!!

Rom 10: 8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

Thus you don't know the WORD OF GOD who is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, if you are not seeking Him

Rev 19:13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
Rev 1916 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

If you seek Him, Jesus Christ, you find Him because He sends His Holy Spirit into you to speak to your spirit, thereby giving you ears to hear and eyes to see - so that you find Him and 'the armies which are in heaven which follow Him', because He is the KING OF KINGS over the kingdom of God! So finding the King of course means finding His Kingdom which is the Kingdom of God.

But not everyone finds Him, because not everyone believes He is even there to be found! So He is not in everyone - only those who find Him. So who lied to you? Who would promote the idea that He is already in everyone, except those dark evil spirit who deceive the world? I mean - if everyone already has salvation then they don't need to seek and listen to the Word of God and His Kingdom we preach!!

 

[Adam]

WHAT - you r just being silly

He comes into you when you listen to Him!! How did you miss that??

Rev 3:19,20 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

So if you do hear His voice you become one with Him - simply because He talks to you and you with Him. That happens via His Holy Spirit!

Jn 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Jn 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

If anyone truly talks back and forth with Jesus Christ they do so by Him sending His Holy Spirit to give you spirit His words - and that happens inside you so that the word of God we preach is found in our hearts and sometimes coming our out mouth! So why do you ask, if you are hearing His Holy Spirit speaking to your spirit inside you?

But if you are not seeking Jesus Christ and His words for you, then you are not receiving His Holy Spirit and not finding the word of God we preach in you!!

Rom 10: 8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,

Thus you don't know the WORD OF GOD who is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, if you are not seeking Him

Rev 19:13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
Rev 1916 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

If you seek Him, Jesus Christ, you find Him because He sends His Holy Spirit into you to speak to your spirit, thereby giving you ears to hear and eyes to see - so that you find Him and 'the armies which are in heaven which follow Him', because He is the KING OF KINGS over the kingdom of God! So finding the King of course means finding His Kingdom which is the Kingdom of God.

But not everyone finds Him, because not everyone believes He is even there to be found! So He is not in everyone - only those who find Him. So who lied to you? Who would promote the idea that He is already in everyone, except those dark evil spirit who deceive the world? I mean - if everyone already has salvation then they don't need to seek and listen to the Word of God and His Kingdom we preach!!

Luke 17:21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Matthew 13
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

John 10
30 I and my Father are one.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

God was in all of us all along, it is just a matter of finding Him.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Rev 3:19,20 ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

So if you do hear His voice you become one with Him - simply because He talks to you and you with Him. That happens via His Holy Spirit!

It is true that no one can come to the Father unless it is through the Son......but at the same time, no one can come to the Son without an invitation from his Father.

“No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him. . . . .This is why I have said to you, no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:44, 65)

This indicates a filtering process, where both Jesus and his Father are searching among mankind to find citizens for the Kingdom that will lead some among sinful mankind, back into reconciliation with our Creator.
Jesus said that “few” would be found on the road to life. The “many” are traveling the wrong road. (Matt 7:13-14) Yet they have no idea that they are. (Matt 7:21-23)

This Kingdom is not what most people imagine. It was set up only as a means to bring about the reinstating of God’s first purpose in creating humankind on earth. It is a government...(Isa 9:6-7) with a king and his elect (chosen ones) assigned the task of eradicating sin from the human race and bringing us back to what God had in mind at the outset. Jehovah did not create the earth as a training ground for heaven, and the majority of humankind will never go there. The earth was created to be our permanent home. Everlasting life was to be enjoyed here in paradise conditions, right here. The “tree of life” was there in the garden to guarantee it.

Adam lost his everlasting life and his paradise home for himself and all of his children, when he disobeyed the one command that God gave him. The eating of the forbidden fruit was the only cause of death, and the means that guaranteed everlasting human life, was placed off limits from that day forward. (Genesis 3:22-24)

Adam also severed his direct line of communication with God by this one act of disobedience, but we were not left without hope. (Rom 5:12) The Father provided a “mediator” who would act as a “go-between”, mediating between humans and their Creator.
1 Tim 2:3-5...
“This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, 4 whose will is that all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus”.

