irnawan silitonga

Church and Denominations

By: Irnawan Silitonga

I am moved to briefly write about this topic because in the Christian world, ‘Church’ and ‘Denomination’ have long been considered the same thing. In fact, almost no denominational leaders ever question the difference between the Church and a denomination. Perhaps it is seen as unimportant to make an issue of it—especially since almost every theological school in the Christian world teaches the concept of the ‘visible’ and ‘invisible church’. It is said that denominations represent the visible church because they are physically seen—the buildings, the streams, the organizations, the worship services, and so on. Meanwhile, the invisible church refers to all people in the world who have been born again or who have truly believed in Jesus Christ.

Let us begin by seeing in Scripture how important and precious the Church is in the eyes of the Lord Jesus.

First, Jesus obtained His Church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). If someone buys something by paying even half of their possessions, we can imagine how valuable that thing must be. How much more valuable then is the Church that Jesus purchased with His own blood! How precious the Church must be in His sight.

Second, when Saul persecuted the Church, Jesus said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Here we see that Jesus does not separate Himself from the Church, because the Church is His very Body. Whoever persecutes the Church persecutes Jesus Himself. Whoever corrupts the Church through false teachings and deceitful motives is in fact wounding Jesus deeply.

Third, Jesus said, “I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18). One of the reasons Jesus came into the world was to build His Church. In Matthew 23, Jesus said, “Do not let anyone among you be called Rabbi, Leader, or Father, for you have only one Leader.” We see here that Jesus refuses to be “interfered with” in His work of building the Church. He alone will build it. He alone will be its Head. He never has and never will delegate His authority over His Church. All members of the Church are brothers and sisters. This shows how important the matter of building the Church is in His eyes. Truly, only Jesus is able to build His own Church. Remember, my brother, building the Church is the business of Jesus, and He does not wish to be disturbed by those who call themselves rabbi, leader, or father. Why does Jesus refuse interference in building His Church? Because the Church is precious and dear to Him.

Fourth, the Bible speaks of Jesus and His Church from Genesis to Revelation. In Genesis, Jesus and His Church appear in symbolic form: Adam as a symbol of Christ Jesus, and Eve as a symbol of the Church. In Revelation, Jesus is depicted as the Lamb, and His Bride is the New Jerusalem. This shows us how central the Church is in the Father’s plan—and therefore, how deeply important the Church is to Jesus. If, by His grace, we can see how important the Church is, can we still take the matter lightly? Can we still casually say that the Church and denominational institutions are the same thing?

We have seen how precious the Church is in the eyes of Jesus Christ. But how is it that the Church—so valuable to Him—has now become divided into thousands of denominations? Was this truly Jesus’ plan when He said, ‘I will build My Church’? If we look at dictionary definitions, a ‘denomination’ is described as a ‘branch’ of the Christian Church. By that definition, it seems as though nothing is wrong—denominations simply appear to be the natural development of the Church, resulting from differences of opinion among leaders that give rise to various streams. However, if we examine John 10 and Acts 20:29–30, we will see that the matter is not that simple. Let us look at these two portions of God’s Word. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Who is this “thief”? Many pastors who misunderstand the context will say that the thief refers to the devil or evil spirits. But if we read the entire chapter—and even the one before it—we see clearly that Jesus was speaking to some Pharisees who were present there (John 9:40 and John 10:1).

In His conversation, Jesus used the parable of the good shepherd, but the Pharisees did not understand (John 10:6). In this parable, Jesus clearly defines who the thieves and robbers are: they are those who enter the sheepfold not through the door. Since the Pharisees did not grasp this parable, Jesus explained that ‘He’ is the door of the sheep.

The Pharisees and teachers of the Law sat “in Moses’ seat” and had authority over the people of Israel (Matthew 23:2–7). Jesus even told the crowds to obey what they taught, but not to imitate their deeds, for they taught without practicing what they preached. Their task should have been to shepherd God’s people. Yet, because they rejected Jesus—the door of the sheep—they were not shepherds, but thieves and robbers. Therefore, in context, the thieves and robbers are the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, not the devil or evil spirits. But what—or whom—did these Pharisees and teachers of the Law steal? They stole and robbed the sheep, of course.

Now let us compare this passage (John 10) with Acts 20:30 to understand more clearly. Acts 20:30 says, “Even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” Here Paul warns the elders in Ephesus that some leaders will draw disciples away from the truth to follow themselves—using false teachings to do so. Disciples who once followed the leading of the Spirit will be pulled away to become followers of those leaders. These leaders have “stolen” disciples through false doctrine. Why did these leaders steal disciples? Verse 29 explains that savage wolves had attacked them.

With this understanding, we begin to see why the Church has become fragmented into thousands of denominations. The “thieves and robbers” revealed in these two passages (John 10 and Acts 20:28–30) were originally people appointed by the Holy Spirit as overseers to shepherd the Church of Jesus Christ. But later, being attacked by savage wolves, they became thieves and robbers—teaching false doctrines and drawing disciples to follow them instead of the Holy Spirit.

So, the thieves and robbers are not outsiders; they are church leaders who have fallen, corrupted by the attack of the wolves. These thieves and robbers also neglected to watch over themselves (Acts 20:28). Before one can care for the flock, he must first guard himself so as not to be overcome by the wolves. That is why Paul urged Timothy to watch his life and his teaching—to avoid false doctrine.

By contrast, the good shepherd—the opposite of the thief and robber—knows his sheep and is willing to lay down his life for them. I once shared about the difference between a father and a manager. Both are leaders. A father leads his family, while a manager leads a community—whether a business organization or a religious community. A father knows his children and, under normal circumstances, would gladly give his life for them. A manager, on the other hand, does not need to know his subordinates personally. His main duties are planning, organizing, leading, motivating, and controlling to ensure everything runs according to plan. Such management does not require personal knowledge of or relationship with the people under him. A manager can lead 100, 1,000, 10,000, or even hundreds of thousands of people, because his relationship with them is a working relationship—aimed at profit. But a father’s relationship with his children is one of blood—its purpose is love and relationship.

Church leaders have a “blood relationship” with the congregation—the “blood of Jesus” or the Life of Christ. Church leaders are fathers. Peter, Paul, and John were fathers. They were not managers. In fact, there should be no managers in the Church. The only true “manager” of the Church is the Holy Spirit—the Life-giving Spirit. All members of the Church are servants of the Spirit, as Paul called himself a prisoner of the Spirit. The book of Acts mentions the Spirit about seventy times—in phrases like ‘the Spirit led’, ‘the Spirit forbade’, ‘the Spirit spoke’, and so on. Why? Because every member of the Church follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit, including its leaders. From this we see that thieves and robbers resemble “religious managers” more than fathers who love and care for their flock. Hopefully, through this explanation, we can more clearly identify these thieves and robbers, and we can better understand why the church has split into thousands of denominations as we see today.

We are still trying to clarify the identity of the thieves and robbers revealed in two passages of God’s Word—John 10 and Acts 20:28–30. Let us look more closely at several things concerning these thieves and robbers. First, these thieves and robbers were once people appointed by the Holy Spirit to be overseers to shepherd the church of Jesus Christ. However, after being attacked by fierce wolves, they became thieves and robbers by teaching false doctrines and drawing the disciples away from the right path to follow them instead of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, these thieves and robbers are not people outside the church. They are, in fact, church leaders who have turned into thieves and robbers after being attacked by fierce wolves. However, the sheep of Jesus do not listen to the voice of the thieves, and they cannot be deceived. On the contrary, the sheep of Jesus will flee from false teachers and from those who steal the sheep.

Second, the sheep of Jesus follow Jesus (verse 27). The stolen sheep are unaware that they are merely following their leaders—perhaps following their programs, attending services with their rituals and creeds. But the sheep of Jesus follow Jesus, because they hear His voice and walk wherever the Lord Jesus leads them. In Revelation 14:4 it is written, “They follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” These are the overcomers—the sheep who are not only called but also chosen by the Father to follow the Lamb (Jesus) wherever He goes. The stolen sheep, of course, cannot follow Jesus wherever He goes, because they have already been “caged” or “confined” within a structured organization with programs determined by their leaders.

Third, the sheep of Jesus know Jesus (verse 14). John 10:10 says, “…I came that they may have life (zoe), and have it abundantly.” The life ‘zoe’ is the kind of life possessed and lived by God Himself. We cannot know Jesus unless we live this ‘zoe’ life. John 17:3 says, “And this is eternal life (zoe), that they may know You… and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Living the ‘zoe’ life means living a kind of life that is led by ‘zoe’. The sheep of Jesus live the ‘zoe’ life in their daily living. This is true worship in spirit and in reality, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman (John 4). The worship of the sheep of Jesus follows the leading of ‘zoe’ day by day—not worship “on this mountain or on that mountain” (John 4:21), not worship according to this or that program, nor worship following this or that leader or religious regulation.

The stolen sheep can no longer worship according to the daily leading of ‘zoe’. Though they may have ‘zoe’ within them, they no longer live or worship according to its leading because they are already “confined” by programs, sects, religious rules, and so forth.

Up to this point we have seen that the church’s division into thousands of denominations occurred because of thieves and robbers (John 10). Savage wolves have attacked certain church leaders so that through false teachings they draw disciples to themselves (Acts 20:29–30). We have tried to identify these thieves and robbers, as well as the sheep stolen by them. We have also identified the sheep of Jesus—those who cannot be stolen, for Jesus Himself said, “No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29).

Considering the present condition of the church, which has been fragmented into thousands of denominations—where there are thieves and robbers, stolen sheep, and the sheep of Jesus—we might ask: Did Jesus fail when He said, “I will build My church”? If we think that all sheep, both stolen and not, are the sheep of Jesus, then it would appear that Jesus has failed as the Shepherd, since some of His sheep were stolen. But we know that Jesus said, “No one can snatch My sheep out of the Father’s hand,” and “I and the Father are one.” Therefore, clearly Jesus did not fail.

Why did Jesus not fail? Because only the sheep chosen by Him can truly be called the sheep of Jesus. Many are called to be sheep, but few are chosen to be the sheep of Jesus. I have written earlier on the theme ‘Many are called, but few are chosen’. Let me quote my explanation concerning the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1–14): Begin quote:  Let us look deeper into our conclusion, “many are called, but few are chosen.” Who are those who were called but not chosen? We know that those invited and called in the parable of the wedding feast were the Jews. And the Jews were God’s people, who had been adopted as sons, received the glory, the promises, and the Law. But God chose only the remnant of Israel. Therefore, those who were called but not chosen are God’s people. The Jews were God’s people, yet only a remnant was chosen. This agrees with what Jude said, “…the Lord, having saved His people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe” (verse 5). So, even though they were called out of Egypt, Israel still failed to enter the Promised Land—only Joshua and Caleb succeeded. Why? Because most of Israel were called but not chosen.

Thus, those who are called are indeed God’s people. Those who failed to enter the Promised Land were also God’s people. They failed because they were only called but not chosen. This is consistent with many parables in the Gospels—the parable of the talents, the sower, the wise and foolish virgins, the vine, and many others that explain the same truth. We will study these parables one by one later so we can understand more clearly what ‘many are called, but few are chosen’ truly means. End quote.

Therefore, Jesus did not fail to build His church when He said, “I will build My church.” As long as we understand that the sheep stolen by the thieves are indeed God’s people who received the grace to be ‘called’ but not to be ‘chosen’. Meanwhile, the sheep of Jesus are those who have received the grace both to be called and to be chosen. We have seen, then, that Jesus did not fail when He said, “I will build My church.” The sheep of Jesus—those who are called and chosen—cannot be stolen by thieves and robbers. The Christian world may be filled with sheep-stealers and stolen sheep, but the sheep of Jesus continue to follow and listen only to His voice.

Was God “surprised” by the current state of Christianity? Or is the existence of these thieves and robbers actually part of His plan to refine and mature His chosen sheep? Let us reflect on this together. Christian theology generally adopts a dualistic view—an idea that certain situations arise from two opposing forces: God as the source of good and Satan as the source of evil, struggling against each other. According to this view, Jesus as the Good Shepherd was suddenly attacked by savage wolves (the devil), causing some of His sheep to be stolen. Hence, the once-united church became fragmented into thousands of denominations—as if God were “taken by surprise” by this attack. But is that really the case?

This dualistic teaching actually diminishes God’s sovereignty, as though He were not the One who determines all things. The Bible says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever” (Romans 11:36). Likewise, Isaiah 45:6–7 declares, “…I am the LORD, and there is no other, forming light and creating darkness, making peace and creating calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.” And Amos 3:6 asks, “If disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD done it?” Clearly, it is God who designs all things. It is God who designed even the attack of savage wolves upon the church for His own purposes.

Let us look at the real example of thieves and robbers in the time of Jesus—the Pharisees, the scribes, and all the Jewish religious leaders (the Sanhedrin) who killed Jesus. Was God “surprised” when He Himself was rejected and even killed by these religious leaders? Let us read John 12:37–40: “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet… For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.’”

It is clear from these verses that God Himself blinded and hardened the hearts of the Pharisees and scribes—the thieves and robbers—so that they would not see or understand. Why did God harden them? Because He had His own purposes—to fulfill His Word, to glorify His name. And I am convinced that God also designed the existence of thieves and robbers within Christianity to refine and mature His chosen sheep.

Therefore, Jesus was not “surprised” when savage wolves attacked some church leaders, causing them to draw, steal, and even rob God’s people—those who had received grace only to be called. But Jesus ensures that His chosen sheep will never be stolen by such robbers. From this brief explanation, we can understand several points about the church and denominations:

1. The division of the church into thousands of denominations occurred because of thieves and robbers of the sheep.

2. These thieves and robbers were originally church leaders (elders = presbuteros or episkopos), but after being attacked by savage wolves, through false teachings they drew disciples to themselves. They no longer build the Church but their own denominations, their own sects, their own kingdoms.

3. The thieves and their stolen sheep are still God’s people—those who received the grace to be called, just like the Pharisees, scribes, and the people they misled were God’s people, the nation of Israel under the Mosaic covenant.

4. The sheep of Jesus are those who hear His voice and do not heed the voice of the thieves. They cannot be snatched from His hand. The sheep of Jesus not only received grace to be called but also to be chosen.

Let us close this writing by briefly describing the two women in the Book of Revelation, which represent two communities (the Church and the Denominations) in today’s Christianity. We will look at their leadership and the results thereof:

1. The woman in chapters 17 and 18 “sits upon a beast” (17:3). In Revelation, the beast symbolizes human governmental systems. Thus, this woman is supported by human leadership. Indeed, she becomes great—better described as a great city (Babylon), where the human system of “Nimrod” rules. The result of this human leadership is divine judgment (18:8).

2. The woman in chapter 12 is “crowned with twelve stars” upon her head. Twelve symbolizes divine government; stars represent the sons of God. This means the woman is led by a divine governmental system, in which the sons of God work together forming a crown (a symbol of

authority). The result of this leadership is that she gives birth to “a male child” who will rule and shepherd all nations (12:5). This “male child” will eventually be manifested to all creation to bring liberation to it (Romans 8:19–21). Thus ends this brief exposition on the Church and Denominations. May this writing bring enlightenment to us all, especially to His chosen ones. Amen.

Introduction to the Theology of the Kingdom

By: Irnawan Silitonga

The definition of theology as doctrine or understanding about God is quite adequate. Many people think that theology is a matter for experts—such as theologians, pastors, or whatever the title may be. Many also believe that theology is impractical, and therefore they say, “What’s the use of studying it? What matters is practice.” What they do not realize is that everyone is, in fact, a theologian—because all theology is practical.

A group of people who hijacked planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center towers in America were theologians. Why is that? Because they carried out that horrific act based on their theology. Whether their theology was right or wrong is another matter. Who their ‘god’ was is another matter as well. What is clear is that they did what they did because of their understanding of the ‘god’ they worshiped. They were practicing their theology.

Christians who faithfully obey and follow their pastor or spiritual leader are also practicing their theology. I call this “parrot theology,” because a parrot can only imitate. I am not mocking Christians; I am emphasizing that this parrot-like practice is caused by one’s theology. That is why it is very important for a Christian to ‘test everything’. It is essential for every believer to examine their theology—their understanding of God—because their theology will be reflected in their daily life.

So then, how should a Christian test everything? After all, not every Christian has the opportunity to study theology in a seminary, and not all are called to delve into the many theologies that exist in the Christian world. To answer this, let us look at what the Apostle John says in 1 John 2:27: “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie…” In this verse, the Apostle John is not saying that believers should never learn anything from others within the Body of Christ—because he himself wrote letters so that the saints might learn from him. What he means is that within every believer there is the anointing of Christ that teaches them all things, and at the same time enables them to discern all teachings they hear.

Therefore, if the anointing of Christ in each believer functions properly, every believer will know which theology or doctrine is true and which is false. Yet I also believe that in the Christian world, many are called but few are chosen. That is God’s sovereignty. For those who are chosen, the anointing of Christ within them will surely discern what is true theology and what is false, which voice belongs to the true Shepherd and which to the thief and robber. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.”

Now let us return to the title above: the theology we will discuss is the ‘Theology of the Kingdom’. Since this is merely an introduction, we will discuss it briefly. However, this does not mean the Theology of the Kingdom is unimportant in Scripture. On the contrary, we believe that the entire Bible—from Genesis to Revelation—has one main theme: ‘the Kingdom’.

Let us begin with the Book of Genesis to discuss our theme. The entire revelation of the Bible is actually already contained in Genesis in the form of types, symbols, figures, or “seeds.” This means that if we want to understand the revelation about the Kingdom, the “seed” of that revelation is already found in Genesis.

We begin with God’s plan in creating mankind. Genesis 1:26 says: “Then Elohim said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’” (ILT). There are three important things to notice in order to understand God’s plan for humanity.

First, the Hebrew term TSELEM, translated ‘image’, means ‘an image’ or ‘a representative figure’. This means that man is created as God’s representative on earth. Second, the Hebrew term DEMUTH, translated ‘likeness’, means ‘model’ or ‘resemblance’. It implies that just as Elohim has the ability to create, multiply, and “expand Himself” through creation, man also has the ability to be creative, to multiply, and to reproduce. So man was created as God’s representative on earth with the ability to be fruitful and multiply.

What was the Father’s purpose in creating man in His image and likeness? That man might, “…be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:28, ILT). Thus, the Father planned for mankind to multiply and to subdue the earth. The Hebrew term translated ‘subdue’ comes from KABASH, meaning ‘to subdue’, ‘to bring into bondage’, or ‘to tread down’. This indicates that there were enemies on earth to be conquered and subdued by man.

From Genesis 1:26–28, we can see that the Father’s plan for man focuses on the earth. Humanity was meant to be God’s representative, to multiply, and to take dominion over the earth. The Father’s plan was not to take man to heaven—though this is often preached from many pulpits—but rather to make man in His image and likeness so that he could rule and subdue the enemies on earth.

The Father’s purpose for mankind becomes even clearer when we consider the story of the Garden of Eden. However, we must understand that the story of Eden is ‘a parable’. Why?

1. A literal, physical place exactly as described in Eden has never been found.

2. There has never been an actual tree of knowledge or tree of life on earth.

3. There has never been a physical serpent that could talk.

4. Cherubim with flaming swords guarding the way to the tree of life have never been seen.

Therefore, the Garden of Eden is a parable meant to reveal God’s plan for humanity. Through Genesis 1:26–28, we can faintly see that mankind, in multiplying and filling the earth, must take the form of a kingdom. Why? Because we are told that Satan and his evil spirits form a kingdom—the kingdom of darkness. It would be impossible for God to plan for individual humans, working alone, to subdue a kingdom. Therefore, even though the revelation is still dim, we can already perceive that the Father planned a ‘kingdom of mankind’ to subdue the kingdom of darkness on earth.

Eden, then, symbolizes the initial revelation of ‘the Kingdom of Heaven on earth’. The Garden represents humanity’s condition on earth when first created by God—a state of being in God’s presence. To understand this more deeply, let us compare the Garden of Eden with the New Jerusalem in Revelation. Revelation 21:9–10 says: “‘Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’… And he showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven…”. Here, the angel promised to show John the bride of the Lamb—but what he showed was a city, the New Jerusalem. Thus, the bride of the Lamb ‘is’ the city, the New Jerusalem. This city represents God’s people—primarily Israel, but also those of us included in the New Covenant, which continues the Old Covenant.

If the City symbolizes God’s people, then so does the Garden—but with important differences.

1. In the Garden, God ‘walked’ among men occasionally; in the City, He ‘dwells’ among them permanently (Rev. 21:3).

2. In the Garden, the river did not flow from God’s throne; in the City, it does (Rev. 22:1)—and the throne represents the Kingdom.

3. In the Garden, there were two trees; in the City, there is only one—the Tree of Life.

4. In the Garden, there was no wall and the serpent could enter; in the City, there is a wall and the serpent cannot enter.

From these comparisons, we can conclude that the Garden represents humanity ‘in process’—still being tested. Though Eden symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, it was not yet proven. The Father desired that His Kingdom on earth would subdue the kingdom of darkness according to His plan.

The Garden represents humanity not yet fully in God’s likeness, since Adam did not yet know good and evil. Humanity at that stage was innocent—not yet holy because it had not yet partaken of the Tree of Life, which symbolizes Christ. The progression from the Garden to the City lies entirely in the Father’s hands. The “fall” of Adam, the two trees, and the serpent were all part of the Father’s design to process mankind so that His purpose might be fulfilled—that man would be made in His image, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue all things.

Everything in the Garden was arranged by the Father. Scripture affirms that nothing happened by chance or outside His control. Unfortunately, many Christian teachings about “free will”—whether human free will or the supposed free will of Satan (formerly a good angel, “Lucifer”)—have diminished the sovereignty of God, as if He were surprised by Adam’s fall or Satan’s rebellion and had to hastily devise a plan of salvation.

But Romans 8:20 declares: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope.” Clearly, it was the Father Himself who willed Adam’s “fall” by eating from the Tree of Knowledge so that man could be processed into His likeness. To become like God, man had to know good and evil—and also partake of the Tree of Life, which symbolizes Christ. That is why the death of Jesus as the Lamb of God was already prepared, as written in Revelation 13:8: “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Everything was arranged by the Father in heaven, and His plan cannot fail.

The same applies to Satan, symbolized by the serpent in Eden. Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, identify the serpent as “that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan.” The Greek word ‘archaios’ means ‘original’ or ‘primitive’—the same serpent from the beginning. Moreover, Satan was not once a good angel who later fell through rebellion, as popularly taught. John 8:44 and 1 John 3:8 both state that Satan was a murderer ‘from the beginning’ and has sinned ‘from the beginning’. He did not become evil; he was created that way—as an instrument in God’s hand to process humanity.

If we understand the Father’s sovereignty in designing all things for His purpose, then we are ready to grasp the progression from the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem. Eden represents the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, while the New Jerusalem descending from heaven to earth represents the fullness of that Kingdom. Thus, in the Garden of Eden—the initial revelation of the Kingdom—everything was under the Father’s arrangement. Adam was designed to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and undergo the process of becoming in God’s image and likeness. The serpent (Satan) was also created by the Father as His instrument for that process.

As I have written elsewhere about ‘God’s Sovereign Arrangement’, nothing in the universe happens apart from His will. Even a sparrow’s fall is not outside His will (Matthew 10:29), much less Adam’s. Everything has been planned by the Father so that His purpose—to make man in His image and likeness—cannot fail. Genesis 1:26–28 is the eternal plan of the Father, and it will surely be fulfilled because He controls everything. There is no ‘absolute’ free will in any creature that can escape the Father’s sovereignty. Of course, humans have will—but not ‘free will’ in the ultimate sense, for it is the Father in heaven who determines all things.

Understanding God’s sovereignty over the universe is very important. However, what we are currently discussing is about the government of Elohim, or the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. God’s sovereignty and God’s government are two different things. Let us look at Revelation 11:15 so we can distinguish between the two: “Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.’” In this verse, it is clear that the government of the world, which will be ruled by the Lord and His Anointed (the victorious church), will only take place when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet.

God has already been sovereign, authoritative, and in control of all things, even before the world existed, because sovereignty is one of His divine characteristics. Romans 11:36 affirms this truth: “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things…” God is the source and the determiner of all things. Everything exists and moves ‘by Him’. However, His ‘government’ on earth—or the ‘Kingdom of Heaven on earth’—is something different. In fact, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth came only through the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Even John the Baptist was not part of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, because his ministry belonged to the dispensation of the Law. We will discuss this when we talk about the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. For now, it is important to understand that the ‘sovereignty’ of God is different from His ‘government’ on earth, or the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Thus, it is the Father in heaven who arranges all things. The movement from the Garden of Eden—the beginning of the revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth—to the New Jerusalem—the fulfillment of that Kingdom—is entirely in the hands of the Father. The Father’s plan to establish His Kingdom on earth cannot fail, because He is the One who governs all things.

So far, we have seen that the Father’s plan is to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. We have also seen that the Garden of Eden, as the beginning of this revelation, is completely in the hands of the Father, whose plan cannot fail. The Kingdom of Heaven will surely be established on earth. The Garden of Eden, as the beginning of that revelation, continues moving toward the New Jerusalem as the full manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Now we will discuss the New Jerusalem to see that the Father’s plan to establish His Kingdom on earth will not fail.

We know from Revelation 21:9–10 that the New Jerusalem is the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb. Specifically, the Bride of the Lamb refers to the nation of Israel. Yet, as the Church, we also share in the New Jerusalem. Let us read Revelation 22:1: “And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (LITV). The throne here represents authority, power, and kingdom—where Elohim and the Lamb reign upon the earth. In Revelation 3:21 it is written, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” From this verse, we clearly see that the victorious church shares in the throne of the Lamb. In the New Jerusalem, both Israel and the victorious church take part in reigning over the nations.

Indeed, if we return to Genesis 1:26, which we have discussed earlier, we see that the Father’s plan from the beginning was for ‘all humanity’ to rule and have dominion over the earth: “…Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion…” The Father’s plan was for mankind—not just some people—to reign on earth. And since His plan cannot fail, we find that in the New Jerusalem, Israel and the victorious church serve in such a way that there will be no more death, which is the wages of sin.

Let us observe how the victorious church and Israel serve the nations and all humanity. The victorious church serves as kings and priests on the earth, as written in Revelation 5:10: “And You have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth” (LITV). In context, the word ‘us’ refers to the victorious church. In the New Jerusalem—or more precisely, in the era of the New Heaven and New Earth—the victorious church serves as kings and priests for all nations. Likewise, the nation of Israel continues to offer the water of life to whoever thirsts, as stated in Revelation 22:17: “And the Spirit and the bride (the Bride of the Lamb) say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

As a result of the ministry of the victorious church and Israel in the New Heaven and New Earth, the condition of the earth becomes as described in Revelation 21:1–4. We see several things there: First, Elohim dwells with mankind (v. 3). It does not say ‘with some men’, but ‘with all men’. Second, Elohim wipes away every tear, and there will be no more death (v. 4). We know that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), though in Christianity it is often believed that the wages of sin is eternal hell. But Scripture says that the wages of sin is ‘death’, and that death itself will ultimately be abolished. Third, all the old things have passed away (v. 4). All traces of Adam’s fall and of sin are gone. The earth has become new—in the sense that all mankind now reigns on it. Everything on earth is brought under human dominion. The Kingdom of Heaven has been established on earth. Thus, the Father’s plan is fulfilled.

We have seen that the Father’s plan—for all mankind, made in His image and likeness, to rule and subdue the earth and establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth—does not fail. His plan, written in Genesis 1:26–28, will surely be fulfilled. However, in order to fulfill His plan, the Father works through the ages—what scholars often call ‘dispensations’. We will now discuss how the Father’s plan to establish His Kingdom on earth is accomplished through these dispensations.

To understand what these ages, or dispensations, are, we will look at two portions of Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:4 and 2 Timothy 2:15, from the Indonesian Literal Translation (ILT), which translates the terms more closely to the concept of dispensation. 1 Timothy 1:4 says, “…nor pay attention to myths… which cause disputes rather than God’s administration which is in faith.” The term ‘administration’ here is translated from the Greek ‘oikonomia’, which comes from ‘oikos’ (household) and ‘nomos’ (law, rule, management). Combined, ‘oikonomia’ means ‘household management’. In English translations, ‘oikonomia’ is rendered as dispensation, administration, or stewardship. Thus, Paul’s counsel to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:4 is to focus on God’s household management which operates through faith.

The next verse, 2 Timothy 2:15, says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The expression ‘rightly dividing’ comes from the Greek word ‘orthotomeo’, which literally means ‘to cut straight’. Although this Greek term appears only once in the New Testament, its meaning is crucial. To “cut straight” the word of truth means to ‘correctly discern and distinguish’ the word of truth. As God’s worker or servant, we must divide the Word accurately so that we can understand God’s purposes and the way He fulfills His plan. If we combine the insights of 1 Timothy 1:4 and 2 Timothy 2:15, the meaning becomes this: a servant of God must understand how Elohim manages His household by rightly dividing His Word across the various ages or dispensations.

Generally, scholars divide human history into seven dispensations, each associated with a covenant:

1. The dispensation of innocence (the Edenic covenant).

2. The dispensation of conscience (the Adamic covenant).

3. The dispensation of human government (the Noahic covenant).

4. The dispensation of promise (the Abrahamic covenant).

5. The dispensation of Law (the Mosaic covenant).

6. The dispensation of grace (the New Covenant).

7. The dispensation of the Kingdom of God (the Eternal Covenant).

We will not go into the details of these traditional views here. Instead, we will divide the Word of God’s plan into seven eras: the era of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the victorious Church, the Millennial Kingdom, and the New Heaven and New Earth. Next, we will explore these eras to see how the Father in heaven fulfills His plan to establish His Kingdom on earth.

The Father’s plan—that all mankind, processed to become in His image and likeness, should subdue the earth and establish the Kingdom of Heaven on it—does not fail. His plan in Genesis 1:26–28 will surely come to pass. Yet, to fulfill His plan, the Father works through ages or dispensations. We begin by discussing the ‘era of Adam’, which begins in the Garden of Eden and ends at the time of the flood.

We have already discussed that the Garden of Eden is symbolic. The Garden of Eden is not heaven in the sense of a separate dimension from the physical earth. It is also not the earthly dimension (of space and time), because on earth there is no Tree of Life, Tree of Knowledge, or a talking serpent. The Garden of Eden is a ‘parable’ describing a certain state of existence. It represents the Kingdom of Heaven on earth in its ‘initial’ condition when humankind was first placed on earth.

The Kingdom of Heaven on earth, in its ‘initial’ form, must develop into its ‘full’ expression—the New Jerusalem descending from heaven to earth. The Father uses the two trees in the Garden of Eden to bring this development—from the initial state to the fullness. Both trees needed to be eaten by humans so that they might be processed and conformed to His image and likeness.

Let us observe two important consequences that befell Adam, Eve, and their descendants after they ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. First, Adam and Eve began to live in the realm of ‘knowledge’. They were led by their knowledge. Because of this, humanity—the descendants of Adam and Eve—has a strong inclination toward ‘religion’, since religion is born from the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve’s act of covering their nakedness was essentially a ‘religious act’. People who are religious are, often unknowingly, trying to cover their “nakedness” caused by the loss or diminishing of God’s glory.

Second, besides being ‘religious’, many fail to realize that humanity also has a strong tendency toward ‘kingship’. That is, those who have leadership abilities tend to build their own kingdoms, while those who do not will seek a human “king” and live under a human kingdom. Humanity has this ‘kingdom instinct’ because mankind was created corporately to rule and subdue the earth. However, if man has not partaken of the Tree of Life (symbolizing Christ Jesus) and matured in Him, he will end up building his own kingdom.

Let us consider the people in Adam’s era. Genesis 4:17 records: “…Cain built a city, and named the city after his son, Enoch.” In Scripture, a city symbolizes a government. If the city is built by those of the “Tree of Knowledge,” then it represents a human kingdom. But if it is built by those of the “Tree of Life,” it becomes the Kingdom of Heaven on earth—like the New Jerusalem. Cain, however, was one who departed from Elohim; therefore, the city of Enoch that he built was for his own glory and purposes. The city of Enoch built by Cain does not represent the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Not only did Cain build a city, but his descendants also built human civilization. The Bible mentions Jabal as the father of those who dwell in tents and keep livestock (Genesis 4:20)—this is the beginning of housing and animal husbandry. Then Jubal became the father of all who play the harp and flute—this is the beginning of the world of music and entertainment. Lastly, Tubal-Cain became the forger of bronze and iron—this marks the beginning of the industrial world.

Let us compare the descendants of Cain, who built human civilization, with the descendants of Seth. In Genesis chapter 5, we notice that no deeds of Seth’s descendants are recorded—only their ages. Yet, among them, two figures stand out: Enoch, who walked with God, and Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). It appears that the descendants of Seth were those who lived in fellowship with God.

This is confirmed by the fact that their ages were recorded in Scripture. In the pre–New Testament context, a person’s recorded age held spiritual significance. Many fail to notice that the Bible does not record Abraham’s age during his early years. Genesis 12:4 records that Abraham was 75 when he departed from Haran after receiving God’s promise concerning Isaac. However, according to Stephen, God had already appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his relatives while he was still in Mesopotamia, before settling in Haran (Acts 7:2–4). We do not know how old Abraham was when he left Mesopotamia, because Scripture does not record it. Why? Because Abraham was not fully obedient when first commanded to leave his relatives and his father’s house—he brought his father and Lot with him. Since Abraham was not fully obedient, the time between Mesopotamia and Haran was not recorded.

Therefore, with the ages of Seth’s descendants recorded, we can conclude that their lives were precious in God’s sight, even if their deeds were not publicly visible. In contrast, though the deeds of Cain’s descendants—who built human civilization—were recorded, none of their ages were. The lives of Cain’s descendants were not precious in the eyes of God.

Let us take a spiritual lesson from the age of Adam. We know that the Father’s plan is for humanity to become like Him, in His image and likeness, and to subdue the earth—or, in the language we have been using, to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. When we compare the deeds of Cain and his descendants with those of Seth and his descendants, it becomes clear that Cain and his line seem to “support” the Father’s plan in heaven more visibly. The works of Cain’s descendants are tangible and beneficial to human civilization. Yet, the Bible records that Seth’s descendants were more precious and pleasing before God, even though the fruits of their labor were not outwardly visible.

For those of us who emphasize the importance of “fruitful ministry,” “practical action,” or whatever term we may use—let us pause and reflect. Are our visible actions or the results of our ministry automatically pleasing to God? Let us consider that Cain’s descendants displayed the “fruit of ministry,” but Seth’s descendants demonstrated the superiority of fellowship with God—the priority of building a relationship with Him.

Now we will move to the age of Noah. The divisions of time that we have made usually end with a judgment from Elohim. Let us review the end of the seven ages we have outlined.

1. The age of Adam—from the Garden of Eden to the judgment of the flood.

2. The age of Noah—from the flood to the judgment at Babel.

3. The age of Abraham—from the call of Abraham to Israel’s bondage/judgment in Egypt.

4. The age of Moses—from Egypt to the judgment of the Cross.

5. The age of the overcomers (the Church)—from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to the judgment of the harlot woman (symbolizing the Church) in Revelation 17–18.

6. The millennial kingdom—from Christ’s coming (commonly called “the second coming”) to the judgment of Gog and Magog.

7. The age of the New Heaven and New Earth—from the great white throne to the judgment of the lake of fire.

Let us return to the age of Noah and discuss Nimrod (the grandson of Ham, Genesis 10:6–8). The discussion about Nimrod is very important to our theme because Nimrod was the first man recorded to have established a kingdom. What we must examine is whether Nimrod’s kingdom was in harmony with God’s plan to establish His own kingdom on earth.

