Why is the word of God more of a story told about ancient events than it is an explanation of a lifestyle which has been throughout eternity, and which is the very life God created men to live by? And why do so many study it, hear what it has to say, but never try to apply it as a way of doing things? Yes, what is the contradictory interest about, that of, great interest in reading and discussing it while, being very careless with, and having no interest in doing it? Do we ever sit back, think deeply and wonder why the contradictory behaviour? God knows it all, and is beholding that confusion. Since He had a purpose for creating us, and He has to achieve it, then He is here, and through this message making as many as would want to know, to understand and pull out of this contradiction. And this, He is doing according to what He promised, saying, and on this mountain (in His kingdom), I will destroy the covering that is cast over all people, the veil that is spread over all nations-Isa.25:7. Brethren, if we don’t know, then, it’s time to, and if we know, let us remember, that Christ came into this world sent by God so that He may remove that veil by making as many as do want, to discover the disorder. This is because, the purpose of His God-sent message is to open the eyes of the blind that they may see; to free the prisoners (slaves of sin), yes to be a light to all the people-Isa.42:6-7. Yes, He came, and up to now, He is here through His-sent-servants, to bring to light, …..life and immortality through the gospel-2Tim.1:10. Brethren, if you want to be sure, then the scriptures of the bible are that message of God to mankind about life and immortality, and if we want to come out of this confusion, then, the only right purpose for studying or discussing scriptures is to gain information from our creator on how to live, for He is the one who, teaches us to profit, and leads us in the way we should go-Isa.48:17. If anybody’s study of the bible is not for this reason, then, He/she will study and never arrive at the knowledge of the truth-2 Tim.3:7, yes, will remain illusioned and live to imagine all the days of one’s life. With that firm in our minds, let’s now with open minds, which are open to reason, and with a self-heart-searching aim tune in to our message please. Human beings are creatures which don’t produce knowledge, but rather, acquire it from some source. The physical man can only understand the physical life. The God who created us is spiritual, and so is His word ( life-John.6:63). How then being physical, will we understand what He is revealing to us through His message by Christ, so that we can have the veil (ignorance) removed? (Our message, “Man’s creation process”, will help please).
IMPORTED ABILITY
Remember, we are now reading the bible as some information from God on how to live so that we can follow its dictates, and be achieved in His purpose for having us in this physical lives. So whatever God will tell us is real life not a mere word, and he who does it will see the light (understand) of life- John.8:12. Christ knew of this inability of the physical mind to understand or, do anything spiritually, and so He tells whoever wants to live spiritually; except I build you, you will do it in vain; except I watch over you, your carefulness will be in vain. For without me, you can do nothing- Psalm.127:1; John. 15:5. As we follow this information from our creator, if we, as read on, reach a point where we don’t agree with it, then know that, continuing from that level will only add to whatever confusion we have, for it means, one has to try and blend in other ideas to replace what one doesn’t agree with. This is how Satan works, by bringing impulses to sway those who entertain them-2 tim.3:7. Now for those who agree that without Christ, that is, apart from the word, we can’t know and can’t move, let’s continue please. The truth is, in this physical life, man is at that stage of having knowledge developed in him, so that He may apply it to develop character. How does it happen? Christ says, as many as have believed in him (His message), He has given them power (Holy Spirit) to become children of God- John.1:12. It is by the reception of this holy spirit that the physical mind begins to understand, and the physical body enabled to do the spiritual, fulfilling God promise that, the doing is by His spirit, not our own power-Zech.4:6. Remember that we are geared at understanding about the contradictory interest we have seen about God’s word, and how we can remove it so that we can deal with it purposefully. After man was created into this physical, before he could acquire knowledge on how to live which is what we are reading in the bible, he was swayed by Satan, and pumped with a lie, thus, becoming darkened in his thinking (because a lie is nothing), got separated from the only life of God; and therefore, he remained a fool-Eph.4:18; 1 Rom.22. So, if we will succeed to have this confusion removed, this is the beginning point; to accept that we no nothing-1 Cor.3:18. It is what it takes to obey Christ’s condition for following Him, that of denying self, by repenting (turning from) of that lie-Mat.16:24; Acts.2:37-38. Once we do that, we will stand where Adam stood when he was making the wrong choice. But unlike him, we have made the right one by accepting God’s message through Christ, which is why we have repented, after discovering the deception about ourselves and the God’s true given life. Where was Adam standing that time? ( our messages, “ Why the physical bodies?”, and, “ Very good”, will explain in depth). The Adam’s position where he stood, and where all human beings have stood since then until now(except for those who now have discovered it), is the physical bodies we are, which can’t understand God, can’t understand self, and the life we should live- 1 Cor.2:14. It is also one, which can’t accept God’s life, neither obey it-Rom.8:5, 7. This being the case, it is one that is ever fighting against God, and His meant life for men-Gal.5:17; Rom.7:23.If we have accepted this, surely, we will have every reason not to listen, accept, or support ourselves- Gal.5:24-25. Once we do this, we will have begun the ancient good path which Adam rejected-Jerem.6:16.