So all sorts of people can come to the Son, but only those who are invited by the Father will have their spiritual eyes opened to the truth......the devil will provide the others with all the lies that are designed to lead people away from God rather than to him...these are the ones who embrace the lies....deluded by their own choice. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

 

[Karl Peters]

Luke 17:21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Matthew 13
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

John 10
30 I and my Father are one.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

God was in all of us all along, it is just a matter of finding Him.

All the verses are correct that you posted, but not one of them says was in all of us!!!

So if you are going to make that statement should you not at least find some verse that supports it??

I could even come up with verses that might, if you take a certain point of view, seem to mean that God was in all of us all along. Try something that connects with God being omni-present - but Jesus saying "I am my Father are one" doesn't mean that God is in all of us!! You are not Jesus Christ, are you?

The only verse that comes close is Luke 17:21 which I already discussed. Look close it reads "they say"!! That is not "all say"!! Indeed the believer finds the Word of God Jesus Christ in them, but that after they believe and open the door to Jesus Christ the King, not before!! So the "they" in that verse are true believers not every one - otherwise, like I already pointed out, He could not come in to them as mentioned in Rev 3:20

So go back to the drawing board and see if you can actually find support for what you are saying in the Scriptures. Of better yet, go to our Lord Jesus Christ and talk to Him about it. Then you will find that He comes in to you as you open up to Him and listen to Him.

 

[Karl Peters]

It is true that no one can come to the Father unless it is through the Son......but at the same time, no one can come to the Son without an invitation from his Father.

“No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him. . . . .This is why I have said to you, no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” (John 6:44, 65)

This indicates a filtering process, where both Jesus and his Father are searching among mankind to find citizens for the Kingdom that will lead some among sinful mankind, back into reconciliation with our Creator.
Jesus said that “few” would be found on the road to life. The “many” are traveling the wrong road. (Matt 7:13-14) Yet they have no idea that they are. (Matt 7:21-23)

This Kingdom is not what most people imagine. It was set up only as a means to bring about the reinstating of God’s first purpose in creating humankind on earth. It is a government...(Isa 9:6-7) with a king and his elect (chosen ones) assigned the task of eradicating sin from the human race and bringing us back to what God had in mind at the outset. Jehovah did not create the earth as a training ground for heaven, and the majority of humankind will never go there. The earth was created to be our permanent home. Everlasting life was to be enjoyed here in paradise conditions, right here. The “tree of life” was there in the garden to guarantee it.

Adam lost his everlasting life and his paradise home for himself and all of his children, when he disobeyed the one command that God gave him. The eating of the forbidden fruit was the only cause of death, and the means that guaranteed everlasting human life, was placed off limits from that day forward. (Genesis 3:22-24)

Adam also severed his direct line of communication with God by this one act of disobedience, but we were not left without hope. (Rom 5:12) The Father provided a “mediator” who would act as a “go-between”, mediating between humans and their Creator.
1 Tim 2:3-5...
“This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, 4 whose will is that all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus”.

So all sorts of people can come to the Son, but only those who are invited by the Father will have their spiritual eyes opened to the truth......the devil will provide the others with all the lies that are designed to lead people away from God rather than to him...these are the ones who embrace the lies....deluded by their own choice. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Hummm

First - yes we don't come to the Son except drawn by the Father. That is not exactly an "Invitation"!! I know in my life, right before I heard the first words from Jesus Christ (The Word of God) things happened that got me seeking God and a word from Him. Specifically, in my case my wife wanted to divorce me. So I set up a trip for my wife and I to go on in hopes of solving that problem. Yet the afternoon before the trip both of my cars suddenly wouldn't start. They were both fine then they just wouldn't start. At that same time I got a weird feeling like 'goosebumps, and that got me outside of my house saying out loud "OK GOD, WHAT ARE SAYING TO ME", and I listened with by physical ears and heard nothing. Obviously God had set it all up, but it was a month or two afterwards until I heard the Lord first speak to me one morning.

I am not completely sure what that has to do with the subject, except that we need to know the King (Jesus Christ) before we get into His Kingdom!

As for the other part - Yeah, it is not as we imagine! But it seems you are very wrong in your assumption that the Kingdom of God was only set up as a means to bring us humans back to us!!