Many assume that Nimrod was a man who served and lived ‘before’ the Lord (Genesis 10:9). However, according to Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew word PANIM, translated as ‘before’ (in verse 9), has a wide range of meanings. In Genesis 10:9—as also in Numbers 16:2—the word

PANIM, translated as ‘before’, can literally mean ‘to rebel’. Furthermore, the Jewish Encyclopedia explains that the name Nimrod means ‘he who makes all men rebel against God’. The Indonesian Literal Translation (ILT) also includes a footnote stating that ‘before the Lord’ can mean ‘defiant against’.

Let us now consider Nimrod’s purpose in building his kingdom (especially Babel—Genesis 10:10). In Genesis 11:4, we read, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” From this verse, it is clear that Nimrod and his associates had two goals. First, to make a name for themselves. We know that a name represents reputation, glory, works, and achievements. This was Nimrod’s motivation. His spirit can be seen echoed later in King Nebuchadnezzar’s words, king of Babylon, in Daniel 4:30: “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” It is therefore clear that Nimrod built the kingdom of Babel not to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Second, their goal was so that we will not be scattered. Indeed, those who build their own kingdoms desire to gather followers around themselves. This mirrors what happened among the elders in Ephesus, who ‘drew away disciples after themselves’ (Acts 20:30). We will discuss this further later. For now, it can be concluded that Nimrod was a rebel and defiant toward God, building his own kingdom for his own glory.

Next, we move to the third age, the age of Abraham. This age began with Abraham’s call and continued until Israel’s bondage/judgment in Egypt. Let us briefly revisit the previous age—the age of Noah. We have discussed that Ham, who was cursed by Noah, had a son named Cush, and Cush begot Nimrod. Nimrod was rebellious and defiant toward God, and he built his own kingdom for his own glory.

Now let us see how Nimrod’s kingdom (Babel) was judged by God (Genesis 11:1–9). Verse 7 records, “Come, let Us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” This was God’s judgment upon Nimrod’s kingdom, resulting in their scattering across the earth, each with its own language, kingdom (usually one city per king), and god. For Babel, their god was called ‘Bel’ (Jeremiah 51:44).

Then Abraham received God’s call. Many overlook the context of Abraham’s calling—that he was called out from the fragments of Nimrod’s divided kingdoms, particularly from Ur of the Chaldeans (Mesopotamia), which had its own gods. Joshua affirms this: “Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods” (Joshua 24:2). Thus, Terah, Abraham’s father, worshiped other gods. This is why God called Abraham to leave his father’s house (Genesis 12:1)—because God had a plan for Abraham to build a kingdom unlike the one ruled by Terah’s gods.

God’s promise to Abraham included land and descendants so that Israel could become a kingdom—a kingdom that would symbolize the kingdom of the Messiah, which exists in the heavenly dimension.

Consider Jesus’ words to Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). When Jesus asked the Pharisees whose son the Messiah was, they replied, The son of David. Then Jesus asked why David called his son ‘Lord’ (Matthew 22:45). Jesus meant that although the Messiah is physically descended from David, His kingdom exists in a higher, heavenly dimension. Jesus also taught His disciples to pray, ‘Your kingdom come’, meaning that the kingdom of heaven is to come to earth. Therefore, Israel’s kingdom was merely a symbol of the Messiah’s kingdom, the kingdom of heaven that will be established on earth.

If Israel was meant to become a kingdom, why was their request for a king during Samuel’s time considered a great sin? (1 Samuel 12:17). Their motivation was to be like the other nations, and their timing was not God’s. Therefore, their request was seen as a rejection of God Himself. Yet later, God chose and formed David and made a dynastic covenant that David’s descendants would never cease ruling Israel. Thus, it was indeed God’s will for Israel to be a kingdom—but as a symbol of the coming Messianic Kingdom.

What lesson, then, can we learn from the age of Abraham regarding the kingdom? The call of Abraham and the call of the Church (ekklesia) are similar. Both Abraham and the Church were called out of earthly kingdoms with their gods. But since the Church has fallen into thousands of denominations, these denominations have become little different from human kingdoms.

Now we turn to the fourth age, the age of Moses. This began when Moses was sent by Yahweh to free Israel from Egyptian bondage and extends to the judgment of the Cross. In this period, we will discuss the kingdom of Israel according to our theme. Exodus 19:6 says, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests.” Yahweh spoke these words after Israel had left Egypt and camped at Mount Sinai for about eleven months to make a covenant. The essence of this covenant, known as the Mosaic Covenant, was as follows:

1. Yahweh would be the God of Israel.

2. Israel would be His holy nation, His treasured possession, and a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:5–6).

What does it mean to be a kingdom of priests? It means Israel would be a kingdom in which all its citizens were priests—those who bring Yahweh to the nations and the nations to Yahweh, acting as mediators.

To understand the meaning of the Kingdom of Israel, we must understand the fundamental nature of the Mosaic Covenant, or the Old Covenant compared with the New. The Old Testament is symbolic, figurative, and prophetic; the New Testament is the reality, the fulfillment. Colossians 2:17 says, “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” Jesus said He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it—therefore, the entire Old Testament finds its fulfillment ‘in Christ’.

Thus, the kingdom of Israel was a symbol, a shadow, and a prophecy, while the reality and fulfillment is the kingdom of Christ—the Messianic Kingdom. When Jesus asked the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is He?” (Matthew 22:42), they replied, “The son of David,” implying a physical kingdom with physical enemies, weapons, and palaces. But Jesus said, “If David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son?” (Matthew 22:44–45). The Pharisees could not answer, but we know that the kingdom of the Messiah exists in a higher dimension—the heavenly realm. The kingdom of the Messiah is the kingdom of heaven, which will be established on earth, as Jesus taught: ‘Your kingdom come’. Therefore, the earthly kingdom of Israel was merely a symbol. Its fulfillment is the heavenly kingdom of the Messiah—the kingdom of heaven—that will also be established on earth.

Now we come to the fifth age, the age of the overcomers. This age begins with the judgment of the Cross and continues until the Lord’s return—the “second coming.” In this age, the kingdom of heaven is proclaimed. The proclamation of the kingdom of heaven was something entirely new, for in all previous ages no one had been sent to preach it. When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of heaven, there was no indication that anyone had preached such a message before. Of course, the kingdom of heaven was foreshadowed in earlier times, but its ‘reality’ began with Jesus.

Matthew 4:23, 9:35, and 24:14, as well as the Gospels of Mark and Luke, describe the kingdom of heaven as the gospel—the good news. Mark 1:1–2 states: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in the prophets: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.’” The following verses describe John the Baptist preaching and baptizing. Thus, the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the Gospel of the Kingdom—began with John the Baptist.

Although the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom began with John, the kingdom of heaven itself began ‘after’ him. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). This means that John, though greater than all who came before him, did not belong to the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. John’s ministry still belonged to the Mosaic age (the Law), as Jesus said, “The Law and the Prophets were until John” (Luke 16:16).

Before we continue our discussion of the kingdom of heaven, let us reflect on what the term actually means. The English word kingdom consists of king and domain, meaning a realm ruled by a king. Thus, the kingdom of heaven is a realm that exists within the heavenly dimension. Likewise, the kingdom of God is the kingdom belonging to God—both phrases are synonymous.

When the Word, who is God, became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, He was the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven on earth. The kingdom of heaven appearing on earth was something entirely new—a new creation. Revelation 3:14 declares, “...the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” Here, Jesus is called ‘the beginning’ (‘arche’, from ‘archomai’—a commencement). This does not mean Jesus was created, but that His incarnation as man marked the ‘beginning’ of a new creation.

The Apostle Paul often refers to this new creation as Christ. Christ is the new creation. Whoever is in Christ is a new creation. We must always remember: this new creation is the kingdom of heaven manifested on earth. Ephesians 2:10 affirms, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” As His chosen people, we have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus. The purpose is clearly stated—to do good works. Unfortunately, many Christians think that the ‘good works’ referred to in this verse only apply to our lifetime on earth, and that after death we will be evacuated to heaven to sing forever there, leaving the earth and its people to be cast into hell for eternity. This concept has spread widely and is generally accepted in the Christian world. This happens because they do not understand God’s plan for mankind on earth, nor do they understand what the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of Christ truly is.

God’s purpose for man is clearly stated in Genesis 1:26–28: that we are to be processed to become in His image and likeness, and to rule and subdue all things on earth. His chosen people will enter the Kingdom of Christ to perform good works—that is, to rule and subdue the earth for His glory.

Now we will briefly discuss how we may enter the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of Christ, and how God processes us so that we can function as kings and priests unto Him. Let us look at Luke 12:32 to see how we may enter the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of Christ: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). It is clear from this verse that the Kingdom of Heaven is given to a ‘little flock’, not to the large crowds within Christianity. I have already written about ‘many are called but few are chosen’ within the Christian world, and also about the overcomers who are called, chosen, and faithful. We will not discuss that again here. But it is clear that the Kingdom of Heaven is given by the Father in heaven to whomever He chooses in this present age. The Kingdom of Heaven is given to the ‘little flock’ solely on the basis of the ‘election of grace’.

Does this mean that the little flock, to whom the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom of Heaven, will not undergo any process? Of course not. The Father in heaven processes the little flock—beginning with being born of the Word and the Spirit (John 3:5), and then making them kings and priests (Revelation 5:9–10). Let us read Revelation 5:9–10 in the ILT version: “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased us for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And You have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth.’”

In this context, the ‘we’ refers to the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders—those chosen by the Father—whom Luke 12:32 calls ‘the little flock’. What is the Father’s purpose in choosing this little flock? To make them kings and priests ‘on this earth’. Before continuing our discussion about the little flock, let us first consider the difference between the church and the Kingdom of Heaven. In truth, the church is not the Kingdom of Heaven, but part of it. As we know, the church consists of those who have received grace to be ‘called out’ from their old life into a new life. To become a member of the church, one only needs to be born of the Word and the Spirit. But to ‘enter’ or ‘inherit’ the Kingdom of Heaven, other things are required. The church may contain many ‘spiritual infants’, but one must grow into kings and priests to inherit the Kingdom. It is impossible for ‘spiritual infants’ to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let us return to the little flock, so our discussion about the church and the Kingdom may be clearer. In Luke 12:32, which we just discussed, the Father in heaven is pleased to give the Kingdom to the little flock, not the large crowd within Christianity. This does not mean that the Father does not train the little flock to become kings and priests who will reign on the earth in the coming age. For to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven requires a certain level of maturity, and this entire process is the responsibility of the Father toward His chosen little flock.

Let us look at several verses that emphasize what is required to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Acts 14:22 says, “…we must enter the Kingdom of God through many tribulations” (ILT). 2 Peter 1:10–11 declares: “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and in this way, the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” And Revelation 3:21 says, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne…” From these verses—and there are many others—it is evident that discipline and spiritual maturity are required to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Many church members are “spiritual infants” who cannot possibly inherit it. This does not mean that the little flock earns the Kingdom by their own efforts; rather, because the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom to them, He Himself trains and prepares them so they can inherit it.

At this point, we can clearly distinguish between the church and the Kingdom of Heaven. Not all members of the church will inherit the Kingdom. Especially now that the church has split into thousands of denominations, only those ‘chosen from among the called’ will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

There are still more differences between the church and the Kingdom. The order of the church is apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers. But the order of the Kingdom is kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek. The order of the church, as stated in Ephesians 4:11–12, is that the Lord Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the church so that it may grow to maturity and inherit the Kingdom. That is why we call this the order of the church.

But the order of the Kingdom, as written in Revelation 5:9–10, is priests and kings. Why priests according to the order of Melchizedek? Because Jesus Himself is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7), therefore the little flock are also priests according to that same order. However, the church—equipped by apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—has fallen and divided into thousands of denominations. The fall of the church is clearly described in Acts 20:30 and Revelation 2–3, where the Lord calls His overcomers in every church age. Why does the Lord call the overcomers? Because the church has fallen through three false teachings: Jezebel, Nicolaitans, and Balaam. We will not discuss the fall of the church now, but rather the impact of this fall, which is evident in today’s Christianity, especially as it relates to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Before its fall, all members of the church were led directly by the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Life—even though there were leaders like the apostles. But after its fall, the church (or rather, denominations) became led by religious leaders. These religious leaders made rules about worship (specific days, creeds, liturgies), and rules about offerings—tithes, firstfruits, or even teaching against tithing but still insisting that “all you own belongs to God.” The core purpose remains the same: to draw money from the congregation for their denomination—a practice never done by the early church leaders.

What is the impact of such religious leadership on the Kingdom of Heaven? Let us consider the religious leaders in Jesus’ time (Judaism). Matthew 23:14 says: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces; you yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

Why was Jesus killed by the religious leaders of His time? These leaders had created 613 religious laws (248 mandatory and 365 prohibitive) that they believed were revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai. They thought Jesus was breaking their laws. In truth, Jesus did not break the Law but fulfilled it. And He did not come to give more religious rules—He came to give His Life. It is His Life that has authority over the church.

Now let us return to the religious leaders in today’s Christianity. Do they not also make rules about worship, offerings, and denominational systems? Such behavior is no different from that of the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day. And the Word of God says, “…you shut the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces; you yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” These man-made religious regulations keep them from entering the Kingdom—and also prevent others who are seeking to enter. For entrance and inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven is purely a matter of divine grace.

Originally, Christianity was about the Life of Christ, for Jesus came to give His Life. The authority of the early church was the authority of Life—the authority of the Spirit of Life, the Holy Spirit. Though Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, none of them had authority over the Lord’s disciples, for Jesus had already said in Matthew 23:10, “Do not be called leaders, for One is your Leader, the Messiah.” This means that human leaders were never meant to have authority over the Lord’s disciples—Jesus Himself leads His church through the authority of the Spirit of Life.

But then savage wolves came and attacked the leaders, and some began drawing the Lord’s disciples after themselves with false teachings (Acts 20:29–30). As a result, the disciples no longer heard the voice of the Lord Jesus inwardly but followed their human leaders instead. Thus, the church, which was once directly led by Jesus through the Spirit of Life, became divided into thousands of denominations—each with disciples following their human leaders. They learn their leaders’ theology, their rules, and even defend their teachings fanatically. They no longer follow

the inner voice of Jesus but follow men. Of course, these leaders claim that their teachings are the most biblical. Sadly, many of the Lord’s disciples can no longer discern between the inner voice of Jesus and the voice of the wolves.

What is the consequence of this for entering the Kingdom of Heaven? We have already read Matthew 23:14, and now we turn to John 10 about the Good Shepherd. In John 10, Jesus compares Himself to the religious leaders of His day. Many Christians, including preachers, believe that the “thieves and robbers” in verses 8 and 10 refer to the devil. Such interpretation ignores the context. Let us observe carefully. First, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees (John 9:40; 10:1, 6, 7). The words ‘you’ and ‘they’ refer to the Pharisees. So, Jesus was not comparing Himself to the devil, but to the Pharisees. Second, throughout the Gospel of John, the apostle John gives special attention to religious leaders. John records Jesus cleansing the temple of merchants at the beginning of his Gospel, whereas the other three Gospels place it at the end. John also includes many of Jesus’ debates with religious leaders, which the others do not. He even portrays Joseph of Arimathea—praised in Matthew and Mark—as a secret disciple who feared the Jews (John 19:38). Why this focus? Because by John’s time, the church had already fallen through its leaders’ teachings (Jezebel, Balaam, Nicolaitans), so he was exposing the behavior of corrupt leaders. Therefore, the “thieves and robbers” in John 10 are the Pharisees—the religious leaders of His time.

Are today’s Christian religious leaders, generally speaking, also thieves and robbers? If we carefully read Acts 20:29–30, we see that because of the attack of savage wolves, some leaders “steal” the Lord’s disciples from following the Spirit of Life and make them followers of men, and they “rob” them through false teachings on tithes, firstfruits, faith pledges, etc. None of the early apostles—Peter, Paul, or John—ever did such things. In such a state, how can they inherit the Kingdom of Heaven?

So far, we have been discussing the fifth age—the age of the overcomers. Before moving on to the sixth age—the millennial Kingdom—we must again emphasize who these overcomers are. They are the little flock to whom the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom. These overcomers will serve as kings and priests in the millennial Kingdom upon the earth. This little flock will manifest the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and function as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek.

It is difficult for many to understand the ministry of this little flock, because mainstream Christianity—divided into thousands of denominations—has embraced the teaching that once a person is born again, they will someday be evacuated to heaven, a distant place, where they will praise God forever, as if there were no work or service to be done in heaven. This misunderstanding exists because, in general, Christianity does not truly understand what heaven is.

Heaven is a dimension that the Father created, apart from the earthly dimension of space and time—and heaven is a ‘kingdom’. The Father’s plan is for this heavenly dimension to descend into the earthly one—that is, for the Kingdom of Heaven to come down to earth. That is why Jesus taught us to pray so that ‘Your Kingdom come’, and in the age of the New Heaven and the New Earth, “…the holy city, Jerusalem, came down out of heaven” (Revelation 21:10). That holy city is the symbol of Elohim’s government, or the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Kingdom of Heaven descends from the heavenly dimension into the earthly dimension.

The next difficulty in understanding the ministry of the “little flock” seems to arise from a widely accepted teaching within Christianity that after the coming of Jesus (commonly called the “second coming”), grace will no longer exist. Some chosen people will go to heaven to praise God forever, while others will go to hell for eternity. The doctrine of “eternal hell” has been accepted by almost all denominations in Christianity. For now, let us pay attention to Revelation 22, where the government of Elohim (the city of Jerusalem), or the Kingdom of Heaven, descends to earth. Notice verse 2, where ‘the leaves of the tree of life’ are used for the healing of the nations. Also, notice verse 17, where ‘the water of life’ is offered freely. Therefore, there is still grace in the ages that follow after the coming of Jesus (“the second time”). There is still healing, and the ‘water of life’ is still offered freely.

Thus, the “little flock,” to whom the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom, will minister on earth as kings and priests. Before we talk about the age of the millennial kingdom, where the “little flock” will serve as kings and priests, it must once again be emphasized that the Kingdom of Heaven is a present reality. Even now, the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, and we are citizens of that Kingdom. We do not have to die first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Right now, the Father is shaping us to function as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek. Indeed, we have been, are now, and will continue to bring forth the Kingdom of Heaven on this earth.

Let us continue our discussion about the ministry of the “little flock.” We know that the ministry of the “little flock” is the ministry of kings and priests on earth, according to the order of Melchizedek, because Jesus Himself is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. Now, let us emphasize that the ministry of the “little flock” has already begun in this present age. Why is that so? First, we know that when the Father chose the “little flock” and gave them the Kingdom of Heaven purely by grace, He began to process us to become kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek. Therefore, in this present age—what we may call the age of the overcomers—the “little flock” has been learning to minister as kings and priests. Of course, it is not yet perfect, because perfection will occur when the Kingdom of Heaven is fully manifested on earth, and we are transformed by His power and overcome death (1 Corinthians 15:54). We will not discuss that for now.

Second, another reason why the ministry of the “little flock” as kings and priests has already begun is that the Kingdom of Heaven is already a present reality on earth. Just as the Church is a present reality on earth, so too is the Kingdom of Heaven. One does not have to die first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, as is often said by religious leaders within Christianity. If that is so, how does the “little flock” serve as kings and priests today? Let us return to John 10, which we have already discussed. Verse 27 declares, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” The “little flock” learns to function as kings and priests by hearing the voice of Jesus within their spirit and following Him.

Consider 1 John 2:27, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you…” This does not mean that the “little flock” does not learn from others, for the Apostle John himself wrote this letter so that Jesus’ sheep might learn from him. However, the sheep of Jesus are given grace to discern inwardly which voice is Jesus’ and which is the voice of a thief or robber (1 John 2:20). Therefore, by listening to the voice of Jesus, the “little flock” learns to serve as kings and priests today.

Furthermore, the “little flock” learns to minister as kings and priests by following Jesus alone. Notice Revelation 14:4, “…These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes…” This means that the “little flock” consists of free people who are not bound by religious rules made by religious leaders. Religious leaders in the Christian world generally make religious rules that bind their followers so tightly that the disciples of the Lord cannot be free from them. Common phrases often spoken by such leaders include: “Do not rebel,” “You must be planted in a community in order to grow,” “Learn submission,” “If you cannot hear your leader’s voice, how can you hear God’s voice?” and so on. The essence of all these statements is to bind the disciples of the Lord so that they follow the religious leaders. And when these leaders want to take the disciples’ money, we often hear, “Sow so that you may reap,” “The tithe belongs to God,” or “All that you have belongs to God,” “Give, and it will be given to you,” and other similar teachings.

Let us continue our discussion about the ministry of the “little flock.” We already know that their ministry is as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek, because Jesus Himself is our High Priest according to that order. We also know that their ministry has already begun. Now let us discuss the ministry of the “little flock” as priests according to the order of Melchizedek. We know that priests function as mediators. The ministry of a priest is to bring God to people and bring people to God. Specifically, because the “little flock” has been given the Kingdom of Heaven by the Father, their priestly function is to bring the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven to earth and to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven to humankind.

To clarify the priestly ministry of the “little flock,” let us look at John 4:20–23: “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem… Jesus said to her… the hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth…” The Samaritan woman spoke of worship in the context of the Old Covenant, but Jesus emphasized that worship in the context of the New Covenant is not about location, but about being led by the Holy Spirit within. In the Old Covenant, the presence of Yahweh was symbolized by the temple in Jerusalem, but in the New Covenant, the reality (truth) of Elohim is within us. Therefore, the worship or service of the “little flock” is to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit inwardly, IN DAILY LIFE. Whether the “little flock” are business people, academics, farmers, or homemakers—whatever their occupation—they manifest the Kingdom of Heaven and proclaim it through their daily lives.

Let us consider the priesthood in the Christian world. In truth, all members of the Church are priests according to the order of Melchizedek (1 Peter 2:9). However, because the Christian world has fallen under the teachings of Jezebel and Nicolaitans, the priesthood of all believers has collapsed. In Catholic practice, the religious leaders are called priests, and the members are called laity. In Protestant practice, religious leaders are called pastors, and the members are called congregants.

Furthermore, priests or pastors (some even claim, “we are the tribe of Levi”) feel entitled to take money from the congregation, whether it is called tithes, firstfruits, faith promises, and so forth. The Church is divided into two groups: the religious leaders who handle “spiritual matters” and the members or laity who do “secular work” to support the leaders financially. Priests and pastors have become a profession, since they receive a salary each month. The early Church was not like this. This condition arose because of the fall of the Christian world.

What rule, then, does priesthood in Christianity actually follow? If it follows the Old Covenant, then the priests must be true Israelites from the tribe of Levi, and worship must be conducted in the temple in Jerusalem, following the Law of Moses. However, if it follows the New Covenant (the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek), then worship must follow the Law of the Spirit within, not confined to a denominational building.

If the priesthood follows the order of Melchizedek, then it should not be mixed with the Law of Moses, such as tithes, firstfruits, and other such laws. Hebrews 7:12 declares, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.” The priesthood of the New Covenant is according to the order of Melchizedek, and its governing principle is ‘the power of an indestructible life’ or the Law of the Spirit of Life (zoe) (Hebrews 7:16). Therefore, the priesthood within the Christian world does not follow either the Old Covenant priesthood or the order of Melchizedek, because the law that governs Christianity today is a mixture—a blend of the Law of the Spirit and the Law of Moses.

The matter of worship before God is, in fact, a serious issue. We remember how, in the Old Covenant, Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord because they did not follow the prescribed rule. The Christian world makes its own rules according to its leaders, but the “little flock” learns to follow the leading of the Spirit in their daily lives.

Now we move to the ministry of the “little flock” as kings. The ministry of a king speaks of authority, for the primary characteristic of a king is that he possesses authority. Of course, a king’s authority is meant to be used for service. The matter of authority is no small thing. Saul was rejected as king because he violated the authority of the word delivered to him through the prophet Samuel. When Saul disobeyed Samuel, he was not merely rejecting the prophet’s words but rejecting the word of God (divine authority) that flowed through Samuel.

David, on the other hand, when he sinned with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah, responded differently. When the prophet Nathan came to rebuke David, he accepted Nathan’s words and repented. David’s sin was indeed serious, but it was not a violation of divine authority like Saul’s; rather, it was a moral weakness. Although David had to endure God’s discipline (in four areas), he was not rejected as king. He continued to exercise his royal authority until the end of his life.

We have emphasized that the ministry of the “little flock” has already begun. The question is: does the “little flock” possess authority in their ministry as kings today? This issue is very important, because within Christianity, there has been widespread abuse of authority.

Let us begin with Matthew 23:1–12: “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do… But you, do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren… Do not call anyone on earth your father… Nor be called leaders, for One is your Leader, the Messiah… And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pay close attention to the context of these verses. The key to understanding them is “MOSES’ SEAT,” which symbolizes AUTHORITY. Verse 1 emphasizes that Jesus was speaking to two groups of people: first, to the multitudes, and second, to His disciples. The term “multitudes” in the Gospels refers to those who followed Jesus because of His miracles, the bread, and other material things. Jesus once rebuked this crowd in John 6:26, saying, “…you seek Me… because you ate the loaves and were filled.” These multitudes, influenced by the Pharisees and scribes, eventually chose Barabbas instead of Jesus (Matthew 27:20). In truth, these crowds were not true followers of Jesus. They remained under “MOSES’ SEAT,” that is, under the authority of the scribes and Pharisees. That is why Jesus advised them not to rebel but to do what the Pharisees and scribes taught, though not to imitate their behavior.

Then, in verse 8, Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “BUT YOU.” Pay attention carefully to Jesus’ words to His disciples. Here, Jesus firmly declared that His disciples DO NOT POSSESS THE AUTHORITY SYMBOLIZED BY “MOSES’ SEAT.” Jesus said, do not be called rabbi, father, or leader. This does not mean there are no leaders in the Church, because Jesus Himself appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). BUT WHAT JESUS MEANT IS THAT THE LEADERS WITHIN THE CHURCH HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER OTHERS.

Therefore, the “little flock” has no authority whatsoever within the Christian world today. Their authority will be granted in the coming age (Revelation 2:26–27). We will not discuss that now. For now, let us look at what kind of authority operates in the Christian world today. Jesus’ warning to His disciples who misuse authority is, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let us briefly continue discussing the ministry of the “little flock” as kings. We have seen that all members of the Church have no authority over one another. Jesus emphasized, ‘You are all brothers’, meaning that no one has authority over another. Now let us see what really happened when the Church became divided into thousands of denominations, as it is today in Christianity.

In Revelation 2:20, it is written about a woman named Jezebel who teaches and deceives the servants of God (the disciples of the Lord). We know that the Book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus—and of His Church—given to the Apostle John through symbolic language (Revelation 1:1). Historically, Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab, and she usurped her husband’s authority in the case of Naboth’s vineyard.

In the Book of Revelation, Jezebel symbolizes one who usurps the authority of Jesus (the Bridegroom or “Husband” of the Church). This usurpation of Jesus’ authority over His Church occurs when leaders draw the disciples of the Lord away from the true path (the path of following the Spirit’s leading) to the path of following the leaders themselves (Acts 20:30). The thousands of denominations in the Christian world are groups of the Lord’s disciples who follow particular leaders. Thus, the Church became divided into thousands of denominations because the leaders usurped Jesus’ authority and drew His disciples to themselves. Yet this “Jezebel spirit” has become doctrine within Christianity—it is no longer just a practice of a few leaders. Therefore, the “usurpation of Jesus’ authority by leaders” has been justified within the Christian world.

Returning to the ministry of the “little flock” as kings: we have affirmed that the “little flock” has no authority at present. Their authority will be given by Jesus when He comes to establish His Kingdom on earth. For now, the ministry of the “little flock” is simply to follow the leading of Jesus (the whisper of the Spirit) in their daily lives. In human eyes, this ministry may not seem great, unlike what happens in Christianity where “great” leaders attract thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers. This leader is able to draw hundreds of billions of rupiah from the followers of the Lord, building large worship buildings, monuments, and so on.

However, even though the ministry of the “little flock” may not appear grand in the eyes of men, this ministry ‘brings forth the Kingdom of Heaven on earth’. Why is that? Of course, because the Father in heaven has been pleased to GIVE THE KINGDOM TO THEM (Luke 12:32). In contrast, the Christian world is filled with leaders who are building their own kingdoms. A denomination is a human kingdom, for it has its own king who rules over everything within it. Perhaps the building and all the facilities belong to him. This “king” has authority—even to dismiss his own deputy. Clearly, this is not the Church that Jesus spoke of when He said, “I will build My Church.”

The usurpation of Jesus’ authority by these leaders is seen in Matthew 23:12 as an act of self-exaltation, and Jesus warned, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

We are still discussing the fifth age, which we call ‘the age of the overcomers’, in which the Kingdom of Heaven is proclaimed. We have also affirmed that the Father gives the Kingdom of Heaven to the “little flock” purely on the basis of the choice of grace, although the Father processes this “little flock” in this age so that they may function as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek.

We are not talking about the ministry of the “little flock” in the next age—known as the Millennial Kingdom—but we will respond briefly to a common expression often heard in the Christian world: “Believe in Jesus and go to heaven.” This expression, “believe in Jesus and go to heaven,” carries a misunderstanding. The “heaven” referred to in this phrase is not heaven in the sense of a ‘kingdom’ where priests and kings will reign on earth. Usually, this concept of heaven refers to some distant place with streets of gold, where we will simply sing and praise God forever after we die. This fairy-tale version of heaven is commonly believed within Christianity, yet such a concept does not exist anywhere in the Bible.

Let us look at Revelation chapters 4 and 5, which describe the true condition of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven seen by the apostle John is very different from the “heavenly fable” often heard. In Revelation 4 and 5, we see that the Kingdom of Heaven has great plans and works on the earth. The symbols of the ‘four living creatures’ and the ‘twenty-four elders’ represent the kings and priests who will reign on earth (Revelation 5:10).

In essence, heaven governs the earth through the ministry of kings and priests, causing the earth to move toward becoming the new earth. The heavenly kingdom revealed to John possesses great plans and purposes for the earth. The Father’s original plan (Genesis 1:26–28) must be fulfilled—mankind must rule and have dominion over the earth. That is why Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

Throughout the New Testament, the expression “believe in Jesus and go to heaven” does not appear at all. The Bible teaches that believing in Jesus means receiving the life of Christ (zoe), which begins as a seed that must grow. John 10:10 affirms that this life received by believers must grow—this is the meaning of “having it more abundantly.” Therefore, the proper expression according to the New Testament is ‘believe in Jesus and receive the life of Christ’. Whether that life grows in the believer or not is another matter.

In the book of Matthew, which contains teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven, there are many parables concerning this kingdom: the parable of the sower, the tares among the wheat, the dragnet, the talents, the wise and foolish virgins—all of these emphasize that not everyone who receives the seed of His life will automatically reign in the Kingdom of Heaven in the next age.

From the revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven in Revelation 4 and 5, it is clear that those who will reign on earth are those whose life (zoe) has grown so that they may function as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek. All believers who have not grown—spiritual infants or those who do evil within the Kingdom in this age—will not reign in the next age. That is why, within Christianity, ‘many are called but few are chosen’.

May the religious leaders in the Christian world who often echo the phrase “believe in Jesus and go to heaven” be touched by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so they may understand this matter.

We are still speaking about the fifth age, ‘the age of the overcomers’, in which the Kingdom of Heaven is proclaimed. We will now focus on Matthew 7:21–23, where ‘on that day’, Jesus will openly declare to the ‘workers of lawlessness’ within the Kingdom of Heaven. Many Christians will be shocked and surprised by Jesus’ frankness on that day—especially those who have embraced and repeated the phrase “believe in Jesus and go to heaven” discussed earlier.

Let us examine the context of Matthew 7:21–23. The Gospel of Matthew teaches about the Kingdom of Heaven, particularly for the Jewish people. The structure of Matthew can be outlined as follows:

1. Matthew 1–4:11 serves as the introduction, necessary for the Jews—such as the genealogy of Jesus and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.

2. Matthew 4:12–16:12 centers on the main theme: “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’” (Matthew 4:17).

3. Matthew 16:13–28:20 emphasizes that the Messiah must suffer (Matthew 16:21).

Matthew 7:21–23 belongs to the second section with the theme ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’. The theme of repentance is crucial—not only for the Jews, who thought the Messianic kingdom would be a physical kingdom like David’s, but also for today’s Christianity, which has become overly materialistic in its teachings about blessings, the house of God, the coming of the Lord, and so on.

Matthew 7:21–23, which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, is not addressed to the crowds but specifically to the Lord’s disciples (Matthew 5:1–2). When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain, and when His disciples came to Him, ‘then’ He began to teach them. The crowds were not true followers—they followed Jesus for miracles, bread, and other material things. Thus, Matthew 7:21–23 is directed at the Lord’s disciples, meaning ‘they’ must repent to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

In Matthew 7:21–23, there are disciples whom Jesus rejects on the last day. Who are these disciples? They are those who prophesied in the Lord’s name, cast out demons in the Lord’s name, and performed many miracles in the Lord’s name. Notice that Jesus does not deny that they did all this ‘in His name’. The problem is that they did not do the will of the Father and committed lawlessness.

The term lawlessness in Matthew 7:23 is from the Greek word ‘anomia’, meaning lawlessness, illegality, or violation of law. Here, it refers to actions that do not follow the law or order of the Kingdom of Heaven. This same word ‘anomia’ appears in Matthew 13:41, in the explanation of the parable of the tares among the wheat. Those who practice ‘anomia’ are not outside the Kingdom, for Matthew 13:41 says, “…they will gather out of His Kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers.” The phrase ‘out of’ translates the Greek preposition ‘ek’, meaning ‘from within’ or ‘from among’. Thus, the lawless ones exist ‘within’ the Kingdom of Heaven—both the tares and the wheat are in the Kingdom.

Applying this to Christian religious leaders: the disciples who deceive and commit lawlessness are those who do not follow the law of life that governs the Kingdom of Heaven. The law of the Kingdom is the law of life (‘zoe’), for the priesthood of its citizens follows the order of Melchizedek.

Leaders who mix laws—combining the Law of Moses with the law of life—or who blend the priesthood of Aaron with that of Melchizedek, or teach misleading doctrines such as those of Jezebel (usurping Christ’s authority), Nicolaitans (dominating the laity), and Balaam (ministering for profit)—these leaders, though they prophesy, cast out demons, and perform miracles in the Lord’s name, will ultimately be denied by Jesus from inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven.

We are still in the discussion of the fifth age—the age of the overcomers—in which the Kingdom of Heaven is proclaimed. Let us now respond to common Christian views about inheriting or entering the Kingdom of Heaven, particularly concerning ‘human free will’.

We often hear phrases such as ‘it depends on your response’, ‘it depends on whether you repent’, or ‘it’s your decision’—in essence, ‘it depends on man’. But is inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven really dependent on man? We have emphasized that regarding the inheritance of the Kingdom, Scripture says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The context is about worry—so Jesus reassures the “little flock” not to worry, because the Father has ‘already decided’ to give them the Kingdom freely. Therefore, inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven depends on the Father’s decision, not on human response, choice, or will.

However, the heaven referred to in Scripture is a kingdom to be established on earth—with a purpose, mission, vision, and plan from the Father Himself. It is not the “fairy-tale heaven” so often described in Christianity, where supposedly after death we are evacuated to a faraway place to sing and worship forever. Such a heaven has no work, no responsibility, no clear purpose—anyone could enter it, including spiritual infants or lawless religious leaders (those who commit ‘anomia’).

