Search for the Bride
Part 6
Entering the Kingdom
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit [‘born out of water and
Spirit’], he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God
(John 3: 5).
The
first eleven chapters of John’s gospel have been built around seven signs (from
the marriage in Cana of Galilee) [ch. 2]
to the resurrection of Lazarus [ch. 11]). And
an eighth sign is seen in the gospel (Christ’s resurrection [ch. 20; cf. Matt.
12: 38-40]) immediately prior to John stating the reason why he
recorded these signs:
“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence
of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah], the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life
through his name” (John 20: 30, 31).
The
signs
in John’s gospel all point to events leading into or occurring during
the Messianic Era. And these signs are
directed to the Jewish people, for it is the Jew who requires a sign (1 Cor. 1: 22).
These
signs were recorded in order that the Jewish people “might
believe that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah], the Son of God [the Saviour, who would rule and
reign,
with ‘Sonship’ implying Rulership]”
And
life in John’s gospel, seen in connection with these signs, has to do first and
foremost with life (salvation) to be realized during the same time as the time
dealt with in the signs – i.e., with life during the Messianic Era. John wrote his gospel, recording these signs,
about three decades after the close of the re-offer of the kingdom to Israel;
and any thought of life, or salvation,
in connection with the Jewish people, at this point in time, would have to
begin with salvation by grace. But
the thought of salvation in John’s gospel, though beginning with salvation by
grace, would have to include far more. It would have to include present and future
aspects of salvation as well.
SALVATION BY GRACE
Salvation
by grace is eternal by nature though that is really not the way salvation in
any one of its three aspects (past, present, or future) is dealt with in John’s
gospel. Rather, salvation in John’s
gospel is inseparably connected with the signs, around which the gospel is
built. And these signs
point to things surrounding the [Messianic] kingdom, not to things surrounding the
eternal ages.
Thus,
the thrust of salvation by grace (past aspect of salvation), as the salvation of the soul (present and future aspects of salvation), points to
and relates to exactly the same time as that seen in the signs. And with salvation being dealt with in John’s
gospel in connection with these signs – which
point to the Messianic Eea, not the eternal ages
– salvation is presented in this gospel in connection with millennial rather
than eternal verities.
And
salvation is also seen in the same respect elsewhere in Scripture. This will explain why Jesus stated in John 3: 3,
“Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again [‘born from above’], he cannot see
the
The
birth from above – the [Holy] Spirit breathing life into the one who has no life,
effecting a passing “from
death unto life” – is dealt with in relation to the
A
man must
be born from above if he is to see the kingdom (verse 3).
Then Jesus goes on to deal with that which is necessary if one would not
only see
the kingdom but enter the kingdom as well (verse 5).
“Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born out of water and of the Spirit [lit., ‘born out of water and Spirit’], he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God.”
Verse
three deals with the [eternal] salvation which [the
regenerate] saved man presently possesses, the salvation of the spirit (past aspect of salvation). But verse five moves beyond this and deals
with the salvation of the soul (present and future aspects of salvation).
And the whole of man’s salvation (past [verse
3]; present and future [verse 5] is
dealt with relative to a single revealed goal – the kingdom.
SAVED FOR A PURPOSE
Man
has been, is being, and will be saved for a revealed purpose. There is a revealed goal in view, and,
relative to salvation, that goal is always the same in Scripture, regardless of
what aspect of man’s salvation is in view.
That goal is the same for the whole of man’s salvation – spirit, soul,
and body. That goal is man being placed back in the position for which he was
created in the beginning, and that position will be realized during the
Messianic Era.
(Thus, salvation, viewed in this respect, is not
something peculiar to John’s gospel.
Rather, this is the manner in which Scripture presents salvation
throughout, with an unchangeable foundational pattern set in the opening verses
of Genesis
The
inhabited world to come will not be
placed in subjection to angels, as the present world [Heb.
2: 5]. This is the message seen
throughout Scripture. A new
order of Sons is about to be brought
on the scene [Rom. 8: 18-23] – Christ and His co-heirs. And from a Scriptural standpoint, man’s
salvation centres on that coming day
when the new order of Sons holds the
sceptre and rules the earth.)
