Thank you manifestation for that marvelous post!
The following is a little bit along the same lines.
In John chapter eight we see a marvelous contrast between the carnal mind and the spiritual mind. Jesus speaks of the spiritual. The Pharisees understand and react from a carnal mindset.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered Him, We are Abrahams descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, You will be made free? Jesus answered them, Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:31 through John 8:36 (NKJV)
Many of the Pharisees expected the Messiah to bring forth a material kingdom. They expected the messiah to overthrow the Romans by force and make the nation of Israel the center of a worldwide kingdom. In other words, they were expecting political freedom by the power of the sword. One problem that they had with Jesus was that He had no sword in His hand.
It is curious that they responded by saying that they as Jews had never been in bondage to anyone. The nation had been in captivity in times past, and they were currently under the oppression of the Romans, so even this was an empty boast.
Jesus was not speaking of political freedom. He was talking about a much greater spiritual freedom. He came to set us free from sin. Sin is a condition as well as an act. The bible makes some very powerful statements concerning sins grasp on the lost. It says that we are helpless against it (Rom. 5:6), enslaved to it (Rom. 6:17), and held captive by it (Rom 7:23).
While most translations do not use the word sin nature to describe our captivity, it is certainly a sound teaching. To help us understand this, consider an example in nature-- the orange tree. Its nature is to make oranges. It does not have to try. Moreover, no amount of telling an orange tree to stop making oranges will make it stop. This helps us understand what it means to have a sin nature. We don't have to try to sin. It comes naturally. Moreover, no amount of telling us not to sin will stop us. This is why the law failed to make us righteous. This is our nature to the core!
God sets us free from this corruption by making us a new creation. The old creation was rotten to the core. The new creation has Jesus at the core. We are partakers of the divine nature. Thus we partake of the very freedom Christ Himself has from sin. This is the freedom Jesus came to bring. He brought such freedom not with a sword but by giving Himself for us and to us.
Does this scenario sound familiar? It should. People are still expecting Jesus to return in a manner like the Pharisees wanted. They expect Him return and sit on a literal throne and make the literal nation of Israel the center of the earth. Jesus came to bring a much greater freedom than the Pharisees expected and a much greater kingdom. He came to bring the freedom to not have to sin. He came to bring the freedom to be like Him. And the glorious thing is that freedom is available today.
37I know that you are Abrahams descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have £seen with your father.
39They answered and said to Him, Abraham is our father.
Jesus said to them, If you were Abrahams children, you would do the works of Abraham. 40But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41You do the deeds of your father.
Then they said to Him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father-God.
42Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. John 8:37 through John 8:44 (NKJV)
Again the Pharisees spoke of natural things, and Jesus spoke of the spiritual. The Pharisees were saying they were special because they were born of a certain physical lineage. Jesus wanted to make them of a new spirital lineage where through Christ, God would be their Father and they His sons and daughters. They spoke of physical birth. Jesus wanted to get them born again.
Unless we are born again and the kingdom of God dwells in our hearts, we are of the Devil! This idea astounded and angered the Pharisees.
How can He say this? Isnt it a little extreme to call all who dont have Jesus of the Devil? Are there not people who dont have Christ, yet still do good deeds. How can they be of the Devil? Even some of the Pharisees were good people.
We must understand that the nature of the Devil is not just to do evil. Kick the dog, yell at our wife, steal, kill, etc. It is to be separate from God. We see this in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. That tree-the Devils tree-was not just about doing evil. It was about being separate from God whether in doing good or evil. Thus its name.
Satan wanted Adam and Eve to be separate from the Tree of Life. He did not mind if they did good deeds as long as those deeds had their source in self rather than in Christ. When the kingdom comes into our lives, so does the nature of the kingdom. It is not just the nature to do good things anymore that the nature of Satans kingdom is just to do bad things. The nature of the kingdom of God is to walk in union with Christ. The old nature was separation. The new is union.
Our new nature-part of being born again-is to allow God to express Himself in us. What does this expression look like? It makes us look like our Father in heaven just as Jesus looked and acted like His Father. The Lord expresses His peace, His faith, His self-control, His joy, and most of all His love. One of the great keys to victory is coming to understand the new covenant. Under the new covenant God does not command us to be good. He becomes our Good. Thus we are free indeed.
51Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.
52Then the Jews said to Him, Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death. John 8:51 through John 8:52 (NKJV)
Again the Pharisees think carnally, Jesus spiritually. (Are we surprised?) They thought of physical death and life. Jesus spoke of spiritual death and life. Jesus did not come to set us free from physical death but spiritual.
Death in Gods mind is not the heart stopping. It is separation from God. We see that separation in the Old Testament. Where did God live under the Old Covenant? He lived in the Tabernacle which was the house of God. Beyond the veil which surrounded the Holiest of Holies was the very glory of God. Only, there was a veil of separation. No one could go beyond that veil except the High Priest and He only once a year as a type of Christ. That veil represented sin and its consequences which is death-separation from God. What is death in Holiest of Holies talk? "You can't go in there!"
The Hebrews also feared death would last forever-even for the faithful. There was separation even in death. Death reigned even over the Old Testament saints who had died. The Old Testament faithful and unfaithful did not go to heaven and the presence of God. They went to Sheol. It was a good place for the righteous, but even so there was still separation from God. There was not one human being in heaven before Christ had finished His works.
Jesus died. He paid the price and consequences of sin. The veil was torn. Not only did He remove separation for the living, At the Pariousa He led the captives out of sheol into the presence of God. That is what Jesus meant that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. How then can we say the heavenly tabernacle is not yet here? How then can we be looking for Jesus to set up yet another earthly tabernacle in an earthly Jerusalem?
All who believe will never die. Will never be separate from Him. Never have to fear being separate from God again. This is the death Jesus came to overcome and abolish. And we argue about whether our physical bodies will remain in the grave or become glorified bodies. That is not the point!! The point is that we now abide in the presence of God and His presence abides in us now and forever.
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.
John 18:36 (NKJV)
21nor will they say, £See here! or See there! For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:21 (NKJV)
The imaginings of the carnal mind are still around today. Yet, preterists are trying to present the kingdom as Jesus did. It is freedom from sin, the Devil, and death. All these things are readily available in the Lord's very present kingdom.