Yet we know that the Kingdom of Heaven, which has been, is being, and will be established on earth, consists of kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek (Revelation 5:10). There is a great work, a great responsibility, and a great purpose aligned with the Father’s original plan (Genesis 1:26). And since the Father has been pleased to give this Kingdom to the “little flock,” it is the Father’s responsibility to ‘form’ the “little flock” into kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek.

Just as Jesus chose Peter and Andrew to become fishers of men, it was ‘His responsibility’ to make them so. Matthew 4:19 states, “I will make you fishers of men.” Therefore, the Father in heaven processes the “little flock” so that they become kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek. The Father in heaven cannot fail. It does not depend on the ‘response’ of the little flock, because we cannot resist the Father’s gracious choice. Even if we rebel and struggle during the process, in the end we will yield and say, ‘Your will be done’. Why do we eventually yield? Because the Father has already been pleased to give us the Kingdom.

Once again, why does the “little flock” become the overcomers? Is it because they are more faithful, more earnest, or more responsive than others? Absolutely not! The only reason the “little flock” becomes the overcomers is because the Father has already been pleased to give them the Kingdom.

Now we will discuss what the Father does to the “little flock” to prepare them to serve as kings and priests in the next age—that is, how the Father works out salvation in them. The most complete and systematic explanation of salvation is given by Paul in the book of Romans, which presents salvation as a ‘trilogy’—three sequential stories united by one theme: salvation by faith. The first story is ‘justification by faith’, the second is ‘sanctification by faith’, and the third is ‘glorification by faith’. The shared theme across all three is that salvation is ‘by faith alone’.

But we must understand faith as Paul meant it. The saving faith is described in Romans 1:17 as ‘from faith to faith’. This means that when someone receives grace to hear the Gospel, the power of God (the energy of Elohim) enters their inner being, enabling them to believe in Jesus and act according to that belief. Then, the actions born of faith complete the faith that is within them. That faith then produces further works, which in turn perfect faith—thus, faith grows. This is the meaning of ‘from faith to faith’.

Paul then explains the first part, justification by faith (Romans 3:21–5:11): those who believe are declared righteous before God—legally no longer sinners, but saints. The second part, sanctification by faith (Romans 5:12–7), shows that believers have died and risen with Christ and therefore experience sanctification in reality. The final part (Romans 8) emphasizes that when Christ returns, believers will be glorified with Him—receiving glorified, resurrected bodies like that of Jesus.

This glorification by faith is clearly described in Romans 8:19–21, which says that the sons of God will be revealed, and creation itself will be brought into the glory of the children of God. This manifestation of the sons of God occurs at Christ’s second coming, as stated in Colossians 3:4: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

We have discussed that on the last day (His coming), Jesus will plainly declare those who commit evil (anomia = lawlessness = transgression of the law) within His kingdom (Matthew 7:21–23). We will not discuss that again. Those who will be glorified at His coming are only the “little flock,” solely because the Father has been pleased to give them the kingdom. Therefore, to this “little flock” the Father in heaven is working out salvation by faith — in the sense of justification by faith, sanctification by faith, and glorification by faith.

Before we enter the ministry of the “little flock” as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek in the coming age (the millennial kingdom), let us briefly discuss the daily life of the “little flock.” We have emphasized that the “little flock,” in general, are not the “great and popular” figures in the religious world, but they have received grace so that the Father gives them the kingdom of heaven (Luke 12:32).

Once again, in this age the “little flock” is being processed by the Father so that they may function as priests and kings in the next age — therefore they are, of course, not yet perfect. Yet, at least, there are several characteristics that result from the Father’s formation of them.

First, the Father in heaven shapes the “little flock” so that they become aware that they have no authority whatsoever in the church. As we know, church authority belongs to the Spirit who gives Life, and it is not delegated to any church member, whoever they may be. Therefore, the “little flock” does not exercise ‘hierarchical authority’ in the religious world. If that is the case, how can the “little flock” exercise authority over the nations in the coming age (Revelation 2:26; 20:4) unless they first learn to exercise authority in this present age? In this age, the “little flock” learns to rule over their own hearts.

We have discussed that the Garden of Eden is a parable. The Garden of Eden represents the kingdom of heaven on earth. Adam, and of course Eve as well, were commanded by God to “…work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). In truth, guarding the Garden of Eden and guarding the heart are the same thing. Proverbs 4:23 clearly says, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Thus, the Father in heaven shapes the “little flock” to learn to have authority over their own thoughts, feelings, and will — and not to usurp the authority of the church.

Second, the Father in heaven forms the “little flock” to worship Him in spirit and in truth. This means that worship is not about being “on this mountain or on that mountain” (John 4:21). In essence, worship is listening to His voice and following His leading in daily life. Even in the Old Testament, Yahweh did not desire sacrifices and rituals more than obedience to His voice (1 Samuel 15:22).

Jesus emphasized that “…the reign of God is within you” (Luke 17:21, Young’s Literal Translation). The Father in heaven forms the “little flock” so that they can be ruled by Elohim from within their inner being. In their daily lives, the “little flock” learns to be governed by Elohim inwardly. Jesus also said, “My sheep hear My voice.” Even 1 John 2:27 declares, “…the anointing which you received from Him abides in you… and you do not need that anyone teach you.” Thus, the Father in heaven, through His Spirit, rules the “little flock” in their daily lives.

Third, the Father in heaven forms the “little flock” to function as priests in their daily lives — learning to bring Christ to people and bring people to Christ in their everyday activities, whether as businesspeople, homemakers, or in any other profession. Such is the worship, service, and daily life of the “little flock.”

Now we will discuss the next two ages: the Millennial Kingdom and the New Heaven and New Earth. In discussing these two ages, we do not focus on their duration (time period), for the term “thousand years” in the book of Revelation does not necessarily mean a literal thousand-year reign. Since Revelation is written in symbolic language, the “thousand years” may represent an era — a “divine time” or “the Lord’s Day” — whose exact duration we do not know. Similarly, the age of the New Heaven and New Earth also has an unknown duration. But we will discuss what happens in these two ages, especially as they relate to the kingdom of heaven.

Let us begin with the Millennial Kingdom. Revelation 20:6 affirms, “…they will be priests of Elohim and of Christ, and they will reign with Him for a thousand years” (ILT). Who are these who are granted the privilege of reigning with Christ during this age? They are the “little flock” to whom the Father has been pleased to give the kingdom (Luke 12:32). And they will reign on the earth, as confirmed in Revelation 5:10: “…You have made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign ON THE EARTH” (ILT). Thus, after the “little flock” is processed by the Father to become kings and priests, they are entrusted with administering the kingdom of heaven on earth.

When does the “little flock” reign as kings and priests on earth? They begin to reign when glorification by faith takes place. We have discussed in Romans that this glorification by faith occurs when the “little flock” receives the body of glory — as Jesus Himself has received the body of glory, the resurrection body. This glorification event occurs when Christ appears “the second time.” Colossians 3:4 declares, “When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

What is the purpose of the “little flock” reigning as kings and priests with glorified bodies? Romans 8:19–21 explains: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God… because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” It is clear from this passage that the entire creation will be freed from the bondage of decay.

Thus, the “little flock” is given the kingdom of heaven by the Father and shaped into kings and priests to reign — not for an unclear or selfish purpose, nor to be evacuated to a mythical heaven where people sing forever. Heaven, in reality, is a kingdom, and only priests and kings will reign — TO DELIVER CREATION FROM THE BONDAGE OF DECAY.

The principle of restoring all creation takes place because the “little flock” are the firstfruits of God’s creation. James 1:18 affirms, “…that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (ILT). Farmers in Palestine knew that if there are firstfruits, there will surely be more fruits until the entire harvest is complete. Therefore, since the “little flock” are the firstfruits of creation, the rest of creation will also be fully restored.

We are still discussing the Millennial Kingdom. As emphasized earlier, our focus is not the length of time, but what happens in that age in relation to the kingdom of heaven established on earth. The kingdom of heaven is a present reality on earth — just as the church, though fallen into thousands of denominations, is also a present reality. The kingdom of heaven has already manifested on earth, and the millennial kingdom is the next stage of its manifestation.

The prayer Jesus taught His disciples — ‘Thy kingdom come’ — will surely be fulfilled. The kingdom of heaven already manifested on earth will continue to expand until the earth transitions into the new earth. We have also emphasized that the “little flock,” to whom the

Father has been pleased to give the kingdom, will reign on earth as kings and priests in the millennial kingdom. Let us now look more closely at what happens to this “little flock.” Revelation 20:4 states, “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them…” From this we can see what ‘reigning’ means for the “little flock”: the authority to judge. Many Christians understand judgment only in terms of punishment. But in fact, judgment also means restoration. Isaiah 26:9 declares, “…for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”

The “little flock,” to whom the Father has given the kingdom of heaven, will execute God’s judgments as kings and priests — both for punishment (that each may reap what they have sown) and for restoration (so that they may learn what is right). Will the Christian world also experience God’s judgment? And if so, will the “little flock” be granted authority by the Father to execute His judgment? These are crucial questions, for both will indeed occur in the millennial kingdom.

We have often discussed the coming judgment upon the Christian world, as seen in parables and symbols — particularly in Matthew 13 and 25, and Revelation 17–18 — where the Father judges Christendom. We will not elaborate again here. But will the Father truly entrust His authority to the “little flock” to judge the Christian world in the millennial kingdom?

If by His grace we can discern the central corruption in Christendom, it is the usurpation of Jesus’ authority over His church by its leaders. Jesus clearly declared that there is no “seat of Moses” (symbol of authority) in the church (Matthew 23:1–12). Paul also warned of savage wolves arising, drawing disciples after themselves with false teachings (Acts 20:29–30). Leaders were meant to be servants who equip the saints, not those who draw followers (and their money) to themselves to build their own “kingdoms” (Ephesians 4:11–12).

Yet in reality, the usurpation of Jesus’ authority by religious leaders has become doctrine — the doctrine of Jezebel (Revelation 2:20) — because Jezebel usurped her husband’s authority in the case of Naboth’s vineyard. The fragmentation of the church into thousands of denominations is proof of this usurpation. Religious leaders in Christendom hold authority over their followers, justified by the Jezebel doctrine.

In contrast, the “little flock” is being formed by the Father in this age to serve the Lord’s disciples as humble servants — without drawing people (let alone their money) to themselves through false teachings. Since the “little flock” holds no authority over the Lord’s disciples in this age, the Father will grant them authority in the Millennial Kingdom to be kings and priests — that is, to carry out His divine judgments. This is what happens to the “little flock” in the millennial kingdom.

We are still discussing the Millennial Kingdom, where the Father grants the “little flock” authority to judge as kings and priests. Now let us see how the “little flock” will judge fallen Christendom — with the purpose that the Christian world may learn righteousness, as stated in Isaiah 26:9: “…for when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” To understand this, we must read and interpret the entire Revelation 14. However, for the purpose of this brief introduction, we will discuss only a few verses. The context of Revelation 14 concerns the harvest of the earth and those who carry it out.

Let us quote Revelation 14:4, “…These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb” (ILT). We have already discussed that the “little flock,” to whom the Father has been pleased to give the kingdom, are the firstfruits of His creation (cf. James 1:18, ILT). This “little flock” becomes the firstfruits of His creation because the Father processes them so that they “…follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4). The Lord’s disciples within the institutionalized Christian world can no longer follow the Lamb wherever He goes, because within religious systems, everything is already regulated by human leadership — rules about worship, who may serve, what sermons may be preached, and countless other religious constraints. The Lord’s disciples are no longer free to follow the Spirit’s leading like Paul, who was both “a free man” and “a prisoner of the Spirit.” Thus, this “little flock” are “free men,” yet also captives of the Spirit, able to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, hearing directly the voice of Jesus, their true Shepherd (John 10:27).

Next, we see how Jesus Christ executes the harvest through the “little flock.” Revelation 14:14–15 declares, “…One like the Son of Man… Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Here, the Son of Man uses a sickle to reap the harvest of the earth. We know that Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ and His church to John, communicated through symbols (Revelation 1:1 — the Greek word ‘semaino’ means ‘to signify’, derived from ‘sema’, meaning ‘sign’ or ‘symbol’). Thus, when Jesus uses a “sickle” to reap, it is not a literal sickle. The “sickle” symbolizes His disciples — as confirmed in John 4:38, “I sent you to reap…” (NASB). Therefore, the “sickle” represents the firstfruits — the “little flock” mentioned in verse 4.

Furthermore, the term “earth” in this verse is also symbolic. One key to interpreting Revelation is understanding where each scene takes place. The terms “earth,” “sea,” and “heaven” carry significant meaning. Consider Revelation 13:1 and 11 — two beasts appear: one from the sea, the other from the earth. The beast from the earth performs great signs before the beast from the sea. Revelation 19:20 clarifies this: “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence…” Here, the beast from the earth is called the false prophet who performs signs before the beast from the sea.

We know that false prophets always arise among God’s people — within the realm of Christendom. Therefore, in Revelation, “earth” symbolizes the Christian world, “sea” symbolizes humanity outside Christendom, and “heaven” symbolizes beings in the heavenly dimension. In conclusion, Jesus Christ uses the “sickle” — the “little flock” — to reap the “earth,” that is, the Christian world, during the Millennial Kingdom.

We are still discussing the era of the Millennial Kingdom, in which the Father in heaven grants the “little flock” the authority to execute judgment as kings and priests (Revelation 20:4). We have also seen in Revelation 14 how Jesus conducts the harvest on earth (in the Christian world) using the “little flock” as His instrument (“the sickle”). We will now continue a little further on how the “little flock” is used by God as His instrument to reap the Christian world.

All of Revelation chapter 14 has the theme of the harvest on earth, in which the apostle John received three visions. The Greek term ‘horao’ (to see) appears three times in this chapter (verses 1, 6, and 14), showing that these three visions are connected by one theme: the harvest on earth. The first vision (verses 1–5) concerns the “firstfruits” (the little flock), which we have already discussed. The second vision (verses 6–13) concerns how the “little flock” reaps the Christian world, which we will discuss now. The third vision (verses 14–20) describes how Jesus uses the “little flock” in the harvest, which we have also discussed earlier.

In the second vision, we see how the “little flock” executes judgment—by delivering three messages as God’s messengers (angels):

1. Proclaiming the everlasting gospel (verse 6).

2. Declaring that Babylon has fallen (verse 8).

3. Warning about the mark and image of the beast.

We will focus only on the second message—concerning Babylon. As we know, the book of Revelation uses symbolic language. Therefore, Babylon here is not the literal city located in present-day Iraq. Indeed, Babylon was a historical city built by Nimrod (Genesis 10–11), but in Revelation, Babylon is a symbol. What does Babylon symbolize? Revelation 17:5 clearly states, “...on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots...” It is clear that “Babylon the Great” is a ‘name’ and a ‘mystery’ inscribed upon the harlot’s forehead.

A name signifies reputation, works, and glory; a mystery refers to a revelation that remains hidden to those who do not understand it. Thus, this harlot possesses the same reputation, works, and glory as Babylon once built by Nimrod. But who was Nimrod, really? Many people assume that Nimrod was a man who served and lived ‘before’ the Lord (Genesis 10:9). However, Strong’s Concordance reveals that the Hebrew term ‘panim’, translated as ‘before’ in that verse, carries multiple meanings. In Genesis 10:9—just as in Numbers 16:2—the term ‘panim’ literally means ‘in opposition to’ or ‘rebelling against’. Furthermore, the Jewish Encyclopedia defines the name Nimrod as ‘he who made all men rebel against God’. The Indonesian Literal Translation (ILT) notes in a footnote that ‘before the Lord’ actually means ‘defiant against’. Thus, Nimrod was a man who rebelled against God, and he established his own kingdom—one of which was Babylon.

If so, who then is the harlot bearing Babylon’s name on her forehead? Throughout the Bible, a woman is symbolically used to represent the Church—the bride of Christ. However, this woman has the nature of a prostitute, clearly different from the woman in Revelation 12 who gives birth to the sons of God.

Clearly, the harlot woman symbolizes a church that was not built by Jesus, who said, “I will build My Church.” The church symbolized by the harlot is the one built by “Nimrods” throughout the ages—leaders who build churches “to make a name for themselves” and to ensure that they “are not scattered” (Genesis 11:4). This is just as Paul warned the early church leaders: “Even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30).

Therefore, this harlot symbolizes “churches” built by the Nimrods—those who draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves for the sake of reputation and influence. They mix the seed of God’s Word with other seeds, just as a prostitute receives seed not only from her husband but from other men. These Nimrods build their own kingdoms rather than establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The Christian world, as the fragmented outcome of the early church, is not the Church built by the Lord Jesus. The Christian world consists of “churches”—or more precisely, denominations—built by these Nimrods through the ages.

It is upon this Christian world that the “little flock” executes God’s judgment by declaring, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon...” (Revelation 14:8). When the time of judgment comes—when the “little flock” reigns as kings and priests to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth—the Christian world will experience God’s judgment and fall forever.

Revelation 20:2 affirms, “He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” We are still discussing the era of the Millennial Kingdom, during which Satan is bound. We have clarified that “a thousand years” need not be understood as literal years in human time; rather, it refers to “the Day of the Lord,” when His glory, power, and authority are revealed. During this period, the “little flock,” to whom the Father has been pleased to give the Kingdom, reigns as kings and priests—over whom Satan has been bound.

Now let us discuss who the dragon or the devil is, and where he dwells. This is important because although the devil is our enemy, many Christians believe that he was once Lucifer—a good angel—who rebelled against God and became the devil we know today. We need to understand who the devil truly is and where he operates, because no one can resist an enemy they neither recognize nor locate.

Notice the verse above. It says that the dragon, that ancient serpent, is the devil or Satan. The term ‘ancient’ does not refer to age but to origin. The Greek word ‘archaios’ means ‘original’, ‘from the beginning’, or ‘primitive’. Thus, this serpent existed from the very beginning—since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:1 states, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made.” Clearly, the serpent (the devil) was ‘created by God’. The devil did not transform himself from a good angel (Lucifer) into an evil being. John 8:44 and 1 John 3:8 say that the devil was a murderer and sinner ‘from the beginning’. He was not originally good and later became evil.

Many theologians, in trying to absolve God of responsibility for the existence of evil, have fabricated the story of Lucifer’s fall—taking Scripture out of context. Isaiah 14:12–23 and Ezekiel 28:1–19 are often cited to support this theory, but context shows that these passages refer to the king of Babylon and the king of Tyre, respectively. On what authority, then, do these theologians build the myth of the devil’s fall by misusing Scripture? The Bible plainly declares: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!” (Romans 11:36). God Himself created the devil as His instrument—to process mankind into His own image and likeness.

Now, where does the devil dwell? Genesis 3:14 says, “...you will eat dust all the days of your life.” Here, God curses the serpent to eat dust. Since the serpent in Eden was not a literal reptile (for real snakes neither talk nor eat dust), and since man was made from dust (“for you are dust,” Genesis 3:19), the “dust” symbolizes mankind. Thus, God restricted the devil’s realm of operation to within humanity itself.

Paul further explains in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5: “...the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to demolish strongholds. We take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” This shows that the devil operates in the human ‘mind’. He may influence emotions and will, but his principal domain is human thought.

A clear example is when Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan... for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men” (Matthew 16:23). To think the things of men rather than the things of God—that is the mind of Satan. Therefore, we must be cautious even with human thoughts that seem good or positive, as they are not necessarily the mind of Christ. But the “little flock,” to whom the Father has been pleased to give the Kingdom, has received grace—so that for them, the devil is bound during the Millennial Kingdom.

Now we enter the final era in our dispensational outline: the era of the ‘New Heaven and New Earth’. As we have emphasized, an ‘era’ does not refer to a span of time but to the condition and events that characterize it. In discussing the era of the ‘New Heaven and New Earth’, we will see what takes place and what the conditions are in that age.

Before the New Heaven and New Earth, Revelation 20:11–12 tells us, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away... And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne... and they were judged according to their deeds.” This describes what John saw before the coming of the New Heaven and New Earth—a great white throne.

A throne represents authority to rule, govern, and judge. John saw God seated upon this great white throne. Earlier, we discussed that during the Millennial Kingdom, authority to judge is given to the “little flock” (Revelation 20:4). Revelation 3:21 further confirms: “He who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Thus, the “little flock,” to whom the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom, shares with Christ in His authority upon the great white throne.

However, we must understand this throne correctly. Many Christians believe there is no more grace before the great white throne, but Scripture teaches otherwise. Proverbs 16:12 says, “...for a throne is established by righteousness.” Proverbs 20:28 adds, “...by love he upholds his throne.” Isaiah 26:9 declares, “When Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.” From these verses, we see that God judges from the great white throne in righteousness and love, aiming that all people may ‘learn what is right’. All the dead, great and small, who stand before this throne will ultimately come to know the truth.

Indeed, God judges righteously. Jesus said that at the judgment, the people of Nineveh will rise and condemn His generation because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and the Queen of the South will do the same because she sought Solomon’s wisdom (Matthew 12:38–42). God’s judgment is just—that is why Jesus said, “The tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31), because they believed John the Baptist, while the chief priests and elders did not. James also warns us not to be eager to become teachers, for those who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). We must take this warning seriously, for even “tax collectors and prostitutes” may enter the Kingdom before religious leaders.

We are still discussing the final age—the era of the ‘New Heaven and New Earth’. Revelation 21:1, 4 declares: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more... He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the former things have passed away.” Again, we emphasize that ‘era’ refers not to duration but to condition.

We see that in the New Heaven and New Earth, there is no more death. Let us now discuss what death is. Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), yet the Christian world has redefined this to mean “the wages of sin is eternal hell,” as though those who do not believe in Jesus will suffer forever. We do not deny the existence of hell, but we reject the concept of ‘eternal torment’—for the Word of God does not teach that people will be tortured forever.

In today’s fallen Christianity—fragmented into thousands of denominations—anyone who proclaims the full victory of Christ’s Cross, teaching that in the end “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord,” and that He will “draw all men to Himself” (John 12:32), is often branded a heretic or a ‘universalist’. But we care not for the judgment of the present Christian world—we only care what the Bible says.

Returning to our verse above: if death—the wages of sin—no longer exists, then all consequences of sin have been removed. Scripture declares, “The former things have passed away.” In the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no trace of sin, no sickness, mourning, or tears. God Himself declares, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

Why do the majority of “servants of God” today still preach the terrifying message that people will be tormented forever in hell? One of the reasons is that they do not understand what ‘death’ is—the wages of sin—and perhaps also do not understand the victory of Jesus on the cross. Let us look closely at the term ‘death’, which is often misunderstood as physical death. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they did not immediately die physically. In fact, when God said that if you eat the fruit of this tree you will surely die, the word ‘die’ here means ‘you will receive a kind of life called death’, and you will begin the process leading to physical death. This is the true meaning of the Hebrew phrase MUT TAMUT in Genesis 2:17. MUT TAMUT (“dying thou dost die,” Young’s Literal Translation) means that when you eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, you immediately receive a kind of life—death—which in turn will cause you to eventually die physically.

Thus, ‘death’ is a kind of life, symbolized by the tree of knowledge. This kind of life is under the dominion of Satan (Hebrews 2:14). Therefore, the wages of Adam and Eve’s sin was not eternal hell, as is commonly preached in Christianity, but rather receiving the kind of life called death—a life ruled by Satan.

Then Jesus came to give His ‘Life’ (John 10:10). The Life of Jesus conquered death. When Jesus died and entered the realm of death, death could not hold Him, for He rose again. His resurrection proved that His Life had defeated death. And the victory of Jesus continues through the ages until death is no more. That means that ultimately all humanity will come to Jesus. This is the condition of the age of the ‘New Heaven and New Earth’, where death no longer exists.

We are still discussing the final age—the age of the New Heaven and New Earth. Let us now look at the expression ‘lake of fire’ in this age, which is often gravely misunderstood in Christianity. Many equate the lake of fire with eternal hell, because the Bible mentions ‘unquenchable fire’ (Mark 9:43–44). The expression lake of fire appears nowhere else in the Bible except in the book of Revelation—specifically in Revelation 14:10–11; 19:20; 20:10; 20:13–15; and 21:8. If a Bible teacher interprets the lake of fire as eternal hell, he commits a fatal error, because he interprets the book of Revelation literally. It must be emphasized that Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ—and of His church—given in symbolic language. Revelation 1:1 clearly states that He (Jesus Christ) ‘signified it’ to John (Greek: ‘Semaino’, from ‘sema’, meaning symbol or sign). Therefore, Revelation must be understood as a revelation given in symbols or signs.

For example, Revelation 12:1 describes a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. If this is taken literally, it would be absurd—how could a woman stand so near the physical sun without being burned, have feet long enough to rest on the moon, and a head so large it holds twelve stars? Such literal interpretation would be ridiculous. The woman is a ‘symbol’ of the church—the victorious church, distinct from the harlot woman of chapter 17 in Revelation.

Thus, the ‘lake of fire’ is a symbol. Let us understand this expression. Revelation 21:8 says, “…the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” It is helpful to quote J. Preston Eby’s explanation: “The Lake of Fire and Brimstone points to fire burning with brimstone. The word ‘brimstone’ or sulfur defines the nature of the fire. The Greek word THEION, translated as ‘brimstone,’ is the same word that means ‘divine.’ Sulfur was something sacred to the gods among the ancient Greeks, and it was used for fumigation, purification, cleansing, and consecration to the gods. For this reason, brimstone was burned in their incense offerings. In Homer’s ‘Iliad’ (16:228), someone is described as purifying a drinking cup with fire and brimstone. The verb derived from THEION is THEIOO, meaning ‘to purify,’ ‘to make divine,’ or ‘to consecrate to a god’ (see Greek-English Lexicon by Liddell and Scott, 1987 edition). For the Greeks, or for those trained in Greek, the phrase ‘lake of fire and brimstone’ meant ‘a lake of divine purification.’ The idea of judgment need not be excluded, but the notion of ‘divine purification’ and ‘sanctification’ is the clear meaning in ancient Greek. However, in everyday language today, the basic meaning has been lost and associated instead with eternal torment.” (end quote)

Therefore, the phrase “burns with fire and brimstone” means ‘divine purification’. Mark 9:43–44, which says that the fire is not quenched, means that this ‘divine purification’ will not cease until all are purified. So what does the ‘lake of fire’ symbolize in Revelation? The word ‘lake’ means “a large body of water,” and Revelation 17:15 explains that ‘many waters’ represent ‘many people’. Therefore, the ‘lake’ symbolizes a multitude of people. Who are these people who function as the agents of purification? The answer: the victorious church. Thus, the ‘lake of fire’ represents ‘the victorious church’—those who, together with the Lord Jesus, are used as instruments of divine purification during the age of the New Heaven and New Earth.

We continue discussing the condition of the New Heaven and New Earth, where we see the New Jerusalem descending from heaven (Revelation 21:2). We have already established that the New Jerusalem symbolizes the Bride of the Lamb, and that the Bride of the Lamb represents God’s people—particularly Israel. We have also compared the Garden of Eden with the New Jerusalem. We will not repeat that comparison here, but let us now focus on the final chapter of Revelation, where we find the throne, the river, and the leaves of the tree of life that heal the nations. Once again, since Revelation uses symbolic language, we should not imagine a literal throne, literal river, or literal leaves. These are all symbols.

The New Jerusalem is the Kingdom of Heaven descending to the earth. The Father’s plan is fulfilled when He says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32). The little flock refers to God’s chosen people within the Christian world who have received grace not only to be called but also to be chosen and faithful. Meanwhile, Israel as a nation will also be fully restored, as the apostle Paul affirms in Romans 11:26: “And in this way all Israel will be saved…”

Let us begin with the throne of God and of the Lamb within the New Jerusalem. Revelation 22:1 says, “And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” A throne speaks of authority—to rule, to govern, and to judge. Within the throne of God and of the Lamb, the little flock also takes part together with Israel. Notice that from this throne flows the river of the water of life. This throne not only exercises judgment in the sense of condemnation, but also restoration and correction, for the river of life symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Jesus confirmed this in John 7:38–39: “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” And this He spoke concerning the Spirit. Thus, the river of life represents the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit flows from the throne, and this Spirit is freely offered to whoever wills, as declared in Revelation 22:17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ … and whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”

In the age of the New Heaven and New Earth, grace still exists. In Christian teaching, we often hear that now is the age of grace, and that after the coming of the Lord (the so-called “second coming”) there will no longer be any opportunity—no more grace. According to such myths circulated in Christianity, those who do not believe in Jesus will suffer eternal torment forever. It is time to discard such absurd and terrifying myths.

We see that not only is the water of life offered freely, but also the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations. The ministry of the victorious people of God in the age of the New Heaven and New Earth will continue, so that “…there shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3). No more curse of disease, no more curse of sin, no more generational curse—‘no more curse at all’. Thus the Father’s plan is fulfilled—to establish the Kingdom of Heaven upon the earth, and to bring His purpose to completion: ‘to make all mankind in His image and likeness’.

Amen.

Feudalism in the Christian World

By: Irnawan Silitonga

Because of a certain recent case, many people have begun talking about ‘feudalism’. This made me wonder—does the Christian world also represent a kind of feudalism? To avoid misunderstanding, we need to first align our understanding of what feudalism actually means.

According to the Indonesian Dictionary, feudalism has several meanings: first, a social or political system that grants great power to the nobility; second, a social system that glorifies rank or position rather than achievement; and third, a medieval European social system characterized by great power being held by landowners. When we look on the internet, many people connect feudalism with colonialism or even slavery. Historically, the feudal structure did indeed serve as a tool for colonizers to exploit the “common people” for their own benefit. Hence, people often speak of feudalism in a very negative light.

The question is: does such a feudal system also exist in religion? Of course, I will limit my discussion to Christianity, as stated in the title above. If we reflect carefully, what sustains the existence of a feudal system? I believe the answer is ‘hierarchy’. Without hierarchy, there could be no feudalism. Feudalism requires ‘power’ to be concentrated in certain groups, while others occupy lower positions and must submit to those in authority. Historically, kings (rulers) owned all the land, while the common people worked that land for the king’s benefit. Clearly, this is a hierarchical system—the one at the top holds supreme authority, while those at the bottom become “servants” who must obey the commands of their superiors.

So again we ask: does a feudal system exist within Christianity? Perhaps we should examine Matthew 23:1–12, because in this passage Jesus speaks about “Moses’ seat,” which seems connected to a feudal system. Notice in Matthew 23:1 that Jesus addresses two groups of people: ‘the crowds’ and His disciples. To the crowds, Jesus firmly instructs them to obey and do everything the scribes and Pharisees teach (verse 3). Why is that? What if the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees is not right? Yet Jesus still says their teaching must be followed—but not their actions. The reason is clear: the scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat (verse 2). Of course, “Moses’ seat” doesn’t refer to an actual chair once used by Moses, but rather to ‘Moses’ authority’, which the scribes and Pharisees held. Thus, Jesus teaches that the people must not rebel against the authority of their leaders.

Jesus never taught anyone to rebel against leadership authority. However, what’s striking in this passage is that when Jesus turns to speak to His disciples, He begins by saying, “BUT YOU…” (verse 8). Then He commands that no one among them should be called teacher, leader, or father, for there is only one Teacher and one Leader—Jesus Himself. There is also only one Father for the disciples, the Father in heaven. Jesus then explains why there must be no teacher, leader, or father among them: ‘because you are all brothers’.

What does ‘you are all brothers’ mean? It doesn’t merely mean ‘brothers in Christ’, as is commonly understood in today’s Christianity. The context here is about Moses’ seat—leadership authority. Therefore, Jesus’ point in saying ‘you are all brothers’ is that there should be no “Moses’ seat” (no leadership authority) among them—the church. There should be no human authority of church leaders over other members. All are equal (egalitarian), and all must submit to Jesus as the one and only Head of the Church. That is why, in the early church, ‘all members followed the leading of the Holy Spirit’.

However, we know that the church has since split into tens of thousands of denominations (a hierarchical system), where denominational leaders hold authority over their followers (members). Why is this so? Because of the attack of savage wolves, causing church leaders to exalt themselves and draw followers after them, establishing their own authority over others (Acts 20:28–30). That is why verse 12 warns that whoever exalts himself will be humbled—not now, but at the judgment seat of Christ, where we will all be judged.

So, does feudalism exist within Christianity? Absolutely. Every local (denominational) church building has its own ruler, whether called senior pastor, head shepherd, or by any other title. As a closing thought, what if someone “serves” within such a hierarchical system—receiving a salary, holding a specific position under the ruler, being assigned preaching schedules—but then speaks badly about the top leader? Be assured, brother, that Jesus will not defend such behavior. Jesus never taught people to rebel against leadership authority.

If by the grace of God someone comes to see the feudalism within the Christian world, and realizes that Jesus forbids it, thus choosing not to be involved in it, there is only one way—to come out of the system (‘kosmos’) of institutional Christianity and serve God outside the feudal system of the Christian world. There are many people, my brothers and sisters, who serve God outside the system of organized Christianity. Amen.

FAITH

By: Irnawan Silitonga

Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. However, a person who is dead in sin cannot possibly hear the Word of God unless the Father in heaven grants him the grace to hear. When someone receives the grace to hear the Word of God, the power of God that brings salvation enters his inner being (Romans 1:16). This power of God is ‘the energy of Christ’ that enables him to believe in God, to do the will of the Father, and to become a witness of Christ who boldly proclaims the Word of God.

Living faith is the power of God—or the energy of Christ—that drives a person to obey God. It is impossible for someone to have living faith without also having acts of obedience to God. James says that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Before we continue James’ explanation about works, let us first read Paul’s description of the Gospel in Romans 1:17.

In Romans 1:17 it is written, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” The phrase ‘from faith to faith’ (Greek: EK PISTEOS EIS PISTIN) cannot simply be translated as faith, because there is an important understanding within it that must be noticed. Let us quote Marvin Vincent’s commentary in his Word Studies: ‘the idea is that of progress in faith itself… faith is a progressive principle’ (Vol. 3, p. 14). Thus, the key understanding in the Greek expression above is the idea of progress. Faith is something that grows. Faith is not “static,” but continuously moves toward its perfection. Faith that does not grow and progress is dead faith—and this is not the saving faith that Paul refers to.

If so, what makes faith progressive? What makes faith grow? James affirms, “…faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect” (James 2:22). It is emphasized here that faith is made perfect through works. The ‘works’ referred to here are works that are born out of faith, because James says, “…I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Thus, not works apart from faith, but works that are produced by faith will perfect faith, causing it to grow toward perfection. In this way, Paul’s and James’ explanations about faith complement each other.

Indeed, Paul also affirms that faith cannot be separated from obedience. Romans 1:5 and 16:26 both explain the relationship between faith and obedience. In these verses, Paul says that he received the grace of apostleship to bring the nations to the ‘obedience of faith’ (as translated in the ILT version).

Therefore, we can conclude that faith produces obedience, and in turn, obedience perfects faith. Thus faith grows and progresses. This is biblical faith. This is saving faith. That is why James said that Abraham was justified by his works. This statement does not in any way contradict Paul’s teaching about faith, because the ‘works’ James refers to are works that spring forth from faith. Hallelujah, Amen.

The House of Elohim

By: Irnawan Silitonga

Our theme this time is ‘The House of Elohim’. This theme is important because there have been several misunderstandings in the Christian world regarding the concept of the Father’s House, and the idea of entering heaven, which have ultimately led to misconceptions about Elohim’s plan for humanity.

It has become common for Christians to imagine ‘the Father’s house’ or ‘the house of Elohim’ as something located in heaven, understood as ‘a pleasant place far away out there’. Supposedly, there are houses like the ones we know on earth, streets of gold similar to earthly streets, and even—according to some—dogs in heaven, and so on and so forth.