Man
invariably deals with salvation in relation to eternity and going to heaven,
while seldom mentioning salvation in relation to the Messianic Era and the ‘kingdom of the heavens’. Scripture, on the other hand, presents the
matter in a completely inverse fashion.
Scripture invariably deals with salvation in relation to the Messianic
Era and the kingdom of the heavens.
Heaven (the present dwelling place of God) and the ages beyond are
mentioned at times, but not relative to salvation in the same sense that man
relates them to salvation.
Man
is not going to spend the Messianic Era or the eternal ages which follow in the
place known today as heaven. And, in relation to the eternal ages which
follow the Messianic Era, God is not going to dwell in this place either. God is
going to dwell on a new earth throughout the ages comprising eternity.
And
even when Scripture does deal with saved man in heaven (e.g., Christians following death, or Christians following the
rapture) matters are always completely consistent with the way Scripture
elsewhere deals with saved man. If
future time comes into view, reference is made to things surrounding the
Messianic Era, not the ages beyond (though in several instances the Messianic
Era connected with and seen as the first of these ages, though separate from
them [e.g., Luke 1: 33; Eph. 2: 7]).
During the Messianic Era, man will dwell either [in
Hades, under the earth (Rev. 6: 9; 20: 5]; on a [this] restored earth
or in the heavens above this
restored earth [John
14: 3, 4. cf. John 3: 13], with there being a Jerusalem above and a Jerusalem
below (capital cities both over and on the [this
present] earth, with Christians [along with certain Old Testament saints] inhabiting the city above, and Israel inhabiting
the city below). During this era, there
will be a rule from the heavens over the earth.
And this rule, as today, will originate with God in heaven and progress
through rulers placed in the heavens in relation to this earth.
Today,
this rule progresses from God through Satan and his angels (though rebel
rulers), who reside in the heavens above the earth. But during the coming ‘day’ - [i.e., during the
millennial kingdom (2 Pet. 3: 8)] – this rule will progress from God through His Son
and His Son’s co-heirs, who will reside [mainly] in the new Jerusalem above
the earth.
A
rule of the preceding nature, from the
heavens – [hence the expression, ‘the kingdom of the heavens’] - over the earth,
must continue during the Messianic Era, for this is the manner in which God
established the government of the [this] earth in the beginning. Such a rule must continue as long as the [this] earth remains,
which will be until the end of the Messianic Era – to the full end of the seven days, the 7,000 years, set forth in the
beginning (Gen. 1: 1 – 2: 3).
A
rule from the heavens over the earth (one province of God’s kingdom) is not
only the way in which God originally established the government of the [this] earth but the
way in which He eventually established His government throughout all other
parts of the universe as well (all other provinces in His kingdom). And this can never change in relation to any
one province, for “the heavens do rule” (cf. Dan. 4: 25, 26).
Thus,
God’s Son, with His co-heirs, must rule throughout the Messianic Era
in exact accord with the way God established the government of the earth in the
beginning. Such a governmental rule will
have to continue during this time, for the
present earth will not pass out of existence until the end of the Messianic Era
(Rev. 21: 1-5).
God’s
Son, with His co-heirs, will rule over the earth for 1,000 years – the earth’s
coming Sabbath, foreshadowed by the seventh day in Gen.
2: 1-3 (cf. Ex. 31: 13-17; Heb. 4: 1-9). They will rule for 1,000 years to effect
order where disorder has prevailed for millenniums in one
[* See 1 Cor. 15: 24, 25.]
Then,
once order has been restored and the kingdom has been delivered up to the
Father, the present heavens and earth will be destroyed. A new heavens and a new earth will be brought
into existence, and the new earth will become the place in the new heavens (as
the earth today, suspended at a point in the heavens) from whence universal
rule will emanate. God will move His throne
to the new earth, the Son will sit with His Father on his throne (called “the throne of God and of the Lamb”), and saved man
will exercise power from the throne as well (2
Peter 3: 10ff; Rev. 21: 1ff; 22: 1-5).
Therein
lies man’s destiny, not going to
heaven per se. Man’s destiny has to do
with regality,
the earth, and the universe – first, ruling -
[after selective resurrection and rapture] - over this present earth from the new Jerusalem
above the earth (during the Messianic Era); then, [i.e., after
‘death and Hades gave up
the dead that were in them,’ (Rev. 20: 13)]
- ruling out in the universe from the new Jerusalem on the ‘new earth’ (during the ages which follow).
