Here is a summary of the preterist-universalist view of the gospel of
grace that I have been learning about the past couple of years, though
my mindset has continued to evolve from this view some time last year to
embrace a more metaphysical view, that includes gnostic or mystical
aspects (such as interpreting God as our highest self, rather than a
separate entity).
"Hell" can mean grave (Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek), which also has a metaphorical meaning of "hidden". So hell/hades can symbolise ignorance or amnesia (of our oneness with God, and of our true divine identity).
"Gehenna" - Jesus was referring to the garbage dump in Jerusalem (Ge - valley; henna
- Hinnom; the Valley of Hinnom). Metaphorically, it symbolises the
condemnation that the Jews experienced in their conscience during the
tribulation, because they (mistakenly) thought their "god" was punishing
them when the Roman army attacked their city.
The "Last Days", as
I understand it, was referring to the end of the Old Covenant Age - the
end of the Jewish religious system, the end of the law system. It also
symbolises the end of the law mindset (doing in order to become),
thereby the end of the separation mindset.
The ministry of
reconciliation, as I understand it, is about God (our highest self)
reconciling to ourselves through our true identity - Christ Jesus. To
me, to be reconciled with God is to be reconciled with our true divine
self, with the Universe - there is no more enmity or inner battles or
condemnation in our own mind or consciousness - so we are completely at
peace with ourselves.
There is no so-called future hell or lake of
fire to be saved from. The lake of fire has already happened in AD70.
The old identity in Adam (that was attached to external circumstances or
performance) has already been done away, and it signified the end of
condemnation. The only thing for people today is to awaken to their true
identity (in Christ), or as spiritual beings on a human journey.
So
that's my view in a nutshell in this stage of my journey. I think even
the word "Christ" is not necessary for awakening - it is probably just
specific to the Judeo-christian culture in the Middle East. Buddha or
Krishna etc will do just fine as well - as long as it is about awakening
to our true divine nature of Unconditional Love and Light in every one
of us. :)
Showing posts with label identity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label identity. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
A metaphysical interpretation of 1 John 3:9-10 by Matthew Michaud
Another thought that came that is interestning is; Sin = just simply a lie in your mind that you are an individual apart from God, alienated from God but only in your mind/thoughts. That would drive an anxious mind to become god for himself. That would be living in an illusion where the mind is now a law creator, judge, and then condemner.
The whole time we are sleeping to the true us. He gives the laws "good/evil" based on illusions he sees and misinterpets, lusts for them, then accuses you of being him. It is a cycle to keep you blind, absorbed, and desending into a lie (the carnal mind), to keep you hidden in him and thinking you are him. He is Sin, so sin would be to think we are him rather than us "Christ"...
- Matthew Michaud
Yes, to be born of God isn't the same as "to become a christian", unlike what mainstream christianity teaches. I agree it is to awaken to the truth of who we are - we are already children of God - and once we realise our true identity, it is impossible for us to "sin" (or to forget our true identity anymore). In fact, that verse was addressed to the Jews, so it would make sense to them in their context because they were still under a religious system (since "sin" is a religious concept and doesn't exist in reality). We know that we live after the religious law system was made obsolete in AD70, so the concept of "sin" doesn't apply to us anyway, but nevertheless it is good to understand John's gospel in the light of our identity. :)
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The proverbial lake of fire
What do we make of verses from the Bible such as:
and
An angel from heaven is like a messenger of thought from our consciousness. Some thoughts need to be refined in the proverbial lake of fire to be cleansed from self-righteousness so that they no longer have the power to condemn and accuse us, when they are transformed into loving thoughts of unity and peace. How good it is to learn to accept ourselves and love ourselves the way we are when we are free from the illusion of separation. We are made in Love's image and are worthy of unconditional and unbridled love. Knowing this will cause us to love ourselves and others without discrimination. "All love is self-love and all hate is self-hate". :)
Christ our true self and identity saves us from the illusion of separation, and renews our mind to see we are one with God (who is also ourselves), thus reconciling us to ourselves and ending the conflicts within us. We will experience inner peace, which will emanate as outer peace and positive vibrations to the rest of the world. When the world awakens to who they really are - knowing they are perfect, complete, beautiful and beloved, there will be peace and unity and harmony.