THE TEMPLE VEIL
I believe, to this point, we are no longer reading a story, but listening to our creator, who is informing us about the way we should live. For this reason, know that, every biblical event has a life implication, and is recorded to remind us of that implication, and to strengthen our commitment. Have we ever known that this temple veil has everything to do with our godly training? This is exactly what our saviour is revealing here, and its ma prayer and hope, that He gives every reader, the spirit of understanding, for the aim of it all is for everyone to know and live rightly, in peace and happiness, and to lastly reach the goal which God has placed for us- eternal life-Rom.2:7. So many of us, in this music-singing-style of reading the bible-Ezek.33:31-32, have even began to reject wholesome life instructions, as having become history and no longer valid for present application. And all this because the message is veiled, by the god of this world who has blinded their minds (as he did to Adam-2 Cor.11:2)-2Cor.4:3-4. Let’s wake up to this realization as a people who have discovered this lie, and humbly listen and learn anew please. The Old Testament temple was God’s dwelling place here on earth, and His office where the high priest alone, and once a year used to go before His presence. God is holy and lives in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see- 1 Tim.6:16. Why no one is able to approach that throne, that seat? God is light (holy), and in him is no darkness (sin) at all- 1 John.1:It was after the angels sinned that God began a restoration process through which, he will establish His kingdom again here on earth, which He will do through man, and for which we were created. But as we began to see, the flesh is against God, and it can’t inherit His kingdom-1 Cor.15:50. Why then create it, when His purpose for making this physical-hostile-bodied-Rom.8:7 man is to have him inherit His spiritual kingdom? The Old Testament practices were introductions of the whole purpose for life, which is now being revealed in details in the New Testament through Christ. God began by teaching man what sin is, and also how it is the one that separates him from Him (God)- Isa.59:2.It is also because of sin, which was already on earth, with its author Satan ruling and broadcasting it, that God created man,a physical being and also, a free moral agent that he may choose between sin which will kill him, and obedience which will give him eternal life( our message, “ the two trees”, has details please). So God created a body of sin-Rom.7:24, as a test for man, for it wages war against the spirit- 1 Pet.2:11. We know that our bodies are God’s temple in which his spirit dwells- 1 Cor.3:16. But for Him to live there, we must resist it-Gal.5:24; 2 Cor.10:3-5. Therefore, any time we allow the body to guide our thinking, the another law in it- Rom.7:23guides us into sin, and at that moment, we are separated from God-Isa.59:12, yes, we are away from the Lord-2 Cor.5:6. God makes it very clear that, every time we are in the fleshly mind, we obey sin, during which time also, the curtain is drawn, and we are separated from His presence; every time we obey the spirit, we obey the law of God-Rom.25, during which time the curtain is withdrawn, and we take the body captive to obey Christ- 2 Cor.10:3-4, and are united with God. It is because of this physical body that no one can approach God’s presence, except after one is able to subject it to God’s will. Yes, it takes, consecration before one approaches God’s presence- Exod.19:22.What has this to do with the curtain (veil) of the Old Testament temple? The high priest used to atone himself with a bull offering, by whose blood, his sins used to be purged out, so that he can go before God’s presence in the inner court, before the mercy seat. That veil separated God from the physical man, because he can’t withstand the glory there-in, for, in the same way darkness can’t withstand light, sin cannot withstand holiness. It is for this reason that, Aaron had to first put on a holy garment (representative of righteousness-Rev.19:8)-Lev.16:4, before approaching the inner court behind the veil. All these practices were introduced to teach man what it will take for him to be made a spirit being. If we remember what we began to see, how this body was created because of sin, which is also the reason why Satan was allowed to continue ruling this earth, even after man’s creation, then we will clearly see the connection between the body and the temple veil.