Gen 3:23,24 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

In the above verse we can notice a couple of things which contradict the idea that the Kingdom "was set up only as a means to bring about the reinstating of God’s first purpose in creating humankind on earth."

The first is that we already find heavenly host of the Kingdom of God there at the time of the fall of men! So the Kingdom of God was not set up because men fell, because the Kingdom of God already existed then! And we also read that in fact God used the heavenly host He already had and commanded to even prevent men from coming back to the garden!!!

Another way this can be shown is from time of the cross and the conversation between Pilate and Jesus.

Again, we find that the Jews and even all His disciples had fallen away from Him, yet His Kingdom was there and available to be commanded. So the kingdom of God had been around all that time in between, but it was not used by Jesus to keep Him from the cross.

Mat 26:53“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Jn 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

So the He was King, even though He was in the flesh and not in His Kingdom, and His kingdom was not in the earthly realm. He could have gotten His servants - those legions of angels if He asked the Father, but He wanted the will His Father and not His will done at that time. So the angels from that other realm, did not fight for Him. So it was not their fighting but rather His sacrifice that " eradicating sin from the human race and bringing us back to what God".

So, you have diffidently got that part wrong!!

His angels and their ability to fight or apply power did not eradicate our sin!!!!

To suggest such is a poor understanding of the basics of Christianity!!

He is our Saviour, but He does send angels to minister to those of us who will inherit salvation!!

Heb 1: 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Now what does ministering do, if not help prepare us for our eternal life????

Jehovah did not create the earth as a training ground for heaven

Now the Lord is my Teacher, but He does also send angels to minister to me and quite often. It does seem to surprise any of us to go to church and listen to the minister there, so how can we possibly surprise to think the Lord would not also send angels to minister to us??

What amazes me is that people talk about the King and the Kingdom of God as if they know, but then it becomes obvious that they don't.

When I seek the Kingdom of God first, and that means every morning when I pray the Lord's Prayer, right! I will then pick up my Lord, but also He answers my prayer "Thy Kingdom come. They will be come" - so at some point later I also get angels coming to help me, talk to me, minister to me, watch over me, and to get to know. I ask for "Thy Kingdom come", and He is not slow to answer like you think!!

Indeed, if you asked and believed you would get what you asked for, then of course you would know that angels are sent by Him to minister to you!! Then you would know that is to make you a better person both now and now on - including your eternal life!! I can't see how anyone who really was seeking the Kingdom of God wouldn't understand this already!!

 

[Adam]

All the verses are correct that you posted, but not one of them says was in all of us!!!

So if you are going to make that statement should you not at least find some verse that supports it??

I could even come up with verses that might, if you take a certain point of view, seem to mean that God was in all of us all along. Try something that connects with God being omni-present - but Jesus saying "I am my Father are one" doesn't mean that God is in all of us!! You are not Jesus Christ, are you?

The only verse that comes close is Luke 17:21 which I already discussed. Look close it reads "they say"!! That is not "all say"!! Indeed the believer finds the Word of God Jesus Christ in them, but that after they believe and open the door to Jesus Christ the King, not before!! So the "they" in that verse are true believers not every one - otherwise, like I already pointed out, He could not come in to them as mentioned in Rev 3:20

So go back to the drawing board and see if you can actually find support for what you are saying in the Scriptures. Of better yet, go to our Lord Jesus Christ and talk to Him about it. Then you will find that He comes in to you as you open up to Him and listen to Him.

Luke 3
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

So there is really no distinction between "believers" and "unbelievers". Everyone is already within God, but only aware of it to varying degrees.

 

[Aunty Jane]

First - yes we don't come to the Son except drawn by the Father. That is not exactly an "Invitation"!!

Since no one can come to the son "unless it is granted by the Father"....its not something we can take for granted ourselves, no matter how sincere we are. Unless God has 'drawn' us and revealed his truth to us, we would never be able to discern the difference between the "wheat from the weeds"....if we cannot tell the difference, then how do we direct our steps on the right path?

According to Matthew 7:21-23, the ones rejected by their "Lord" at the judgment, are shocked at his judgment against them.....they try to justify themselves and do not understand how the "Christianity" they practiced could be in error. Yet the sting is in the words..."I NEVER KNEW YOU".
"Never" means..."not ever".

