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Just
imagine. What if there was a way for you to become an immortal being.
Imagine finding yourself a supernatural, interstellar force, who
radiates glory as a brilliant star. You would have no beginning and no
end. You would exist as the distilled essence of pure life.
Pulsing with
unlimited power, you summon the explosive force of countless suns. You
speak and stars take form. Every manner of life streams from your
imagination, instantly transforming itself into physical reality. Life
flourishes, the oceans rise to attention, the winds respond to your
call, the mountains bend, the stars cover their faces. All the laws of
physics yield to you, their master.
Imagine a
life where absolutely nothing is impossible to you. You can go
anywhere and be anything. There is no dimension of time or space that
eludes your immediate grasp. You do as you please, changing your
manifestation to suit your whim. You enter the physical realm or the
realm of spirit. Then you depart both to rest as a white-hot blast of
self-perpetuating life. Every thought becomes reality. You have the
wisdom. You have the power.
Just
imagine. Around you dwells a select group of beings who are just like
you. As lords of the created realm, these are your brothers. Each is a
vibrant source of energy, flowing, attending to the infinite details
of a thousand worlds.
Like you,
each of them gleams with flawless character and endless life. You and
they are united by a common origin, generated in antiquity and woven
into a fabric of unalterable love and trust. In this matrix of tested
camaraderie you are allied as the brilliant light of many stars might
combine into a single dazzling source.
Just imagine. You and your brothers dwell in the presence of God. Your eyes see his face, for he happens to be your Dad. You have his character and abilities, knowing also his mind and purpose. Your thoughts blend in perfect understanding; your communion is instantly effortless. Your personalities are similar, but your lives independent. As individuals you are separated by the bounds of autonomous immortality. As family you are called the Sons of God. God the Father is there. Jesus his firstborn Son is there. And you are there too, along with all your firstborn brothers.
Is this
romantic fantasy, or could it be reality? Amazingly, these concepts
are not really far-fetched. In fact they are fully supported by God’s
own word. And when imagination is founded upon the Holy Bible, then
what seems as fiction is called spiritual vision.
In truth,
God’s plan for you is actually far better than this puny sketch.
Because what God intends for you is beyond your capacity to imagine.
The truth of God’s promise for you far exceeds your wildest dreams. Now
unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask
or think. When human imagination collapses in fatigue, yet the
certain destiny for the Sons of God will continue to stride boldly
into uncharted glory. As it is written, Eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
The Sons of
God are reality. This group of celestial beings is even now rapidly
nearing completion. The Sons of God begin as the sons of Adam,
dwelling upon planet earth. In this humble state they live for a time,
roaming to and fro as mere mortals. But during this brief and poignant
time they acquire a secret ingredient. This essential component is the
seed of spirit life, available through Jesus Christ.
When the
spirit of a man fuses with the resurrected spirit of Christ, a new
spirit child is formed. Though this infant spirit life dwells within a
mortal frame, it is nonetheless begotten of God. This new child is a
Son of God, fashioned from the genetics of God himself. The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God.
As such,
this spirit being is not subject to the bonds of death. For
as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself. Instead, he is empowered to lay off the
corruption of his mortal shell. For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. When grown to maturity this spirit child will
attain all the spiritual perfection, self-sustaining life, and
creative power of its Father. That ye might be
filled with all the fulness of God.
The Sons of God are spirit beings. They are not human. They are not earthly or mortal. They are not redeemed men. They are spirits who, while upon the earth, are conceived as the offspring of God.
Ultimately
these Sons will come to a spirit birth, and find themselves born into
the image of God their Father. What he is, they will be also. What he
has, he will give them. What he does, they will do. Where he is, they
will be. Like Jesus, they will exist with God, in him, and alongside
him. Likewise, God will be in them, through them, and around them in
unalterable perpetuity. That they all may be
one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us.
The assembly
of these firstborn Sons will be called the “Body of Christ.” And
you can be part of it. You can become what Jesus is, and have what he
has as a personal possession. This is the promise of God and the
staggering message of the Bible. Every other Christian doctrine is a
dilution, adulteration, or appendage of this single, ultimate truth.
The Sons of God are the only reason for the existence of the Christian
religion. As many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God.
This is a
high calling, for being born from his genetics, the Sons of God will
possess all the attributes of God, their Father. They will have his
wisdom. In that day ye shall ask me nothing. They
will possess his character, the perfection of agape-love. To
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. They will
dwell in the constant, intimate presence of God. At
that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will
pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you. They
will inherit all the physical and spiritual treasures of the created
realm. He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?
