Bible Teaching: RICHES IN GLORY

Many are missing good things. It may seem that they are choosing this way. But, really, no one wishes to miss a good thing. So why do so many miss out on the good things? Ignorance.

Think of the regrets because of missed opportunities which knocked at the door only once. You have heard stories of folks who missed untold treasures. One fortune was in the old family Bible. The heir had not bothered to open it. Lots of people are poor today because they fail to open the Bible.

A closed Bible is either because of ignorance or plain neglect. I am talking about those who profess to be Christians. Thru ignorance. they are choosing lesser blessings instead of the greater ones. A baby will choose the shiny penny rather than the dull $100 bill. It has not had any sense of values yet.

Think of the millions of Christians who are poor spiritually. They are so by choice. It is an ignorant choice.

For an example, let us consider Colossians 3:4, When Christ, our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Have you considered that verse? Does it apply to you, or to somebody else? Have you ever really studied that verse? Have you claimed it for your hope? Or, are you following the crowd right down Broadway?

Is this appearing here on the earth? In the clouds? Or, in glory? We do sense the fact that some day the Lord will appear. This word appear is not used in connection with the hope of Israel. It remains for the church.

The Lord does not yet reign. He has no throne, but shares His Father's throne at present time. Some day He will reign on the earth. He will have many crowns in that reign (Revelation 19:12). He will wear the crown of every nation on the earth, hence many crowns. King of kings, and Lord of lords will be His title.

But where did He get the crowns? Where is the coronation ceremony? Not here on earth, for He comes from heaven with the crowns already on His head. Where is the coronation?

Before coming to the earth He will rise from His Father's throne. Since our life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3), then we must conclude that He is hid in the heavenlies. He is also waiting for the manifestation there.

The church has not been invited to the marriage of the Lamb. But it has been invited to the coronation of the Lord. The marriage of the Lamb will be here on the earth. The bride is Israel, an earth people. The coronation is in the heavenly places, far above all. Christ is the Head of His church. They are invited to His manifestation to the powers in the heavenlies, not to peoples on the earth.

Then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. What a wonderful time that will be. But, will you be there?

I was a child of God for many years before I knew that I could have the adoption as a son and have my citizenship in the heavenlies, the holies. I was content to remain a child, since I knew nothing else. Ignorance may be bliss at times. But somebody pointed me to the truth.

In view of Philippians 3:20, I changed my address. I have been quickened, raised, and seated with Christ in His Father's throne. And all that by simple faith. I never deserved .it. The Father was glad to give it to me. All I had to do was to believe and ask. It was that simple.

And all that time that I was a child of God, I never dreamed that I was a saint. But I was. Not by anything I had done, but because of my relationship to Christ. I had died with Him, and was buried with Him, and I was resurrected with Him. That made me a 'saint. No person or group of persons conferred that sainthood upon me. It was by God's grace. For you see, I had been clothed with the righteousness of Christ. And God looked upon me then as if He were looking at His own Son. The Son had my sins imputed to Him, and I had His righteousness imputed to me. That was one trade in my life that I got a real bargain, got the best of the deal.

And there is plenty of the same for you in the storehouse of the unsearchable riches of Christ. All you do is ask and it shall be.

I had some puzzles in my former life which I just could not make out. But I kept wondering why the church during Acts was so different from what was called the church in my day. There were few similarities. Why no longer the gifts of the Spirit? I never saw anybody raised from the dead. No families in the groups I attended ever observed the Passover as they did back then. Why? And why could Gentiles now take part in the services and sit in the congregation, when back during Acts they could not do so (Romans 9:4)? I wondered why folks then would be stricken dead when they lied in the assembly, but now even preachers can get away with lying. It just did not make sense. But then I was brought up in the traditions of the church and I dared not question these things. That would be heresy.

Also the meek were to inherit the earth. What earth and where? Did I have any part in this? I later found that this inheritance was for Israel, the Promised Land or earth. Also found out that the promise of long life in this land was for honoring father and mother. Again, this did not make sense for today.

But about the last straw was the realization that the church of Acts period was to go thru the great tribulation and then caught up into the air (not heaven) at the last trump. And they do not go to heaven, but have part in the kingdom here on earth.

All those years, 2 Timothy 2:15 had been in my Bible and I had never really seen it there. If I did read it, it did not mean anything; just so many words. But one day light shone upon it just right and I saw it. "Rightly divide," that was the key. Simple, isn't it? Why didn't I see it before?

All that time I had not realized that I was not a Jew. My ancestors came from Japheth, not Shem. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not my fathers. My fathers did not cross the Red Sea, waste 40 years in the wilderness, and then cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. My fathers were not at Sinai to receive the law. It was not given to Gentiles, but to Israel.

All this I did not know. No one had ever mentioned it to me that I can remember. And I began to realize that confusion is just plain ignorance, and I certainly had been ignorant. In that ignorance I had been trying to steal. I was appropriating to myself that which belonged to Israel, especially her blessings. As for the curses, I was willing that Israel should have them. I had used an old Bible in which all the good things in the O.T. were related to the church, and all the bad things to Israel. I just swallowed all that without questions. After all, it was in print, so why should it be wrong?

So I work all the harder in order that I may be approved of God, a good workman that need not be ashamed, now rightly dividing the Word of Truth as the Word says I should do.

As long as I did not know whether I was Jew or Gentile, the passage in John 4:22 which says that salvation was of the Jews did not bother me. But when I began rightly dividing the Word and found in Acts 28:28 that the salvation of God was sent to the Gentiles, I took another look. That is when I made a great discovery. The promises made to Abraham are not valid today. They have been set aside for a time until Israel wakes up and is ready to receive them. And the kingdom is a part of this. The King was rejected, murdered, and rejected the second time at the end of Acts. That is why Israel is divorced today and the Gentiles have a salvation of their own.

RICHES IN GLORY

Philippians 4:19