"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:" (Matthew 25:41)
and
"The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)
An angel from heaven is like a messenger of thought from our consciousness. Some thoughts need to be refined in the proverbial lake of fire to be cleansed from self-righteousness so that they no longer have the power to condemn and accuse us, when they are transformed into loving thoughts of unity and peace. How good it is to learn to accept ourselves and love ourselves the way we are when we are free from the illusion of separation. We are made in Love's image and are worthy of unconditional and unbridled love. Knowing this will cause us to love ourselves and others without discrimination. "All love is self-love and all hate is self-hate". :)
Christ our true self and identity saves us from the illusion of separation, and renews our mind to see we are one with God (who is also ourselves), thus reconciling us to ourselves and ending the conflicts within us. We will experience inner peace, which will emanate as outer peace and positive vibrations to the rest of the world. When the world awakens to who they really are - knowing they are perfect, complete, beautiful and beloved, there will be peace and unity and harmony.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Knowing the fullness of God’s love and Debunking the myth of hell (Video transcript) – Part 1 of 2
I have decided to transcribe my message about the fullness of God's love and the myth of hell that I shared in a video
in January 2011 so that it can be read at any time. Besides, I don't
exactly speak in Queen's English, so my video might not have appealed to
as many people as I would have liked to. Here is the transcript for the
first half of the message. I have added subheadings where appropriate
to summarise the main points in my flow of thoughts. Enjoy. :)
-----
Hello, I’m here to share the good news, and the good news of Christ is something that we need to hear again and again every day – we need to renew our minds, if we can.
Sometimes, faith comes by hearing. Sometimes, faith comes by reminding ourselves, wherever we are, because we are living in a world where there are condemning voices around us, if not from our own conscience, it can be from other people, whether we know them well or not. Sometimes, intentionally or unintentionally, the way they treat us, the way they say something to us, we may all feel a sense of condemnation, or a sense of being judged. But that is life; that’s how life on earth is.
Maybe as children, we were not so conscious of that, but as we grew up, we all tend to be more sensitive and more conscious of how other people perceive us. It may come as early as in our early teens, or in fact, children can be very sensitive towards that. And of course, when we were very young, when we were still babies, we probably were not that conscious because all babies probably have only two fears to begin with – the fear of falling down and the fear of being abandoned. But all other fears are learnt, as some psychologists might observe.
The Good News is about the Love of God
So, as we grow up in this life, we all need to have a sense of acceptance, a sense of being cared for, because after all, God created us to be loved. Out of that love, can we love ourselves and love other people. So, it all starts with God. We can’t start with ourselves, no matter how much we try to psych ourselves, or how much we try to meditate, or refer to self-help books. But these only are temporary solutions.
There is a deeper need in us, in every one of us, that God created heart-shaped vacuum within us that can only be filled and satisfied with the love of God. The good news is really about the love of God, and that love is really beyond our understanding or human knowledge, that Paul said that we might know the love of Christ – the length, the depth, the height, the width – that passes knowledge. That love is something that our human knowledge cannot grasp fully without the help of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit has been poured upon our heart to know the love of God. And we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth regarding how much God loves us.
Questioning the traditional concept of hell
Mainstream Christianity or traditional Christianity has made it seem like God loves everyone BUT… There is always a “but” at the end. For example, those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ, they will be seen as forfeiting the love of God, and the ultimate consequence for rejecting that love of God by not believing in Jesus Christ would be to end up in a place called “hell” or “the lake of fire” in the book of Revelation, but is that really the truth?
Because as we think about the love of God that transcends understanding, the love of God that passes all knowledge, would it be possible that such a loving God would want, or would allow, or would even create a whole time frame where finally all those people who have not believed in Christ, or have not heard the gospel therefore they did not have the chance to believe in Christ, would end up in a place called the lake of fire where they would be tormented day and night forever and ever? Is that really the truth? But most areas, most aspects, most parts of the mainstream Christianity seem to subscribe to that kind of teaching, even grace-based church.