The Sons of
God will attain to all the vibrant, living, powerful substance of God.
That ye might be filled with all the fulness
of God. Absolutely nothing is impossible to God. For
with God nothing shall be impossible. And you are to become
exactly like him. And nothing shall be
impossible unto you.
This is the
mystery of the many membered “Christ”- that you might become a
reproduction of the creator of the universe. And this is the glorious
goal of God for you. To the acknowledgement of
the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Take a new planter pot and fill it with a mixture of dark, rich earth. Then select a perfect fertile seed from a champion rose, and carefully position it in the soft potting soil. Gently cover the seed with the softest loam and sprinkle with rain water. Now place the pot in a sunny, warm window. Will you be surprised if after a short time, a new green shoot appears, poking its head up through the musty earth?
Now dote over this sprig as your own child, tenderly metering light and dark. Nurture the young plant with the watchful expertise of a master gardener. Will you be surprised if one day, the little seed of long ago should grow to become a glorious, healthy, champion rose? And would this new plant display the same splendor as the original? Would this new rose in any way resemble the planting pot, or the soil in which it grew?
Your physical body is the planting pot. The rich, decomposing earth is your Adamic nature. The seed is taken from the resurrected, spiritual life of Jesus Christ. The water is the Holy Spirit. The day and night are the cycling of good and evil. The warm window is the light of God’s truth.
If all of these were to be combined in you, would you be very much surprised if after a short time, a new life should appear? And if you continued to receive the watchful care of the Master Gardener, would you be surprised if one day this new life should grow to become a mighty champion? And would this new spirit life resemble your old sinful Adamic nature? Or would it resemble the immortal splendor of the seed from Jesus Christ?
The Sons of
God are grown in just this fashion. And he
said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the
ground. The supernatural Sons of God are grown from men and
women who receive the spirit life from Jesus Christ. He
that soweth the good seed is the Son of man ... the good seed are the
children of the kingdom. When this life takes root in a human
spirit, a brand-new life begins to grow. He
that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. This
new sprig is a newly begotten Son of God. He
that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word,
and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,
some an hundredfold.
In the
garden of Eden, God said ten times that everything brings forth after
its own kind. And God said, Let the earth
bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping
thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. Cats
have kittens. Chickens can have only chicks. If a horse has a baby, it
is always a horse. Because everything brings forth after its own kind.
That is God’s law.
So also, if
God has children, he will bring forth after his own kind. The Sons of
God are conceived and birthed from the spiritual genetics of God. Thus
they grow up to become just what he is. For we
are also his offspring.
The process
of spiritual birth takes place in two steps. The first step is your
physical, Adamic birth. After your physical conception, gestation, and
birth, you became a son of Adam.
After this
first step, you must complete a second step. This second step is a
spiritual birth. Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. This
requires a spiritual conception, spiritual gestation, and spirit
birth, before you can enter into your new and permanent existence. Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.
When a seed
from the resurrected life of Jesus Christ combines with your spirit, a
spiritual conception occurs. The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. This
spiritual conception produces an embryonic Son of God, which dwells
within your Adamic body.But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be
of God, and not of us.
This new Son
is then matured by the trials of earthly life. If
ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son
is he whom the father chasteneth not? When this spirit child is
fully mature, it is born as a Son of God. Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word
of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
This
two-step process of spirit birth is an unalterable fact for you. And
as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image
of the heavenly. God’s plan is to transform you into his own
offspring. Shall I bring to the birth, and not
cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth,
and shut the womb? saith thy God. All men, whether presently
good or evil, shall eventually be reborn into the image of God’s
Sons, and absolutely nothing can derail this plan. And
it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them,
Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the
living God.
God wants
children. Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of
Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons. For
this cause God brought forth a firstborn Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the
dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. By his
obedience and resurrection, God used Jesus to perfect an initial batch
of spiritual seeds. These spirit seeds will be used to bring forth a
firstborn generation of Sons. Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,
it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
When these
spirit seeds are placed into physical Adamic containers, they take
root in the spirit of a man, and a new Son of God is conceived. Of
his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a
kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
This new
spirit Son grows by consuming the sinful Adamic nature, much as a seed
draws nutrients from the decay of mulch and fertilizer. The physical
Adamic body inherits nothing. It will simply die and return to the
earth. The sinful carnal nature inherits nothing. It is consumed by
the spirit within. They which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of
the promise are counted for the seed.