CHRIST REMOVES THE VEIL
When Christ came, men were living in deep darkness and fully in the flesh. The way into the sanctuary was not opened, because that curtain was fully drawn-Heb.9:8, blocking men from accessing God’s presence except by way of the high priest. Now, let’s see how this veil actually stands for our bodies, and why Christ had to also put it on. In this physical stage, man is limited to the physical knowledge only, for, those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh-Rom.8:5. This is evident in the present world. The leaders, the most learned, rich and poor, small and great, all speak, think, and strive for the physical. Have we ever heard anyone speak of the spirit world? It’s about physical development, about food and security, good health, and all this geared at reaching a higher state of existence, thinking they can advance themselves to God’s level without Him, because they accepted a lie that they are like Him, yes, they don’t need him-Gen.3:4-5. The spirit world is totally unknown to all alike- is foolishness- 1 Cor.2:14. The sinful body has blocked their eyes to only see what it desires, and their minds to only know what it takes pleasure in. So, the glory there in, praises from fellowmen, sexual enjoyments, drunkenness, priding around, domineering others, and the like. So, when Christ came, in the likeness of the sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh-Rom.8:3. How? He revealed to man how the purpose for life is not the physical and its pursuit; that this physical is onlythe first stage-1 Cor.15:46 in man’s creation process, and that it’s for, testing us to see if we will obey God- Deut.8:2-3; Judges. 2:22(our message, “why the physical bodies?” will give details please); and how we need to break from its confines in order to obey God. He condemned sin in the flesh by not doing its desires. This continued until He nailed it on the cross- Col.2:14, thus rejecting it completely, because even when he was dying there on the cross, He never sought to save it, but was only pitying those who endear it. If you are a good bible reader, you will remember that, immediately after Christ gave up His life, the curtain (veil) of the temple, which separated the outer part from the inner one got torn in two from top to bottom- Mat.27:51. Yes, his physical body was broken, because He would not entertain sin which it lives for, and which separates us from God. And because this curtain signified this body barrier, it also got torn, thus, opening the way to the most holy place-Heb. 9:8, which had not been opened until then. God confirms this body to be that veil, for He tells us that, by Christ dying on the cross, he opened a new and living way for us through the curtain… which curtain? Get it please………that is, through His flesh-Heb.10:20. Are we there brethren?
ACCESS AVAILED
In the Old Testament, being in the flesh, the Jews knew God only by learning from the priest, and He was not real to them, because the veil (the fleshly mind) was unlifted-2 Cor.3:14. So, by rejecting his body until He was crucified on the cross, Christ removed the veil-2 cor.3:16. By so doing, He has fully revealed to as many as would accept His message, the way we will go to reach our true goal of our lives. Today, Christ is living in heaven, at the very presence of God. Now, those who believe in Him, do also reject the body, which rejection, is actually, the removing of that veil-2 Cor.3:16. From that point, we are made alive together with Christ, and raised up with Him, and made to sit with him in the heavenly places in Him-Eph.2:5-6. Yes, as long as we don’t en debt ourselves to the flesh to do its will-Rom.8:12, the veil is removed and we continually, by the spirit put to death the deeds of the body-Rom.8:13. In conclusion brethren, these physical bodies are the very veil which stands between us and God. It is God who created us that way, so that we may willingly and freely walk to Him from the body, by not doing its will. Those who by God’s spirit will suppress the body completely, crucifying it-Gal. 5:24, are the only ones who have the veil that covers the nations removed. They are a people who are strangers in this present world (see our message, “of which world?” for details), and are passers-by- 1 pet.2:11. Their common wealth (citizenship) is in heaven-Phil. 3:20, and so, all their thoughts, desires, talks and deeds are set on up there, not on this earth- col.3:1-3, and they will live with their minds in there until when Christ will return and establish the kingdom. That is when they will be established on this earth together with Him, for we will appear together with Him in glory- col.3:4. The purpose of this present godly life is to remove this curtain (the body) by not living according to its dictates, for though we live in it, we don’t aim at it, but rather, we sigh with anxiety, desiring to be further clothed, so that this body may be swallowed by immortality-2 Cor.5:4. Christ has left us an example, commanding us to follow Him, to share with him in a life like His, resisting the body until death, like He did. Is this what you are doing as a God worshiper? Not unless, like the Jews, we only assume, while the curtain (bodily life) hangs on, and continues to separate us from God. Examine yourselves and confirm whether you have truly had your curtain removed, and if not, repent and tear it apart. Its your saviour and Lord, Christ our soon-coming king, speaking to you through His sent-servant, THE ENDTIME CHURCH OF GOD