This misunderstanding is not a trivial matter. The Bible never teaches such notions. These ideas cause Christians to long to ‘leave the earth’ and go to that pleasant place often called heaven by preachers. Yet, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible emphasizes that the earth has been entrusted to humanity, and that ‘the heavenly dimension’ will fully descend into ‘this earthly dimension’. If a believer misunderstands Elohim’s plan, how can he cooperate with or walk together with Elohim in his life?

In Genesis 1:26–28, Elohim’s plan is clearly focused on the earth. Psalm 115:16 also affirms, “The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” The Hebrew term ‘shamayim’ (translated ‘heavens’) can also mean ‘heaven’ It is in heaven that Elohim has established His throne. The description of what heaven is like, what happens in that realm or dimension, and why Elohim places His throne there, has all been revealed clearly to the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation, especially chapters 4 and 5. We will not go further into that here; what we want to emphasize is that the earth has been given to the children of men.

Returning to our theme, ‘The House of Elohim’. The Bible not only reveals to us that the earth is the focus of Elohim’s plan, but also that Elohim intends to build a ‘house for Himself on this earth’—a dwelling place. How Elohim builds His dwelling place on the earth is what we will now discuss. We will apply a principle known as the ‘principle of first mention’. This principle explains that when something is mentioned for the first time in Scripture, that first mention establishes its fundamental meaning, which remains consistent throughout the Bible. However, because biblical revelation is ‘progressive’—meaning it unfolds and develops—the first meaning must later be ‘expanded upon’ by subsequent revelations, without altering its original foundation. Thus, we can arrive at a complete understanding of a concept—in this case, the ‘House of Elohim’.

Let’s begin with this principle. The first occurrence of the expression ‘House of Elohim’ in Scripture appears in the story of Jacob’s dream at Bethel (Genesis 28:10–22). When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Surely YAHWEH is in this place… This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of heaven.” (vv. 16–17, ILT). The Hebrew word ‘bayith’ (house or temple) does not first appear here—it first occurs in Genesis 7:1—but the phrase ‘bayith Elohim’ (House of Elohim) appears here for the first time in Scripture. We will examine this event and derive some fundamental insights about the House of Elohim as His dwelling place.

Now, let us take several key points from Jacob’s dream at Bethel (Genesis 28:10–22). As mentioned, this is the first time the phrase ‘House of Elohim’ appears. From this story, we can grasp a foundational understanding of what the House of Elohim truly means. First, Genesis 28:12 describes Jacob’s dream as follows: “…And behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of Elohim were ascending and descending on it.” (ILT). Later, Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled this vision when He said to Nathanael: “…you shall see heaven open, and the angels of Elohim ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:51, ILT).

By saying that the angels of Elohim ascend and descend ‘upon the Son of Man’, Yeshua reveals that He Himself, as the Son of Man, is the true ladder. The ladder Jacob saw was merely a ‘shadow’ or ‘prophetic type’. Its reality and fulfillment are found in Yeshua, the Son of Man. This ladder does not only open the gates of heaven but also ‘unites heaven and earth’. Through Jacob’s dream, we understand that the ‘House of Elohim’ represents the ‘union of heaven and earth’. And indeed, Yeshua, as the Son of Man, is the House of Elohim. This is why Yeshua said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” for He was speaking of ‘the temple of His body’ (John 2:21).

Jacob then named the place where he had the dream ‘Bethel’, meaning ‘House of Elohim’. In Jacob’s context, this was a ‘physical place’—indeed a literal city, formerly called Luz. Yet even though, in Jacob’s context, the House of Elohim referred to a physical location, it still represented the union of heaven and earth. This is the fundamental meaning of ‘the House of Elohim’.

From this foundational understanding alone, we can already see the error in the common Christian concept of ‘the Father’s house’ or ‘heaven’. Most religious leaders in the Christian world teach that the Father’s house or heaven is a place not of this earth. They do not understand that ‘the House of Elohim’—the Father’s house—is the union of heaven and earth, embodied in a Person: Yeshua.

By teaching that the Father’s house or heaven is merely a place, these religious leaders unconsciously divert the disciples’ focus away from the Person of Yeshua or the Person of the Father Himself. Some denominational leaders even claim that the house of the Lord refers to their church building. Clearly, such statements carry hidden motives—but Elohim’s chosen ones cannot be deceived.

Second, let us now discuss the next point from Jacob’s dream: the covenant of Elohim. Consider Elohim’s promise to Jacob: “I am YAHWEH, the Elohim of Abraham your father and the Elohim of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants… and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 28:13–14, ILT). When Elohim made this promise, He introduced Himself as the Elohim of Abraham and the Elohim of Isaac. Why? Hebrews 11:9 explains: “By faith he [Abraham] lived in the land of promise as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” The ILT translates ‘the same promise’—that is, the same covenant. Elohim’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is one and the same, commonly called the Abrahamic Covenant.

Thus, we see that when Elohim is about to build His House—a dwelling place for Himself—He first establishes a covenant with the people He has chosen. This covenant is not a trivial matter that can be altered at will, for Elohim is a Covenant Elohim. He is faithful to His covenant, and breaking it always brings His discipline. When Israel broke the Mosaic Covenant through idolatry, Yahweh’s discipline was severe. The House of Elohim (the Temple) was destroyed twice, and Israel was exiled for nearly 2,000 years from the Promised Land—and to this day, the Temple in Jerusalem has not been rebuilt.

Not only did Elohim make a covenant when building His House, but He also gave His laws to His chosen people. Let us briefly discuss the law of the tithe. Jacob promised to give a tenth of all that Elohim would give him (Genesis 28:22). However, we must remember that this was merely Jacob’s personal vow to Elohim—there is no verse stating that Jacob ever actually gave that tithe, and even if he did, to whom would he have given it?

Abraham also once gave a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20). But what Abraham did was not the same as the law of tithing under the Mosaic Covenant. In fact, Abraham lived before the Torah was given—he did not yet know Yahweh’s law. For example, Abraham “uncovered the nakedness” of Sarah, who was the daughter of his father though not of his mother (Genesis 20:12)—an act forbidden later under Yahweh’s law (Leviticus 20:17). The only explicit command given to Abraham by El Shaddai was: “…Walk before Me and be perfect.” (Genesis 17:1, ILT). This Shadday event occurred after Abram listened to Sarai’s suggestion in the case of Hagar (Genesis 16).

Thus, in building His House, Elohim established a covenant and also gave His law. Each covenant comes with its own specific law, and they must not be mixed together. In the ‘New Covenant’ made by Jesus, there is no law of tithing. There is not even ‘half a verse’ in the New Testament that speaks of the law of tithing. When Jesus said in Matthew 23:23, “…You should have practiced the latter (JUSTICE, MERCY, and FAITHFULNESS), without neglecting the former (THE TITHE),” the context of this verse was Jesus’ rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees, who were indeed under the Mosaic Covenant.

In the Christian world, the context of covenants is often violated. For instance, as can be seen on YouTube, several denominational leaders such as Ps. Jonatan Setiawan and his wife, Juan Mogi, Budi Karyanta (Rhema Hagios), and Abraham Joel, talk about the ‘Covenant of Blessing’. In ‘Renungan Keluarga Allah’, it is emphasized that the way to enter the ‘Covenant of Blessing’ is by giving tithes. These denominational leaders have created a ‘foreign covenant’—one that Elohim never made—in their attempt to build His House.

Indeed, many denominational leaders mix Covenants and their respective laws. In the House of Elohim, mixing between a Covenant and the laws pertaining to it is a violation of the principle of covenantal context and will surely bring about Elohim’s discipline in His time.

The third point we will discuss concerning Jacob’s dream is about the ‘stone’ and the ‘oil’. Genesis 28:18 says, “The next morning Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.” The stone Jacob used as a pillow, which later became a pillar, and the oil he poured upon it, both speak of the House of Elohim. Of course, the “stone” and the “oil” related to the House of Elohim are merely symbols. The House of Elohim in the New Testament context consists of ‘living stones’, as affirmed in 1 Peter 2:5: “And you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…”.

Thus, the “pillar” that Jacob built from stones symbolizes the church or the spiritual house. But there was one specific stone that Jacob used as his pillow—that stone is Christ Jesus, the chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:7). The oil Jacob poured upon the pillar represents the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit descended upon the “living stones” on the Day of Pentecost, the church—or spiritual house—was born. Therefore, this third point affirms that the House of Elohim is the community of believers upon whom the Holy Spirit is poured out, with Christ Jesus as their ‘head foundation’.

Let us reflect on Christ Jesus as our “cornerstone” and “headrest.” Colossians 1:27 declares, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ within us should be our ‘headrest’, for the Christ within is the ‘hope of our glory’, though not yet fully revealed. We must not “lay our head” upon any other glory except the glory of Christ within.

However, there is a serious problem here. 1 Peter 2:7 says that the ‘chief cornerstone’ was rejected by the builders. In Jesus’ time, these “builders” were the Jewish religious leaders who rejected Him (Acts 4:11). The question we must now ponder is: have the religious leaders in today’s Christianity also rejected ‘Christ within—the glory in us’?

Let us remember the fall of the church as described by Paul in Acts 20:28–30: “…savage wolves will come in among you… even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” This passage emphasizes that some leaders would draw the Lord’s disciples to follow them instead. If we observe the early church, we know that for the first two hundred years, there were no church buildings—let alone monuments to commemorate certain sects and their leaders. Why, then, are there now so many ‘church buildings’, costing hundreds of billions, and even grand monuments? For whose glory are all these built?

Clearly, they are built for the glory of the leaders. The congregation does not need a building; they only need to be equipped by the leaders to live daily lives led by the Spirit (Ephesians 4:11–12). The congregation can gather from house to house, just as the early church did before it split into thousands of denominations. Again, we must ask: why do denominational leaders need buildings? Because they draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves. And it is no secret that a leader’s ‘glory’ is measured by how many followers he has, how big his church buildings are, or even whether monuments are built to remember his ministry and himself.

If we receive grace to see it, this is what is called a ‘shift of glory’—the glory of Christ within has shifted to the glory of the leaders, reflected in massive buildings and monuments. These leaders may not reject Jesus as the Jewish leaders once did, but they have shifted the glory of Christ within to their own outward glory. It is the “savage wolves” who turn the glory of the House of Elohim from inward glory to outward glory. Ordinary wolves cause people to fall into sins like adultery, drunkenness, and gambling, but the “savage wolves” attack church leaders—causing them to shift the glory of Christ within believers to their own glory.

Before we move to the second person chosen by Elohim to build His House—Moses—let us summarize the ‘foundational understanding’ we gain from Jacob’s case, because it was to Jacob that Elohim first revealed His will to build a House for His dwelling on earth. It must be emphasized that Elohim Himself will build His House, though He will indeed use His servants to accomplish His purpose.

1. First foundational understanding: The House of Elohim represents the ‘union of heaven and earth’—heaven descending to earth.

2. Second foundational understanding: Elohim will establish a covenant with His people, and along with it, He will give a law that corresponds to that covenant.

3. Third foundational understanding: The pillar that Jacob built and anointed with oil symbolizes the House of Elohim, composed of ‘living stones’ arranged in order and filled with the Holy Spirit. The single stone that served as Jacob’s pillow represents Jesus, the ‘chief cornerstone’.

These foundational insights are crucial for anyone who seeks to build the House of Elohim. As one who received grace to be a skilled master builder and lay the foundation, Paul warned those who build upon it. In 1 Corinthians 3:10–17, Paul wrote: “…But each one should be careful how he builds. His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work… If anyone destroys the temple of Elohim, Elohim will destroy him, for the temple of Elohim is holy, and you are that temple.” May we all receive grace not to destroy the House of Elohim.

Now, let us move on to the case of Moses. Exodus 25:9, 40 declares: “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” Elohim commanded Moses to construct the Tabernacle and all its furnishings precisely according to the pattern shown on the mountain. Elohim gave Moses ‘no freedom’ whatsoever regarding the design of the Tabernacle. Moses had to build it ‘according to the pattern on the mountain’. Every measurement of the furnishings, every color of the fabric, every material—whether gold, bronze, or wood—had to be made according to that heavenly pattern.

Building the House of Elohim according to the revealed pattern is no trivial matter. Each of us who participates in building the church as His dwelling place must clearly see “the pattern on the mountain”. In truth, Jesus has already clearly declared: “I will build My Church.” Only Jesus can build His Church. That is why in Matthew 23:1–12, Jesus firmly said that none of His followers should be called rabbi, father, or leader. In other words, no one has the authority of ‘Moses’ seat’ within the church. Jesus Himself governs it all—and He warns that whoever exalts himself will be humbled (v. 12).

If that is the case, then where should we look for the “pattern shown on the mountain” so that we will not exalt ourselves and build the House of Elohim according to our own will? We must look for it in the Book of Acts, in all its 28 chapters. Generally speaking, the condition of the Christian world today does not conform to the “pattern shown on the mountain.” May we receive grace to take part in building the House of Elohim according to that pattern.

Let us continue discussing how we are supposed to build the ‘House of Elohim’ on this earth, using the case of Moses as an example. Exodus 40:34,36 states, “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the Israelites set out on their journey.” Numbers 9:21,23 says, “Sometimes the cloud remained from evening till morning; when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.”

Here we see that the Israelites were led by the cloud of the LORD’s glory which filled the House of Elohim (the tabernacle). The Israelites were not led directly by Moses, but directly by the “cloud of the glory of the LORD.” Moses was merely an intermediary, as stated in the verse above. Therefore, in the context of Moses, maintaining the Tabernacle means following the leading of the “cloud of the glory of the LORD.” The Israelites followed the movement of the “cloud of the LORD’s glory,” and this was the same as obeying the command of the LORD. If the Israelites, including Moses, did not follow the movement of the “cloud of the LORD’s glory,” they would have been disobeying the command of the LORD.

Now let us apply this principle of following the “cloud of the LORD’s glory” to our (New Testament) context. If one studies every occurrence of the term ‘cloud’ in the Bible, one will find that when the word ‘cloud’ appears in singular form, it always refers to the glory of the LORD. However, when the term ‘clouds’ appears in plural form, it refers to the glory of the LORD manifested in His witnesses.

Why is that? We know that the House of Elohim, symbolized by the Tabernacle in the time of Moses, represents the church, that is, the saints. And that Christ within the saints IS THE GLORY OF THE LORD, though still as a HOPE (Colossians 1:27). This means the glory of the LORD within us has not yet been revealed. When the glory of the LORD within us is revealed, that will be the moment when our glory, as the sons of Elohim, will be manifested to all creation (Romans 8:21).

Therefore, if we wish to maintain the House of Elohim, we must follow THE LEADING OF THE CLOUD OF THE LORD’S GLORY WITHIN US. Not the church leaders, because those leaders, like Moses, are only intermediaries. In the church, leaders are like “joints and ligaments” in the body (Colossians 2:19). The “joints and ligaments” are not what the body must follow; rather, EVERY MEMBER OF THE BODY MUST FOLLOW THE INNER LIFE GUIDANCE OF THE BODY.

The problem today in the Christian world is that this glory has shifted due to the attack of savage wolves, as we have previously discussed. The glory of Christ within has shifted into the glory of church leaders, reflected in buildings and monuments. The leaders have drawn the members of the Body toward themselves (Acts 20:28–30). As a result, members of the Body of Christ no longer follow the “cloud of the LORD’s glory” within them, but follow the “cloud of glory” of their denominational leaders.

However, the Lord Jesus has His chosen people who “…follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4). His chosen people do respect the existing leaders, but they do not follow those leaders—they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. The worship of His chosen people is not governed by religious leaders in the Christian world, but rather their worship follows the leading of Christ within them IN THEIR DAILY LIVES.

Let us continue our discussion of the House of Elohim in the case of Moses. Let us read Exodus 33:7, which says, “Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the Tent of Meeting. Everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp.” The background of why Moses set up the tent outside the camp of Israel was because the Israelites had fallen into the worship of the ‘Golden Calf’ while Moses was on Mount Sinai (Exodus 32:1). Indeed, ever since the Israelites fell into the worship of the Golden Calf, they no longer worshiped Yahweh, as testified by Stephen in Acts 7:42–43: for forty years in the wilderness, Israel “…took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship…” (v.43). The tent of Moses, which symbolized the House of Elohim, was no longer in the midst of the Israelites.

Let us apply this case of Moses setting up the Tent of Meeting outside the camp to the Christian world. Hebrews 13:9–13 declares, “Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar… Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood. So then, let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”

The writer of Hebrews firmly states that we have an ALTAR. This altar is not the altar of Moses’ tabernacle, which was merely a symbol. This altar is the fulfillment of Moses’ altar, because Jesus came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. This altar is the altar of burnt offering—the cross of Jesus—as the sacrifice for the atonement of sins. And because Jesus fulfilled the Law, the Old Testament regulation that the body of the sacrificial animal must be burned outside the camp was also fulfilled when Jesus was crucified outside the camp. The ministry of Jesus was a ministry outside the camp, though it bore reproach. Then comes this remarkable exhortation: that we should go to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.

For those of us who have received grace to see, we realize that the Christian world is full of regulations—some borrowed from Old Testament laws (tithes, first fruits, etc.), others concerning worship rules about specific buildings, and still others about denominational organizational rules. Yet notice the exhortation above: “For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by GRACE, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to such regulations.”

We have “an altar” outside the Christian world, and that altar is THE ALTAR OF GRACE. Why is that? Because at this altar, the work of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus is complete and perfect, needing no addition of any rule or regulation. And when we are commanded to ‘work out our salvation’ (Philippians 2:12–13), it means we are empowered by the strength of grace to live out that salvation day by day—not by our own strength or works.

Indeed, this altar of grace is the House of Elohim. And this House of Elohim exists outside the camp of the religious Christian world filled with man-made rules. The church, which is the House of Elohim, is not a denomination, even though religious leaders often call their denomination “the church.”

Our next discussion of the House of Elohim in the context of Moses concerns the matter of the covenant. We have seen that when Elohim builds a House as His dwelling place, He first makes a covenant with the person or people He has chosen. In the case of Jacob, the covenant Elohim made is commonly called the Abrahamic Covenant or ‘The Patriarchal Covenant’, because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the patriarchs of Israel—all inherited the same promise. To the people of Israel through Moses, Elohim also made a covenant known as ‘The Sinai Covenant’ or the Old Covenant.

It should be emphasized that the House of Elohim to be built, and its meaning, depend entirely on the context of the covenant. In the contexts of Jacob and Moses, the House of Elohim that was built was symbolic, figurative, and prophetic. Yet because the covenants made with Jacob and Moses were different, the ‘House of Elohim’ built by Jacob and by Moses were also different.

Now let us consider the covenant Elohim made with the people of Israel through Moses. This covenant is recorded in Exodus chapters 20–40. The word of the covenant is summarized in the Ten Commandments, along with additional statutes and ordinances, including instructions for constructing the Tabernacle. Concerning the Tabernacle, Elohim said, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). Clearly, from this verse, the Tabernacle was only a symbol of Elohim’s presence among His people.

The presence of Elohim brings about spiritual experiences for His people. These spiritual experiences are symbolized by all the furnishings of the Tabernacle, though we will not discuss those details now. What we will emphasize here is that the Tabernacle symbolizes the presence of Elohim in the midst of His people.

In the context of the New Covenant, the Tabernacle represents the body of believers. First of all, Jesus affirmed that the Temple of Elohim is His own body (John 2:21). Paul also emphasized this in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you…?” To maintain or build the House of Elohim in the context of the New Testament means to care for our own bodies. That is why Paul said, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). The word ‘discipline’ that Paul used here is ‘hupopiazo’, a verb that means ‘to discipline by hardship’. Thus, Paul was fully aware that his body was the temple of the Holy Spirit that must be guarded, maintained, and brought under complete control.

However, this discipline of the body is not merely about physical training, because physical training has limited value. Paul affirmed that godliness is profitable for all things (1 Timothy 4:8). Worship within the ‘House of Elohim’, which is our body, is actually the growth of spiritual experiences symbolized by the furnishings of Moses’ Tabernacle. The more we grow in our spiritual experiences with Him, the more we can maintain and bring our body under control.

Therefore, in the context of the Mosaic covenant, the House of Elohim is the Tabernacle where He dwells; but in the context of the New Covenant, the House of Elohim is our body, where the Holy Spirit dwells within our inner being.

We will continue to speak about the ‘House of Elohim’ in the context of Moses, by observing the spiritual experiences that happened to the individuals or people chosen by Him. In Jacob’s case, we see that Jacob recognized the presence of Elohim and felt fear and awe in the ‘House of Elohim’ (Genesis 28:16–17). Moses himself also felt fear, and even could not enter the Tabernacle when the cloud of Elohim’s glory filled it (Hebrews 12:18–21; Exodus 40:35).

Everyone chosen by Him to build and maintain the ‘House of Elohim’ will inevitably have ‘spiritual experiences’ within that ‘House’. However, we must be cautious regarding these ‘spiritual experiences’, because it cannot be denied that such experiences are subjective—meaning, each person may experience them differently. Nevertheless, the Bible reveals to us certain standards or benchmarks to test specific spiritual experiences—whether they truly result from the presence of Elohim in His House (a genuine encounter with Him) or not.

The furnishings within the Tabernacle—the House of Elohim in Moses’ context—are symbols of spiritual experiences. Thus, each piece of furniture in Moses’ Tabernacle represents a particular spiritual experience with Elohim. We will not now discuss each furnishing in detail, but it must be emphasized that every genuine spiritual experience with Elohim in His House has a specific foundation symbolized by one of the furnishings in the Tabernacle.

The subject of spiritual experiences is important to discuss because within Christianity there are groups that emphasize certain experiences as the sign of being filled with the Spirit—for example, speaking in certain utterances they call tongues, falling in the Spirit, vomiting, holy laughter, bodily shaking, and so on. All such spiritual experiences within the House of Elohim must not be accepted blindly without examining their biblical foundation.

At the same time, we should not fall into the opposite extreme, which claims that as long as one holds or understands correct doctrine, that alone is sufficient—without any need for spiritual experience. Some say, “What matters is having the right doctrine; leave the experiences to God.” Both of these views must be examined carefully, because throughout Scripture we see that when a person truly encounters Elohim or comes into contact with His presence in His House, they always experience something. One example is Moses when Elohim chose him—Moses was not immediately given the Law to teach Israel, but first experienced the “burning bush encounter” (Exodus 3:2).

For now, let us consider spiritual experiences in connection with the covenants in effect. We have briefly discussed the Mosaic covenant. The striking difference between the covenant of Moses and the covenant made by Jesus (the New Covenant) is that the Mosaic covenant was symbolic, prophetic, and external, while the New Covenant is its fulfillment and internal. Thus, generally speaking, the difference between spiritual experiences in the Old and New Covenants is that the former are outward, while the latter are inward.

Therefore, one way to test spiritual experiences in Christianity is to see whether such experiences transform a person’s inner being. Does the believer grow to love Elohim more, to know Him more intimately, to enjoy the revelation of His Word within, to experience ‘Christ growing within’, and to become more focused on inner, spiritual matters? Or not? If the so-called spiritual experiences actually lead someone to love the world, wealth, and human glory more, then we already know that such spiritual experiences are false and misleading.

Now we will discuss the furnishings within the Tabernacle—the ‘House of Elohim’ in Moses’ context—since these furnishings symbolize spiritual experiences. Each piece of furniture in Moses’ Tabernacle represents a particular spiritual experience with Elohim. We know that Moses’ Tabernacle consisted of three parts: the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. In the outer court were the Bronze Altar and the Laver. In the Holy Place were the Table of Showbread, the Golden Lampstand, and the Altar of Incense. In the Most Holy Place was the Ark of the Covenant, which contained Aaron’s Rod, the Tablets of the Covenant, and a Jar of Manna.

We will not go into the detailed meanings of each piece and its corresponding experience but will outline the general spiritual principles. Several facts must first be understood. First, the Bronze Altar in the outer court was so large that all the other furnishings could fit within it. Second, all the furnishings of the Tabernacle were anointed with oil (Exodus 30:26–29). Third, the Tabernacle’s three parts—outer court, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place—correspond to the fulfillment of Israel’s three major feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

Let us now consider these facts. The Bronze Altar symbolizes the redemption of Jesus’ Cross. Its immense size, capable of encompassing all the other furnishings, speaks of the perfection of Jesus’ redemptive work on the Cross, in which all other spiritual experiences are contained. The redemption of Jesus is complete and needs no addition. Therefore, if a person believes in the redemption of Jesus on the Cross and is saved, his salvation is already perfect and does not need to be “completed” by any other spiritual experience. Of course, believers will grow in further spiritual experiences, but those do not make their salvation more complete.

Second, we must note that all the Tabernacle furnishings were anointed with oil. Oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. This means that all spiritual experiences symbolized by those furnishings are ‘experiences with the Holy Spirit’. In short, all genuine spiritual experiences occur because the Holy Spirit gives them to believers. True spiritual experiences always occur because the Holy Spirit initiates them—never the other way around. We must not reverse this truth by claiming that certain human actions or responses ‘cause’ the Holy Spirit to act. Every genuine spiritual experience is purely by grace.

Third, the fact that the Tabernacle consisted of three parts corresponds to the fulfillment of Israel’s three major feasts—Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The fulfillment of Passover brought the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 20:22). The fulfillment of Pentecost brought them the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a ‘deposit or guarantee’ (Ephesians 1:14). The fulfillment of Tabernacles will bring about the unlimited outpouring of the Holy Spirit, revealed to all creation (Romans 8:19–21). This fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles has not yet occurred.

All these experiences with the Holy Spirit take place on earth, for Elohim will establish His House ‘on earth’. Religious leaders within Christianity have caused believers to long for “experiences of evacuation to heaven far away,” where people only singing songs… While the Kingdom of Heaven is descending to the earth, believers want to escape from the earth because they have been deceived by misleading sermons…

We have broadly outlined the spiritual experiences related to the three sections of Moses’ Tabernacle, namely the outer court (the experience of being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit who gives Life), the Holy Place (the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee), and the Most Holy Place (receiving the Holy Spirit without measure). Now we will discuss specific spiritual experiences symbolized by certain furnishings.

The first furnishing we will discuss is, of course, the Bronze Altar, which symbolizes the redemption of Jesus on the Cross. In the Bible, bronze speaks of judgment. The Bronze Altar was made of wood overlaid with bronze. Wood symbolizes our humanity that has fallen into sin. Thus, the Bronze Altar speaks of our sins being judged, but Jesus bore the judgment of Elohim that should have fallen upon us. All our sins have been perfectly judged through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Therefore, we are no longer called sinners but saints — people set apart solely for the purpose and plan of Elohim.

The next furnishing is the Laver, which speaks of water baptism. In some countries, if someone merely believes in Jesus but has not yet been baptized in water, they do not experience rejection or persecution, because they are not yet seen as fully set apart for Elohim. But once they undergo the experience of water baptism, they begin to experience rejection. Thus, the Laver represents the believer’s experience of water baptism. However, the Laver also speaks of an ongoing experience with the ‘Spirit of Life’, in which one experiences the ‘washing of the water of Life’ daily and continually grows in their experience with the Holy Spirit.

Next, we enter the Holy Place, where there is the Table of Showbread. On the Table of Showbread were placed twelve loaves arranged in two rows. The number twelve in the Bible symbolizes government or authority. Physical bread symbolizes the living Word of God. Therefore, the Table of Showbread represents the believer’s experience of learning to submit to the authority of the Word.

However, believers also need to learn to submit to Divine Government above them. Today, the Church — which was originally led organically as a living body — has fractured into thousands of denominations, each practicing a ‘hierarchical’ form of leadership (a man-made leadership system). Therefore, we must be very careful in applying Bible verses that speak of submission to leaders. Of course, denominational leaders generally love to quote such verses. In the Christian world that has fallen into tens of thousands of denominations, teachings on submission such as “spiritual covering” and similar doctrines have emerged — which are none other than the heresy of the ‘Nicolaitans’ (Revelation 2:6,15). We will not elaborate here on the difference between the Church’s organic leadership and denominational hierarchy, since we have discussed it elsewhere.

We have now reached the Holy Place of Moses’ Tabernacle, which contains three furnishings: the Table of Showbread, the Golden Lampstand, and the Altar of Incense. Having discussed the Table of Showbread, we will now continue with the Golden Lampstand. The Golden Lampstand (or Menorah) was made entirely of pure gold (Exodus 37:17–24). Every furnishing in the Holy Place was either made of or overlaid with gold. There was no bronze in the Holy Place, since bronze — which speaks of judgment — had already been dealt with at the Bronze Altar in the outer court. Gold in the Bible symbolizes the divine nature of Elohim. Therefore, in the Holy Place, we experience growth in the divine nature of Elohim. Our sinful nature was completely dealt with at the Bronze Altar. In the Holy Place, we experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Golden Lampstand had six branches extending from its sides and seven lamps in total. In the vision of the prophet Zechariah, there were two additional lamps (Zechariah 4:2–5), making a total of nine lights. This represents the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit as described in 1 Corinthians 12:8–11. None of these gifts are greater than the others; all are given by the Holy Spirit as He wills, for the building up of each member and of the Body of Christ as a whole. It must always be remembered that the experience of the gifts of the Spirit is meant to help us grow in the divine nature of Elohim (symbolized by gold). If we use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to exalt ourselves — or worse, to ‘trade’ or profit from gifts such as healing, miracles, or prophecy — then we have not yet understood the divine nature (gold) of Elohim.

The next furnishing in the Holy Place is the Altar of Incense (Exodus 37:25–29). This altar was not for sin offerings, for sin had already been atoned for at the Bronze Altar. Rather, the Altar of Incense was for offering fragrant incense pleasing to Elohim (verse 29). The experience of ‘Christ dying for us’ is symbolized by the Bronze Altar, whereas the experience of ‘us dying with Christ’ is symbolized by the Altar of Incense. This experience of ‘dying with Christ’ is explained by Paul in Romans chapter 6, where we are identified with Christ in His death and resurrection. Through this identification experience, we offer fragrant incense before Elohim. This is like Mary breaking the alabaster jar and anointing the feet of Jesus, so that ‘the fragrance filled the entire house’ (John 12:3).

In another account, Jesus said, ‘Mary has chosen the better part’ (Luke 10:42). In that event, Martha was busy serving. This was not wrong, but it was not the best. When we observe why Mary broke the alabaster jar at Jesus’ feet, it was because she loved to ‘sit at the Lord’s feet and listen to His words’ (Luke 10:39), while Martha was busy serving. Jesus affirmed that what Mary did was the best.

In the Christian world, we often hear about “the fruit of ministry.” This usually refers to the number of souls we win or serve, or perhaps ministries like building hospitals, schools, orphanages, or preaching everywhere. All these are good, but they are not the best. The best is ‘to sit at the Lord’s feet and keep listening to Him’, just as Mary did. In short, it is better to listen to the Lord than to be busy serving.

Now we come to the furnishings in the Most Holy Place of Moses’ Tabernacle. In the Most Holy Place there was only one furnishing: the Ark of the Covenant. The Most Holy Place represents the Life (‘zoe’) of Elohim Himself. This experience is entered after passing through the Altar of Incense in the Holy Place, as we have discussed. There is no darkness in the Most Holy Place — only perfect light caused by the cloud of the Lord’s glory filling the entire room. Meanwhile, in the Holy Place, there is only partial light from the Golden Lampstand, symbolizing the gifts of the Spirit. Thus, in the Most Holy Place there is full light, while in the Holy Place there is partial light. This corresponds to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, which — though powerful and accompanied by gifts — was only a guarantee (Ephesians 1:14, Greek: ‘arrabōn’ = guarantee, pledge, down payment, or partial giving). The full giving of the Holy Spirit will occur at the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Ark of the Covenant symbolizes the Covenant of Elohim with His people. It was made of wood, representing humanity, overlaid with gold inside and out. This wood has undergone the discipline of the Holy Spirit to the point that it is no longer visible, being completely covered by gold, which is the divine nature of Elohim. This wood is very different from the whitewashed tombs to which Jesus referred when addressing the religious leaders of His time (Matthew 23:27). The Greek word ‘taphos’ in that verse, commonly translated as ‘tomb’, also means ‘coffin’ or ‘sepulcher’. Thus, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day as ‘whitewashed coffins’.

Why must we see the difference between the Ark of the Covenant (overlaid with gold) and the whitewashed coffin? This is important because it relates to the New Covenant established by Jesus on His last night. An interesting fact is that when Jesus made the New Covenant (symbolized by the cup, Luke 22:20) with His disciples on that final night, Judas — who had already “sold” Jesus — was still at the table with Him. But when Jesus gave His New Covenant commandment to His disciples, Judas had already left (John 13:31–35). Thus, Judas participated in the New Covenant Jesus established but had no understanding at all of the Law of the New Covenant.

Let us apply these facts to the world of Christianity. The New Covenant established by Jesus on the night before His death with His disciples has its own Law. The covenant of Moses had its law, which was the Law of the Torah. The New Covenant made by Jesus has its own law — the law of love, or the law of the Spirit, or the law of the Spirit of life. The law of worship in the New Covenant is worship in spirit, not a law of worship ‘on this mountain or that mountain’ (John 4:21–24).

Judas, who “sold” Jesus, was indeed involved in the New Covenant, yet he had no understanding whatsoever of the Law of the New Covenant. Religious leaders who “play around” with the Law of the New Covenant by teaching the Lord’s disciples about the law of tithing, the law of firstfruits, or the law of worship where people must come to this or that building, are indeed like “whitewashed tombs” working hand in hand with Judas.

If, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, we enter into the Most Holy Place and begin to experience the reality of the Ark of the Covenant, then we will not take the New Covenant or its Law lightly.

We are still discussing the Ark of the Covenant which was placed in the Most Holy Place, where inside it were the rod of Aaron, the jar of manna, and the two stone tablets. Let us begin with the rod of Aaron. The story of Aaron’s rod took place when the leaders of Israel questioned the leadership of Moses and Aaron over God’s people (Numbers 16–17). To prove Yahweh’s choice of Aaron, each tribe of Israel was to present a rod, and Yahweh said, “The rod of the man I choose will bud” (Numbers 17:5). Then we know that it was Aaron’s rod that budded.

There is an interesting fact: the rod of Aaron was no longer found in the Ark of the Covenant that was placed in Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:9). Why was that? The rod symbolizes human authority, even though the human was chosen by God. However, in the Kingdom order, there is no longer human leadership authority. The matter of Aaron’s rod or Moses’ seat is very important for the people of the Kingdom to understand in today’s Christian world. Indeed, it is precisely because of this “rod” issue that the church has split into tens of thousands of denominations, as we see today.

Let us pay close attention to the words of Jesus in Matthew 23:1–12. We won’t quote the entire passage, but a few verses are key: “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples… The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So practice and observe whatever they tell you… But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers… Nor are you to be called leaders, for you have one Leader, the Messiah… Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Here it is clear that Jesus was speaking to two groups of people: first, the crowds, and second, His disciples. The crowds refer to the nation of Israel as a whole under the leadership of the Jewish Sanhedrin, which included the scribes and Pharisees. Although the crowds often followed Jesus, they were not considered His disciples. To these crowds, Jesus firmly said that they must not rebel against the scribes and Pharisees but obey their teachings—though not imitate their behavior. Why obey them? Because they held Moses’ seat, meaning they possessed leadership authority.

Next, in verse 8, Jesus said to His disciples, “BUT YOU… are not to be called Rabbi, Father, or Leader, for you are all brothers.” What did Jesus mean by this? We know that Jesus preached the Kingdom of Heaven. As the people of the Kingdom—His disciples—there is no “Moses’ seat.” THERE IS NO HUMAN LEADERSHIP AUTHORITY BECAUSE WE ARE ALL BROTHERS.

Then, does this mean there are no leaders in the church? Of course, there are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, elders, and deacons—but none of them have authority over God’s people. THERE ARE NO RANKS, NO HIERARCHY, AND NO HUMAN GOVERNING SYSTEM AMONG THE PEOPLE OF THE KINGDOM.