So, I want to address that because that is something that has to be… The false doctrine will always hold people in bondage. This kind of teaching, the “turn or burn” kind of doctrine – “believe in Jesus or you will burn in hell” kind of teaching – will always turn other people away, whether believers or non-believers because even some believers will still question, “Oh, maybe there are some parts of the Bible I don’t think is right, but because I’m a Christian, I’d better believe, or else, just in case kind of thing.” Maybe their church elders may tell them “Well, if you don’t believe in hell, then it means you are not really a Christian.” That kind of thing only holds people in bondage.
Do we dare to rock the boat of Christianity?
So, we are here actually, each one of us is born free. Ultimately, we all do not like to be held in bondage in some ways. So, sometimes, we may believe a lie because our pastor tells us so, or we don’t want to question too much, we don’t want to rock the boat, and we are simply satisfied to be just Christians and believe that “Oh, we are saved, therefore I don’t have to bother about that, because anyway I am going to heaven, and I really don’t have to find out more for myself, so that I can share the good news in a more accurate way with others, and whether others believe in Jesus, I don’t care. They can end up in hell for all they want.”
But that kind of belies a certain self-righteous attitude no matter how much we try to excuse ourselves because I came from that kind of position before. I was self-righteous. I came to realise that God’s love is much more than that. If I were to just ignore this set of doctrine, ignore this false teaching on hell, and just live my life like any other Christian in the evangelical or mainstream circle, I would actually be forfeiting myself of knowing… I would be robbing myself of the full benefits of knowing the fullness of the love of God. And that includes whether God would really allow, or would really want, or would really have in His plan of salvation where some people will ultimately end up in the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever.
So, how can we reconcile the fact that God is loving, and on the other hand, God, or rather we always say “Other people send themselves to hell by rejecting Jesus Christ?” So, what is hell like? And some people may say, “Well, I leave it to God, you know? Let God do what is just. Some people just don’t believe in Jesus Christ. Well, if that’s so, Lord, let God do what He wants. Maybe it’s torture. Maybe it’s torment in the sense of… whatever it means. Because some may say they are physically resurrected and then they will feel the pain or feel the suffering, and the Bible talks about worms and all that.”
The symbolic language of the Bible
But is that really the truth because the Bible is full of symbolic knowledge? And the book of Revelation is actually full of symbolism using the Jewish apocalyptic language, which unless we are familiar with the Old Testament symbolism, we would tend to misinterpret, and I have done that before. But we are here to know the truth because the truth will always set people free – free from religion, free from condemnation, free from fear, free from whatever that holds people in bondage in some ways that deny them the freedom, the peace of mind that they will feel at any point of time, not just when they are about to die, but any point of time, they may feel a sense of alienation or abandonment or being fearful that God will judge them if something goes wrong in their lives, so we have to settle this once and for all.
So this question of whether hell exists or whether hell is true or what does hell really mean – it does not just apply to when somebody is saved; it applies to even believers today because it will really affect what we believe in about our God – the God that we believe in. Is He the God of Christians only or is He the God of everybody?
What salvation really means
And someone might say, “Well, are you saying that everyone will go to heaven without believing in Jesus?” That is another erroneous question; it’s not even a scriptural question to start with because salvation is not about going to heaven; salvation is about having your spirit, soul and body made whole in every way. The word for “soteria” – that’s the Greek word for “salvation” – it means preservation, health, wholeness, prosperity, deliverance, protection from all dangers, deliverance from every evil in our lives, from lack, from any kind of addiction. So, it’s an all-encompassing word “salvation”. It is not “Oh, one day, we go to heaven.” That is actually the wrong question to start with.