I am not completely sure what that has to do with the subject, except that we need to know the King (Jesus Christ) before we get into His Kingdom!

People tell me stories like this all the time and my response is always the same.....if God was the one guiding and directing you all by means of his angels and his spirit, you would all be united in what you believe and practice....that in itself would prove that God was actually directing you....but we know that today, Christianity is a divided mess.....and the devil can masquerade as "an angel of light".....so how do you know if its God talking to you, and not the trickster doing his thing? He is the great deceiver after all....with thousands of years of experience up his sleeve. You think he can't fool you? (1 Cor 10:12)

As for the other part - Yeah, it is not as we imagine! But it seems you are very wrong in your assumption that the Kingdom of God was only set up as a means to bring us humans back to us!!

Is there any mention of the Kingdom of God in Genesis? Was Adam told that he was in training for heaven?...or the possibility of going to "
hell"? Is that what God told him? (Gen 3:19)

God's command to the first humans was to "fill the earth and subdue it".....only one part of that command was carried out after the fall. The earth has become "filled" with Adam's descendants, who are all under the curse of sin and death that he introduced in the beginning.
Jesus came to remove that curse and to redeem from among the human race, those who qualify to gain entry into God's heavenly Kingdom.
Some will be rulers and priests in that Kingdom (Revelation 20:6) and others will be subjects.
Kings need subjects and priests need sinners for whom to act as priests. These will be the earthly beneficiaries of the Kingdom's rule.

As for the other part - Yeah, it is not as we imagine! But it seems you are very wrong in your assumption that the Kingdom of God was only set up as a means to bring us humans back to us!!

Since Jesus is said to be the head of the "government" that will rule mankind, my assumption as to what God's Kingdom is is based on Bible prophesy.
Isa 9:6-7...
"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end. . . . ."

Daniel also gives us more information as to when we could expect this government to begin its rule....
After identifying a march of world powers having dominion over God's people from the time of their Babylonian exile, Daniel 2:44 takes us to the rulers in this "time of the end"....the last ones in Daniel's prophesy.
"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be [a]left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever."

This "government" is to crush all corrupt human governments under satan's rulership, (1 John 5:19) out of existence, and replace them as man's only ruling authority. By means of the Kingdom, all things will be brought back to the beginning.....Jesus came to buy back what Adam lost.....this is what redemption means.

Gen 3:23,24 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

In the above verse we can notice a couple of things which contradict the idea that the Kingdom "was set up only as a means to bring about the reinstating of God’s first purpose in creating humankind on earth."

The first is that we already find heavenly host of the Kingdom of God there at the time of the fall of men! So the Kingdom of God was not set up because men fell, because the Kingdom of God already existed then! And we also read that in fact God used the heavenly host He already had and commanded to even prevent men from coming back to the garden!!!

The heavenly host were also on trial over Adam's sin since one of their own caused the rebellion in the first place.....that means that God had free willed children in both realms who needed to be taught a lesson in what it means to disobey their Sovereign.
That is what we humans have been enduring for thousands of years.....a contest between God and the devil for the hearts, minds and obedience of the human race. God gave rulership of the earth over to the devil to prove his case , (Luke 4:5-6) but of course God knows in advance how it will end. (Isaiah 46: 9-10) There is no excuse to be on the losing side if we are obedient to the teachings of God's son.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Continued.....

Another way this can be shown is from time of the cross and the conversation between Pilate and Jesus.

Again, we find that the Jews and even all His disciples had fallen away from Him, yet His Kingdom was there and available to be commanded. So the kingdom of God had been around all that time in between, but it was not used by Jesus to keep Him from the cross.

Mat 26:53“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Jn 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

I think you have that a bit muddled....
The words of Jesus you quoted were in response to Peter drawing his sword to defend Jesus against the mob who came to arrest him.
He told Peter that they did not need to fight for him, since 12 legions of angels could do a better job than mere mortals with only two swords.