When the
internal, spirit Son of God is ready for birth, he will leave all
these natural things behind, and be born into spiritual life. Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.
Your
physical body is only a container for the spirit Son of God that must
be matured within you. The first man is of the
ground earthy, the second man is of heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:47
(Emphasized). While riding around in this container your new
spirit Son gains the experience of good and evil, but is not guilty of
it himself. The blame for sin falls upon the physical body and carnal
nature. But the newly conceived Sons of God are sinless, perfect,
spirit beings, who are born out from Adamic corruption. Whosoever
is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and
he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
The Sons of God are the genetic issue of God’s spirit. As such, they are innocent and incorruptible. He that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not. They are not forgiven sinners, for they have never sinned. A glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. They are impenetrable, stellar creatures, who are impervious to defilement or decay. That ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ
was the firstborn Son of God. Who is the image
of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. He is
the leader of a new race of spirit beings, called the Sons of God. For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. After
he was perfected, all the rest of his brothers were empowered to
follow him to maturity. Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Jesus Christ
brought forth after his Father’s own kind, and now it’s your turn.
Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become
the firstfruits of them that slept. You are expected to follow
his steps. If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. The
plan of God is that you should become what Jesus Christ is. It
is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant
as his lord.
Your
spiritual life has the same origin as that of Jesus Christ. They
are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. All the
tools and resources that Jesus had, are yours as well. And
of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. You
are perfected by the same process, and you will ultimately achieve the
same result. Till we all come in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.
Jesus Christ
was the perfection of God, and so shall you be. As
my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Jesus Christ is
permanently entwined with God. I and my Father
are one. This same relationship will exist in you also. Holy
Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me,
that they may be one, as we are.
The holy
nature of Jesus Christ is to be yours. That we
might be partakers of his holiness. His exalted glory is
reserved for you also. The glory which thou
gavest me I have given them. The works that he did, you will do
as well. He that believeth on me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.
The
authority of Jesus Christ, even the dominion of eternity, he will
share with his Firstborn Brothers. He that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give
power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron ...
even as I received of my Father. Jesus possesses the totality
of God’s substance. For it pleased the
Father that in him should all fulness dwell. And this is your
calling also. The present perfection of Jesus Christ is a portrait of
your destiny. Because as He Himself is, we
also shall be, in that world. 1 John 4:17 (Fenton).
As a phrase, the Sons of God is used six times in the New Testament. These six verses describe God’s Sons as perfect, immortal, powerful, spirit beings. You have been placed on planet earth so that you might join their ranks.
1. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. The purpose of Jesus Christ’s earthly mission was to enable you to become one of his begotten brothers. By receiving a seed from his resurrected spirit life, you can become an immortal Son of the Living God. With this seed your spirit can complete a spiritual gestation and reproduce all the fulness of God, your Father.
2. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God,
without rebuke. As an unregenerate Adamite you are guilty and
worthy of rebuke. But when your spirit conceives to the spirit of
Christ, a new creature is formed. This new creature is neither
physical, nor human. This new spirit being is a Son of God. When this
Son is finally brought to the birth, he will be a righteous, immortal,
spirit being. He will not be related to anything physical. He will not
be a forgiven sinner, for actually, he will have never sinned. When
God has finished his work in your spirit, you will be a sinless
dispenser of light and life. All your actions will embody the wisdom
of God, weaving benevolence and glory to all you meet.
3. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. When you surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself departing from earthly wisdom and entering into a new experience that is foreign to mortals. The Sons of God are conducted by the spirit of their Father. This spirit is your personal resource and guide to spiritual perfection.
4. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. When God loves you enough to
reveal his Son in you, it will make you a stranger to this world. This
alienation is the result of the seed of life and the Holy Spirit
working within you. Planet earth is the womb for the Sons of God. This
womb is peopled mostly with mortals, but there are a few individuals
who are growing into begotten immortality. These will seem as a riddle
to their peers.
5. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we
shall be like him. When your spirit conceives to the life of
Christ, the embryo that is formed is a Son of God. This infant Son
must then complete a spiritual gestation while on earth. When it comes
to the birth, this Son will be like his Father in every possible way-
for everything brings forth after its own kind. So also, the Sons of
God will eventually reproduce the character and abilities of God,
their Father.
6. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. The Sons of God are destined to inherit the creation; they are to become the dispensers of blessing to all the created realms. Thus the creation groans in sympathetic birth pangs, longing for their arrival. From the angels of heaven to the stars of the farthest galaxy, the universe stretches in anticipation of the glorious unveiling of the Sons of God.