Salvation
in Scripture is always dealt with in relation to the scope of Scripture; and Scripture deals centrally with everything
moving toward a seventh day, a seventh 1,000-year period. Events during this coming day, the Messianic
Era, must be brought to pass first. And therein lies the
reason why Scripture deals with man centrally in relation to this time, with the ages beyond seldom being in view
(regardless of which aspect of salvation is being dealt with – past, present,
or future).
Only
following the Messianic Era can the ages which lie beyond this era be brought
into view in all their fulness. During
the present time they are briefly dealt with in Scripture so that man can have
some understanding of God’s plan for the ages, where the whole of the matter – 6,000 years, followed by a 1,000-year
Messianic Era – will eventually lead.
But only following the Messianic
Era will matters move beyond that dealt with extensively in Scripture. Only then will God begin to open up and fully
reveal that which will occur during the period which man thinks of today as
eternity.
And
the manner in which Scripture presents this whole matter – particularly as it
relates to man’s salvation – has become very difficult, practically impossible,
for most Christians to see and grasp.
These Christians have been taught wrong for years – not necessarily
concerning how to be [eternally] saved, but concerning the purpose for [that] salvation and that [‘prize,’
‘inheritance’ and ‘crown’] which lies ahead for redeemed man. And because this erroneous teaching
surrounding salvation has become so ingrained within their way of thinking,
attempts to present salvation from the correct Biblical perspective usually
meet with askance looks, opposition, or antagonism on almost every hand –[mainly from regenerate believers!]
When
that depicted by the woman placing the leaven in the three measures of meal in Matt. 13: 33 occurred very early in the
dispensation (which concerned an attempt on Satan’s part to corrupt all
Biblical doctrine having to do with the ‘Word of the
Kingdom’ [see Matt.
13: 19, A.V. & R.V.]), anything
related to the Word of the Kingdom began to be adversely affected. And this working of the leaven, of necessity,
would extend even into the Biblical scope of salvation by grace.
This
would have to be the case because of the inseparable connection salvation by
grace has with the Word of the Kingdom.
It is man passing “from death unto life”
which places him in a position where he can realize the [future] salvation of his soul.
The
whole of the matter surrounding salvation simply can’t be divided up, with part
relating to the eternal ages and part relating to the Messianic Era. Scripture doesn’t make such a division, and
it is wrong for man to step in and make such a division. Scripture, first and foremost, relates the
whole of the matter (beginning with salvation by grace) to the Messianic Era.
Thus,
one way to introduce corruption into correct Scriptural teaching surrounding
the Word of the Kingdom is to remove salvation by grace from its correct
Scriptural setting, relating it solely
to the eternal ages, while ignoring the Messianic Era. And then a corruption of the message
surrounding salvation by grace itself is introduced through other means. The Lordship
Salvation teaching, rampant throughout much of Christendom, would be one
such means.
Satan,
introducing corruption surrounding the Word of the Kingdom through different
ways and means, has one revealed goal in view – a corruption of all correct
Scriptural teaching surrounding the message concerning the coming [millennial] kingdom.
If
salvation by grace is separated from the
kingdom and related solely to the ages which follow the Messianic Era, the
message cannot be presented within a completely correct Scriptural
framework. An element of corruption will
have to be introduced (even though the simplicity of salvation by grace might
be proclaimed in a correct manner), for the kingdom will have been removed from
view.*
[* A-millennialists take
note.]
And
matters become even more negative surrounding the relationship which salvation
by grace has with the kingdom through the message of those advocating Lordship
salvation. Those proclaiming this message
take things having to do with the Word of the Kingdom and seek to bring these
things over into and apply them to the message of salvation by grace (i.e., things having to do with the
present and future aspects of salvation are removed from their respective
contexts and applied to things having to do with past aspects of
salvation). And, through this means,
those proclaiming this message not only remove the kingdom from view but they
do two other things in the process. They
both destroy the Word of the Kingdom and corrupt the message of salvation by
grace.