But unfortunately, even in the evangelical world, even in the grace-based churches, “salvation” has that kind of connotation that “oh, you are saved from hell”. But no, it is not that. Yes, we use the Bible as our standard. Yes, we have the Bible… Someone called it the “word of God”, and I don’t want to go into that because the word of God ultimately is Jesus Christ, who is the Living Word. The Bible - we should not take it literally or else it becomes the “letter” that “kills”.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3 that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” and he said the letter is simply when we take the Bible literally, it’s like using it as the law to tell people do’s and don’ts, and that stems from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that is actually bringing condemnation into people’s lives, like you tell them “you have to do this in order to become something”. But the truth of the gospel is that we are already something – we are made in God’s image. There is nothing that we can do to change our identity.
So Jesus came to actually reveal (to) us that identity that has already been all this while, to cause us to remember, to wake up from our amnesia that we are already one with God, and we are made in His image. He has restored (to) us the glory and honour that Adam and Eve used to have. So that is actually the salvation that Jesus has come to give us in our spirit, soul and body.
When we believe the gospel, we will benefit from that. We will enjoy the benefits of salvation in this life. We know our sins are forgiven. And that is another question, I mean, another topic altogether because “sin” is actually referring to, or rather it applies to those who lived in the Old Testament times. They were under the law; therefore, sin was imputed to them. But we are not under the law in the first place because we Gentiles live after AD70, after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, which actually signified the end of the old covenant age.
So we are actually living in the new covenant age, which is also called “the new heavens and new earth” in the last book, in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible – the book of Revelation. So now that we are living in the new covenant age, there is actually no “sin” issue. If you want to talk about “sin”, sin is only a matter of the ignorance of God’s love. Sin is called “missing the mark” or “falling short of the mark”.
So, if you want to talk about sin, the Lamb of God has come to take away the sin of the world. Well, in the Jewish context, it is actually taking away the sin of unbelief, and the sin of not knowing who they are. So, for Gentiles, you can still say the sin of unbelief, but He has taken away that. And even if we don’t believe, God still sees us righteous because 2 Corinthians 5:19 says that God in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself. So we are all reconciled, as far as God is concerned, He no more sees any sinner any more.
It is not as if you say some magic words, and say “Oh, Jesus is my Lord and Saviour”, and then God changes His mind about you. No, what and whether you believe that Jesus is your Saviour or not does not change God’s mind about you. God has already made up His mind that He has loved you with an everlasting love and He has always seen you as His children. It is up to you to believe that. When you believe, of course you benefit from that. If you don’t believe, the truth is still that God sees you as His children.
When you die, whether you believe or don’t believe in Jesus, you will still be with God because the last chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes says when a person dies, his spirit goes back to be with God who gave it. So we will all still be with God forever.
So it is a matter of “now”, here in this life. Salvation is for this life; it is not for one day when we die. I think I covered that in my previous video.
-----
Hello, I’m here to share the good news, and the good news of Christ is something that we need to hear again and again every day – we need to renew our minds, if we can.
Sometimes, faith comes by hearing. Sometimes, faith comes by reminding ourselves, wherever we are, because we are living in a world where there are condemning voices around us, if not from our own conscience, it can be from other people, whether we know them well or not. Sometimes, intentionally or unintentionally, the way they treat us, the way they say something to us, we may all feel a sense of condemnation, or a sense of being judged. But that is life; that’s how life on earth is.
Maybe as children, we were not so conscious of that, but as we grew up, we all tend to be more sensitive and more conscious of how other people perceive us. It may come as early as in our early teens, or in fact, children can be very sensitive towards that. And of course, when we were very young, when we were still babies, we probably were not that conscious because all babies probably have only two fears to begin with – the fear of falling down and the fear of being abandoned. But all other fears are learnt, as some psychologists might observe.
The Good News is about the Love of God
So, as we grow up in this life, we all need to have a sense of acceptance, a sense of being cared for, because after all, God created us to be loved. Out of that love, can we love ourselves and love other people. So, it all starts with God. We can’t start with ourselves, no matter how much we try to psych ourselves, or how much we try to meditate, or refer to self-help books. But these only are temporary solutions.