Why, then, is the Christian world full of titles, positions, and leaders with all their glory and privileges? The disease is clearly pride—the act of exalting oneself (verse 12). These leaders draw the Lord’s disciples to follow them (Acts 20:29–30). They do not become ‘servants’ who equip God’s people as written in Ephesians 4:11–12. Instead, these leaders exalt themselves and seize the authority of the church, which belongs only to Jesus, the Messiah. But God’s Word will surely be fulfilled: whoever exalts himself will be humbled. When Jesus returns to establish His Kingdom on earth, the humble Kingdom people will be given authority to reign and judge on the earth (Revelation 5:10; 20:4). And those leaders who have usurped Jesus’ authority over His people will be brought low.

We are still discussing the Ark of the Covenant that was placed in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle of Moses. Now we will talk about the jar of manna. The jar was made of clay but overlaid with gold inside and out. This speaks of our humanity (clay) that has been “covered” by the divine nature of God (gold), because the experience in the Most Holy Place is not about human strength but about the power of God’s divine nature received through the discipline of His grace.

This jar contained the manna eaten by the first generation of Israel during their forty years in the wilderness. However, the manna placed in the Most Holy Place represents the hidden manna given to the overcomers of the church age in Revelation 2:17. Clearly, enjoying this hidden manna is not the same as the “wilderness experience” of the first generation of Israel. The “hidden manna” is the experience of intimate fellowship with God in the Most Holy Place—or “eating the Lord” in the Most Holy Place.

Let us look at the experience of the twelve spies sent by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan from the wilderness of Paran (Numbers 13–14). After exploring the land, ten of them said, “…We cannot attack those people; they are stronger than we are” (13:31). But Joshua and Caleb said, “…We will devour them” (14:9). The word “devour” here is translated from the Hebrew term ‘lechem’, meaning bread or food. For Joshua and Caleb, all obstacles, challenges, and sufferings in conquering Canaan were “bread” or “food.” They had a different spirit and attitude; they followed Yahweh wholeheartedly. Therefore, for Joshua and Caleb, every hardship and struggle was food—they were already eating the “hidden manna.” Out of 600,000 men of the first generation, only the families of Joshua and Caleb entered the land of Canaan, together with the second generation born in the wilderness.

Let us apply the experience of Joshua and Caleb to the condition of Christianity today, for in the Christian world, ‘many are called, but few are chosen’. We know that the overcomers are those who have received grace to be called, chosen, and faithful (Revelation 17:14). These overcomers are given the “hidden manna” by the Lord Jesus (Revelation 2:17). The overcomers eat the “hidden manna,” while those who are merely called eat the “manna” in the wilderness.

This matter of “eating” actually refers to receiving the blessing of fellowship with the Lord (Revelation 3:20). Religious leaders in Christianity often teach that to receive the blessing of fellowship with the Lord, one must faithfully attend gatherings in buildings, cell groups, or other meetings they organize. Sometimes, they even emphasize not to leave these gatherings, lest one be “devoured by wolves.” These religious leaders often quote certain verses or teachings to retain their “loyal attendees.” We need not elaborate on their motivations—though we surely understand them—but the real issue is that there is a hidden truth, or “hidden manna,” unknown to most believers, and perhaps even to the leaders themselves.

In truth, this “hidden manna” is within the believer’s inner being. Jesus affirmed to those who believe in Him that, “…Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). The apostle John also emphasized, “…the anointing you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you…” (1 John 2:27). Christ in you, the hope of glory. The kingdom of God is within you. The teachings of religious leaders about “blessings through gathering” have caused believers to be unaware that the special blessing—the “hidden manna”—is already within them. Worse still, believers have become afraid to “dig for themselves” the source of living water within their own hearts. They have become dependent on their leaders. But those who receive grace to become the winner will draw from the spring of living water within his being, continually enjoying the “hidden manna” that never runs out in his inner life.

We are still discussing the Ark of the Covenant, which was placed in the Most Holy Place of Moses’ Tabernacle. So far, we have described various spiritual experiences within the House of Elohim, which are symbolized by the furnishings of the Tabernacle. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us in all these experiences, because all the furnishings were anointed with oil (symbolizing the Holy Spirit). Therefore, in building His House, Elohim gives spiritual experiences to the person or community He has chosen.

Now we will discuss the experience symbolized by the ‘two tablets of stone’ that were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, which, as we know, was located in the Most Holy Place. The two tablets of stone contained the Ten Commandments. Many Christians assume that the spiritual experience symbolized by these “two tablets” is an experience where we “must do” and “strive to obey” the Ten Commandments. If we think this way, none of us would ever succeed—our experience of the “two tablets” would only be one of failure after failure. But that is not the true meaning of the spiritual experience symbolized by the “two tablets.”

Let us read Hebrews 8:10, which says, “…I will give My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts…” (LITV). Therefore, the spiritual experience symbolized by the ‘two tablets of stone’ in the Most Holy Place is an experience in which the Holy Spirit ‘writes’ His laws within our inner being. It is not an experience of I MUST DO, but rather one in which the Holy Spirit Himself works within us so that we naturally live out God’s laws. It is not the result of our own “hard work” to obey, but a living out of God’s laws ‘without the strength of the flesh’.

Let us look at John 6:28–29: “…What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (LITV). We see here that the Jews thought that in order to do the works of God, they had to do something. But Jesus defined the work of God as that they believe. Indeed, a person who truly believes will act according to his faith, for faith without works is dead. However, a Christian who feels he must do this or that to be blessed or because it is a command has fallen into religious slavery.

Religion enslaves—Christianity included. Jesus did not come to establish a religion; He came so that we might have ‘life’ (His Life = ‘zoe’). He came as the Spirit who gives Life (‘zoe’) and writes His laws within our hearts. The “two tablets of stone” written within us are nothing less than the work of the Life-giving Spirit in our inner being. As we grow daily in His Life, we naturally live out God’s laws.

This is different from religious behavior. Religious leaders in the Christian world often urge their congregations that they ‘must tithe’ in order to be blessed, must attend Sunday services in a certain building, must faithfully join small groups, must follow certain rules to be “obedient Christians,” and so on. This is nothing more than ‘religious slavery’.

If someone feels an inner prompting to give an offering to a person or an institution, that is fine. But if he gives because “it is commanded by God,” that is religious bondage. If someone feels led inwardly to attend a particular worship gathering, that is not bondage. But if he feels compelled to do so by command, it becomes bondage. True worship in the Spirit is freedom. One is free to give or not, to attend a service in a building or not. The moment Christians are told “you must do this, you must do that”… that is bondage. The spiritual experience symbolized by the “two tablets of stone” is an experience of freedom. We are free to follow the leading of the Spirit—wherever the Holy Spirit leads, there we go.

Now we come to the third person chosen by Elohim to build His House on earth—David. To understand how Elohim would build His House through David, let us read 2 Samuel chapter 7. This chapter tells how David desired to build the ‘House of Elohim’ and expressed his desire to the prophet Nathan (verse 2). But Elohim’s response through Nathan was this: “…Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? … I will raise up your seed after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name… Your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before Me; your throne shall be established forever” (verses 5, 12, 13, 16).

From these verses we see that Elohim said it would not be David who built His House, but his descendant—Solomon. Yet Elohim did not stop there; He made a covenant with David, centered on the matter of the kingdom—more precisely, a ‘dynasty’. This meant that David’s descendants would reign over Israel forever. This covenant made by Elohim with David is known as the Davidic Covenant.

Again, we see that in building His House, Elohim always establishes a covenant with the one He chooses. In Jacob’s case, Elohim made a covenant known as the Abrahamic Covenant. In Moses’ case, Elohim made what is known as the Mosaic Covenant or Old Covenant. Therefore, whoever is called by Elohim to take part in building the ‘House of Elohim’ must pay close attention to which covenant is connected with the building of His House in their own context. In short, the one chosen to build the ‘House of Elohim’ will certainly understand the covenant that exists between himself and Elohim.

Now let us return to the Davidic Covenant. To David it was promised that his dynasty—his throne—would be established forever. We understand that the fulfillment of God’s promise to David is realized in the Messiah, often called ‘David’s greatest Son’, that is, Jesus. It must be emphasized again that this promise of an eternal dynasty is related to the building of the ‘House of Elohim’. This means that the kings descended from David would build the ‘House of Elohim’, especially Solomon and Jesus the Messiah.

What about us today? Are we also ‘the kings of David’s lineage’ who take part in building the ‘House of Elohim’? The answer is yes. Those chosen by Elohim to participate in building His House are also kings—“descendants of David.” This can be explained as follows: In Matthew 1:1–17, the genealogy of Jesus is recorded. Verse 17 says, “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David until the Babylonian exile fourteen generations; and from the Babylonian exile to Christ fourteen generations.” If we count, from Abraham to David there are indeed fourteen generations, with David being the 14th. From Solomon to Jeconiah (during the exile to Babylon) there are also fourteen generations, with Jeconiah as the 14th. Then from Shealtiel to Jesus there are only thirteen generations, with Jesus as the 13th. Therefore, the ‘fourteenth generation’ after Jesus is ‘Christ’—that is, the Body of Christ. Thus, the Body of Christ is the ‘descendants of Jesus’. Since Jesus is the King, the descendant of David, the Body of Christ is likewise ‘kings of David’s lineage’.

The Body of Christ consists of kings who take part in building the ‘House of Elohim’. But as we have often emphasized, for now we, as these kings, are not yet manifested. At present, we have no ‘throne’, authority, or official position in the ‘House of Elohim’. When we look at the Christian world and see many “kings” occupying thrones or religious positions, the conclusion is that the “Christian world” is not the House of Elohim. The Christian world is the “Great House” built by denominational leaders as their own kings (2 Timothy 2:20).

To understand how Elohim would build His House through David, we must examine the tent David erected on Mount Zion, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed (2 Samuel 6:17). David acted as both king and priest in the tent he built. He wore a linen ephod like a priest (2 Samuel 6:14). He offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:17). He blessed the people of Israel with the priestly blessing (2 Samuel 6:18; cf. Numbers 6:24–27). With the roles of king, priest, and prophet, David became a type or foreshadowing of Jesus Christ and also of Melchizedek, who was both king and priest.

The tent that David set up relates to two aspects: the kingly and the priestly. In Isaiah 16:5 it is written, “…a throne shall be established… in the tent of David…” This verse speaks of the kingly aspect (the throne). On the priestly side, there was the Ark of the Covenant within the Tabernacle of David and all its services (2 Samuel 6:17; 1 Chronicles 15:1, 16:1; 2 Chronicles 1:4).

We have discussed the matter of becoming kings within the House of Elohim, and that the church (the Body of Christ) is a company of kings who take part in the building of the House of Elohim. Now we will see that the church is also a company of priests within the House of Elohim (1 Peter 2:9). However, we must understand clearly that the church cannot be priests according to the order of Aaron. For if the church were to serve as priests according to the order of Aaron, then it would have to observe the Law of Moses in its priestly ministry. Serving Elohim as priests is not a trivial matter, where one may carelessly offer any kind of “sacrifice” before the Lord (since one function of a priest is to offer specific sacrifices). We recall the case of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, who offered “strange fire” and died before Yahweh. Every priest must understand the rule (Law) that applies, so that he may not offer “strange fire” before Elohim.

In the Christian world today, generally speaking, those who are called to serve the Lord often do not understand which law applies. The “fruit” of one’s ministry is not yet visible, for the Lord Jesus has not yet revealed it (Matthew 7:21–23). Notice what Jesus says in verse 22, emphasizing that ‘on that day’ many will say, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” Then in verse 23, Jesus declares, “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” The phrase ‘on that day’ refers to the last day. On that day, Jesus will declare openly to His servants. The phrase “tell them plainly” comes from the Greek ‘homologeo’, meaning ‘to publicly declare’. In other words, Jesus will openly reveal everything.

The context of Matthew 7:21–23 is the Sermon on the Mount, which was addressed to His disciples (Matthew 5:1–2). The Sermon on the Mount is specifically for His disciples. Yet Jesus warned that there would be “false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15–20). By the “fruit” of their ministry, we will know who they are. Many Christians think that the “fruit” of ministry is prophesying, casting out demons, performing miracles, having many followers, or seeing many people “blessed.” But if we look carefully, Jesus rejects these people because they are actually workers of lawlessness (verse 23). The term ‘workers of lawlessness’ comes from the Greek ‘anomia’, which means ‘not according to the law that applies’ or ‘illegality/lawlessness’. The Greek term ‘anomia’ also appears in Matthew 13:41, in the parable of the tares among the wheat. Thus, these “tares,” or “children of the evil one,” or “false servants,” cannot be detected by most believers today—but clearly, they “serve” Jesus while violating the law that governs His Kingdom. They commit ‘anomia’.

Hebrews chapter 7 explains to us about the priesthood of Christ (Jesus and His Body). The church is a priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. The law that applies is the law of ‘an indestructible life’, or the Law of Life, or the Law of the Spirit of Life (Hebrews 7:16). The worship of priests according to the order of Melchizedek is ‘worship in spirit’ (John 4). Worship in today’s Christianity is filled with religious regulations — must do this, must do that — even incorporating Old Testament laws and ordinances. But in due time, Jesus will declare everything plainly.

We continue our understanding of the ‘House of Elohim’ through the case of David, particularly concerning the tent that David set up. We have seen that the Tabernacle of David relates to two aspects: the kingly and the priestly. This means that when Elohim builds His House on earth, He chooses a people who will function as kings and priests. Elohim does not intend to build a house in heaven to evacuate His people there, where their only “work” will be to sing forever, as is often preached in denominational pulpits. The “Father’s House” often described in sermons—with golden streets, physical houses like those on earth, and even dogs present—is clearly not the House of Elohim that He will build on earth, where He will dwell with His chosen people.

In the House of Elohim, His chosen people will serve on earth as kings and priests according to the order of Melchizedek (the New Covenant), and not according to the order of Aaron (the Old Covenant). His chosen people will serve in such a way that the earth progresses toward the new earth—and, of course, the new heavens. Let us look at the prophecy concerning the Tabernacle of David, which speaks of the ministry of God’s chosen people as kings and priests.

This prophecy was quoted by James from the book of the prophet Amos during the council at Jerusalem: “After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen... so that the rest of mankind may seek Yahweh, even all the Gentiles upon whom My Name is called” (Acts 15:16–17, ILT). The background of James’ words is that some teachers from Judea had claimed that Gentile believers must be circumcised and observe the customs of Moses in order to be saved. But Paul and Barnabas opposed these teachers. It was then decided that Paul and Barnabas should go to the apostles in Jerusalem to discuss the matter.

After much discussion, Peter stood up and affirmed that Elohim makes no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, declaring that “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they” (verse 11). In conclusion, James stood and affirmed that Elohim has chosen a people for His Name from among the nations (verse 14). This idea—that Elohim chooses a people for His Name from among the nations—is confirmed by the words of the prophets (verse 15). James then quoted Amos 9:11–12 to explain this matter.

It turns out that Elohim’s act of choosing a people for His Name from among the nations is directly connected with the prophecy of the restoration of the fallen Tabernacle of David. As Amos 9:11–12 declares, “I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen.” This means that Elohim’s act of choosing a people from among the nations ‘is the same as’ rebuilding the fallen Tabernacle of David.

However, this prophecy does not end merely with the rebuilding of the Tabernacle of David—it also reveals the reason Elohim desires to restore it. Note the word ‘so that’ (Greek ‘hopos), which links verses 16 and 17. This means that the reason Elohim chooses a people from among the nations, or restores the Tabernacle of David, is ‘so that’ “the rest of mankind, even all the nations upon whom My Name is called, may seek Yahweh.” In other words, the purpose of Elohim choosing a people is so that ‘all humanity may seek Elohim’. Here we see that the function of a people chosen by Elohim is to be kings and priests for the rest of humanity, so that all may seek Yahweh. Through the ministry of His chosen people as kings and priests over ‘all mankind’, the earth will move toward the new earth and the new heavens. The new earth and the new heavens are the House of Elohim that He will build through the ministry of His chosen people as kings and priests.

Now we will study the House of Elohim in the case of Solomon. We know that Solomon was chosen by Elohim as the king who would build the House of Elohim, because David was not permitted to build it since he had shed much blood in wars (1 Chronicles 22:8). However, Solomon was merely the executor, for Elohim had revealed His House to David. Let us look at 1 Chronicles 28:11–12, 19: “Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple of the LORD, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms, and the place of atonement. He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind concerning... All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the LORD’s hand upon me, and He gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.” From these verses we see that the revelation concerning the House of Elohim was given to David. This does not mean Solomon disregarded the plans given by David; rather, there is a valuable lesson for us here.

David was a man who loved the House of Elohim. In Psalm 27:4, David expresses his love: “One thing I have asked of the LORD, this I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.” Solomon surely loved the House of Elohim he built, but not as David did, for David received direct revelation from Elohim concerning His House.

Let us take a look at the story of Solomon after he built the House of Elohim. 1 Kings 11 tells us that Solomon did not wholly cling to the Lord as did David, his father (verse 4). Solomon built high places for Chemosh, for Molech, and for other foreign gods. He did all this because he was influenced by his foreign wives. Had Solomon possessed the same love for the House of Elohim as his father David did, he would not have been easily swayed to build high places for foreign gods. There is an important lesson we can draw here: when someone truly loves the House of Elohim, and receives revelation from the Lord on how to build it, that person will not easily fall into idolatry.

Let us now apply this lesson to the Christian world. Generally speaking, the Christian world has fallen into idolatry through the doctrines of Balaam (commerce), Jezebel (usurping the authority of Jesus as Head of the Church by leaders), and Nicolaitans (the subjugation of the laity by church leaders). All these are written in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. The fall of the House of Elohim (the Church) into idolatry began when certain leaders drew the Lord’s disciples to themselves (Acts 20:28–30). Had these leaders loved the House of Elohim and received revelation on how to build the Church, they would not have caused division within it. May we find grace before Him, so that we may love His House and receive revelation to build His Church.

Let us continue our study of the House of Elohim in the case of King Solomon. We will now discuss the “cloud of the glory of the Lord” that descended upon the Temple Solomon built. Let us look at 2 Chronicles 7:1–3: “When Solomon had finished praying… the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord upon the house… they bowed down and worshiped…”

This extraordinary event occurred when Solomon and all Israel dedicated the House of Elohim (verse 5). Yet, about 400 years later, this same House of Elohim was destroyed by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, Jerusalem was left in ruins, and Israel was exiled to Babylon (586 BC). Why did this happen?

Let us briefly trace the history of this Temple. First, during the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son by an Ammonite woman, Shishak king of Egypt plundered the treasures of the Lord’s house (1 Kings 14:25–26). Second, during King Asa’s reign, the gold and silver remaining in the Temple treasury were given to Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, to seek his help (1 Kings 15:16–24). Third, the sacred items of the Lord’s house were used by Athaliah’s sons for Baal worship (2 Chronicles 24:7). Fourth, King Jehoash took the gold, silver, and utensils from the Temple and brought them to Samaria (2 Kings 14:14). Fifth, King Ahaz took silver and gold from the Lord’s house and sent them as tribute to the king of Assyria (2 Kings 16:8). Sixth, King Hezekiah gave all the silver and gold from the Lord’s house to the king of Assyria (2 Kings 18:15–16). Seventh, King Manasseh brought abominations into the Lord’s house (2 Kings 21:1–16; 23:5–14).

Thus, the Temple’s history shows that it was “plundered” by several kings of Israel—some wicked, some even considered good. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, compared Himself to the Pharisees in John 10. Some interpreters claim that the “thieves and robbers” in this passage refer to the devil and his demons, but this interpretation clearly ignores the context. The context of John 10 shows that Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees (John 9:40), and that He told the parable of the ‘Good Shepherd’ to them, though they did not understand (John 10:6). Therefore, the “thieves and robbers” were the religious leaders of His time. What did they steal? The innocent sheep, of course. Yet Jesus affirmed that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

Are there still “thieves” stealing sheep in the Christian world today? In Acts 20:28–30, Paul warned that some leaders would arise, distorting the truth to draw disciples after themselves. Disciples who once listened directly to the Holy Spirit and followed Him are, after being drawn by such leaders, no longer following the Spirit but the leaders themselves. Some even become fanatical followers of certain leaders or denominations, believing everything their leader or denomination says to be true. We are not here judging whether a leader is good or evil, but whether he “steals” the sheep or not—since, as history shows, even “good kings” plundered Solomon’s Temple.

Those who receive grace to see this will understand that the Church’s fragmentation into tens of thousands of denominations is CAUSED BY THIEVES AND ROBBERS. Again, remember that these “thieves and robbers” may be good leaders or well-intentioned people. They draw church members to themselves or to their own denominations. But Jesus declared that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him wherever He goes (John 10:27; Revelation 14:4).

Now let us continue discussing the ‘cloud of the Lord’s glory’ that descended upon Solomon’s Temple. We have already seen how that Temple was ultimately destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and how Israel was exiled to Babylon. Surely, the ‘cloud of glory’ departed from the Temple when it was destroyed. The prophet Ezekiel, who was among the exiles in Babylon, saw a vision of the glory of the Lord departing from the Temple—and he also saw visions of idols inside it (Ezekiel 8). In his vision, seventy elders of Israel were practicing idolatry within the Temple itself (verse 11).

Thus, we see that the reason Solomon’s Temple was destroyed and the glory of the Lord departed was because of idolatry within the Temple—idolatry that began with the elders of Israel. In fact, King Solomon himself was the first to fall into idolatry (1 Kings 11). Israel was supposed to be led by the ‘cloud of the Lord’s glory’, as in the days of Moses’ Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–38). But because idolatry entered the Temple, the nation was no longer led by the Lord—it was led by its idols.

Now, let us apply the leadership of the “cloud of the Lord’s glory” to the context of the Church. Since the Church (the called-out ones) is the Temple or the Body of Christ, we must ask: Is the Christian world today still led by the “cloud of the Lord’s glory”? Let us read several verses to understand this. Colossians 1:27 declares, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Here we see that the glory of the Church is Christ dwelling within the hearts of the saints. This means that every member of the Church should be led by Christ within—the glory in us. That is why the apostle John wrote, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things…” (1 John 2:27). John emphasizes that the anointing—or the “cloud of the Lord’s glory”—is within each member of the Church, and that every believer should be taught directly by that inner glory, not dependent on anyone else. Every believer must be led directly by the “cloud of the Lord’s glory” within.

This does not mean that the Church no longer needs leaders or that believers should not learn from them. John himself wrote letters to the churches so that they might learn. Jesus also appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11–12)—but only to ‘equip’ the saints, so that each one might eventually be led by the “cloud of glory” within and take part in building up the Body of Christ.

However, what we see in today’s Christian world fulfills Paul’s prophecy in Acts 20:29–30, where savage wolves would enter the flock, and leaders would draw disciples after themselves. Because of such behavior—leaders pulling the Lord’s disciples toward themselves—the Church became fragmented, producing tens of thousands of denominations. Some disciples follow one leader, some another; and for fanatical followers, their leader has become their “idol.”

In truth, such leaders have “stolen” the cloud of the Lord’s glory from within believers. When leaders can draw many followers, gather much money from them, and build grand church buildings, their personal glory increases accordingly. Such, sadly, is the condition of much of the Christian world today, where the “cloud of glory…”, the ‘glory of the Lord’ has departed from within the hearts of believers. However, the Lord Jesus still has His sheep who can hear “His inner voice” and follow Him wherever He goes.

Now, we will discuss the meaning of the House of Elohim in the case of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his company, who returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. We first need to understand the background. We know that the Temple built by King Solomon was destroyed by the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, and the Jews were exiled to Babylon for seventy years.

During the exile, the Jews could no longer carry out religious rituals such as sacrifices, feast ceremonies, offerings (tithes, firstfruits), and other practices prescribed in the Law of Moses. Likewise, the priestly function according to the order of Aaron automatically ceased. This was because the Law of Moses required the Israelites to perform all their religious rituals in the place God had chosen — in the Temple in Jerusalem — and to be officiated by the Levites. This, of course, deeply pained the hearts of the exiles in Babylon. As a solution, the Jews in exile established gathering places called ‘synagogues’. The Greek term ‘synagōgē’ means the same as the Hebrew ‘keneset’, which is ‘an assembly of people’.

For the Jews in exile, the synagogue held great significance. In the synagogue — or ‘House of Worship’ — the Jews prayed and studied the Law of Moses. Typically, when there were ten Jewish families, they would form one synagogue. In fact, this practice of building synagogues continued even after the Jews returned to the land of Israel. Some scholars suggest that in Jerusalem alone, in the 1st century A.D., there were as many as 394 synagogues when the Temple of ‘Herod’ was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D.

However, it must be remembered that the synagogue could never replace the Temple — the ‘House of Elohim’. After the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed, Old Testament worship effectively ceased. The synagogues were clearly not the Temple; they were not the House of Elohim in the sense we are discussing here.

Let us now apply the concepts of “synagogue” and “Temple” to the Christian world. The New Testament clearly describes the fall of the church into tens of thousands of denominations, as we see today. Paul warned the elders (church leaders) about the coming of “savage wolves” who would ravage the church (Acts 20:28–30), and that some leaders with false teachings would draw the Lord’s disciples after themselves. The apostle John was even clearer, describing three false doctrines that destroyed the church — the doctrines of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam (Revelation 2–3). We will not discuss these false doctrines here, but as a result of the church’s fall, the book of Revelation chapters 2–3 contains calls to ‘overcomers’. There are seven churches representing seven church ages or seven types of churches, each with the call, “To him who overcomes…” This proves that the church has indeed fallen.

Although Scripture plainly states that the church has splintered into tens of thousands of denominations, it has become common in Christianity to call these denominations ‘churches’. In fact, the teaching of the ‘visible church’ and the ‘invisible church’, first introduced by Martin Luther, has now been widely accepted. This teaching says that the denominations are the “visible church,” while the “invisible church” consists of all God’s children throughout the world — known only to Him. However, for those granted grace to see clearly, the denominations are like the “synagogues” of the Jews scattered everywhere after the destruction of the Temple. The denominations are not the House of Elohim.

Let us continue our understanding of the ‘House of Elohim’ through the case of Zerubbabel and his company who returned to Jerusalem. Ezra 1:5 affirms, “Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all whose spirit God had stirred, arose to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem” (LITV). We have already established that, under the Old Covenant, Yahweh chose Jerusalem as the place where He would put His Name. For the Jews, building the House of Yahweh had to be done at the location determined through King David — on Mount Zion.

There was no other choice for the Jews. If they wished to worship Yahweh according to the Law, they had to do so in Zion — the place the Lord chose to dwell. The cloud of the Lord’s glory would never descend upon Babylon, even if the Jews built many synagogues there. In fact, in the Book of Esther, the name of God is not mentioned even once. The events in Esther occurred in the Persian Empire, between the return of Zerubbabel and that of Ezra to Jerusalem. Why, then, is God’s name absent from the Book of Esther? Because God had already chosen Jerusalem as the place to set His Name, even though His acts through Esther and Mordecai in delivering the Jews scattered across the empire were truly miraculous.

Of course, Yahweh continued to work in the synagogues of Babylon. Indeed, if we examine the history of the dispersion of the Jews throughout the world since the Babylonian exile (known as the ‘Jewish Diaspora’), we will see Yahweh’s extraordinary providence. Nevertheless, Yahweh’s covenant promise for all Israel remains — the Promised Land. Returning to Ezra 1:5 — it emphasizes that only those ‘whose spirit God had stirred’ returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the House of Yahweh. This was because many Jews in Babylon had become comfortable; after seventy years in exile, they had built homes, acquired livestock and farmlands, and established synagogues for their gatherings. Meanwhile, Jerusalem lay in ruins, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. Therefore, Yahweh had to stir their spirits to return and rebuild His House — and only a few responded. Some scholars estimate that around 2–3 million Jews lived in Persia and Babylon during Esther’s time, but only about 50,000 returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:64).

Let us now apply this matter of ‘God stirring the hearts of the Jews to return to Jerusalem’ to the Christian context. For the Jews, building the House of Elohim had to take place in Jerusalem. Then where is “Jerusalem” for us today, so that we too may build the House of Elohim? John 4:20–23 gives the answer. For the church, the place of worship is ‘in spirit’. For the church, worship is not about being in this or that denominational building, nor about following this or that regulation — in short, it is not about outward, physical matters. Worship for the church is ‘in spirit’, meaning to follow the leading of the Spirit in daily life, wherever He leads.

For the church today, building the House of Elohim is not about building or expanding denominations, because we know that denominations are not the House of Elohim, even though God still works and blesses within them. For us, building the House of Elohim means following His leading in our spirit daily. This is the ‘worship in spirit’ that Jesus taught in John 4. Yet, just as only a small number of Jews were willing to return to Jerusalem to build the House of Elohim, so too only a few Christians today are willing to truly worship in spirit. It all depends on whether God chooses to stir our spirit or not.

We continue now with the understanding of the House of Elohim in the case of Zerubbabel and his company who returned to Jerusalem. Let us look at the difficulties they faced in rebuilding the House of Elohim. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel and his people immediately rebuilt ‘the altar on its foundation’ and began to offer burnt offerings according to the law (Ezra 3:3–5). However, when the construction of the Temple began, opposition arose from the surrounding peoples who discouraged the people of Judah (Ezra 4:4). As a result, the building of the Temple was delayed for fourteen years.

During this delay, the people of Judah began rebuilding their own ruined homes, neglecting the work on the House of Elohim. From a human perspective, it was natural for them to focus on their own houses, since Jerusalem was in ruins. They even said, “The time has not come to rebuild the house of the Lord” (Haggai 1:2–4). But God rebuked them, urging them to prioritize the building of His House, so that their efforts would not be in vain (Haggai 1:5–11). Then Zerubbabel and his people heeded God’s rebuke and resumed the rebuilding of the House of Elohim.

Besides opposition from the locals and the ruined condition of Jerusalem, there was another discouragement for Zerubbabel and his people. Let us consider Haggai 2:4–10, “Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? … The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former…” They compared the splendor of Solomon’s Temple to the modest structure they were rebuilding — the House of Elohim seemed insignificant to them. But the Lord to strengthen them so that they would continue working, and to give His promise that the glory of this House of God would one day surpass its former glory.

The fulfillment of this promise of God, of course, was not the glory of the Temple later renovated by King Herod over forty-six years. For the Temple rebuilt by King Herod had become a marketplace, and Jesus Himself said that it would be torn down (Matthew 24:2). Therefore, the fulfillment of God’s promise refers to the ‘House of God’ built by Jesus Christ — the Church. The Church, which consists of “living stones,” is far more glorious than the Temple of Israel, which was merely a symbol of the House of God.

However, the Church today has been divided into tens of thousands of denominations. If so, where then is the glory of this House of God? We know that the Lord has always had His overcomers in every age of the Church. These overcomers are those who have received grace to be not only called, but also chosen and faithful (Revelation 17:14). These overcomers are the “little flock” mentioned in Luke 12:32, to whom the Father has been pleased to give the Kingdom of Heaven.

Nevertheless, this “little flock” builds the “altar in its original place.” This “little flock” builds worship in their spirit — they worship in spirit (John 4). This “little flock” does not draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves, much less collect their money to build church buildings or their own kingdoms. The ministry and worship of this “little flock” are simply their daily lives led by the Spirit. Surely, the House of God built by this “little flock” is nothing in comparison to the magnificent buildings erected in Christendom. But the Word of God strengthens us to continue working to build the “altar in its original place.” And in His time, Elohim will give the Kingdom of Heaven promised to this “little flock” (Revelation 20:4).

Now we will look at the decline of the House of God built by Zerubbabel and his companions. As we know, although delayed for 14 years, the House of God built by Zerubbabel was eventually completed and dedicated around 516 BC (Ezra 6:15). We will observe the decline of this House of God built by Zerubbabel, especially through the book of Malachi. Although the exact date of Malachi’s writing is uncertain, most scholars agree that it was written about 100 years after the dedication of the House of God, during the time Nehemiah returned to Babylon. This is because the condition of the House of God that Nehemiah encountered upon his return to Jerusalem was very similar to the rebukes written in the book of Malachi.

Let us look at several rebukes found in the book of Malachi. First, the rebuke to the priests: “But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 2:8). We see here that the decline began with the priests, who failed to uphold the covenant of Levi, did not walk in the way the Lord showed them, and showed partiality in their teaching (v.9).

Second, the rebuke to the tribe of Judah: “Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god” (Malachi 2:11). Here we see that the tribe of Judah had defiled the House of God. Although they brought offerings to the Lord, they were unfaithful to the wife of their youth (v.14).

Third, the rebuke to the people of Israel in general for neglecting the offering of tithes (Malachi 3:10). Such was the condition of the Israelites who returned to Jerusalem 100 years after the dedication of the House of God. If we compare this with the ‘intermarriage’ that took place during Ezra’s time, we find that it was the leaders and officials who first acted unfaithfully (Ezra 9:2). Indeed, the decline of a nation often begins when its leaders go astray. If the priests in the House of God had already gone astray, what then of the people?

This same kind of decline also occurred in the Church. When the Church was born at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the Church’s movement was truly led by the Holy Spirit. Every member of the Church was led by the Spirit. In the Book of Acts — only 28 chapters long — there are about 70 expressions such as ‘led by the Spirit’, ‘filled with the Spirit’, ‘prompted by the Spirit’, ‘forbidden by the Spirit’, and so on. Even Paul, one of the Church’s leading figures, declared that he was a ‘prisoner of the Spirit’.

However, near the end of his ministry, Paul received revelation that the Church would be attacked by “savage wolves.” These wolves would infiltrate some Church leaders, who through false teachings would draw the Lord’s disciples after themselves (Acts 20:28–30). These leaders were supposed to simply equip the disciples so that, in turn, the disciples would follow the leading of the Spirit in building up the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–13). But now, the Lord’s disciples — who once walked rightly, meaning they followed only the guidance of the Holy Spirit — have been drawn by their leaders and have become followers of men. Some disciples say, “We are of the Baptist group,” “We are of the Reformed group,” “We are of the Pentecostal and Charismatic groups,” and so on and so forth. Thus, the Church has declined and splintered into tens of thousands of denominations. Undeniably, the Church’s decline began with its leaders, who drew disciples to themselves.

Now we will discuss the House of God built by Zerubbabel but later renovated by King Herod. It was this ‘Herodian Temple’ that is referred to in the Gospels. It was in this ‘Herodian Temple’ that the Jewish Supreme Council, called the Sanhedrin, ruled. The central Sanhedrin governed in Jerusalem, while its branches ruled in various regions. In the time of Jesus, the central Sanhedrin was led by the high priest Caiaphas, with about 70 members consisting of priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, and elders of Israel.

The authority of the Sanhedrin extended not only over religious matters but also social and political affairs. In certain cases, the Sanhedrin had the right to collect taxes from the Jewish people. It also acted as a Jewish court that could sentence individuals who were deemed to have violated religious laws. However, to impose a death sentence, the Sanhedrin had to obtain permission from the Roman authorities — in Jesus’ case, from Pontius Pilate. The Sanhedrin even had its own guards, referred to in the Gospels as ‘Temple officers’ or ‘Temple guards’, who arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Let us now consider some facts about this Herodian Temple. The first fact: In Luke 22:52–53, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the Temple guard, and the elders who came to arrest Him, “…this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (v.53). Jesus affirmed that the ‘power of darkness’ had taken hold of Caiaphas and his associates (the Sanhedrin). Yet even though they were under the control of the powers of darkness, we should not imagine that the Sanhedrin members looked terrifying like street thugs.