The Sons of
God are the offspring of Adam, who undergo a spiritual rebirth, to
become the offspring of God. In the New Testament those who experience
this process are called “saints.”
Saints
comes from the Greek word, hagios.
The basic meaning of hagios
is, “holy; separate.” This refers to the fact that the Sons of God
will be separated from the carnal nature, from worldly addiction, and
from organized religion.
But hagios
embodies an even greater glory. According to Hastings Bible Dictionary, hagios
means, “something more and higher than sacred; ... something more
than worthy, honorable; ... something more than pure, free from
defilement. Hagios is ... more comprehensive. It is characteristically
Godlikeness.”
The hagios
(saints) of God have a destiny of Godlikeness. As
for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied,
when I awake, with thy likeness. They will become “like”
their Father. Be ye holy (hagios); for I am
holy (hagios). They will obtain the attributes of God as a
permanent possession. The temple of God is
holy (hagios), which temple ye are. God intends that you shall
become like him in every possible way. The
eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is
the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints (hagios).
After your
spirit conceives to the life of Christ and begins its trek toward
birth, you are positioned to inherit everything that God possesses. Because
ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant,
but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Your earthly
life is then rearranged for your spiritual education. Now
I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from
a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors
until the time appointed of the father. Earthly troubles are
the pains of spiritual gestation and birth. These difficulties are the
escort to the permanent inheritance of God. And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if
so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
The Sons of
God will enter into Godlikeness, and a spiritual inheritance that is
incomprehensible to mortals. They which are
called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. They
will obtain an unchangeable personal possession in the heavenly realm.
To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
Kind brings
forth after kind, and this applies even to God himself. If God brings
forth Sons, they will enter into his state of being- they will become
what he is. This infinite, dazzling opulence is all the power of
creation, and the immortality to enjoy it. He
that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and
he shall be my son.
All the sons
of Adam shall one day become the Sons of God; this was God’s purpose
for creating man in the first place. For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But
these spiritual births will take place in several successive phases.
There will be a firstborn group of Sons, then a second-born group, and
so on. Every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Those that
complete their spiritual gestation now, during this present
dispensation, will become the firstborn Sons. This first generation
will attain a higher destiny than their later-born siblings. As the
firstfruits of Sonship, they will enter into the most intimate and
secret habitation of God. The first of the
firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD
thy God. They will be taken for the highest possible calling.
They will become God’s closest companions. For
all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and
beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I
sanctified them for myself.
The
firstborn Sons will obtain a better resurrection. The
firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. They will be
stamped with double honor. He shall
acknowledge ... the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all
that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of
the firstborn is his. There is an incalculable, permanent,
double portion blessing reserved for this firstborn group. Ye
shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the
Ministers of our God. ... For your shame ye shall have double; and for
confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land
they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
When all the
firstborn Sons of God are complete, they will be assembled into a
unified, ruling counsel. This corporate congress is called the “Body
of Christ.” Christ is not
Jesus’ last name. Christ is the Greek word Christos,
which means, “anointed.” Jesus was the first to become anointed as
a Son of God. He was the first to obtain a position in “Christ.” And
he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence.
But all the
firstborn Sons of God will follow Jesus’ example, and obtain this
same standing for themselves. The general
assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, ...
the spirits of just men made perfect.
Christ is
not a person, it is a group. For as the body
is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body,
being many, are one body: so also is Christ. The goodness of
God invites you to join this divine group, and partake of the heavenly
splendor of Christ. For you died, and your
life has been hidden with Christ in God. Whenever the Christ is made
visible, our life, then also you with Him shall be manifested in
glory. Colossians 3:3, 4 (Wuest).
The
knowledge of the many-membered Christ is the awesome news of
Christianity. You can become a spiritually begotten Son of God, just
like Jesus. If you do it now, you will attain a place in the firstborn
Body of Christ. This is God’s preeminent message, offering all his
wealth to the Sons of his own loins. Now ye
are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
The present
work of every Christian should be to gain the spiritual maturity
necessary to function as an individual member in the Body of Christ. But
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which
is the head, even Christ. Every person who claims to believe
the Bible should be striving for this ultimate goal. For
we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ.
Every other
desire, and every ruse of denominationalism, is a paltry pittance that
pales in comparison. To attain to the Body of Christ is the supreme
mission. When you are launched on this quest, every other contest
becomes an unworthy, unsatisfying chore. God
has chosen to make known how glorious are the riches of this open
secret among the heathen, namely, Christ in you the hope of your
glorification. Colossians 1:27 (Williams).