There is a deeper need in us, in every one of us, that God created heart-shaped vacuum within us that can only be filled and satisfied with the love of God. The good news is really about the love of God, and that love is really beyond our understanding or human knowledge, that Paul said that we might know the love of Christ – the length, the depth, the height, the width – that passes knowledge. That love is something that our human knowledge cannot grasp fully without the help of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit has been poured upon our heart to know the love of God. And we need the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth regarding how much God loves us.
Questioning the traditional concept of hell
Mainstream Christianity or traditional Christianity has made it seem like God loves everyone BUT… There is always a “but” at the end. For example, those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ, they will be seen as forfeiting the love of God, and the ultimate consequence for rejecting that love of God by not believing in Jesus Christ would be to end up in a place called “hell” or “the lake of fire” in the book of Revelation, but is that really the truth?
Because as we think about the love of God that transcends understanding, the love of God that passes all knowledge, would it be possible that such a loving God would want, or would allow, or would even create a whole time frame where finally all those people who have not believed in Christ, or have not heard the gospel therefore they did not have the chance to believe in Christ, would end up in a place called the lake of fire where they would be tormented day and night forever and ever? Is that really the truth? But most areas, most aspects, most parts of the mainstream Christianity seem to subscribe to that kind of teaching, even grace-based church.
So, I want to address that because that is something that has to be… The false doctrine will always hold people in bondage. This kind of teaching, the “turn or burn” kind of doctrine – “believe in Jesus or you will burn in hell” kind of teaching – will always turn other people away, whether believers or non-believers because even some believers will still question, “Oh, maybe there are some parts of the Bible I don’t think is right, but because I’m a Christian, I’d better believe, or else, just in case kind of thing.” Maybe their church elders may tell them “Well, if you don’t believe in hell, then it means you are not really a Christian.” That kind of thing only holds people in bondage.
Do we dare to rock the boat of Christianity?
So, we are here actually, each one of us is born free. Ultimately, we all do not like to be held in bondage in some ways. So, sometimes, we may believe a lie because our pastor tells us so, or we don’t want to question too much, we don’t want to rock the boat, and we are simply satisfied to be just Christians and believe that “Oh, we are saved, therefore I don’t have to bother about that, because anyway I am going to heaven, and I really don’t have to find out more for myself, so that I can share the good news in a more accurate way with others, and whether others believe in Jesus, I don’t care. They can end up in hell for all they want.”
But that kind of belies a certain self-righteous attitude no matter how much we try to excuse ourselves because I came from that kind of position before. I was self-righteous. I came to realise that God’s love is much more than that. If I were to just ignore this set of doctrine, ignore this false teaching on hell, and just live my life like any other Christian in the evangelical or mainstream circle, I would actually be forfeiting myself of knowing… I would be robbing myself of the full benefits of knowing the fullness of the love of God. And that includes whether God would really allow, or would really want, or would really have in His plan of salvation where some people will ultimately end up in the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever.
So, how can we reconcile the fact that God is loving, and on the other hand, God, or rather we always say “Other people send themselves to hell by rejecting Jesus Christ?” So, what is hell like? And some people may say, “Well, I leave it to God, you know? Let God do what is just. Some people just don’t believe in Jesus Christ. Well, if that’s so, Lord, let God do what He wants. Maybe it’s torture. Maybe it’s torment in the sense of… whatever it means. Because some may say they are physically resurrected and then they will feel the pain or feel the suffering, and the Bible talks about worms and all that.”
The symbolic language of the Bible
But is that really the truth because the Bible is full of symbolic knowledge? And the book of Revelation is actually full of symbolism using the Jewish apocalyptic language, which unless we are familiar with the Old Testament symbolism, we would tend to misinterpret, and I have done that before. But we are here to know the truth because the truth will always set people free – free from religion, free from condemnation, free from fear, free from whatever that holds people in bondage in some ways that deny them the freedom, the peace of mind that they will feel at any point of time, not just when they are about to die, but any point of time, they may feel a sense of alienation or abandonment or being fearful that God will judge them if something goes wrong in their lives, so we have to settle this once and for all.