There were people such as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, Gamaliel, and other respected Sanhedrin leaders, all highly esteemed by the people. The members of the Sanhedrin were generally wealthy and educated men of their time. They appeared respectable and devout. Some even wore garments inscribed with Scripture verses. Their influence over the people was so strong that, through their persuasion, the crowd chose Barabbas — a robber — over Jesus (Matthew 27:20). Yet, even though the religious leaders in this Herodian Temple were under the power of darkness, Jesus still called the Temple ‘My Father’s House’ (John 2:16). Therefore, the first fact is this: the Herodian Temple, which Jesus called My Father’s House, had been overtaken by the power of darkness.

Let us now try to apply this first fact about the Herodian Temple to the Christian world today. Many people, even some Bible teachers within Christendom, do not believe that the “woman” mentioned in Revelation 17:6 represents the religious world. In Scripture, “woman” consistently symbolizes the Church, because Adam represents Christ, and Eve (the woman) represents the Church. But the woman in Revelation 17:6 is said to be “drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Moreover, this woman becomes ‘a dwelling place for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit’ (Revelation 18:2).

Anyone who “sees” and studies the state of Christendom today will not be surprised to discover that it is indeed drunk with the blood of the saints and has become a hiding place for evil spirits. Such, then, is the condition of the “Herodian Temple,” which Jesus Himself once called “My Father’s House.”

We are still discussing the House of Elohim that was built by Zerubbabel but later renovated by King Herod. We have already seen the first fact about this Herodian Temple, namely that the power of darkness had taken control of its leaders (the Sanhedrin). Now, we will discuss the second fact about this Temple—namely, that it had become a ‘marketplace’. John 2:16 states clearly, “To those who sold doves He said, ‘Take these things away; do not make My Father’s house a house of trade.’”

How could the Temple, which Jesus called My Father’s house, have become a marketplace? Let us look more closely at this second fact. For the Israelites, wherever they lived, they were required to come to Jerusalem (to the Temple) at least three times a year—during the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Each Israelite had to bring an animal sacrifice to offer to Yahweh in the Temple. For those living far away from Jerusalem, it was very difficult to bring an animal sacrifice all the way from their hometowns. Therefore, they would simply bring money and buy sacrificial animals in Jerusalem to offer at the Temple.

We know that the priests and Levites who served in the Temple were responsible for examining the animals to determine whether they were clean or unclean. Here is where the priests and religious leaders began to “play their game.” They claimed that if someone bought a sacrificial animal outside the Temple courts, they could not guarantee that it was clean. However, they assured the people that if they bought the animal inside the Temple courts, it was guaranteed to be clean—because it had been examined by the priests. Naturally, the Israelites did not want any trouble, so they preferred to buy the animals provided by the leaders inside the Temple courts. Moreover, these leaders also set up money-changers for Jews coming from distant regions where different currencies were used. But, of course, the animals sold inside the Temple were priced much higher than those outside.

For ordinary Israelites, this might not have seemed like a big issue—but for Jesus, it was a very serious matter, because it had turned the Temple into a “den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13). Jesus saw that the Temple leaders were profiting from their religious service—acting like merchants. Indeed, if we consider John 10:1–18, we see that the “thieves and robbers” are the Pharisees. Jesus perceived that the religious leaders of the Temple had become robbers—not only “stealing” money, but also “stealing” the sheep (the people of Israel). Yet, once again, the truth that the Temple had become a “den of robbers” could only be perceived by Jesus Himself.

If we observe carefully, the reason why the church has fractured into tens of thousands of denominations is because some leaders have “stolen” disciples through false teachings, drawing them to follow themselves (Acts 20:29–30). Once they have “stolen the sheep,” the next step is to “profit” by trading within the Temple. Yet again, such things can only be truly seen by Jesus—and by those who have received His grace to perceive them.

We have already discussed the first fact about the Herodian Temple—that the power of darkness had seized control of its leaders (the Sanhedrin). Likewise, the second fact is that it had become a marketplace. Now we will consider the third fact: the condition of the Temple leaders themselves—their authority, their teaching, and their behavior.

Let us begin with the first aspect: their authority. Matthew 23:1–3 says, “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you….’” Before we can fully understand these words, we must consider their context. Verse 1 states that Jesus was speaking to both the crowds and His disciples. To the crowds, Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees “sit on Moses’ seat.” The expression “Moses’ seat” refers to the authority of the leaders over the people. Therefore, Jesus instructed the crowds not to rebel against the scribes and Pharisees, but to obey and observe what they taught.

Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers” (verse 8). The phrase ‘but you’ makes a clear distinction between what Jesus said to the crowds and what He said to His disciples. He firmly commanded them not to be called Rabbi—and, in the following verses, not to be called father or leader (verses 9–10). Why? Because, He said, “you are all brothers.”

To understand the term brothers, we must recall its context. Jesus was speaking about “Moses’ seat.” Thus, the meaning of brothers here is ‘fellow members’ among whom there is no Moses’ seat—that is, no authority of one over another. Among the disciples of Jesus, there is no hierarchy of authority. All are brothers.

Does this mean that within the church there are no leaders? Of course not. Jesus Himself appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers for His church (Ephesians 4:11–12). However, these leaders function merely as ministry roles within the church, and their purpose is only to equip the saints. There is no authority structure among leaders in the church—no “Moses’ seat” or any equivalent title. There must be no positions in the church, because a position implies authority within a hierarchy. There should be no “senior pastor position”—there should only be a ‘function’ of shepherding.

So, why are there positions and hierarchical authority within denominations today? The authority of denominational leaders is ‘illegitimate’, because it violates Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 23. Their authority arises because they have drawn disciples after themselves (Acts 20:29–30). However, notice what Jesus told His disciples: “Whoever is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (verses 11–12). In this context, ‘exalting oneself’ means drawing disciples to oneself and thereby claiming unlawful authority over them. ‘Humbling oneself’, on the other hand, means simply equipping the disciples without drawing them to oneself—like a servant who has no authority over those he serves.

Let us continue our discussion about the leaders of the Herodian Temple. We will now look at their behavior and teaching. Of course, we will not cover all of their behavior or every aspect of their teaching. Consider Mark 12:38–39: “In His teaching He said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces, and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts.’” The Greek word ‘thelō’, translated ‘like’, can also mean ‘desire’ or ‘love’. The behavior of leaders who love human honor or glory is not a trivial matter. Paul strongly declared in Galatians 1:10, “…If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” It is very difficult for a leader or Bible teacher who desires to please people to deliver the messages of Elohim that may not be popular. Jesus Himself said plainly, “I do not receive glory from men” (John 5:41).

Even Peter once fell into the trap of seeking to please people—specifically “those of the circumcision group” (Galatians 2:11–14)—and Paul had to rebuke him publicly. John 12:42–43 also records, “Nevertheless, many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” Again, we see how powerful the influence of loving human glory can be.

Let us look at two more examples among these leaders: Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night—clearly so that he would not be seen by others or by the Pharisees. Joseph of Arimathea, a leader and a member of the Jewish Council, though described in the other Gospels as “a good man,” is called by John ‘a secret disciple of Jesus, for fear of the Jews’ (John 19:38).

Let us, then, turn to the example of Paul, who called himself both a “free man” (1 Corinthians 7:22; 9:1; 9:19) and a “prisoner of the Spirit” (Acts 20:22). Paul possessed the freedom to proclaim whatever God revealed to him, Paul was free to declare it. He was also free to follow the leading of the Spirit wherever the Spirit desired. Paul’s freedom existed because he did not seek to please men—no matter who they were. He was not dependent on the offerings of the congregation or on anyone’s salary. This independence allowed Paul to freely receive revelations from God and convey them exactly as they were given.

Let us now look at the leaders within the Christian world, where money and position have become influential factors. It cannot be denied that money and position bring human respect. Leaders who are influenced by “the respect of men” will no longer dare to deliver teachings that are unpopular, that differ from their denomination’s doctrines, or that might “disturb” their status or income. What the Christian world needs are servants of God who are completely free from worldly influences so they can proclaim God’s message faithfully. We can see here that a leader’s behavior directly affects his teaching.

We are still discussing the leaders of the Herodian Temple, particularly concerning their teaching. We will examine this through Matthew 23, where Jesus rebuked the leaders of the Herodian Temple. We have already seen that these leaders loved the praise of men, and now we will see how this behavior influenced their teachings. We begin with one term that appears six times in this chapter — the word ‘hypocrite’. The Greek term is ‘hupokritēs’, meaning ‘one who pretends’. Let us look at several points explaining why Jesus called the leaders of the Herodian Temple hypocrites.

First, verse 13 says, “...you hypocrites, because you shut the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. For you yourselves do not enter, nor do you let those who are trying to enter go in.” Let us compare this with Jesus’ words to a certain scribe: “...You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34, ILT). Jesus said this because that scribe recognized that loving God and others is far more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. This scribe understood the ‘essence’ of Old Testament worship—to love God and others—and affirmed that the ‘form’ of Old Testament worship, such as burnt offerings, was not the most important thing.

Second, verse 23 says, “...you hypocrites, for you pay tithes... but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness...” Jesus meant that the ‘form’ of Old Testament worship involved tithes, offerings, and sacrifices, but the ‘essence’ was justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Third, verse 25 says, “...you hypocrites, for you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” Jesus meant that the ‘external form’ of worship was carefully maintained by the leaders of the Herodian Temple, but the ‘inner essence’ of worship—the cleansing of the heart—was ignored. These Pharisees were meticulous about outward religious forms and regulations, yet Luke 16:14 notes, “...the Pharisees, who loved money...” Their outward form of worship was taught by their leaders, but inwardly, in essence, they were servants of money.

Fourth, verses 27–28 say, “...you hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs... outwardly you appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Here Jesus clearly defines what ‘hypocrite’ means: outwardly righteous before men, but inwardly wicked before God.

Why did the teachings of the leaders of the Herodian Temple receive such rebuke from Jesus as hypocrisy? The answer: because these leaders loved ‘the praise of men’, their teachings became merely an ‘outward display’. Let us look at Paul’s prophecy in 2 Timothy 3:1–9. The Indonesian Bible titles this passage ‘The Condition of Mankind in the Last Days’, but upon closer reading, Paul’s prophecy actually refers primarily to the Christian world, though it also applies to humanity in general. Note verse 5: “Having a form of godliness but denying its power...” The word ‘form’ comes from the Greek ‘morphōsis’ = ‘form’. Paul’s prophecy therefore aligns perfectly with what we are discussing: that Christian worship, in general, would become ‘form’ rather than ‘essence’.

Let us examine two common teachings in the Christian world that have produced ‘form-based’ worship: First, the teaching that one must gather in a certain denominational building in order to grow in faith. The verse commonly cited is Hebrews 10:25. The Greek word for ‘meeting’ here is ‘episunagōgē’ (epi = above, sunagōgē = gathering), meaning a gathering in a higher dimension—a spiritual meeting, not a physical one in a particular place. This verse teaches that New Testament believers must ‘worship in spirit’ (John 4:23). The ‘essence’ of New Testament worship is to follow ‘the leading of the Spirit within’ in daily life.

Second, the teaching of tithing. The only New Testament verse used to support it is Matthew 23:23, where Jesus said, “...You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Teachers of tithing quote this to claim that Jesus commanded tithing to continue. But they forget that Jesus was speaking to the leaders of the Herodian Temple, who were still bound to the Old Covenant. For New Testament believers, there is no command to tithe, because New Testament worship is ‘essence-based’ (Hebrews 8:10–13).

In general, the Christian world has become characterized by ‘form-based’ worship, fulfilling Paul’s prophecy. Such worship inevitably produces hypocrites—those who are far from the Kingdom of Heaven.

We have discussed three facts about the Herodian Temple:

1. The power of darkness ruled over its leaders,

2. Commerce was taking place in the Temple, and

3. The condition of its leaders.

Now we will discuss the fourth fact: that there were still righteous people before God, even though the condition of the Herodian Temple had greatly declined.

Let us look at these righteous individuals.

First, Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke 1:30 declares, “...Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (ILT). Mary was chosen and received grace from God.

Second, Joseph, Mary’s husband. The Bible describes him as a righteous man who received a visitation from an angel of the Lord (Matthew 1:19–20).

Third, Zechariah, a priest, and his wife Elizabeth, who bore John the Baptist.

Fourth, Simeon. Luke 2:25 states, “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

Fifth, Anna, a prophetess who never left the Temple and prophesied concerning the Messiah.

Surely, there were other righteous people before God during the time of the Herodian Temple, though they are not recorded in Scripture. Yet, it can be concluded that their number was very small, and most of them did not serve in the Temple itself, except for the priest Zechariah. We see that God always preserves a few of His chosen ones amid the decline of His House. This fulfills the word: “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). We know this verse comes from the parable of the wedding banquet, spoken by Jesus to the chief priests and Pharisees (Matthew 21:45). By studying this parable, we understand Jesus’ meaning—that although the entire Jewish nation was called to be God’s people under the Mosaic Covenant, only a few would partake in the banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The fact that “many are called, but few are chosen” also appears throughout the parables in the Gospels—such as the parables of the talents, the sower, the wise and foolish virgins, the vine, and many others. This truth also applies to the Christian world. Paul wrote, “In a large house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes, and some for ignoble” (2 Timothy 2:20). Here Paul uses the term “a large house” to describe the people of God—the House of God. All the vessels in the great house are used, yet some for noble purposes, others for lesser ones. All who are called in the Christian world are used by God in His work, but only a few are chosen for the noble purpose.

We should not immediately imagine that those who have received grace to be chosen are people who do “great” works in the Christian world. As we can see in the time of the Herodian Temple, those who were righteous before God were merely ordinary people doing ordinary things.

We will now continue to the fifth fact about the Herodian Temple by looking at John 2:19,21. It is written, “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (LITV). The Jews certainly did not understand Jesus’ words, but the apostle John affirmed that the temple or the House of God referred to Jesus’ physical body. After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples then remembered and understood these words.

Now let us look at Jesus’ prophecy concerning this Herodian Temple. Matthew 24:2 declares, “And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another; all will be torn down.’” Even though the Herodian Temple was magnificent — and even His disciples admired it — Jesus firmly stated that “not one stone will be left upon another.” How was this fulfilled? We know that Jesus was crucified around 30 A.D., and in 70 A.D., the Roman army under General Titus destroyed and burned the Herodian Temple. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that when the temple was burned, the gold inside it melted. Yet, Jesus’ prophecy was not fully fulfilled at that moment because parts of the temple structure still remained, even after being burned. Later, the Roman soldiers realized that melted gold had seeped between the stones, so in the following years, they pried apart the stones of the temple to retrieve the gold — until truly “not one stone was left upon another.” Thus, the words of Jesus were completely fulfilled.

Therefore, the fifth fact about the Herodian Temple is that it would be destroyed so that not one stone would remain upon another. Let us reflect on this fifth fact. Some believe — and this is perhaps the majority view in the Christian world today — that the Jewish Temple will one day be rebuilt. We will not discuss that in detail here. Rather, let us look at God’s next plan concerning His House. As we have seen above, since the death and resurrection of Jesus, the House of God is no longer a physical building, as we have discussed before. The House of God or the holy temple is the physical body of Jesus, which was later “expanded” after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to become the Body of Christ — the Church. The understanding that the House of God is the Church (the saints) is already commonly accepted in Christianity. But does the Christian world truly understand what this means?

We must clearly understand that worship in the temple — in the sense of a physical building — is very different from worship in the temple that is the Church (the saints). Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the hour was coming — and had already come — when worship would no longer be about a physical place or its rituals. Now, worship is ‘in spirit and in truth’ (John 4:23).

Worship, which once took place in a physical building with rituals, now takes place within the spirit of the saints. Why is that? Pay attention to the term ‘truth’ in John 4:23. The Greek word used there is ‘aletheia’, which also means ‘reality’. Reality is what something truly is. Reality is not a symbol or a shadow. Worship in a physical building with its rituals was only a SYMBOL or a SHADOW — not the true reality. Worship tied to physical forms or places is not the genuine worship. We will discuss the true House of God and true worship in spirit in the next section.

We have now reached the discussion about the ‘reality’ of the House of God. Everything symbolic, prophetic, or shadow-like concerning the House of God was fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus clearly said that the temple referred to His physical body. Let us look at several verses to clarify this. Colossians 2:17 affirms, “These are a shadow of things to come, but the reality belongs to Christ.” Colossians 1:27 says, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory” (LITV). 1 Corinthians 6:19 states, “…your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…” Thus, it is clear that the ‘reality’ of the House of God is first the physical body of Jesus, and then it was “expanded” into the physical bodies of the saints. God Himself dwells in the spirit or inner being of the saints.

This has been God’s plan from the beginning — to build His House ‘within’ man, specifically mankind placed on the earth. The focus of God’s plan is to build His House ‘on earth’. If the Christian world truly understood this plan, there would not be the commonly accepted teachings about heaven as a “pleasant place far away,” or about the “rapture” in which the saints are supposedly taken away from the earth. Nor would there be worship that focuses merely on ‘outward forms’ rather than the ‘essence’ — that is, worship in spirit (2 Timothy 3:5).

We could continue to show that the Christian world, generally speaking, does not understand God’s plan to dwell and build His House within the hearts of humans on earth. But let us take just one more example — the teaching of ‘eternal hell’, understood as a place of everlasting torment. Genesis 1:26–28 says, “And God said, ‘Let Us make MAN in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over... all the earth’” (LITV). These verses reveal God’s plan to build His House on earth, within the hearts of men, so that mankind could subdue everything on earth, including the devil and his evil spirits.

MAN was created in the image and likeness of God so that God could dwell ‘in’ man — just as a glove is made in the image and likeness of a hand so that the hand may fill it. When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, His plan was not yet complete. When they were created, Adam and Eve had not yet multiplied to fill the earth, nor were they yet fully in the image and likeness of God — for they were still innocent, not yet holy, and did not yet know good and evil.

Adam and Eve — and all humanity — must go through a process to become conformed to His image, so that God may dwell within man’s inner being. The fall of Adam and Eve was part of God’s process (Romans 8:20). The cross of Jesus was also planned before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). The entire process for all mankind has been designed and foreordained. For God’s plan cannot fail — His purpose is to make MAN (all mankind) conformed to His image and likeness.

Therefore, God’s plan will certainly succeed in making all mankind into His image and likeness, and in building His House within the hearts of all people. Once again, Genesis 1:26–28 is God’s decree to make all humanity His dwelling place on earth. When God dwells within all mankind, humanity will subdue everything on earth, and the earth will move toward becoming the new earth — and even the new heavens. If the Christian world truly understood God’s plan to build His House within man’s inner being on this earth, there would be no concept of “eternal hell” as it is widely taught and accepted.

Let us now continue our discussion on the reality of the House of God, which is the Church. We all agree that the Church was born when the Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost upon the 120 believers in Jerusalem. When Jesus said, “I will build My Church,” this is the same as saying, “I will build the House of God on earth.” As we have discussed, the reality of the House of God is God dwelling in the hearts of His people. Now we will consider what has happened to the House of God, or what has happened within the hearts of His people.

To understand what has happened within His people, we must briefly discuss who God is. Many theologians have tried to understand God through the concept of the Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — distinct persons but one in divine essence. Some theologians believe God is one person who manifests Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Others hold that God is one — the Father — while the Son and Spirit are not equal in personhood to the Father. And of course, there are many other views about God. We are not going to debate these doctrines, which have been discussed for centuries.

However, since our understanding of the House of God concerns God dwelling within His people, it is important to express what we understand about God. In my view, God is a ‘Family’. There is the Father, there is the Son, and there is the Spirit has a feminine nature. If we look at Genesis 1:2, the meaning of the Hebrew verb ‘rachaph’ is ‘to brood’, as a hen broods over her eggs. Likewise, the name of Elohim who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is El-Shaddai—Elohim with a feminine aspect, because ‘Shad’ means ‘a woman’s breast’. Therefore, Elohim, who is a ‘Family’, desires to dwell in His House, that is, in us.

Let us look further: Elohim, who is a ‘Family’, dwells within the hearts of His people. Elohim the Father is Spirit (John 4:24). Elohim the Son, as the last Adam, became a life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). All exist within the Spirit of Elohim, who is the Holy Spirit revealed in the New Testament. Thus, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit dwell within His people—therefore, we are the House of Elohim. His people are also called the children of Elohim. Jesus, as the Only Begotten Son of the Father, became the Firstborn, because we are His brothers (Hebrews 1:6; 2:11–12). Now, in the Father’s House, there are many children—us.

There is an interesting fact about the early church: they met ‘from house to house’. History records that during the first 200 years, the church did not build any buildings. The church was in homes (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15). The church existed within homes, functioned as a family, and influenced other homes. No wonder that during those first 200 years, the church conquered the known world. When the Roman emperor Constantine the Great accepted Christianity in A.D. 313 and made it the state religion, large buildings began to be constructed.

The church, which is the House of Elohim, in which dwells Elohim who is ‘Family’, and which manifested ‘from house to house’, has now become a “Great House,” as Paul described in 2 Timothy 2:20. The Christian world has become such a “great house” that the church can no longer truly function as a family.

We have seen that the ‘House of Elohim’, where the ‘Family’ of Elohim dwells within His people’s hearts and manifests ‘from house to house’, eventually developed into a “Great House,” as Paul said. This development, however, is not a healthy or natural one. Although most teachers and theologians in the Christian world consider this a natural evolution of the early church and see nothing seriously wrong with Christianity, we do not see it that way. Why? Because the Bible clearly reveals the cause of the church’s fall into what is now the Christian world, and even foretells what will happen to Christianity when it faces the judgment seat of Christ.

Let us begin with Paul’s warning and revelation concerning the early church. At the end of his ministry, Paul emphasized that “savage wolves” would come and attack church leaders (Acts 20:28–30). These wolves would cause some leaders to teach false doctrines with ONE PURPOSE—TO DRAW DISCIPLES AFTER THEMSELVES. Disciples who once followed the inner leading of the Spirit would become followers of one leader or another. As a result, the church was torn apart by these “savage wolves” and split into tens of thousands of denominations, as we see in Christianity today.

Of course, these leaders believe that their teaching is the truest one. But the issue is not about right or wrong doctrine—it is that THEY DRAW DISCIPLES AFTER THEMSELVES. As long as leaders do not make disciples followers of themselves, it is understandable if they make mistakes in teaching, for their knowledge is not yet perfect. If leaders only ‘equip’ the church (Ephesians 4:11–13) and do not ‘draw’ disciples to themselves, the church would not be divided. The purpose of the “savage wolves’” attack was to tear the church apart. Here we see how serious the problem of Christianity truly is.

The church’s fall into tens of thousands of denominations is a grave matter, caused by leaders drawing disciples to themselves. Yet in Christianity this is not considered serious. In fact, a doctrine has been created to JUSTIFY CHURCH DIVISION—the doctrine of the “visible and invisible church.” This teaching began with Martin Luther, continued in theological schools, and has been widely accepted (see Systematic Theology by L. Berkhof, pp. 560–561). It claims that denominations are the “visible church,” while all true children of God worldwide make up the “invisible church.” Because of this teaching, the Lord’s disciples no longer distinguish between a denomination and the church, nor do they know the cause of the church’s downfall.

Church leaders should act as the “ligaments and joints” in the Body of Christ (Colossians 2:19). Such leaders “support and knit together” the one Body of Christ. They do not seek profit from their ministry, nor do they draw disciples—or their money—after themselves with false teachings. Leaders who act as the “ligaments and joints” of Christ’s Body acknowledge the authority of Life—Jesus’ authority, for He is the Life of the Body (“I am the Life”). They know they have no authority over God’s people. They do not build denominations or their own kingdoms. They certainly do not draw money from the disciples to build buildings that sustain their own ministry. Such behavior was never practiced by Paul, Peter, John, or any of the Lord’s disciples in the early church.

We have already discussed that the church, the House of Elohim, in which dwells Elohim who is ‘Family’, and which manifested ‘from house to house’, has become a “Great House” as Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:20. Because of leaders who draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves and build their own kingdoms, Christianity has become a “Great House.”

Let us look again at what Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:20: “In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble use and some for ignoble.” In Scripture, gold symbolizes the divine nature of Elohim, and silver symbolizes the redeemed and regenerated human nature. Wood and clay, on the other hand, symbolize fallen human nature. Therefore, verse 21 emphasizes that if one wants to be used for noble purposes (as gold and silver), he must ‘purify himself from what is dishonorable’. Thus, in this “Great House,” all Christians are used by God—but only those who ‘purify themselves from evil things’ are used for noble purposes.

To clarify our understanding of this “Great House,” let us compare the “great city” and the “holy city” in Revelation, for both symbolize the church (the House of Elohim). The great city—Babylon the Great—is described as a woman, symbolizing the church (Revelation 17:5). The holy city—Jerusalem coming down from heaven—is the Bride, the wife of the Lamb (Revelation 21:9–10). But the two women are utterly different in nature. The woman who is the great city is called a harlot, while the Bride is the pure wife of the Lamb. Their ends are also completely different: the great city will fall (Revelation 18:2), but the holy city, the Bride, will reign with Jesus in the ages to come (Revelation 19:11–16).

What makes their ends so different? The answer is simple: one is GREAT, the other is HOLY. Holy means set apart solely for Elohim’s purpose. Indeed, in the ‘House of Elohim’, all Christians are called saints because they are set apart for Elohim. But because of the ambition of the “wood and clay vessels” to become great, the church has split into the “holy city” and the “great city.”

Let us apply this to Christianity today. It is widely accepted that a “great” servant of God is one with many followers, large buildings, fame, education, appearance, and so on—in short, greatness is measured by size. But what God is concerned with is not how GREAT we are, but whether we are HOLY—that is, set apart solely for His purpose, His glory, and His will.

Now we will review the basic meanings of the ‘House of Elohim’, add some further understanding, and conclude this brief writing. The basic meanings are found in Jacob’s dream at Bethel, for this is the first place the term ‘House of Elohim’ appears. The first basic meaning: Elohim desires to build His House on earth by uniting heaven and earth through a “ladder,” which is Jesus, the Son of Man.

The second meaning: Elohim made a covenant and gave His law to the people or community whom He will use to build the ‘House of Elohim’. His covenant and laws differ in each dispensation (era). Third, the House of Elohim consists of “living stones” poured out by the Holy Spirit and arranged in perfect order so as to become a “pillar,” a memorial of the works of Elohim on earth. The stone that Jacob used as a pillow was the ‘Cornerstone’, which is Jesus, upon whom the other stones are built. These are the three foundational understandings of the ‘House of Elohim’, upon which all other meanings are established, according to what is known as the ‘principle of first mention’.

We will not repeat all the meanings of the House of Elohim that we have discussed before, but only some of them. The next understanding comes from the case of Moses’ tabernacle, where Elohim gives spiritual experiences to His chosen people, and all these experiences are symbolized by the furnishings of the Tabernacle of Moses. Then, all of His chosen people must follow only the “cloud of the glory of the Lord.”

Next, in the case of David’s tent: in building His House, Elohim forms His chosen ones to become kings and priests. Then, in the case of Zerubbabel, what is called the House of Elohim must be built in the place that He has chosen. In the context of the New Testament, the chosen place is the inner being/spirit of the believer.

Let us go directly to the understanding of the House of Elohim that is the reality, not a symbol, shadow, or prophecy. The reality of the House of Elohim is the physical body of Jesus, and through His death and resurrection, it was “expanded” into the physical body of His people, in whom Elohim, who is the Family, dwells within the inner being of His people.

We will conclude this brief discussion of the House of Elohim by looking at Revelation 21:22, which says, “And I did not see a temple in it, for Yahweh, Elohim the Almighty, is its temple, also the Lamb” (ILT). Why is there no temple or House of Elohim in the New Jerusalem? First, because the New Jerusalem is a symbol of the Bride of the Lamb, which is the church or the House of Elohim. Therefore, within the city of the New Jerusalem, there is no temple, for the temple or House of Elohim ‘is’ the New Jerusalem itself.

Second, because Yahweh and the Lamb ‘are’ its temple. It does not say here that Yahweh and the Lamb dwell in His people, for Elohim has already become one with His people, in accordance with the foundational meaning of the House of Elohim, which is the “union of heaven and earth.” Because of this union, the House of Elohim ‘is’ the very PERSON of Elohim Himself.

All this takes place in the age of the New Heaven and New Earth, where there is no more death (Revelation 21:4). For the wages of sin is death—not eternal hell, as has often been taught (Romans 6:23). Therefore, in the age of the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be the complete union between Elohim and mankind. Amen.

Reality and Illusion

By: Irnawan Silitonga

In John 14:6, it is written, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life….” The word ‘truth’ in Greek is ALETHEIA, which also means ‘reality’. According to dictionaries, the meaning of ‘reality’ is ‘the quality of being real’, or something that truly exists—not something that merely appears to be, or is misunderstood by people. Meanwhile, the definition of ‘illusion’ is ‘the seeing of something that does not really exist, or of something as different from reality’. In other words, it is seeing or understanding something incorrectly, not as it truly is. Therefore, illusion is the exact opposite of reality.

A person who sees and understands things as they truly are is someone who sees ‘reality’; while one who sees or understands things as something other than what they truly are is living in ‘illusion’. From our verse above, we understand that ‘Reality is Christ Jesus’. Reality is not theory, doctrine, or knowledge—it is a ‘Person’. We can explain the matter of reality and illusion by returning to the two trees in Genesis 2:9. The Tree of Life clearly symbolizes Christ Jesus Himself. Jesus said in John 6:54, “Whoever eats My flesh…has life….” Whoever eats from the fruit of the Tree of Life has life. Conversely, whoever eats from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil experiences death, for the wages of sin is death.

Death is not merely physical death—it is a kind of life under the power of the devil (Hebrews 2:14). Therefore, if reality is the life of Christ Jesus, then illusion is also a kind of life (death) under the power of the devil. The Tree of Life is ‘Reality’, while the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is ‘Illusion’. We must understand clearly that the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the root of all religions in this world—including Christianity—because religion teaches the knowledge of good and evil. But Jesus did not come to teach the knowledge of good and evil; He came that we might have ‘life’ (Reality).

If we know Christ Jesus, we will walk in reality (Truth), be led by Reality, see Reality, and not be led by religious knowledge of good and evil—which is, in fact, an illusion. Let me give some examples that can help us discern whether a person abides in Reality or merely possesses religious knowledge of good and evil, which is only an illusion.

‘Example 1’: The Bible says that ‘the earth is full of the glory of the Lord’ and that ‘the earth is full of His works’. If a person sees the world as full of suffering, injustice, sickness, and the works of the devil, this shows that the person does not see Reality and does not live in it. Such a person lives in illusion.

‘Example 2’: The Bible says that we ‘are already’ in Christ by God’s doing (1 Corinthians 1:30), and that ‘if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come’. If a Christian still feels like a sinner, weak, full of flaws and uncleanness, then he does not see Reality but lives in illusion.

‘Example 3’: Ephesians 1:3 says, “…who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. If a Christian is still seeking spiritual blessings here or there, perhaps in one church service or another, or from a certain preacher, then he still lives in illusion—the realm of religious knowledge.

‘Example 4’: The Bible says that in Christ we have already been blessed. But if a Christian believes he must pay tithes, firstfruits, or go to certain buildings to receive God’s blessing, then he is living in illusion—the realm of religious knowledge.

We have seen that ‘reality’ is what something truly is, not what is mistakenly perceived. Illusion is the opposite—it occurs when one understands something incorrectly. In John 17:17 it is written, “…Your word is truth.” The Greek word for ‘truth’ here is ALETHEIA, meaning ‘reality’. Thus, if we understand or speak about something that is not according to the Word of God, we are living in illusion. Let us take an example of illusion from Revelation 3:17: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, I have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

Here we see that the church in Laodicea was under an illusion, thinking they were rich and lacked nothing. But the Word of God—the Reality—said the opposite. Reality declared that they were actually wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. Let us investigate why the Laodicean church fell into such illusion. If we study God’s Word correctly concerning His church, we find that the church began to depart from the Word (Reality) even near the end of Paul’s ministry (around AD 66–67). In Acts 20:28–30, it is written that ‘savage wolves’ would attack the church through some of its leaders who would teach false doctrines to draw disciples after themselves. In Paul’s last letter (2 Timothy 1:15), he wrote that ‘all Asia’ had turned away from him—including the elders in Ephesus to whom he had spoken those very warnings in Acts 20.

Later, the Apostle John ministered in Asia Minor around AD 90, when the church had already fallen due to three false teachings: the teachings of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam (Revelation 2–3). In such a condition, the church no longer lived in Reality nor fully in the Word. When the church ceases to live in the Word, it easily falls into illusion, as seen in the Laodicean church. Today, the church has fragmented into thousands of denominations because of those same false teachings—Jezebel, Nicolaitan, and Balaam. It is no wonder that God’s people today live under illusion, like the Laodicean church. Perhaps grand denominations, vast congregations, or magnificent buildings—all these can easily fall into the illusion of Laodicea. Why? Because the church has strayed from the Word, which is Reality.

How can we avoid falling into the illusion of Laodicea? In addition to rejecting the false teachings of Jezebel, Nicolaitan, and Balaam, we must ‘grow in the Word’, ‘grow in Reality’, ‘grow in Him who is Reality’. Let’s examine Colossians 1:19. The Indonesian translation (LAI) reads: “…and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God”. The Greek text for ‘grows with a growth that is from God’ is AUXANO HO AUXESIS HO THEOS, which literally means ‘to grow with the growth of God’. The Young’s Literal Translation renders it: ‘may increase with the increase of God’.

This means we grow by the increase of God’s life. It is not about growing in theological knowledge or religious activity, but about growing in the divine life of God that dwells within us. Christ Jesus said, “I am the Reality”. When we grow by the increase of Christ’s life within us, we grow in Reality, which is Christ Himself. Such growth draws us deeper into Reality and farther from illusion. Yet all this is by grace. The chosen people of God have an anointing within that teaches them all things. I am confident that God’s chosen ones will grow in Reality and understand all things correctly. Hallelujah!

Next, we will discuss ‘light and darkness’. Ephesians 5:9 says, “For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth”. The Greek text KARPOS HO PHOTOS EN means ‘the fruit of the light consists in’—implying that the main characteristic of light is goodness, righteousness, and truth. In other words, light’s chief characteristic is truth—or, in our theme’s language, light is ‘Reality’. Light is truth, or ALETHEIA, or Reality—the quality of being real. Darkness, the opposite of light, is ‘the seeing of something that does not really exist’. Thus, darkness exists only while light has not yet come. When light comes, darkness vanishes. John 1:9 says, “The true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the

world.” Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Later, He said, “You are the salt and the light of the world.”

Indeed, the ‘church is light’—the church is ‘Reality’. The presence of the church in the world gradually dispels darkness, because darkness is merely illusion. Darkness exists only until the light arrives. The church has been in the world for 2,000 years. Has darkness vanished? Historians tell us of a ‘Dark Age’ of the church lasting about 1,000 years—from the 5th or 6th century until the Reformation under Luther (1517). But could the church, which is light, truly be overcome by darkness?

Actually, ‘the true church cannot be overcome by darkness’. Jesus said that the gates of Hades (the realm of darkness) will not prevail against His church. Darkness can only overcome what is ‘not’ the church. Let us turn to the Book of Revelation to understand that the church, being light, cannot be overcome by darkness. In Revelation 2–3, we see that in every church age, the Lord calls forth His ‘overcomers’. Although most of the church may have fallen into false teachings—Jezebel, Balaam, and Nicolaitan—God still has His overcomers who have not defiled themselves with such doctrines.

These overcomers represent the true church as light continually swallowing up darkness. They are symbolized by the ‘woman in Revelation 12:1: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars”. This woman, symbolizing the church, is clothed with the sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2), having subdued the moon (a mere reflection of light) under her feet. She is led by ‘twelve stars’, representing the sons of God. Eventually, this woman gives birth to sons of God who ascend to the throne (v. 5) and overcome the devil, the ruler of darkness.