To Pilate, Jesus emphasized that his earthly servants would have defended him if his kingdom was earthly (in the same way that his ancient people defended their God-given land in battle and he supported them as long as they obeyed him).....but since his kingdom was not from this realm, it was God's will for him to be handed over to the Jews. As Jesus said..."let not my will, but yours, be done."

So the He was King, even though He was in the flesh and not in His Kingdom, and His kingdom was not in the earthly realm. He could have gotten His servants - those legions of angels if He asked the Father, but He wanted the will His Father and not His will done at that time. So the angels from that other realm, did not fight for Him. So it was not their fighting but rather His sacrifice that " eradicating sin from the human race and bringing us back to what God".

So, you have diffidently got that part wrong!!

That is your opinion, but you cannot say "I'm right and you are wrong", because Jesus will make that clear when he judges all of us. "Many" are going to be rejected outright....we just hope that we are not among the ones that Jesus said he "never knew."

His angels and their ability to fight or apply power did not eradicate our sin!!!!

To suggest such is a poor understanding of the basics of Christianity!!

I don't recall saying that they did.
The basics of "Christianity" have been lost over centuries of apostasy in "the church". Jesus warned that this would happen. If you think Christendom represents what Jesus taught, you are sadly mistaken. What took place in Judaism, also overtook Christendom. (Matthew 15:7-9)
Christendom is rife with the doctrines and traditions of men.....the weeds of Jesus' parable.....a divided and disobedient rabble. Christ has never set foot in that place.

He is our Saviour, but He does send angels to minister to those of us who will inherit salvation!!

Heb 1: 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

Now what does ministering do, if not help prepare us for our eternal life????

Indeed but Jesus will not send his angels to those who teach and promote the devil's counterfeit "Christianity".

What amazes me is that people talk about the King and the Kingdom of God as if they know, but then it becomes obvious that they don't.

It amazes me too since it is rather simple.....it is a government that has a "king" and a "dom"ain.... it is the instrument used to reinstate God's first purpose. (Isaiah 55:11) What God starts...he finishes.
It sounds to me like Christendom has no idea what God started, and why we needed a redeemer and a kingdom in the first place.

When I seek the Kingdom of God first, and that means every morning when I pray the Lord's Prayer, right! I will then pick up my Lord, but also He answers my prayer "Thy Kingdom come. They will be come" - so at some point later I also get angels coming to help me, talk to me, minister to me, watch over me, and to get to know. I ask for "Thy Kingdom come", and He is not slow to answer like you think!!

The Lord's Prayer is not in the Bible to be mindlessly repeated....Jesus never gave us his prayer to tell us what words to say, but it was about the things we need to use as a model for our own prayers. Read the words just before his prayer is recorded....
Matt 6:6-10...
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."

Indeed, if you asked and believed you would get what you asked for, then of course you would know that angels are sent by Him to minister to you!! Then you would know that is to make you a better person both now and now on - including your eternal life!! I can't see how anyone who really was seeking the Kingdom of God wouldn't understand this already!!

I never understood the Bible when I was in Christendom....its only when I left that I discovered the truth....a perfectly beautiful, simple truth....uncomplicated by the false doctrines of men.

 

[Karl Peters]

Luke 3
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

So there is really no distinction between "believers" and "unbelievers". Everyone is already within God, but only aware of it to varying degrees.

Do you not realize that "shall be" foretells???

You are trying to take a verse that foretells of something and apply it as if it didn't foretell!!!

What you then need to do is to show verses that clearly show that it has happened and come to fulfilment for you point to be valid. And the very obvious problem is that people don't all know about the Kingdom of God!! In fact most don't even believe in Jesus Christ, the King! So you conclusion is just blatantly wrong!! Though I wish it wasn't. Indeed, my writing about the Kingdom of God is a reflection of how I wish you were right, though you are so obviously wrong!!

A time will come when all people in that time will personally know the KING OF KINGS, and thus about His Kingdom, but it is so clearly not now. And it is also clear in the Scriptures that many will not make it to that time when everyone will know and thus see Jesus (Jesus, Yeshua, means the salvation of God)

Mat 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

So let me just ask you a question: How is it that both Russia and Ukraine are both fighting for the same piece of ground if both are knowingly doing the will of His Father in heaven?