So this question of whether hell exists or whether hell is true or what does hell really mean – it does not just apply to when somebody is saved; it applies to even believers today because it will really affect what we believe in about our God – the God that we believe in. Is He the God of Christians only or is He the God of everybody?
What salvation really means
And someone might say, “Well, are you saying that everyone will go to heaven without believing in Jesus?” That is another erroneous question; it’s not even a scriptural question to start with because salvation is not about going to heaven; salvation is about having your spirit, soul and body made whole in every way. The word for “soteria” – that’s the Greek word for “salvation” – it means preservation, health, wholeness, prosperity, deliverance, protection from all dangers, deliverance from every evil in our lives, from lack, from any kind of addiction. So, it’s an all-encompassing word “salvation”. It is not “Oh, one day, we go to heaven.” That is actually the wrong question to start with.
But unfortunately, even in the evangelical world, even in the grace-based churches, “salvation” has that kind of connotation that “oh, you are saved from hell”. But no, it is not that. Yes, we use the Bible as our standard. Yes, we have the Bible… Someone called it the “word of God”, and I don’t want to go into that because the word of God ultimately is Jesus Christ, who is the Living Word. The Bible - we should not take it literally or else it becomes the “letter” that “kills”.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3 that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” and he said the letter is simply when we take the Bible literally, it’s like using it as the law to tell people do’s and don’ts, and that stems from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that is actually bringing condemnation into people’s lives, like you tell them “you have to do this in order to become something”. But the truth of the gospel is that we are already something – we are made in God’s image. There is nothing that we can do to change our identity.
So Jesus came to actually reveal (to) us that identity that has already been all this while, to cause us to remember, to wake up from our amnesia that we are already one with God, and we are made in His image. He has restored (to) us the glory and honour that Adam and Eve used to have. So that is actually the salvation that Jesus has come to give us in our spirit, soul and body.
When we believe the gospel, we will benefit from that. We will enjoy the benefits of salvation in this life. We know our sins are forgiven. And that is another question, I mean, another topic altogether because “sin” is actually referring to, or rather it applies to those who lived in the Old Testament times. They were under the law; therefore, sin was imputed to them. But we are not under the law in the first place because we Gentiles live after AD70, after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, which actually signified the end of the old covenant age.
So we are actually living in the new covenant age, which is also called “the new heavens and new earth” in the last book, in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible – the book of Revelation. So now that we are living in the new covenant age, there is actually no “sin” issue. If you want to talk about “sin”, sin is only a matter of the ignorance of God’s love. Sin is called “missing the mark” or “falling short of the mark”.
So, if you want to talk about sin, the Lamb of God has come to take away the sin of the world. Well, in the Jewish context, it is actually taking away the sin of unbelief, and the sin of not knowing who they are. So, for Gentiles, you can still say the sin of unbelief, but He has taken away that. And even if we don’t believe, God still sees us righteous because 2 Corinthians 5:19 says that God in Christ has reconciled the world to Himself. So we are all reconciled, as far as God is concerned, He no more sees any sinner any more.
It is not as if you say some magic words, and say “Oh, Jesus is my Lord and Saviour”, and then God changes His mind about you. No, what and whether you believe that Jesus is your Saviour or not does not change God’s mind about you. God has already made up His mind that He has loved you with an everlasting love and He has always seen you as His children. It is up to you to believe that. When you believe, of course you benefit from that. If you don’t believe, the truth is still that God sees you as His children.
When you die, whether you believe or don’t believe in Jesus, you will still be with God because the last chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes says when a person dies, his spirit goes back to be with God who gave it. So we will all still be with God forever.
So it is a matter of “now”, here in this life. Salvation is for this life; it is not for one day when we die. I think I covered that in my previous video.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
According to the Good News, What is the “Second Death” that the Bible is Referring to?