As a son of
Adam you are now challenged to become a Son of God. As you begin this
process, turn to the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit. Avoid the brokers
and beliefs of Organized Christianity, as they are empty and
unprofitable. Leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of
the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we
do, if God permit.
To begin
your trek to spiritual maturity, simply ask Jesus Christ for a seed
from his spirit life. When you receive the seed of “Christ,” your
spirit becomes a newly conceived Son of God. He
that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life. This new spirit Son will then be matured inside your
physical, sinful, Adamic body. If Christ be
in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life
because of righteousness.
Your Adamic
body and carnal mind are only fodder for your spirit; they will
inherit nothing from God. For this ye know,
that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ. The
spirit Son of God within you is matured as he extends his sway over
the body, and destroys your fallen, carnal nature. Now
ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy
communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that
ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new
man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him.
Every Adamic failing must be neutralized, defused, and rendered inoperable, by the maturing spirit of Christ within you. Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
While
pursuing spiritual maturity, turn your eyes away from the physical,
temporal glitter of the earthly realm. The
things above be constantly setting your mind upon, not the things on
the earth. Colossians 3:2 (Wuest). Every lust for the good or
evil of the natural world must be abandoned in favor of spiritual
vision. That he no longer should live the rest
of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
As you choke
off the energy that demands human prestige and felicity, your spirit
will blossom into the deep satisfaction of new spiritual
understanding. What things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but
dung, that I may win Christ.
Setting your
sights on the acquisition of Christ will bring bitter battles to your
life. For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow his steps. To succeed in these, spiritual victory
must become your only goal. Let the earthly realm become dross. Let
faith surpass the constant fears of terrestrial life. Nothing must
stand in your way. Brethren, I count not
myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus.
As the fire
of God’s forge blows upon your daily affairs, the mettle of Christ
will be brought to perfection. Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me. Trials serve to focus your passion and
prove your resolve. Being reviled, we bless;
being persecuted, we suffer it: being defamed, we intreat: we are made
as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto
this day.
Every
tribulation is sent from your Heavenly Father for your good. They
verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he
for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Through
your encounters with travail your spirit will become strong. For
to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Affliction
is the only experience that can generate the persevering substance of
a begotten being. By your endurance shall ye
gain your lives for a possession. Luke 21:19 (Emphasized). Those
who will enter the maturity of Christ, will first prove themselves the
greatest spiritual warriors who will ever exist. For
though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: for the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strong holds.
The Sons of
God are described as the Overcomers of the Revelation. They are
empowered by the grandeur of a new spirit birth. For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. These Sons are
steadfast, and found in the tireless pursuit of perfection, as the
last pulse of their veins goes silent. He that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give
power over the nations.
To these
overcoming Sons go the spoils of war. To him
that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give
him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man
knoweth saving he that receiveth it. They will enter into a
heavenly realm. He that overcometh, the same
shall be clothed in white raiment. They will become immortal
beings, each a new source of autonomous life. To
him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life. By
triumph in war, these Sons will become a new habitation for the divine
character of God. Him that overcometh will I
make a pillar in the temple of my God, ... and I will write upon him
my new name. These glorious Overcomers will become the rulers
of the ages to come. To him that overcometh
will I grant to sit with me in my throne.
While the
apostle John was in exile on the island of Patmos, he saw a vision of
the firstborn Sons, the unified Body of Christ. I
was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great
voice, as of a trumpet. This celestial group will be girdled
with divinity. Being turned, I saw seven
golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one
like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and
girt about the paps with a golden girdle. They will be adorned
with wisdom as an unfading virtue. His head
and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow. They will
see all things from the perspective of God, casting light into every
darkness. His eyes were as a flame of fire. They
will dispel every foe with the brilliance of eternal truth. Out
of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as
the sun shineth in his strength.
This
corporate assembly will be composed of many individual members. His
voice as the sound of many waters. Each will have been
fashioned in the heat of earthly travail. His
feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace.
These are
the firstborn Sons of God, the soon coming lords of creation. Yielding
up poverty, they will come to riches. Turning from human decay, they
will put on perfection. Relinquishing weakness, they will ascend to
power. Whoever conquers will come into
possession of these things, and I will be his God and he will be my
son. Revelation 21:7 (Williams).