The church, as light, will surely overcome darkness. If we now see the ‘Christian world system’ filled with the teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and Nicolaitan, that is ‘not’ the church that Jesus said, “I will build My church.” The true church, which is light, ‘cannot be swallowed by darkness’. What is swallowed by darkness is not the true church. The current state of Christendom is described symbolically by the ‘woman in Revelation 17 and 18’.

Praise the Lord—the church is light! And light will surely overcome darkness. The church, as light, has, is, and will completely dispel all darkness until the Father becomes ‘all in all’. Amen.

The Trilogy of the Secret of the Gospel

By: Irnawan Silitonga

Through this short writing, we will discuss the Gospel, which is the good news. We will begin our discussion by briefly explaining the title above. The expression ‘The Secret of the Gospel’ in our title comes from the Greek phrase ‘musterion ho euaggelion’ (Ephesians 6:19), which is often translated in various versions as ‘mystery of the gospel’.

We do not use the term ‘mystery’ because it gives the impression that there is something unknowable to humans and remains a mystery. In reality, the term ‘mystery’ here does not mean something unknowable, but rather something that is hidden from someone until it has been revealed to them—yet it ceases to be hidden once it has been made known. The Gospel is indeed a secret to those who have not yet received revelation before God, but if by the grace of God they have received revelation of the Gospel, then for them it is no longer a secret. That is why our title above uses the word ‘secret’ rather than ‘mystery’.

Now, what is the meaning of the term ‘trilogy’ above? In the dictionary, ‘trilogy’ means ‘a group of three plays, novels, operas, etc., to be performed, read, etc., in succession, each complete in itself but having a common subject’. So, a trilogy is a set of three stories, plays, dramas, and so on, presented or read in sequence, each being complete in itself, but all sharing a common theme. In short, a trilogy is three consecutive stories, each with the same theme.

Does the concept of a ‘trilogy’ exist in the Bible? Although the term ‘trilogy’ is not written in Scripture, the concept itself is often found in the Bible. Let us first look at Proverbs 22:20, which says, “Have I not written to you formerly with counsel and knowledge” (Indonesian Bible, LAI). In the King James Version it says, “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsel and knowledge.” In Young’s Literal Translation it says, “Have I not written to thee three times...” In The Jerusalem Bible it says, “Have I not written for you thirty chapters...”

The phrase ‘excellent things’ in Proverbs 22:20 comes from the Hebrew word ‘shalosh’, which, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (#7991, 7969), means ‘a triple, a triangle, a threefold, the third rank, or three’. In fact, the root word ‘shalosh’ means ‘three’. With a slight change of vowel, it can mean ‘thirty’, as translated in The Jerusalem Bible. However, the translation in Young’s Literal Translation is more accurate according to the Hebrew root meaning. And if we combine the Young’s Literal Translation with the King James Version, it implies that speaking three times in counsel and knowledge is an ‘excellent’ matter indeed. Thus, the concept of a trilogy is directly revealed in Proverbs 22:20.

If we apply this ‘trilogy concept’ to our title, it means there are three successive stories with the same theme, namely, the secret of the Gospel.

Before continuing our discussion, there is one more important term which appears only once in the New Testament—the Greek verb ‘orthotomeo’ in 2 Timothy 2:15. This term means ‘to cut straight’. In other words, to divide or to handle correctly. So 2 Timothy 2:15 is Paul’s exhortation to Timothy that, as a preacher of the Gospel (the word of truth) or as a servant of God, he must handle the word of truth correctly.

How then do we handle the secret of the Gospel, which is the word of truth, correctly? We use the ‘trilogy principle’, that is, dividing the secret of the Gospel into three consecutive stories with the same theme.

First, the Secret of the Gospel proclaimed by Peter and his companions to the Jews.

Second, the Secret of the Gospel proclaimed by Paul and his companions to the Gentiles.

Third, the Secret of the Gospel proclaimed by the Apostle John and his team to the fallen church of his time, especially to the seven churches in Asia Minor.

Through the explanation above, we are not saying that there are three secrets of the Gospel or three different Gospels. The Gospel, which is the good news, is only one—the good news concerning the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus.

In the previous writing, we distinguished the word of truth, or the mystery of the Gospel, by using the principle of trilogy. This time we will discuss how Peter and his companions preached the Gospel to the nation of Israel.

Let us begin with John the Baptist and Jesus Himself in proclaiming the good news to the Jews. John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:1; 4:17). The term ‘repent’ comes from the Greek verb ‘metanoeō’, which means ‘to change one’s mind’. Why did Jesus and John the Baptist require the Jews to ‘change their minds’ concerning the nearness of the kingdom of heaven? This can be explained as follows.

The Jewish people were always waiting for the Messiah, especially since King David had received the promise that his descendants would continually reign over Israel. They expected a king anointed by God, a descendant of David, who would accomplish at least three things for his people. First, the anointed king (Messiah) must build the Temple. Second, this Messiah must deliver the Jews from Israel’s enemies—that is, the surrounding nations who troubled Israel. Third, this Messiah must bring peace to the world, meaning that Israel would become the “head” and the other nations the “tail”, for such was the promise of Yahweh. In essence, the Messiah who would rule Israel was expected to build a ‘physical’ kingdom of Israel, by destroying Israel’s ‘physical’ enemies, building a physical Temple (a literal building), and naturally having a physical palace, a physical army, and so forth—everything of a physical nature.

But Jesus came to give His life (Greek: ‘zoē’) and establish His kingdom, which is the ‘kingdom of heaven’—a kingdom with a ‘heavenly dimension’. The kingdom of heaven that Jesus would establish and bring to earth is “…not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). This does not mean that all of Yahweh’s promises to Israel concerning the ‘physical’ are nullified. Rather, Jesus came to fulfill all that was ‘physical’ in the Old Testament, transforming it into the ‘spiritual’ in the context of the New Testament. The very nature of the Old Testament was prophetic, shadowy, and symbolic, whereas the New Testament is the fulfillment of prophecy, the substance of the shadow, and the reality of the symbols. On the cross, Jesus said, ‘It is finished’—meaning that all prophecies, shadows, and symbols of the Old Testament had been fulfilled, actualized, and realized in Christ.

Therefore, the Jews were required to ‘repent’—that is, to change their way of thinking—from the physical to the spiritual. From thinking in terms of prophecy, shadow, and symbol, to thinking in terms of fulfillment, substance, and reality. At one point, Jesus tried to change the mindset of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law regarding the dimension of the Messianic kingdom. Jesus asked, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “The son of David” (Matthew 22:42). Then Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, which affirms that David called the Messiah ‘Lord’, making it impossible for the Messiah to be merely David’s son, since David referred to Him as ‘Lord’. Here, Jesus was not denying that the Messiah is David’s descendant physically, but He was emphasizing that the kingdom of the Messiah exists in a dimension higher than the physical kingdom of David. The kingdom of the Messiah is the kingdom of heaven; the Messiah’s kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking. Thus, it was this ‘Old Testament physical mindset’ that Jesus sought to change in the Pharisees and the teachers of the law of His time.

We have seen that the proclamation of John the Baptist and Jesus, offering the kingdom of heaven to the Jewish people, was rejected by their leaders. The Sanhedrin, the Jewish council, did not accept Jesus as the Messiah who had been promised to David. The Sanhedrin sentenced Jesus to death, and through the hands of Pilate, crucified Him.

Then Peter and his companions once again offered the kingdom of heaven and Jesus as the Messiah to the Sanhedrin. Peter and his team did this three times. First, when Peter testified before the Sanhedrin and affirmed that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved except the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:1–12). Second, when Peter once again stood before the Sanhedrin and testified about the resurrection of Jesus, declaring that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Most High as Ruler and Savior (Acts 5:26–33). Third, through Stephen, Peter and his team once more bore witness to the Sanhedrin. This time the Sanhedrin rejected the message and even stoned Stephen, although in fact the Sanhedrin had not been granted authority by the Roman rulers to put anyone to death. Thus, the Jewish nation, represented by the Sanhedrin, rejected Jesus as the Messiah, even until today…

Why did the Jewish people reject Jesus as the Messiah? This was actually foretold in Isaiah 6:8–13. Isaiah 6:10 emphasizes, “Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Yet, there is a divine purpose in this. Romans 11:25–26 says, “…Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved…” In due time, after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, Israel too will be saved.

In the situation where the Jewish people rejected Jesus as the Messiah, Peter and his team were given the task we know as the Great Commission, written in Matthew 28:18–20: the mission to make disciples of all nations, accompanied by the assurance that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus.

How Peter and his team proclaimed the Gospel to the nations, and how Paul was later sent to the Gentiles, will be discussed in the next writing…

The Greek term ‘euanggelion’, translated as ‘good news’, appears 76 times in the New Testament. Peter uses it only once in his letter, where he refers to the ‘Gospel of God’ (1 Peter 4:17). But in the Gospel of Matthew, a gospel written for the Jews, there are three occurrences of the term ‘gospel’, ‘the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven’ or ‘the Gospel of the Kingdom of God’, and one occurrence simply as ‘the Gospel’.

Paul uses the term ‘gospel’ in his letters 60 times. The occurrences of the term ‘gospel’ in Paul’s letters are as follows: ‘the Gospel of Christ’ 8 times, ‘the Gospel of God’ 6 times, and other expressions such as ‘the Gospel of peace’, ‘the Gospel of Jesus’, ‘my gospel’, and the rest simply as ‘the gospel’. In Acts 20:24, Paul uses the expression ‘the Gospel of the grace of God’.

By observing the various uses of the term ‘gospel’ by both Paul and Peter, we can begin to see the uniqueness of their proclamations. Paul uses the term ‘Christ’ with several meanings that we will discuss later. Paul even uses the expression ‘my gospel’ to emphasize the uniqueness of his proclamation. The uniqueness of the message of Peter and Paul is not without significance. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:16, Paul distinguishes between the congregations ministered to by Peter and his team, and the congregations pioneered by Paul himself along with his companions. Let us take note of 1 Corinthians 11:16: “But if anyone seems to be contentious, WE have no such custom, nor do the CHURCHES OF GOD” (LITV). What Paul means by ‘the CHURCHES OF GOD’ are the congregations of Jews ministered to by Peter and his team.

If we look at the expression ‘the Gospel of the Kingdom’, which appears only three times in the Gospel of Matthew—a gospel for the Jews—we can understand the uniqueness of the message delivered by Peter and his team. Peter and his team proclaimed to the Jews that through the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus, where He sits at the right hand of the Father, “God has made Him both Lord and Messiah…” (Acts 2:36 – LITV). Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, or the kingdom of the Messiah, to the Jews. And Jesus, who was sent only to the Jews (Matthew 15:24), also preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” But we know that the Jews rejected both Jesus and the proclamation of Peter and his team.

Then, how could the other nations hear the ‘gospel’, or more specifically, how could the other nations receive the ‘unique message of the gospel’ proclaimed by Paul? To understand this, we must know that Jesus came to make a new covenant with the Jews, because the old covenant had been broken. This was prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31–34, which says, “…I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah… I will put My Torah within them and write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people…. They shall all know Me… I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.”

This new covenant was instituted by Jesus on the last night when He celebrated Passover together with His disciples. In Matthew 26:28 it is written, “For this is My blood, the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” The New Covenant made by Jesus for the Jews was ratified by His blood. But we know that the Jews rejected Jesus. This rejection opened the opportunity for the nations to enter into this new covenant. The next writing will explain how Paul was sent by the Lord to bring this New Covenant to the nations.

This time we will discuss how Paul was sent by the Lord to bring the New Covenant to the nations. Acts 13:2 says, “… Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Barnabas and Saul, who later became Paul, established churches in every city and appointed elders to shepherd the congregations they pioneered. At first, Paul and Barnabas preached the forgiveness of sins, which could not be obtained through the law of Moses, but through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 13:38–39). Of course, Paul did not only preach forgiveness of sins. We will see later what else Paul proclaimed in his Gospel. But for now, we will discuss the matter of the nations, to whom Paul preached the Gospel. Were the nations required to obey the law of Moses, as the Jewish believers obeyed it, as it is written in Acts 21:20, “… see, thousands of Jews have believed, and they are all zealous for the law”?

This issue is addressed in Acts 15:1–34. After Peter spoke, “… that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they” (verse 11), Paul and Barnabas told of the mighty works God had done among the nations, which confirmed Peter’s testimony. Then James concluded by quoting Amos 9:11–12, as follows: “After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things, known to God from eternity” (NKJV).

What or who is the ‘tabernacle of David’ mentioned in the verse above? Is it only Israel, or also the nations whom God has chosen to be His people? If we pay attention to James’ previous words—that God shows His mercy to the nations by choosing a people for His name from among them—then it is reasonable to conclude that the tabernacle of David, rebuilt by the Lord, includes Israel as well as the nations chosen by God in this age. James emphasized that God’s choosing of the nations to be His people is ‘in agreement’ with the prophecy of Amos that we have quoted. The term ‘in agreement’ comes from the Greek word ‘sumphoneo’, which means ‘to be in harmony’ or ‘to agree’. Therefore, the election of the nations in this age and their being ‘grafted’ into Israel is the fulfillment of Amos 9:11–12.

However, the prophecy of Amos 9:11–12, quoted by James, does not stop with only ‘some’ of the nations being saved in this age. Rather, it says, “so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord.” This means Amos’ prophecy extends beyond this age into the ages to come, where eventually all mankind will seek the Lord. The tabernacle of David, which had fallen and is rebuilt

by the Lord, is Israel and the chosen nations of this age. But then, all the rest of mankind will also seek the Lord. I personally prefer the translation ‘the residue of men’ because it is closer to the original Greek, ‘kataloipos ho anthropos’ (the residue of men). By referring to ‘the residue of men’, it points to the ultimate reality that all humanity will seek the Lord.

The conclusion regarding the nations to whom Paul preached the Gospel is as follows:

1. The nations who are saved and chosen in this age are not required to keep the law of Moses as the Jews do.

2. The tabernacle of David, which had fallen and is rebuilt by the Lord, is Israel and the nations chosen in this age.

3. As a result of the tabernacle of David being rebuilt, in the ages to come, the rest of mankind will seek the Lord.

Let us briefly discuss the New Covenant made by Jesus on the last night with His disciples. Matthew 26:26–28 records, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread…. Then He took the cup…. For this is My blood, the blood of the covenant….” While they were eating the Passover, Jesus took bread and the cup and made a covenant ratified by His own blood. Luke 22:20 records, “… This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Indeed, what Jesus did had been prophesied in the book of the prophet Jeremiah 31:31–34, as it is written, “… I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…. I will put My Torah within them and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…. They shall all know Me…. I will remember their sins no more” (ILT). The essence of this New Covenant is that God will write His law (His Torah) into the hearts of believers. In the Old Testament, God’s law was written on tablets of stone, but in the New Testament, that very law written on stone tablets is written or placed by God into the hearts of believers.

There are three things that happen when God writes His laws into the hearts of believers. First, God will be God to the believers, and the believers will be His people. Second, believers will know God inwardly. Third, God will no longer remember the sins of believers.

If we look more closely, it becomes clear that the New Covenant is spiritual and inward, while the Old Covenant is natural and outward. The Old Covenant was prophetic, a shadow, and symbolic, while the New Covenant is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, the reality of the shadow in the Old Testament, the substance of the Old Testament symbols. Colossians 2:16–17 affirms, “Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ” (ILT).

We know that the New Covenant was made by Jesus primarily for the nation of Israel, because Israel had broken the Old Covenant and God replaced it with a New Covenant according to the prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31–34. But later, Paul was sent by God to minister the New Covenant

to other nations as well. We will look at and discuss several important points in Paul’s gospel that he preached to the nations.

First, Paul preached justification, sanctification, and glorification through faith. This is explained in his letter to the Romans. Second, Paul preached Christ in his gospel. Third, Paul preached the church as the body of Christ. Fourth, Paul preached the coming of the Lord in and through His saints. Of course, there are still other things Paul conveyed in his ministry, but for the sake of our theme, the points above are sufficient.

We will discuss them one by one briefly so we may see the uniqueness of the message Paul delivered to the nations. In fact, in Paul’s gospel, there is no longer any distinction between the Jews and the nations, for all are one in Christ.

This time we will discuss Paul’s Gospel concerning justification, sanctification, and glorification. Paul explains this systematically in his letter to the Romans. In the book of Romans, the term ‘gospel’ appears nine times, including the Gospel of God, the Gospel of His Son, and also the Gospel of Christ. In Romans, Paul explains his gospel through the theme of the righteousness of God, for that is the central theme of the letter.

Righteousness is a condition or quality that conforms to a certain standard. Therefore, the righteousness of God is God’s own standard or quality. If someone desires to be pleasing to God and be saved, he must reach the standard of God’s righteousness. Paul firmly states that the righteousness of God cannot be achieved through obedience to the Law of Moses. The good news is that the righteousness of God can be received through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul explains faith in Christ as follows: “…from faith to faith…” (Romans 1:17). The Greek expression is ‘ek pisteos eis pistin’ (‘from faith to faith’). When someone is chosen by God, he is given faith in Christ. This faith is the energy of Christ that enables him to act according to the faith of Christ that has been given, for faith without works is dead. Furthermore, works born of faith in Christ will perfect the faith that already exists. This process continues unceasingly. Existing faith produces works, and then works born of faith, in turn, perfect the faith that exists. This is what James means when he says, “…faith was made complete by works” (James 2:22). This process of faith growth continues until salvation is perfected—namely justification, sanctification, and glorification.

Let us look briefly at justification by faith. Paul explains this beginning from Romans 3:21 up to Romans 5:11, the essence of which is that the righteousness of God is credited to believers solely because of the faith of Christ. The result of this justification is life in peace with God, access into grace, rejoicing in the hope of sharing the glory of God, even boasting in sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope that does not disappoint.

Sanctification by faith is explained by Paul from chapter 5:12 to chapter 7:26. The essence of sanctification is that we die with Christ and are freed from the power of sin, so that we may present our bodies to be used as instruments of righteousness. Sanctification by faith is related

to the salvation of the body. Even though this physical body will indeed die because of sin, YET NOW our body has already been freed from the power of sin, has become a servant of righteousness, and is used as an instrument of righteousness.

As for glorification by faith, Paul describes it in chapter 8:1–30. Glorification by faith is related to our inheritance as sons of God. We will receive this inheritance together with Christ because we have suffered with Him. When Christ comes, we will receive our inheritance—that is, a new body like Christ Jesus—and we will also be glorified, revealed to all creation, to serve all creation and to set all creation free from the bondage of decay (Romans 8:19–21).

This is the Gospel of God, or the Gospel of His Son, or also the Gospel of Christ as explained by Paul in the letter to the Romans. There is still revelation concerning the nation of Israel in chapters 9 through 11, but we will not discuss that now.

We have seen that Paul at least proclaimed these four things in his gospel. First, Paul preached justification, sanctification, and glorification through faith, which we briefly outlined in section (7). Second, Paul proclaimed Christ in his gospel. Third, Paul proclaimed the church as the body of Christ. Fourth, Paul proclaimed the coming of the Lord in and through His saints. This time we will discuss how Paul proclaimed Christ in his gospel.

The good news that Paul proclaimed is Christ. That is why Paul referred to his gospel as the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:19; 1 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 2:12; 9:13; 10:14; Galatians 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 3:2). Paul affirms in Colossians 1:27–28, “… Christ in the midst of you (Christ in you – Literal Translation). Christ who is the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ”.

Let us see who and what Christ is, as proclaimed by Paul in his gospel.

First, Christ is the hope of glory, according to the verse above. When man fell into sin, he lost or fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Adam tried to ‘cover’ the loss of God’s glory, which produced shame, with fig leaves (a symbol of human glory). But God was not pleased, and replaced them with animal skins, foreshadowing the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. Paul proclaimed Christ as the solution to the loss of God’s glory, because man had fallen into sin. And the Christ Paul proclaimed dwells within us. ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’.

Second, Christ is corporate (many-membered). 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” Christ here is many-membered: Christ the head (Jesus) and Christ the body (the church). The good news is that in Christ, we have already been raised up and seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

Third, Christ is our life. Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Jesus said, “I came that they may have life (zoe = the God-kind of life).” With Christ as our life, we can truly know the Father and Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3). Through this life, we can fellowship with Him and personally enjoy Him. In this life

also exist the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of Christ. And when Christ, who is our life, appears (at His coming in the end times), we too will appear with Him in the glory of God (Romans 8:19–21).

Fourth, Christ is all in all. Colossians 3:11 affirms, “… but Christ is all, and in all” (the all and in all – Christ, Young’s Literal Translation). Christ is all in all. Let us compare this expression “all in all” with 1 Corinthians 15:28, “… that God may be all in all” (LIT). In 1 Corinthians 15, it is clear that the condition of ‘God being all in all’ takes place ‘after the last enemy is conquered, which is death’. The wages of sin is death. Christ will subdue everything, including death, so that Christ may be all in all. Christ the head and Christ the body will conquer all… until Christ becomes all in all.

This is the Christ that Paul proclaimed in his gospel. The expression Paul used most frequently is ‘in Christ’. In Christ, we are already blessed, restored, and seated in the heavenly places. In Christ there is joy, comfort, and everything we need. Hallelujah…

The next message of Paul’s gospel is the church as the body of Christ. We have noted that the congregations founded by Paul and his team had their own uniqueness. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:16, Paul distinguished the congregations served by Peter and his team from the congregations he pioneered with his companions. Let us look at 1 Corinthians 11:16: “But if anyone seems to be contentious, neither we nor the CHURCHES OF GOD have such a custom” (LIT). What Paul meant by “CHURCHES OF GOD” were the congregations of the Jews served by Peter and his team.

The uniqueness of the congregations pioneered by Paul was that there was no longer any distinction between Jews and non-Jews or the nations. The dividing wall, namely the Law with all its commandments and ordinances, ‘has been abolished’ through the death of Jesus, and now both (Jews and non-Jews) have become one new man in Christ (Ephesians 2:14–15). The phrase ‘has been abolished’ in Ephesians 2:15 comes from the Greek term ‘katargeo’, which means ‘to make inactive’ or ‘to make of no effect’. This means that although there was indeed a difference between Jews and the nations because of the Law given to the Jews, that difference was rendered ineffective, or made inactive. Thus, in Paul’s gospel, the church is the body of Christ where there is no distinction between Jew and non-Jew.

The church is a body with many members, meaning the church is a living organism. Paul never intended to state that the church is thousands of organizations (denominations) as it is today. I will briefly begin to explain what Paul meant by the church as an organism, and then we will see why that original organism changed—or more precisely, broke apart—into thousands of organizations as we see today.

The church as an organism also has leaders within its organism. Colossians 2:19 says: “And not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, through the joints and bands, being supplied and knit together, grows with the growth of God” (LIT). Let us carefully observe this verse, because it speaks about the authority of the organism, the growth of the organism, and also the leaders of the organism.

First, the authority of this organism is clearly the Head. Christ Jesus as the Head has authority over the church as His body. Or to be clearer: Christ Jesus as the life of the organism (“I am the life”)—it is the life of Christ that holds authority over the organism. Second, the growth of this organism is explained in the verse above with the phrase ‘grows with the growth of God’. The original expression is ‘auxano ho auxesis ho theos’, which means ‘increase with the increase of God’ (Young’s Literal Translation). Therefore, the correct Indonesian translation of this phrase is ‘grows with the growth of God’. This growth of God does not mean that God Himself grows within the organism, but rather that HIS LIFE grows within the organism. Thus, the growth of the organism is the growth of Life. Third, the leaders of this organism are described as ‘joints and bands’. These joints and bands do not have authority over the organism, because the authority of the organism is the Life of Christ. If we look carefully at the verse above, we can see that the role of these “joints and bands” is simply as CHANNELS OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

If the leaders of this organism function properly, and through them the life of Christ flows into the body, then the body will experience normal growth. Furthermore, we see in this verse the role of the leaders of the organism as those who “supply and knit” the body so that the body is not divided and can grow well. Such a thing does not happen with the leaders of organizations (denominations), who in fact divide the body of Christ. We will discuss this further in the next writing.

We have discussed that the church is an organism, where the term Paul used is ‘body’, or ‘the body of Christ’. Based on Colossians 2:19, we have seen the role of the leaders of the organism as those who channel the life of Christ, supporting, supplying, and binding the body into one, even though there are many members. This time we will discuss why the church, which is an organism or body, has now been fragmented into thousands of organizations, or denominations.

Many people, including denominational leaders, no longer see this as a problem. It has even been taught that the church has two aspects: the visible aspect, which is the thousands of denominations that we can see; and the invisible aspect, namely all of God’s true children on this earth, whom only God knows. This teaching of the visible and invisible church began with Martin Luther, as explained by Prof. L. Berkhof in his very well-known book ‘Systematic Theology’, pages 560–564. This view is not only accepted by almost all denominational leaders, but it is also taught in theological schools throughout the world. But let us see what the Bible says about these thousands of denominations. Why did the church, which was originally an organism and undivided, then break into thousands of denominations?

Acts 20:28–30 records: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of Elohim which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (LITV).

On his journey to Jerusalem, Paul took time to meet at Miletus with the leaders of the church in Ephesus. Here Paul emphasized that after his departure, savage wolves—surely the devil and evil spirits—would attack the leaders so that the leaders, or more precisely, some of the leaders, would do two things. First, they would speak perverse things. Second, they would have one goal: to draw disciples.

Let us first look at the first point. The word ‘perverse’ here comes from the Greek term ‘diastrepho’, which means ‘to distort’ or ‘to misinterpret’. If we look at the characteristics of false teachers in Jude 4, it is written: “…they pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness” (LITV). False teachers always talk about God’s goodness, God’s grace, God’s favor, BUT THEY DIRECT IT OR DISTORT IT toward carnal matters, even worldly things that stir up lust. These false teachers always speak of prosperity, health, wealth, and worldly success. Meanwhile, the Bible says that the kingdom of heaven is not about food and drink, but about inner peace. ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’. ‘The kingdom of God is within you’.

This does not mean that God does not care about our physical needs. But seek first the kingdom of heaven, seek first inner success, the peace and joy of Christ within. Surely God cares about our need for food, drink, and clothing.

Indeed, spiritual sensitivity is needed to distinguish false teachers who focus on earthly matters from true teachers who emphasize the kingdom of heaven within. Because no one is so foolish as to make counterfeit money COMPLETELY different from real money. But God’s chosen people are equipped with the ‘anointing within’ so that they can discern which is false and which is genuine.

Next, the second point: Paul firmly said that the goal of these false leaders or false shepherds is to draw disciples to themselves. Not only to draw disciples, but also to draw their money with false teachings of tithes, firstfruits, faith pledges, or others.

This is the savage wolf that has torn apart the church (the body = the organism) into thousands of denominations or organizations. Each false leader, with false teaching, draws disciples to themselves, and thus builds their own kingdom, instead of building the church, which is the body, the organism.

Have you seen why the church, which was once an organism or the body of Christ, has now become thousands of denominations? This is the mystery of Paul’s gospel, where he frankly and firmly exposed the cause of the church’s downfall.

At this point, we will still be discussing the third point of Paul’s gospel message, namely the church as the Body of Christ, specifically its leaders. The churches pioneered by Paul were shepherded by a leadership team called elders or overseers. Thus, Paul and his companions planted churches in each city and then appointed elders to shepherd them, assisted also by deacons.

There are two Greek terms for elders or overseers. First, ‘presbuteros’, meaning someone who is mature, both spiritually and in age. ‘Presbuteros’ is often translated as ‘elders’ in various English versions. Second, ‘episkopos’, which comes from two root words: ‘epi’, meaning ‘over’, and ‘skopos’, meaning ‘to see’. Thus, ‘episkopos’ means ‘one who sees from above’, that is, someone who has spiritual vision to guard the flock from the attacks of savage wolves. ‘Episkopos’ is often translated as ‘overseer’ or ‘bishop’ in various English versions.

These two Greek terms do not refer to two different persons but to the same person: one term speaks of function (‘to see from above’), while the other speaks of the person himself (spiritually mature and senior). This is clearly seen because the two Greek terms are used interchangeably. A clear example is found in Titus 1:5–7, which states: “…appoint elders (‘presbuteros’) in every city… For an overseer (‘episkopos’) of the church…” (ILT). Since the terms are used interchangeably, this clearly proves that ‘presbuteros’ is the same as ‘episkopos’.

However, there was a man named Ignatius (117 A.D.), a bishop of the church in Antioch, who insisted that there must be one ‘bishop’ leading a congregation in each locality to avoid division and to ensure that sound teaching was preserved (‘The History of Christianity’, p. 83). Yet, it was precisely Ignatius’ teaching that led to rivalry between one bishop and another in different cities, which then gave rise to the ‘archbishop’. Later, archbishops also contended with each other, leading to the emergence of ‘cardinals’ who presided over the archbishops. Rivalries among cardinals then produced the ‘pope’ who presided over the cardinals. By the 6th century, hierarchy had fully entered the church, which became known as the Catholic Church. Not long after, the church entered the era in church history called the Dark Ages. We will discuss more about this ‘hierarchy’ when we reach the discussion of the mystery of John’s gospel.

We have already discussed the fall of the church, which is an organism, into thousands of denominations because of the attack of savage wolves against the elders (Acts 20:28–30). We have also seen from the explanation above how ‘hierarchy’ entered the church and caused it to fall into its dark age. In fact, the trilogy of heresies—those of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans—fully explains the downfall of the church. But we will elaborate on this later when we reach the mystery of John’s gospel.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the fall of the church began with its leaders. The leaders of the church were the first to be attacked by savage wolves. The leaders of the church were the ones who first divided the Body of Christ into thousands of denominational fragments.

We continue our discussion regarding church leadership, particularly within Paul’s community. We have seen that ‘presbuteros’ is the same as ‘episkopos’ because they were used interchangeably. But there was a man named Ignatius (117 A.D.), a bishop of the church in Antioch, who asserted that there must be an ‘episkopos’ (Bishop) leading one congregation in one locality in order to avoid division and to ensure that sound teaching is preserved (‘The History of Christianity’, p. 83). However, it was precisely Ignatius’ teaching that caused competition

between one Bishop in one city and another Bishop in another city, which eventually produced or introduced ‘hierarchy’ in the church.

Let us look more closely at this ‘hierarchy’. The term ‘hierarchy’ comes from the Greek ‘hierarchia’ or ‘hierarches’, meaning ‘leader of sacred rites, or high priest’. In dictionaries, ‘hierarchy’ refers to a system, especially in society or in an organization, where people are arranged into different levels of importance, from the highest down to the lowest. So, if the church is an organism, in which its people or members are arranged into a body with the life of the body itself as the authority that governs the whole body, then when ‘hierarchy’ enters, the authority within the body is no longer the life of the body itself, but rather ‘the highest person’ in the structure of a system (read: organization). Thus, the church is no longer governed by the life—which is Christ Jesus Himself (“I am the Life”)—but is instead governed by a human being. What truly happens is the USURPATION OF THE CHURCH’S AUTHORITY BY LEADERS. The authority of Jesus over the church has been seized by leaders.

Let us learn from the leadership of Peter’s community. The Gospel of Matthew is the good news of the kingdom of heaven delivered by Jesus and John the Baptist to the Jews. In Matthew 23:1–12, it is written: “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. Therefore, do and observe whatever they tell you, but do not do what they do, for they preach but do not practice… But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called leaders, for you have one Leader, the Messiah. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.’”

From the above passage, it is clear that in the church there is no “seat of Moses.” In the Jewish community under the Old Covenant, as with the scribes and Pharisees, they indeed sat on “Moses’ seat”, and therefore they held authority over the Jews. Jesus taught the crowds not to rebel against the ‘authority of Moses’ held by the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said, “do what they tell you… but do not do what they do…” However, when Jesus spoke to His disciples, He said, “But you… do not be called Rabbi, leader, or father… YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS.”

Does this mean that in the church there are no leaders? Of course there are, but leaders have no authority over the church. Are there no Rabbis in the church? Certainly, there are teachers, but they have no authority whatsoever. Are there no fathers in the church? Surely, there are spiritual fathers, but they do not possess any authority over His church. In short, THERE IS NO “MOSES’ SEAT” IN THE CHURCH. Authority in the church is held DIRECTLY by Jesus, and Jesus leads His church DIRECTLY through His Spirit. There is no such thing as “delegated authority.” This term exists only in the context of “hierarchy” or organizational context. JESUS NEVER DELEGATED HIS AUTHORITY OVER THE CHURCH. Denominational leaders HAVE USURPED JESUS’ AUTHORITY OVER HIS CHURCH. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled when Jesus comes to earth to establish His kingdom (v. 12).

Therefore, organism leadership is the true model, because the church is indeed an organism. The leaders of an organism have no authority whatsoever over the body. They are the “ligaments and joints” that learn to supply life, to nourish the church, and to knit the members of the body together (Colossians 2:19). But denominational leaders are those who exalt themselves, usurp Jesus’ authority over His church, and divide the body of Christ.

At this point, we will discuss the final point of Paul’s gospel, namely the coming of the Lord in and through the overcoming church. Concerning the theme of ‘the coming of the Lord’, I have written about it, and for brothers/sisters who are interested, please feel free to contact me. But for now, we need to emphasize several things on this topic.

First, if someone wants to understand this topic, then he must pay close attention to the context, in this case, the context of the Covenant. The essential nature of the Old Testament is prophecy, shadow, and symbol. Meanwhile, the New Testament is its fulfillment, the substance of the Old Testament shadow, and the reality of what the Old Testament symbolized. Let us look at Colossians 2:16–17, “… concerning food and drink or regarding a festival, a new moon, or a Sabbath day; these are a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” The principle of Covenant context is also seen in 1 Corinthians 15:46, “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.” This means that the Old Testament is natural (physical), while the New Testament is spiritual.

Second, one must understand what Paul meant by the term ‘Christ’. We have already discussed Paul’s understanding of this term in previous writings. Christ is a term that exists within the heavenly dimension. Christ is a body with many members. Christ is the kingdom in the heavenly realm that will one day be manifested on earth. Christ is within us as life, in the sense that Christ reigns through our inward being.

If someone does not understand this, then he will teach the coming of the Lord in a physical sense. This is what generally happens within the Christian world. The teaching of the ‘rapture’, where supposedly we will be taken up physically into the clouds somewhere. Then, there is also the teaching of the “second coming of the Lord”, because the first coming of Jesus was physical, then the second coming must also be physical. Yet in the Bible there is no such expression as “the second coming”. However, this is believed by the majority within Christianity and perhaps is eagerly anticipated by many people. There is no phrase “second coming” in the Bible. Behind the phrase “second coming” lies the concept of a physical coming of the Lord, and this is contrary to the principle of the New Testament, which is spiritual.

Let us look at six Greek terms for “coming” so that we may understand that the concept of a physical coming of the Lord is mistaken. These six Greek terms are:

1. PAROUSIA.

  This term appears 24 times in the New Testament and comes from the verb PAREMI, which means ‘to be present’. The noun means ‘presence’. PAROUSIA never indicates the act of coming or someone’s arrival, but rather the presence of someone who has already come. The usage of PAROUSIA in the New Testament is also never associated with a physical coming of the Lord. Thus, ‘Parousia’ means presence. Where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is. That is His PRESENCE. That is His COMING.

2. APOKALUPSIS.

 This comes from the verb APOKALUPTO, which means ‘to unveil’, emphasizing a revelation. It means the unveiling of someone who was previously hidden.

3. EPIPHANEIA.

  This term occurs six times in the New Testament. It comes from a verb meaning “to bring to light” or “to appear.” The noun means “manifestation.” It is used to describe the glory and splendor manifested by the coming of the Lord.