The book of life is the book of Grace. Those who have been trying to live by self-efforts instead of God’s grace would have been cast into the lake of fire to be tormented (basanizo – tested, purified) in their consciousness, until they experienced the SECOND DEATH (coming to the end of themselves) and saw their need for Jesus (“Who shall deliver me from this body of DEATH?“~ Paul wrote in Romans 7.) For further information, please click here.
Do you know that the lake of fire is something that has continued right after new heavens and new earth? Do you also know that we will ALL have a part in it?
—–
Yes, we ALL have a part in the lake of fire, as Jesus said, “For EVERYONE will be seasoned (tested or purified) with fire“. (Mark 9:49)
The lake of fire is something that has continued right after the new heaven and new earth, in which we are living today. The second death happens when a person who depends on self-efforts to get right with God comes to the end of himself/herself and finds freedom and perfect peace in Christ Jesus. The lake of fire is meant to cleanse us from self-righteousness or religiosity, so that we die to our old performance-based mentality, and live according to our new identity in Christ based on grace and truth.
There are two kinds of death in the Bible. The first death is spiritual death or condemnation. Remember the ministry of death is also called the ministry of condemnation. (2 Corinthians 3) Those who are under law will experience condemnation in their conscience.
The second death is the end of condemnation. (Romans 8:1) It spells freedom for a person because when he/she experienced grace or undeserved favour, he/she will be set free from guilt and condemnation and enjoy righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit – which is the kingdom of God within each of us.
—–
The book of Revelations was written by the apostle John before the destruction of the temple in AD70. The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem signified the end of the old covenant age or world, that is, the end of the Jewish religious law system.
Ever since AD70, we are living in the new covenant age or world, which is the new heavens and new earth.
We know God is not some sadistic, mean and vengeful God who burns people for eternity in hell. It is time for people to reexamine the context of Revelations 20-22, and study the Greek meanings for “torment”, “lake of fire”, “hades” and “forever and ever” (aion meaning for an Age). If the lake of fire is a physical place like some people said, how can death (which is non-physical) be cast into it? The lake of fire is a metaphor.
Last but not least, Revelations 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral sorcerers, idolators, and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” simply means the doing away of the old identity.
Because God has become all in all ever since the end of the old covenant age in AD70, we are now new creations living in the new covenant age. Therefore, we no longer see ourselves in the worldly or fleshly perspective, but we see one another in our new identity – we are all new creations, and sons and daughters of the Most High God.
“Behold, I make all things new.” May we all see one another in our new identity – we are ONE in Christ.
Related Posts:
“Tested in the Lake of Fire” by Gary Amirault
“Misunderstandings about the meaning of hell (Part 2) – Lake of Fire versus Gehenna” by Jath van der Westhuizen
Thursday, July 14, 2011
How the Gospel Affects our Consciousness
Psalm 27 seems to bear this truth – when David chose to do the one thing and behold the beauty of the Lord, he ended up living a victorious life.
Psalm 27:4-6Similarly, in my Bible reading two days ago, I learnt that long before King Jehoshaphat and his army were surrounded by their enemies, they first heard from a prophet who had a judgment mentality about God, for he had told them that God would deal with them harshly unless they tried their best to please Him – that must have caused them to be sin-conscious and fearful, and this negative consciousness manifested in their reality as the enemies suddenly approached to outnumber them (2 Chronicles 19 and 20). It’s only after Jehoshaphat sought the Lord for help, that they received the revelation that the beauty of holiness is found in praising Him for He is good and His love and mercy endures forever! The moment they started to be conscious that God is love and only love, and not an angry God out to get them, they started to reign supernaturally, and they even defeated their enemies without a fight, and they collected so much spoils in the following three days in the battlefield.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what 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.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
2 Chronicles 20:21Similarly, it’s so important we all feed on the right kind of teachings that present God in the fullness of His love towards us, so that we will always be conscious that He is always with us and for us, and He has never alienated us from the very beginning, and His heart of immense generosity just wants to pour out and LAVISH His blessings on us His beloved children. Let’s keep beholding the BEAUTY and GRACE of our good Lord Jesus and Abba Father.
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
‘Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever.’”