My friends - here is what you need to do!! You need to actually seek Jesus Christ who is God's salvation - then listen to Him as the Word of God and then try do what He tells you, because nobody knows His Father except Him and anyone He shows!

What you will find out is that He is the King placed over the Kingdom of God by His Father. (see Ps 2) And of course, if you get to know the King you will also get to know something about His Kingdom! He will have His angels watch over you and guard you. (Ps 91) He will send them to minister to you (Heb 1) And so when that day comes you will find that you already have passed through!

Jn 12:47,48 “If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

There are those who reject Him. They don't listen to Him or even try, but choose to not believe He is there. Therefore our salvation deepens complete on whether we really choose to believe that He is there for us and thus hear from Him, thereby not rejecting Him. It doesn't even depend on whether we actually do all He tells us, but only on whether you believe in Him. That is good, because none of us get it all right. We forget, get busy, make mistake, and mess up in soooo many ways, so He made it that we are saved by faith in the King. But if you believe in the King you surely must believe in His Kingdom. So you surely must know some angels who also serve Him, right?

But if you don't know about the angels and heavenly host that serve the KING OF KINGS, then how is it you say you know the King?

So I preach/proclaim the King, Jesus Christ, and Him as the Word of God. And in so doing that I also proclaim the Kingdom of God over which He rules! I don't see how anyone could know the King very well and still not know anything about His Kingdom and those heavenly hosts who serve Him.

For example - The Lord has me attending a large Christian church with several thousand members. I of course know who the main pastor is, but I don't know him and he does not know me, though I have been there at least ten years now. And in that time I have done many things around the church. I worked in the bookstore for several years, I took their school of ministry for a couple of years, I helped in their healing ministry for five years, I have been working in a prayer room ministry for about 4 or 5 years now, but I don't even know the main pastor, nor he me. Yet I know lots of people also working about the church.

Yet with the KING OF KINGS, I do know Him personally and He knows me. Indeed it was Him who asked me to do each and every ministry that I did, even Him who told me it was that church He wanted me in when I started going to that church. And He has a Kingdom not of this world! In it He has a throne which like Isaiah, Jerimiah, and John, I have seen with my spiritual eyes. Three times I have seen the throne of God, though each at a distance because those far more important than me are closer. And I have gotten to know many in that Kingdom, those heavenly hosts who serve Him (angels). You know all of them are greater than me. I feel like a little child, and a dirty one at that, when I get in situations like that. Still the King calls me His friend and we walk together as many days as not. We talk everyday called Today.

And would you really think less, since I can know people around my church though I don't know the main pastor over it and yet I do know the King over the Kingdom of God. Of course I know angels that He sends to watch over me and minister to me. Even the other people in my church who watch over the ministries He has had me are not around me and in my midst like the Kingdom of God!

Yet surprisingly, when I talk to those people at church it seem they don't know much about what I am talking about when I mention the Kingdom of God. Of course that is not true with all the people at church, but it is shockingly true with most people at the church. And that can be said of most of the people posting on this forum!! When are we going to honestly start seeking the Kingdom of God, meaning the King and those in His Kingdom?? When are we really going to start preaching the Kingdom of God like Jesus did??

 

[Wrangler]

Adam lost his everlasting life

Can't agree. If Adam already had everlasting life, why was there a Tree of Life in the Garden that God later had angels guard so Adam would not partake of it?

 

[Wrangler]

Yet the afternoon before the trip both of my cars suddenly wouldn't start. They were both fine then they just wouldn't start. At that same time I got a weird feeling like 'goosebumps, and that got me outside of my house saying out loud "OK GOD, WHAT ARE SAYING TO ME", and I listened with by physical ears and heard nothing. Obviously God had set it all up, but it was a month or two afterwards until I heard the Lord first speak to me one morning.

I am not completely sure what that has to do with the subject, except that we need to know the King (Jesus Christ) before we get into His Kingdom!

Profound. I had a similar experience.

Aunty Jane supposes that supernatural experience was demonic. I've warned her of two things:

1. Dangerous to blasphemy the Holy Spirit - the only unforgivable sin.
2. By their fruit you will know them. A bad demon it is, who brings us to Christ, eh?