4. PHANEROO.

  This means to make manifest or to become visible. However, it does not refer to visible presence with the eyes, but to a perception.

5. ERCHOMAI.

  This is used to indicate the actual act of coming. It is not the same as PAROUSIA, which refers to the presence of someone already come. ERCHOMAI is used in Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming (AN ACT OF COMING) with the clouds…”

6. HEKO.

  This emphasizes arrival at a specific place. This word is found in Revelation 2:25, “But hold fast what you have till I COME.”

Of course, these six Greek terms do not mean there are six different kinds of the Lord’s coming, but the different uses of these terms help us understand the meaning intended in a given text that speaks of the coming of the Lord. For now, it is sufficient to understand that the Lord’s coming DOES NOT HAVE TO TAKE THE FORM OF A PHYSICAL COMING.

We have discussed the last point of Paul’s gospel, namely concerning the coming of the Lord in and through the overcoming church. We have touched on the six Greek terms that are often translated as ‘coming’, and we have seen that these six Greek terms affirm that the coming of the Lord does not necessarily have to be in a physical form. If we understand this well, then we can comprehend the coming of the Lord through and within the overcoming church as written in Romans 8:19–21. Let us look at Romans 8:19–21 in the ILT (Indonesian Literal Translation): “For the deep longing of creation eagerly awaits the unveiling of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will but by the will of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from the bondage of decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”

There are several points we need to pay attention to in order to understand the meaning of this passage. First, let us look again at the context of Romans 8:19–21. We have discussed the salvation that Paul explains in this letter to the Romans. Paul expounds justification by faith (Romans 3:21–5:11), then sanctification by faith (5:12–7:26), and then glorification by faith (8:1–30). The context of Romans 8:19–21 belongs to Paul’s discussion about glorification by faith. Glorification by faith relates to our inheritance as sons of God. We will receive this inheritance together with Christ because we have suffered with Him. When Christ comes, we will receive our inheritance, namely a new body like Christ Jesus, and we will also be glorified—revealed to all creation. Thus, when glorification occurs, we will receive a new body like Christ Jesus.

Second, who are the sons of God in our passage above? We know the church has fallen and has split into thousands of denominations caused by its leaders, who, with false teachings, draw disciples after themselves (Acts 20:29–30). Furthermore, these leaders teach or practice three false teachings: the teaching of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2–3). We will not go further into this now, but clearly, since the fall of the church, the Lord has been calling His overcomers as representatives of His church. These overcomers, as the representatives of the church, are the ones referred to as the sons of God in our passage—those who are mature and manifested to all creation.

Third, the term ‘unveiling’ in our passage comes from the Greek word ‘apokalupsis’. This Greek term we have previously discussed in relation to the coming of the Lord. The Greek word ‘apokalupsis’ comes from the verb ‘apokaluptō’, which means ‘to reveal’ or ‘to uncover’, signifying a revelation. This means the unveiling of someone who was previously hidden. Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” And Colossians 3:3 affirms, “…your life is hidden with Christ…” Christ in you, the hope of glory. When this “hidden” Christ is manifested, this is the meaning of the coming of the Lord in and through the overcoming church.

Fourth, the last point we must understand is that the coming of the Lord in and through His overcomers, or in and through the sons of God, is aimed at liberating all creation from the bondage of corruption so that it may enter into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Thus, we are not raptured to a faraway heaven, but we will be manifested to all creation on this earth in order to liberate the whole creation.

Such is the meaning and purpose of the coming of the Lord in and through the overcoming church as revealed in Romans 8:19–21. Next, we will discuss the mystery of the gospel according to the Apostle John, which is the final part of the trilogy of the mystery of the gospel.

Now we enter the mystery of the Gospel proclaimed by the Apostle John and his team to the church that had fallen/strayed in his time, especially to the seven churches in Asia Minor. To understand the mystery of the gospel proclaimed by the Apostle John, we must have the ‘Patmos’ perspective, meaning we must view the writings of the Apostle John (the gospel, the letters, and the book of Revelation) from the standpoint of ‘exile.’ The Apostle John was exiled because of the word of God, on the island of Patmos, by the fallen churches. (Revelation 1:9).

Many people, even New Testament theologians, do not have the ‘Patmos’ perspective. New Testament theology books, translated into Indonesian and taught in theological schools—such as those written by Donald Guthrie (published by BPK Gunung Mulia), Leon Morris (published by Gandum Mas), George Eldon Ladd (published by Kalam Hidup), and even the commentary on John’s gospel, chosen by Momentum publisher, written by Herman N. Ridderbos—also fail to see the ‘Patmos’ perspective. Of course, all the theology books I mentioned above also do not categorize the New Testament books according to the principle of the Trilogy.

I begin this brief writing on the mystery of the gospel proclaimed by the Apostle John by mentioning the New Testament scholars above, because in my view, if someone does not have the ‘Patmos’ perspective, then they cannot truly be said to understand the ‘mystery’ of John’s gospel. Only within the perspective of ‘Patmos’ (exile) can one truly grasp the mystery.

But here lies the problem: if a person has never experienced exile by the church that has strayed into thousands of denominations, then they do not share the same experience as the Apostle John, and therefore cannot understand the mystery of his gospel. In spiritual matters, a person’s experience determines their understanding. Spiritual matters are not merely about reason, nor merely about theological education, but rather about experiences with the Lord that greatly shape one’s insight. Let us set aside the ‘experts’ of the New Testament mentioned above, and begin looking into the mystery of the gospel proclaimed by the Apostle John by first revisiting the book of Acts, to see why the church deviated into thousands of denominations as we have today.

Acts 20:28–30 records: “Therefore, take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of Elohim which He obtained with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (ILT).

Here Paul emphasizes that after his departure savage wolves would come—of course, referring to the devil and evil spirits—who would attack the leaders, so that the leaders, or rather some leaders, would do two things. First, they would speak misleading things. Second, they would have one goal: to draw disciples after themselves, and to build their own denomination or kingdom.

The Apostle John explains that there are three false teachings which caused the church to fragment into thousands of denominations as we see today. First, the teaching of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:15). “Nicolaitans” comes from two Latin terms: ‘niko’ (to conquer) and ‘laos’ (the people = laity). This teaching supports the actions of leaders who subjugate the laity, thus dividing the church into priests and people (in Catholicism), or pastors and congregation (in Protestantism). Examples of Nicolaitan teachings include false submission to leaders, the teaching of ‘spiritual covering,’ and similar doctrines that compel congregations to blindly obey leaders.

Second, the teaching of Balaam. The teaching of Balaam supports leaders in obtaining money from the congregation. The system of salaries, tithes, first fruits, faith pledges, and others are all part of the teaching of Balaam, which is very popular in Christianity. This teaching also promotes commerce within the church—ranging from selling sermons, songs, books, Christian symbols, and so on.

Third, the teaching of Jezebel. This teaching claims that God appoints leaders to occupy “Moses’ seat”, as did the scribes and Pharisees in the Old Testament era (Matthew 23:1–12). Meanwhile, Jesus affirmed that within the church, “you are all brothers.” Just as Jezebel usurped the authority of King Ahab, her husband, in the case of Naboth’s vineyard, so too denominational leaders ‘usurp’ the authority of Jesus over His church.

I know that my explanation here will not be understood by denominational leaders, just as it is not by the theological “experts” I mentioned earlier. They are the very ones who exile God’s chosen people, just as the seven churches in Asia Minor exiled the Apostle John. But that does not matter, because I am writing this primarily for God’s chosen people.

We have discussed that if a person does not have the “Patmos” perspective, then he cannot yet be said to understand the “mystery” of the gospel or the good news of the Apostle John. It is precisely within the “Patmos” (exile) perspective that one can grasp the mystery. However, all of this depends on one’s personal experience. Now, we will see how the Apostle John himself experienced it.

At first, the Apostle John ministered together with Peter, serving as the “second man” under Peter’s leadership. Both Peter and John ministered or offered the New Covenant to the Jewish nation, particularly to the Sanhedrin. Later, when Peter left Jerusalem, his leadership was continued by James. And as tradition states, Peter died in Rome around AD 67 during the reign of Emperor Nero. When Jerusalem was destroyed by General Titus in AD 70, the Apostle John had already left Jerusalem, and according to tradition, lived in Ephesus and ministered to the churches in Asia Minor (the seven churches of Asia Minor to which the book of Revelation was addressed). But later the Apostle John was exiled by the churches in Asia Minor that had deviated from the truth. Some argue that the Apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos by the Roman emperor of that time. Although this may have happened, the Apostle John himself testified that he was exiled to the island of Patmos “because of the word of God or concerning the word of God” (Revelation 1:9). Since the Apostle John was exiled “concerning the word of God”, it is more likely that it was the seven churches of Asia Minor who exiled him, and not the Roman emperor at that time.

The Apostle John ministered to the fallen/deviated churches in Asia Minor around AD 90–95. By then, John was already very old. Yet, the Apostle John received grace to minister to the church in a “second chance”. This means that John ministered to the church not in the same condition as

when it was first born on the Day of Pentecost. When John ministered to the church together with Peter, at that time the church had not yet been corrupted by the three false teachings of Balaam, Nicolas, and Jezebel. But when John ministered in Asia Minor, the church had already deviated. By God’s grace, John received renewed strength to serve the church, as though his youth had been renewed.

I try to explain John’s experience by quoting Psalm 103:5, “…so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” I once read about the eagle as follows: An eagle can live up to 120 years, though of course not all do. But around the age of 40, the eagle’s beak grows so long and curved downward that it touches its neck, making it difficult for the eagle to eat. Its claws also lose their sharpness, making it hard to catch prey. In addition, its feathers become too thick, making flight difficult. In such a condition, the eagle faces two choices. First, it may isolate itself in a high place, building its nest on a rocky peak so it can undergo transformation. By pecking against the rocks, the eagle breaks off its old, bent beak so that a new one can grow. With its new beak, it pulls out its old talons so new ones can grow, and plucks out its feathers so new ones may come in. It must also allow its body to endure the scorching heat of the sun so the renewal process can succeed. This painful transformation usually takes about half a year. The second choice is to avoid transformation, remain as it is, and then quietly die…

It seems the Apostle John received grace to “transform” himself so that he could minister to the deviated churches of Asia Minor. John received new revelation, even though it meant he had to be exiled on the island of Patmos. Although he had to endure hardship, as he wrote in Revelation 1:9, the Apostle John’s strength was renewed like the eagle’s youth.

What about our experience? Do we receive grace to “transform” ourselves, to receive new revelation, to gain the “Patmos” perspective so that we may understand the gospel mystery of the Apostle John? Do we receive a “second chance” to minister to this deviated Christian world? Or do we remain in our current state, enjoying what we have achieved, and end our ministry in peace…

We have mentioned that the Apostle John received a “second chance” to minister to the churches in Asia Minor that had strayed from the truth. For at the beginning, the Apostle John ministered to the church together with the Apostle Peter, when the church had just been born and had not yet deviated from the truth by the false teachings of Balaam, Nicolaus, and Jezebel.

The Apostle John’s experience when ministering with Peter to the early church was very different from his ministry during this “second chance” to the churches that had strayed from the truth. When John ministered with Peter, they served as church leaders who were accepted and recognized by all the congregation. But when John ministered to the churches in Asia Minor, the situation was very different. Today we will discuss what condition the Apostle John was in when he ministered to the churches in Asia Minor.

We will look at John’s condition by examining his three letters. Let us begin with his first letter. This letter was not addressed to a particular church or to a specific individual. It was more like a general or open letter to the churches in Asia Minor. 1 John 1:3 says, “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” From the opening of this letter, we can see that the Apostle John did not have fellowship with the churches in Asia Minor who received his letter. Or at least, John did not have fellowship with the majority of the members of the churches in Asia Minor to whom his letter was addressed. For John was proclaiming what he saw and heard ‘so that’ fellowship might occur between the members of the churches in Asia Minor and himself.

Furthermore, John emphasizes ‘our fellowship’, which means he had a team or companions who shared fellowship with him—and this kind of fellowship was with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. This fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ could only be shared if the churches in Asia Minor received John’s messages, which essentially declared that Elohim is Light, Elohim is Love, and Elohim is the True One and Eternal Life. We will not elaborate further on John’s messages here, because our aim is simply to underline that the Apostle John no longer had fellowship with the majority of the members of the churches in Asia Minor. Indirectly, we can see that John’s condition was “cut off” from fellowship with the churches in Asia Minor.

Next, we see his second letter addressed to a chosen lady and her children. Here John emphasizes that this lady and her children must hold firmly to the teaching that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. The reason is that many deceivers have gone out into the world. In this context, “the world” refers to the religious world, namely the seven churches in Asia Minor that had deviated. We will discuss John’s use of the term “world” later. For now, what we need to understand is John’s counsel to the lady and her children not to be deceived, and also not to have fellowship with the deceiver (verse 10). John himself had already been “cut off” and no longer had fellowship with the majority of the members of the churches in Asia Minor because of these deceivers. Thus, he advised the lady and her children not to fellowship with the deceiver, so that their fellowship with John would not be broken. From this, again, we see that John’s condition was one of being excluded from fellowship with the churches in Asia Minor.

Lastly, in his letter to Gaius, John spoke frankly about a man named Diotrephes who wanted to be preeminent in the church, and who boldly rejected the team John had sent to minister to the churches in Asia Minor. We see here that although John referred to himself as an ‘elder’ (‘presbuteros’ = senior and spiritually mature), there was a Diotrephes who dared to reject his eldership. Again, we see the condition John was facing here.

In conclusion, John’s situation with regard to the churches he ministered to in Asia Minor was marked by a broken fellowship. The fellowship that should have been shared with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ had been “cut off” between John and the churches in Asia Minor. In other words, the Apostle John had been “cast out” by the churches in Asia Minor, and his leadership or seniority was not automatically recognized by all the church members. There were many “Diotrephes-like” figures who rejected him.

We have already seen the condition of the Apostle John who was ostracized by the churches in Asia Minor, as reflected in his three letters. Now we will look into his gospel, where the matter of ostracism becomes very clear. Every Christian who reads the Gospel of John will surely sense how different it is compared to the other three gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In fact, these three gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) are called the Synoptic Gospels. ‘Synoptic’ means they can be viewed or studied together. This is because the three Synoptic Gospels are almost the same in the sense that they narrate the life of Jesus from the beginning (His birth) until His death in Jerusalem. But the Gospel of John has a different perspective. This is what we call the “Patmos” perspective or the perspective of “ostracism.” Let us see how Jesus Himself was ostracized by the religious leaders of His time (Judaism), and in the end, was even killed.

The focus of John’s gospel is the Jewish leaders, with the Temple as the center of their activities. In John 8:59 it is written: “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, passing through their midst, and so He passed by” (LITV). The expression WENT OUT OF THE TEMPLE in this verse signifies ‘ostracism’. Here Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders.

Thus, throughout the first eight chapters (chapters 1 to 8), the Apostle John narrates how Jesus ministered with a focus on the Temple and the Jewish leaders. That is why the event of Jesus driving out the merchants from the Temple is placed at the beginning of John’s gospel, whereas in the other three gospels it appears toward the end. The Apostle John also records many debates or disputes between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, while the other gospels do not.

John writes his gospel with a certain sensitivity toward the Jewish leaders. For example, Joseph of Arimathea is recorded in Matthew 27:57 and Mark 15:43 as a good leader, but John records him as a disciple of Jesus in secret, for fear of the Jews (John 19:38). Nicodemus is also recorded as coming to Jesus by night (John 3:2), which indicates Nicodemus’ fear of the public, and perhaps also of the other leaders.

In his gospel, the Apostle John seeks to emphasize that Jesus experienced ostracism, and was even killed by the Jewish religious leaders. This is different from the “creed” often recited in denominational services. Part of that creed says: “who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried…” In this creed it is not clear who actually killed Jesus. Such a creed has not yet seen the secret of John’s gospel.

Furthermore, we see again how, in the end, Jesus ‘left the Jewish nation’ because His ministry had been completely rejected. John 12:36 records: “…After saying these things, Jesus departed and was hidden from them.” Thus, Jesus not only left the Temple, which represented the Jewish leaders, but He also left the crowds because His ministry was not understood. The following chapters contain Jesus’ ministry only to His disciples.

We are not discussing the ‘message’ of John’s gospel here, but essentially, the Apostle John declares that the LOGOS became flesh in the person of Jesus, who said: I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the door, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth, and the life, I am the true vine. Theologians generally have discussed this, but they have not viewed it from the “Patmos” perspective—the perspective of ostracism. Yet it is precisely this “Patmos” perspective that is the true secret of the Gospel of John.

In conclusion, Jesus was ostracized by the Jewish religious leaders of His time. Why was Jesus ostracized? Because the religious world of His time (Judaism) had deviated.

We have seen that the focus of John’s Gospel is the Jewish leaders, as well as the Temple in Jerusalem, which was the center of the leaders’ activities. That is why, in the Gospel of John, it is recorded that Jesus came to Jerusalem at least three times, while the other Gospel writers recorded that Jesus only came to Jerusalem once, at the end of His ministry. The Apostle John also recorded many debates between Jesus and the leaders. He also noted the cleansing of the Temple from the merchants—who were none other than the Jewish leaders—at the very beginning of his Gospel.

In critical methodology, this is called ‘redaction criticism’, where the Apostle John ‘intentionally’ edited his Gospel in a way that focused on the leaders and the Temple, with the purpose of conveying a certain theological message behind his editing. The very important theological message in the way the Apostle John composed his Gospel is this: JESUS WAS REJECTED BY THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS LEADERS, AND THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE THE TEMPLE HAD DEVIATED AND HAD BECOME A PLACE OF MERCHANDISE.

The Apostle John clearly wrote his Gospel from the perspective of the ‘rejection’ of Jesus by the leaders. The prologue of his Gospel affirms: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Let us look at some of Jesus’ debates with the leaders—not all of them—that prove they had deviated and also failed to understand spiritual matters.

We begin with Nicodemus (John 3:1–21). The theme of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus was the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said that in order to see and enter the Kingdom of Heaven, one must be ‘born again’. Nicodemus’ understanding, of course, was physical, just like all the other Jewish leaders who hoped that the Messiah would come and establish a physical kingdom of Israel. Jesus tried to explain these spiritual matters to Nicodemus, but Nicodemus still did not understand. The conversation ended with Jesus’ assessment of him: “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do you not understand these things?” (verse 10).

Next, we see Jesus’ debate with the leaders concerning the matter of the ‘good shepherd’ (John 10:1–18). Jesus affirmed that He is the ‘door’ to the sheep. Therefore, if a person—or more precisely, a leader—enters the sheepfold without going through Jesus, he is a thief and a robber. Here Jesus was affirming that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were the thieves and robbers, because they entered the sheepfold without going through Jesus, since they rejected Him as the Messiah. Remember the context: Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law (verse 6), not to the devil. Commonly, in denominational circles, the “thief” in John 10:10 is interpreted as the devil. But again, remember the context: throughout this

passage, Jesus was debating with the leaders, not with the devil. And Jesus firmly defined who the good shepherd is: the one who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them.

We often hear denominational leaders talk about tithes and shout, “Do not steal God’s money…,” quoting Malachi 3:10, without understanding the context. According to John 10, the good shepherd is the one who knows his sheep and lays down his life for them. So, if denominational leaders do not know their sheep, much less lay down their lives for them—because their congregations number in the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands—how does this apply??? Who is the thief? Who is robbing the money? Is it the congregation robbing God’s money, or the leaders robbing the congregation’s money? The judgment seat of Christ will prove all this, because we will all face it to give account for all our deeds.

We have seen that the focus of the Gospel of John is the Jewish leaders, and also the Temple in Jerusalem, as the center of the leaders’ activities. We have also discussed Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, as well as His conversation with the Jewish leaders about the good shepherd, who was contrasted with thieves or robbers. We are still discussing these Jewish leaders by explaining about the “true vine.”

John 15:1 says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” The adjective ‘alēthinos’ used in the original text means ‘true’, ‘real’, and also ‘genuine’. From Jesus’ statement that He is the ‘true vine’, we can see that there must also be a vine that is false, illusory, or counterfeit. The context of this passage is Jesus’ last-night conversation with His disciples. In this final conversation, Jesus comforted and strengthened His disciples with the promise of another Helper who would come, and He also spoke about the “Father’s house.” However, Jesus also explained to His disciples that the Jewish leaders hated Him without cause, and warned them that they too would be hated. Thus, the context of this final-night conversation, besides strengthening the disciples’ hearts, also addressed the Jewish leaders. That is why it is very reasonable to interpret that the false, illusory, or counterfeit vine refers to the Jewish leaders.

This is confirmed by Jesus’ words to the crowds in Matthew 23:2, which says, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.” This means that the Jewish leaders, as Moses’ disciples, had legitimate authority over the Jewish people. That is why Jesus taught the crowds not to rebel against their authority. But because their behavior was not right, Jesus emphasized that people should obey their teaching but not follow their deeds. From this it is clear that the Jewish leaders were the “vine” for the Jewish nation, but they were the wrong, or false, vine. The true vine is Jesus.

Now let us apply this understanding of the ‘true vine’ to the context of today’s Christian world. Jesus emphasized that He is the vine and His disciples are the branches. Naturally, it is expected that these ‘branches’ remain in the vine so that they may bear fruit, just as the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship. In today’s Christian world, leaders often exhort congregations to commit to a local church, to be faithful in gathering and fellowshipping. They also teach that leaders are the ‘spiritual covering’ for the congregation, and

about submission under a ‘spiritual covering’. But if someone understands the secret of the writings of the Apostle John, he will question whether the leaders in today’s Christian world are automatically the true vine.

Or, is it rather the ‘anointing within us’ that is truly the true vine? (1 John 2:20, 27). For God’s chosen people, “Christ in you” is the true vine. For God’s chosen people, “Christ in you” is the anointing that teaches them all things. God’s chosen people will follow the leading of Christ inwardly. God’s chosen people will have discernment to know which vine is true, and which vine is false.

We are still continuing our discussion regarding the secret of the writings of the Apostle John, namely the perspective of “Patmos” or “exile.” To understand this matter of “exile,” we will examine a term that is often used by the Apostle John, namely the term ‘world’. The Greek term is ‘kosmos’, where its meaning must be determined by the context in which it is used in a sentence. This term appears 186 times in the New Testament. More than half of these occurrences are found in the writings of the Apostle John—78 times in the Gospel of John, and 24 times in his epistles.

In almost all occurrences of this term in John’s writings, the meaning of ‘world’ refers to a ‘system that is opposed to God’. What John meant was the religious system, of course, as we will see later. However, there are several different meanings of this term. For example, in John 3:16, ‘world’ here means the universe, particularly all human beings deeply loved by the Father in heaven. Then, in John 1:9, the meaning of ‘world’ is geographical, because Jesus came into the world in the sense of the land of Palestine. Next, in John 3:19, the term ‘world’ means the sphere of human life. However, the majority of the usage of ‘world’ in John’s writings means ‘the religious system that is opposed to God’.

Let us look at some facts regarding the term ‘world’ in the sense of a religious system opposed to God. First, John 15:18–25. In this passage, Jesus affirms that the world hates Jesus and His disciples (verse 18). Many people think that the ‘world’ in this passage refers to those outside the religious system, meaning the worldly people out there. But if we look at verse 25, Jesus says that what is written in their Law must be fulfilled, namely, “They hated Me without reason.” Thus, we know that the ‘world’ here refers to the Jewish religious system (Judaism), which hated Jesus and even killed Him.

Second, 1 John 2:15–16, which states: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” Here it is emphasized that we must not love the world. Certainly, this is not the ‘world’ in the sense of John 3:16, which is deeply loved by the Father. The ‘world’ in John’s epistle refers to the religious system, namely, in this context, the fallen and deviated church in Asia Minor. It is said that everything in this fallen and deviated church is nothing but the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. That is why we are commanded not to love the ‘religious system’.

Third, 1 John 3:12–13 says: “Not as Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not marvel, brothers, if the world hates you.” The ‘world’ here is symbolized by ‘Cain’, who, though he worshiped (by offering sacrifices), murdered his own brother. Christians who worship within the religious system of the Christian world will inevitably hate their brothers and sisters who worship outside of the religious system. As God’s chosen people, we should not be surprised if the Christian world does not listen to us and casts us out.

If today someone begins to see that the religious system, or the Christian world, does not like him, does not listen to him, and even casts him out, then he has begun to see the secret of the writings of the Apostle John.

We are still continuing the Apostle John’s explanation regarding the term ‘world’, which refers to a system that is opposed to God. Let us take a look at 1 John 4:1, where it is written: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (ILT). Here, the Apostle John emphasizes that many false prophets have gone out into the world. Throughout the history of Israel as a nation, false prophets have always arisen among God’s people. That is why in 2 Peter 2:1, it is written that false prophets always arose in the midst of God’s people, just as false teachers also do within the church. Since false prophets have always appeared in the midst of God’s people, we can understand that what the Apostle John means by the term ‘world’ is the religious world—in the context of this verse, ‘the seven churches that had strayed in Asia Minor’.

Thus, according to the Apostle John, the seven churches that had departed from the truth are the ‘world’—a religious system opposed to God. In our present situation, where the church has splintered into thousands of denominations—or more precisely, where the church has become a ‘religious world’—we, as God’s chosen people, are called to be discerning so that we may test the spirits at work within ‘pastors’ or ‘servants of God’, to see whether the spirit behind them truly comes from God or not. Yet, I believe that God’s chosen people have the “anointing within” that enables them to discern what is from God and what is not (1 John 2:20, 27).

Next, let us look at 1 John 2:17, where it is written: “And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (ILT). We have already seen what exists in the religious world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Anyone who ministers within the religious world, or within the Christian world, is inevitably driven by a desire to become ‘great’. You are certainly familiar with the expression ‘great pastor’ in the Christian world. Everyone who serves within the ‘Christian world’ is driven by a desire to be ‘great’. Meanwhile, the Book of Revelation contrasts the ‘Big City’—Babylon—with the ‘Holy City’—the New Jerusalem. For those who minister ‘outside the religious system’, their deepest longing is to be ‘holy’, not ‘great’. Their main desire is to do the will of God, to be holy, and to be separated from this world. And, according to the verse above, the ‘Christian world’ with all its desires is passing away, but those who do the will of God will remain forever.

In closing, let us reflect on 1 John 5:4, which says: “…And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.” God’s chosen people will receive grace to have faith that overcomes this religious world. This religious world—or Christian world—offers money, positions, and human glory. People like ‘Demas’ were, of course, enticed and abandoned Paul’s team because they loved this world again. Here, ‘world’ may mean the general world or the religious world that we are speaking of. Therefore, faith is needed to trust in God’s provision for our lives. Faith is also required to remain steadfast in loneliness, in the “Patmos” exile, as the Apostle John experienced. May we, as those who are not only called but also chosen, remain faithful to the very end of our ministry (Revelation 17:14).

We continue discussing the mystery of the gospel revealed by the Apostle John, and this time we will talk about idols as written in 1 John 5:21. The Greek term translated as ‘idols’ here is ‘eidolon’, in its plural form, meaning ‘an image’ or ‘a false god’. Thus, the idols referred to by the Apostle John are ‘other gods’ besides Elohim.

We do not need to seek the definition of the term ‘eidolon’ outside of the Apostle John’s writings. Clearly, ‘eidolon’ refers to another god (a false god) apart from the true Elohim. The Apostle John wrote about the ‘antichrist’, which has the same meaning as ‘another god’ or ‘something else’ apart from Christ.

Let us first look at the meaning of the word ‘antichrist’. This word is a combination of two Greek terms, ANTI and CHRISTOS. Anti means ‘against’ or ‘apart from’. Christos means ‘the Anointed One’. When combined, the word means something or someone against the Anointed One, or something that substitutes for Christ.

This Christ is the true Elohim. Anything else, whatever it may be, that is not Christ or that is ‘apart from Christ’, is ‘another god’, which is ‘eidolon’. Therefore, ‘eidolon’ is the ‘antichrist’—something apart from Christ. Another “god” other than Christ.

The Apostle John emphasized in 1 John 2:20, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.” Also, in 1 John 2:27 he said, “But the anointing that you received from Him remains in you…” This means that within the hearts of God’s chosen people, there is an “anointing of the Holy Spirit” that enables them to know all things, so they do not need to be taught truth by others. The phrase “anointing of the Holy Spirit” used by John has a similar meaning to Paul’s expression, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Therefore, anything apart from “Christ within” is an ‘eidolon’.

The Apostle John warned God’s chosen people to beware of all ‘eidolon’ (1 John 5:21). Anything apart from “Christ within” can become an idol or ‘eidolon’ to someone. To understand what can be made into an idol by a person, let us examine the meaning of the term ‘antichrist’ in John’s letters.

In fact, the Bible speaks very little about the “antichrist.” The term ‘antichrist’ appears only five times in the entire Bible—four times in John’s first letter, and once more in his second letter. The term ‘antichrist’ in John’s writings appears in singular form, plural form, as a system, and also as a spirit. Let us examine these forms so we may understand what John means by ‘eidolon’, or idol, or antichrist.

First, in 1 John 2:18 it says, “Dear children, this is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming…” In the original language, there is no definite article before ‘antichrist’, which means the term includes both the people and the programs they create. This speaks of a system. Then, 1 John 2:19 affirms, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us…” Antichrist arose from among us, but they were not truly of us, John says. The antichrist comes from among the saints, yet they are not truly saints. Thus, the antichrist is not necessarily someone who openly opposes “Christ within,” but perhaps one who professes to follow Christ, or even claims to serve Christ, but through their teachings actually divert God’s people from focusing on “Christ within.” Their teaching emphasizes something else apart from “Christ within.” From this, we can conclude that both a person and their system can become an idol or ‘eidolon’ to someone.

Second, 1 John 2:22 states, “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.” Here, the antichrist is a particular person. Yet, verse 18 also says, “…even now many antichrists have come…” Thus, antichrist refers not only to one person, but also to many. Therefore, certain individuals or leaders can become idols to Christians. Certain sects or particular leaders can become idols for someone.

Third, 1 John 4:3 says, “But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus… this is the spirit of the antichrist.” Here, antichrist is a spirit—a spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Indeed, an idol is a spirit. That is why Christians can be bound by their idols, and only the grace of God can set them free. Therefore, we see that antichrist, or idols, can take the form of a specific person, many people, a system, or a spirit. Clearly, all idols or ‘eidolon’ divert God’s people from the true Elohim, which is “Christ within.”

In the world (system) of Christianity, there are certain people, certain sects, certain teachings, certain worship systems, certain spirits, and certain religious regulations—all of which divert God’s people from the true Elohim, which is “Christ within.” All these can become idols or ‘eidolon’ for someone. The Apostle John warns us to be watchful against such idols.

We are still continuing our discussion about idols. Within the world (system) of Christianity, there are certain people, certain sects, certain teachings, certain systems of worship, certain spirits, and certain religious regulations—all of which divert God’s people away from the true Elohim, namely, “Christ within.” All of these can become idols, or ‘eidolon’, for someone. The apostle John warns us to be watchful against these idols.

At this point, let us try to formulate what the “idols” of the Christian world are, by comparing them with the true Elohim, namely, “Christ within.” If we look at Colossians 2:27, which says, “… Christ in you, the hope of glory” (LITV), we can see that the idol of the Christian world is ‘outward glory’. Why is that? Because “Christ within” is the inward glory of God, then idols, as the opposite

of the true Elohim, are outward glory (human glory). If we have seen that the idols of the Christian world are outward glory or human glory, then we will understand that certain people in Christianity, certain sects, certain systems of worship, certain spirits, and certain religious regulations within Christianity—all these things divert God’s people from focusing on ‘inward glory’ to focusing on ‘outward glory’.

Inward glory cannot be seen by physical eyes, while outward glory can be seen by physical eyes. That is why outward glory is heavily supported by outward things. In this corrupted Christian world, if a so-called “servant of God,” for example, is said to be great, mightily used by God, and successful, then surely many outward things support him. Perhaps he has many followers, a very magnificent church building, perhaps a renowned theological school, perhaps he is very wealthy, and so on. In short, there are many outward things that support him so that he is filled with outward glory.

This is very different from Paul, for example, when he was proving that he was a servant of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:23–33). He instead mentioned or demonstrated the opposite things. There were no outward things shown as we often see in the Christian world. The apostle John also strongly emphasized inward matters. In John 7:38 it is written, “… Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 4:23 affirms that, “… the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth…” Worship is not about this building or that, this ritual or that, this liturgy or that. Worship is not an outward matter, but an inward one—namely, in spirit and in truth. The apostle John strongly emphasized the anointing within (1 John 2:20, 27). He even asserted that this anointing is what will teach us all things, and that we do not need anyone else to teach us. All of this proves that the apostles possessed inward glory.

Therefore, the idol in the Christian world is outward glory, which of course is also supported by outward things. If we proclaim “Christ within,” and our teaching does not support outward glory, then certainly we will be rejected and unheard by the Christian world. Yet, precisely at that moment, we begin to understand the “Patmos perspective,” and thus come to know the mystery of the writings of the apostle John.

Throughout our discussion of the mysteries in the writings of the Apostle John, we have emphasized that if one does not view John’s writings from the perspective of ‘Patmos’, one will not understand their mystery. We will conclude the explanation of this ‘Patmos’ perspective by addressing the symbol of the woman in Revelation chapter 12 and chapter 17.

Let us observe the beast with seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 12:3 and Revelation 17:3). In Revelation 12:3, this beast is named—a great fiery-red dragon—whereas in Revelation 17:3, its name is not mentioned. Certainly, we can be assured that these two are the same beast, for throughout the entire book of Revelation no other beast is mentioned except the one with seven heads and ten horns. And we know that the book of Revelation is a book written in symbolic language. The woman, of course, is a symbol of the church, while the beast, whether named or not, is a symbol of human governmental systems (human kingdoms).

In Revelation 12:4, it is said that this beast stood ready to “devour” (Greek: ‘katesthio’) the child (son) who was to be born of the woman. Yet what is surprising is that the beast in Revelation 17:3 actually supports the woman. Verse 6 even states that this woman (Revelation 17) was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. From this narrative, we may conclude that the woman in Revelation 17 hates, ostracizes, and even kills the woman in Revelation 12.

But the wondrous thing for us is that the son born of the woman in Revelation 12 will shepherd the nations and ascend to the throne of Elohim (Revelation 12:5). Some interpret this son as the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore claim that the woman in Revelation 12 is Mary, the mother of Jesus. This understanding is mistaken. The book of Revelation is not a book of history. It is a book of the revelation of Jesus Christ given to John in symbolic language (Revelation 1:1). Thus, the book of Revelation is a book of the revelation of Jesus Christ and the church, as His bride and His body. Therefore, it is proper to understand that this woman represents the church, both in chapter 12 and in chapter 17. Only, the woman in chapter 17 persecutes the woman in chapter 12.

Therefore, the son born of the church (chapter 12) are the overcomers—the sons of Elohim described in Romans 8:19–21—who will set creation free from its bondage to decay. This story corresponds with what is written in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10–11, Luke 20:17, and Acts 4:11. All these verses are quotations from Psalm 118:22–23: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” The Lord Jesus explained that He Himself was rejected by the Pharisees and scribes (the leaders of God’s people and the tenants of the vineyard), yet He became the “cornerstone”. Likewise, His overcomers will be rejected and ostracized by the ‘church supported by human governmental systems’, yet in due time, they will rule the nations together with the Lord Jesus in the age to come.

Such is the mystery of the writings of the Apostle John, when viewed from the perspective of ‘Patmos’. Of course, we are not expounding everything at this time. But as an introduction to the theme of the ‘Gospel Mystery Trilogy’, I believe this is sufficient. Amen.