Video commentary:
Peace reigns in love consciousness. The gospel is about how perfectly God loves and favours us because Jesus is our true identity. This is the power of God to save us from fear, guilt, shame, ignorance and condemnation in the battlefield of our minds.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Life is about Experiencing God’s Love and Knowing Our True Identity in Christ
The Bible was never meant to be a manual; its message is all about Emmanuel! God with us! Every definition of distance is cancelled in Christ. Isa 40:4,5I like especially this part: “Grace and peace express the sum total of every beneficial purpose of God towards us realized in Christ.” Yes, we can live life as a celebration because life is about experiencing God’s unconditional divine love and knowing our true identity in Christ. We are His most treasured possession for the kingdom of God is within us.
When Scripture is interpreted as a mere instruction manual for moral behavior, its message is veiled! 2 Cor.3:15, “Whenever Moses is read the veil remains.” John 1:17, “Moses represents the law; Jesus reveals grace and truth. It is only in the mirror where the miracle transformation takes place, and the blueprint image of our Maker is again realized in us!” 2 Cor.3:18. Jesus did not come as an example for us, but of us. Beholding Jesus in any other way, sentimentally or religiously will bring no lasting change. Now in Christ we may know ourselves, even as we have always been known; 1 Corinthians 13:12. This is the truth that frees us to live the life of our design. John 8:32. John writes that this is not a new message, it is the word that was from the beginning, and yet it is new, he says,”for that which is true in him, is equally true in us!” 1 John 2:7, 8. “We know that the son of God has come, and he has given us understanding to know him who is true; and this is the understanding, that we are in him who is true!” 1 John 5:20
Paul brands his gospel with the words, grace and peace in order to distinguish the message of the revelation of the finished work of Christ from the law of Moses. It is a matter of, grace vs. reward and peace vs. striving, guilt and condemnation. Grace and peace express the sum total of every beneficial purpose of God towards us realized in Christ.
To discover yourself in the mirror is the key that unlocks the door to divine encounter. Tangible beyond touch the genesis of our being is unveiled. Our most intimate and urgent quest are satisfied here. “And we all, with new understanding, see ourselves in him as in a mirror; thus we are changed from an inferior mindset to the revealed opinion of our true Origin.” 2 Cor. 3:18.
As much as the world of science depends upon the senses to perceive, measure and calculate the facts and then to form reliable conclusion, faith perceives the reality of God and extends the evidence to reason. Faith is to the spirit what your senses are to your body. Faith is not airy-fairy; Jesus Christ is the substance of faith. He is both the author and conclusion of our faith. He is the accurate measure of the blueprint of our design. Eph 4:7 The gift of Christ gives dimension to grace and defines our individual value. (Grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ) Mirror Bible
This is the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations; it is Christ in you! Col.1:27
He is not hiding in history or in outer space, nor in future! He is I am in you!
Anticipate the revelation of Christ within you. There is no greater reason for studying scripture!
Jesus did not point to the sky when he gave the address of the kingdom of God; he said, “The kingdom of God is within you! Luke 17:21. In Mat 13:44 he says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in an agricultural field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” There is infinitely more to the field than what meets the eye! Jesus has come to unveil the real value of the field! Human life can never again be underestimated! The treasure exceeds any agricultural value that any harvest could possibly yield! The treasure defines the field! Paul says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels!” 2 Cor 4:7, but while in our unbelief we do not agree with God about us, our minds are veiled and we do not realise the image of God unveiled in Christ as in a mirror. 2 Cor 3:18, 4:4. We are not designed to live by bread alone. Bread represents the harvest of our own labour. He challenges us no longer to look for the wrong harvest but to lift up our eyes and see the harvest that is already ripe! The seed in the fruit matches the seed that was sown! The single grain of wheat did not abide alone! John 12: 24, John 4:35, John 2:19-21, Hos 6:2, Eph 2:5.
“From now on, we no longer know any man after the flesh! 2 Cor 5:14,16, Titus 3:2-5″
- Francois du Toit
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