 

[Karl Peters]

According to Matthew 7:21-23, the ones rejected by their "Lord" at the judgment, are shocked at his judgment against them.....they try to justify themselves and do not understand how the "Christianity" they practiced could be in error. Yet the sting is in the words..."I NEVER KNEW YOU".
"Never" means..."not ever".

Let's just go over Aunty Jane's comments:

I put the above one first because it is very important to understand!!! God can not lie (See Ti 1:2) So if you get to know Him and He gets to know you, He can not then tell you "I NEVER KNEW YOU". So I try to get people to actually get to know Him, and the "GOOD NEWS" is that you can get to know Him. It is written that all those who seek find. Therefore for it must be true that all those who seek Him will find Him, and Jesus said:

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

So there it is; the answer and good news about coming to know Him. So simply seek His voice and you will find it because He is there always speaking to you. But do we really believe in Him, that He is there??

This thread is about His Kingdom, and of course if anyone knows the King how can they say they don't know about His Kingdom? They just don't make sense, do they? Humm, what are we to make of the comments then?

Since no one can come to the son "unless it is granted by the Father"....its not something we can take for granted ourselves, no matter how sincere we are. Unless God has 'drawn' us and revealed his truth to us, we would never be able to discern the difference between the "wheat from the weeds"....if we cannot tell the difference, then how do we direct our steps on the right path?

Yes - I already agreed with the Father drawing us to His Son. Drawing is not exactly an "invitation", and I'm not sure what that has to do in a conversation about the Kingdom of God? So who exactly is having trouble with discernment.

But to answer the question about "how do we direct our steps on the right path?"

The answer is "WE DON'T"!!! If we are trying to direct our path then we have it wrong right from the beginning!!

What we want is for Him to guide our steps!! That means listening to Him!! Have we really read the Bible and not figure that out?

Deut 3:33 “Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps;
Everyone receives of Your words.

Ps 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way.

The premise of your question is all wrong!! Which brings into question, who is guiding your steps - meaning whose words are you getting?

Listening to Him should be something like this:

Is 30: 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

People tell me stories like this all the time and my response is always the same.....if God was the one guiding and directing you all by means of his angels and his spirit, you would all be united in what you believe and practice....that in itself would prove that God was actually directing you....but we know that today, Christianity is a divided mess.....and the devil can masquerade as "an angel of light".....so how do you know if its God talking to you, and not the trickster doing his thing? He is the great deceiver after all....with thousands of years of experience up his sleeve. You think he can't fool you? (1 Cor 10:12)

If indeed everyone was Jesus Christ who did and said only what the Father told Him, then that would be true. Yet nobody knows the Father except the Son and those whom He shows! And since Jesus said He did and says only what His Father tells Him, then we don't actually know the Son when we know Him. By knowing the Son we get to know the Father, because again, Jesus does and says only what the Father tells Him.

Also, again we find a false premise in what Aunty Jane write - that because Christianity is a divided mess it means that nobody has come to know Him. One has nothing to do with the other!!

The Lord once told me, "Karl, if a thousand of My mighty men are doing something wrong, that does not mean I want you doing it wrong." So saying that others are doing things wrong means that you are doing something wrong is just wrong thinking!! So where is she getting this from?

Then Aunty Jane writes, "so how do you know if its God talking to you, and not the trickster doing his thing?

There is a simple test in the Bible (see 1 Jn 4:1-3) The only thing is that you have to have spiritual ears to hear the response from the spirit you are testing! The Lord showed me that test long ago, not long after starting to hear from Him 20 plus years ago. There are some other things about discernment, but that is not what we are talking about in this thread about the Kingdom. It is just a distraction!!

Yet distracted for a moment, one of the other things about discernment the Lord showed me were the first words from that snake, which were: “Indeed, has God said, (Gen 3:1) Don't they sound a lot like "how do you know if its God talking to you" which came through Aunty Jane?

Since we are saved by belief in the Jesus Christ, the Word of God, an obvious trick from the devil is going to be trying to get us to doubt (which is the opposite of belief)! Yes we need to test the spirits and learn about discernment, but how are we doing if we are more afraid of hearing from Satan than we are believing to hear from Jesus Christ?