These
celestial beings will come to be vested with all the authority and
capacity of God. They will become the new expression of God, the new
dwellingplace of his attributes. In whom ye
also are builded together for an habitation of God. They will
be born in the image of God. Christ, who is
the image of God. They will encompass the deity of God himself.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts, through
the faith in love; you being rooted and grounded, so that you may be
strengthened to comprehend with all the holy, what is the width and
extent, and height and depth, and to gain an idea how far the love of
Christ exceeds our research: so that you may be perfected with all the
perfection of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (Fenton).
This state
of being is a reactor of permanent power, wherein every thought is
transformed into reality. Christ the power of
God, and the wisdom of God. These Sons will inherit the created
realm. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come;
all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. These
Sons will command of all the forces of spirit and flesh, being second
only to God, their Father. Thou shalt be over
my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled:
only in the throne will I be greater than thou. Immortal
omnipotence will flow from them as lightning from thunderous clouds. He
that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and
the Son.
At the end of this age, those who have attained to Sonship will be summoned to the first resurrection. This climactic finale is a fast approaching certainty. Then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. From the serpentine paths of time, all those who have completed their spiritual maturity will be raised to a glorified state. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. As a super nova this group will burst into everlasting splendor, streaming glory and excellence as a shower of stars. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
These
firstborn Sons of God will then convene in divine congress. Enoch
in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied when he said, Behold,
the Lord comes with His myriads of holy ones, ten thousands of His
saints. Jude 14 (Amplified). They will assemble as the Body of
Christ. And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on
the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand,
having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
With Jesus as Commander-In-Chief, this ruling cartel will take
the reins of creation and invade from the womb of the dawn. By war
they will conquer the earth and annex the governments of man. Like
the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like
the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong
people set in battle array.
These are
celestial chieftains, trained and tested for battle. They
shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war;
and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break
their ranks. They are immortal and invincible. When
they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. Nothing
shall confound them; all will succumb to their sway. The
earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and
the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. Tumultuous,
this transition will rend the fabric of creation. The
LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very
great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the
LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
After
subduing the earth, the Body of Christ will establish a new government
of righteousness. Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end. This corporate
assembly of Sons is the final world power- it will never be destroyed.
Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.
Their
jurisdiction is unlimited and their plans unstoppable. His
seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days
of heaven. They will become the avengers of every evil, and the
source of every blessing. And the kingdom and
the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. Daniel
7:27 (Amplified). They are the answer that God has prepared for
the dilemmas of earth. He shall cry unto me,
Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will
make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
For six
thousand years, God has labored to produce the firstborn Sons who will
comprise the Body of Christ. The coronation of this unearthly group
will usher in the Millennium.
The
Millennium is the seventh, thousand-year period of Adam. Like the
Sabbath day of creation, it is a time of rest. On
the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on
the seventh day from all his work. During the Millennium, Satan
will be chained, and the world will rest from the interplay of good
and evil. And he laid hold on the dragon, that
old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years. Since the Sons of God are perfected by earthly travail,
the process that leads to spiritual maturity will be halted during the
Millennium.
After the
Millennium, Satan will be released from his prison and the maturing
process will begin once again. And when the
thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.
During Adam’s
eighth, thousand-year period, another generation of Sons will be
brought forth. These second-born sons are represented by Thomas, the
disciple. Thomas doubted the earlier revelation, and did not see the
resurrected Christ until the eighth day. After
eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then
came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,
Peace be unto you.
The
second-born Sons of God will be perfected while living among the
already glorified firstborn Sons. This will greatly facilitate their
spiritual birth, providing a catalyst to easy completion. Because
their overcoming process will be easier, these second-born Sons will
not develop to the same extent. They will not enter into the double
portion inheritance of their older brothers.
Christ is Christos, the anointed company of the firstborn Sons. Christ is the anointing that will settle upon a handful of people, to birth them anew as the Sons of God.
Jesus Christ
was the first of these firstborn brethren. All his brothers will share
the same earthly womb and complete the same process to maturity that
he demonstrated. They will all do what he did, and get what he got. Many
will wonder at you, when they see you selected from men, and marked
out from the children of Adam. Isaiah 52:14 (Fenton).
This is the
destiny of Christ, and you can be part of it. Like Jesus Christ, you
can come to possess all that God is. All the substance of divine glory
can be yours. The unsearchable riches of
Christ. This is an infinite treasure, reserved for a small
group of people, a little flock, who have the vision to see it, the
courage to pursue it, and the perseverance to obtain it. A
great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither
shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
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