Is there any mention of the Kingdom of God in Genesis? Was Adam told that he was in training for heaven?...or the possibility of going to "
hell"? Is that what God told him? (Gen 3:19)

Yes indeed!! How do you miss it???

Gen 1:6-10 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good...

Oh, I see - It just has not been explained that well to people. God created a couple of realms and separated them. I would think we would understand this. There is a physical realm and a spiritual realm! I thought this was generally understood by Christians. That is why we have physical eyes and spiritual eyes, why we have heaven and earth, why we have the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this earth. There is even levels because some spirits were thrown down. And we read about Jacobs ladder, right. Anyway, you just need to talk to Him more!

Since Jesus is said to be the head of the "government" that will rule mankind, my assumption as to what God's Kingdom is is based on Bible prophesy.

No , you have a bad assumption!!

God's Kingdom is based on the Truth, and Jesus Christ is the Truth, you read that right?

So the prophesy, and not so much "Prophesy" as in something that will happen, but in the Bible as in history or His Story as I have heard said,

What you are sadly missing is that Jesus Christ is not only the King in the Kingdom of heaven, but all things belong to Him!!!!!! His Father put Him in charge of all things!!! (see Ps 2 and Jn 16) The only problem is that there is a rebellion taking place, which will be put down when the time comes

There is a radio program I like to listen to which sometimes goes over how people make silly and wrong arguments. One common way is that people make false negatives

Free off the internet from a Stephen Law Ph.D. I got this: One reason that some people suppose science and reason are incapable of establishing beyond reasonable doubt that certain supernatural claims are false—for example, that fairies or angels or spirit beings exist—is that they assume you can't prove a negative. Indeed this is widely supposed to be some sort of "law of logic.

Now we are required, according to the Bible, to believe in Jesus Christ, and we are told that He is the KING OF KINGS over the Kingdom of God. It can be proved, at least to your own satisfaction, and that is by seeking Jesus Christ and listening to what He has to say. Now I testify about that, and if in a court of Law you get numerous people testifying about the same thing then it is considered proved! The Bible is a group of testimonies about what I am also testifying to. So the writers of the Bible and also me, testify about the King and His Kingdom. I do so because I hear with my spiritual ears and sometime see with by spiritual eyes! Still other deny the King and His Kingdom which I testify to. They have rejected Him!! They don't know Him!! And yes "I NEVER KNEW YOU" will be a sad thing for them to hear.

 

[GRACE ambassador]

We want to be in the kingdom of God before we die!!

Whew! Amen!! Hallelujah!!! I made it:

Col 1:12 Giving THANKS unto The Father, Which Hath Made us
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

For:

Col 1:13 Who Hath Delivered us from the power of darkness,
and Hath Translated us into The Kingdom of His Dear SON:

Because of:

Col 1:14 In Whom we have Redemption Through His BLOOD,
Even the Forgiveness of sins:

Praise The LORD For Eternity!!!! Amen.
-------------------
Grace, Peace, And JOY In Christ, And In His Word Of Truth, Rightly
Divided!

 

[Karl Peters]

Profound. I had a similar experience.

Aunty Jane supposes that supernatural experience was demonic. I've warned her of two things:

1. Dangerous to blasphemy the Holy Spirit - the only unforgivable sin.
2. By their fruit you will know them. A bad demon it is, who brings us to Christ, eh?

I loved the last two posts from Wrangler. They are absolutely correct.

It is dangerous to blasphemy the Holy Spirit, and furthermore, it seems Wrangler has it correct as to what that means!!

There are many thoughts around Christianity as to what it means to blasphemy the Holy Spirit, so it is important to understand that the Holy Spirit wants us to believe in Jesus Christ!!

So we wind up blasphemy the Holy Spirit when we take the attitude that Jesus Christ is not there for us to believe in!

I am not saying that we don't need to test the spirits, we do, but to think that any spirit talking to you is a demon is going to wind up preventing you from even hearing from the Holy Spirit and the words of God with come from the Father and are given to the Son, and which the Holy Spirit brings to you. That is the disbelief that separates us from God and is the only unforgivable sin. Die with that disbelief and you will hear from Jesus Christ telling you that He never knew you! That is a huge problem. Very dangerous indeed.