Interesting
enough, those who proclaim a correct salvation message per se but
ignore the kingdom and those who proclaim a lordship salvation message
(who, through this means, destroy one message and corrupt the other)
form two major groups in Christendom today.
Those from these two groups remain at almost complete odds with one
another on the salvation message; but when it comes to correctly relating this
message to the kingdom, it can only be said of both groups that they have been
similarly, adversely affected by the same leavening process which is rampant in
the Laodicean Church today.
OUT OF WATER AND SPIRIT
John 3: 5 is usually understood
as an explanation of that which is previously stated in verse three. However, this can’t be the case. Verse three has to do solely with a
spiritual birth, a birth from above.
But verse five begins with a birth out
of water. Further, that stated in
verse three is set within a context of seeing the kingdom, and that
stated in verse five is set within a context of entering the kingdom.
(Attention
should be called to several things about the structure of the Greek text in John 3: 5.
There are two nouns [hudor, “water”; Pneuma, “Spirit”] governed by one preposition [ek, meaning “out of”] and connected by a conjunction [kai, meaning “and”; or the word could be understood as “even,” depending on its contextual usage]. Whenever such a construction occurs in the
Greek text, both words must be taken in either a literal sense or in a
figurative sense. One cannot be taken
one way and the other another way.
For
example, it is quite popular to understand “water”
in a figurative or metaphorical sense
[usually referring to the Word, or to the Spirit] but, at the
same time, understand “Spirit” in a literal sense. The Amplified
New Testament alludes to this type understanding of the two words in an
alternative translation [“… born of water, even the Spirit”]. This though would run counter to the rules of
Greek grammar. And so would the common
practice of making “water” refer to the
Word in a metaphorical sense,
while understanding “Spirit” in a literal sense.
All
attempts to explain the matter through interpretations of the preceding nature,
in reality, originate from another error – attempts
to align verse five with verse three rather than looking at the exact wording
of the text and coming to the realization that verse five is not dealing with
the same thing as verse three at all.
And any interpretation resulting from this error can only produce the
same end result – man’s ideas on that which God has stated, with the end of the
matter being confusion.)
The
fact that seeing the kingdom and entering the kingdom
in John 3: 3, 5 are not the same can perhaps best be illustrated by reference to
the experiences of Moses, and those
of Caleb and Joshua, relative to entrance into the [promised] land set before them.
(The
expression, “see the land,” was used in the
sense of enter the land when God dealt with the Israelites at Kadesh-Barnea [Num. 14: 21-23].
This though was an expression – the word see used in the sense of enter
[v. 24; cf.
Jos. 5: 6].
But in God’s dealings with Moses and then with Caleb and Joshua, a sharp
distinction was made between seeing and entering. And only a distinction of this nature could
possibly be in view in John 3: 3, 5 [where
requirements for seeing the kingdom and entering the kingdom are different; cf. Matt. 5:
20; 7: 21; 18: 3; 19: 23, 24; Mark 9: 47; Acts 14: 22].)
Moses,
because of his striking the rock which
he was told to speak to (Num. 28: 8-12),
was denied entrance into the land to
which he had led the Israelites.
Immediately prior to God instructing Joshua to lead a second generation
of Israelites into the land, God took Moses “to the top
of Pisgah” and allowed him to look
over the land. Moses was allowed to see
the land, but he was not allowed to enter the land (Deut. 34: 1-5).*
[* The lesson to be learned
from this incident, is that God does not show favouritism or have any
respect of persons in His judgment of anyone who, or for whatever reason, disobeys
His commands: and note what it was that brought about God’s judgment
upon Moses – the attitude of the redeemed people of God against himself,
and their earthly inheritance in the land of Canaan. This is what caused Moses’ to react, as he did,
when angry at their lack of faith, patience, perseverance and continual moaning
and complaining throughout the time of their journey.]
On
the other hand, Caleb and Joshua, from
the accountable generation overthrown in the
wilderness, were allowed to enter the land.
They had another spirit within
them *
(that of belief, not unbelief [and obedience
to God’s command]), and they followed the Lord God fully (Num. 14: 24).
And the whole of that set forth in the typology of the Israelites under
Moses, and later Joshua – from the death of the firstborn in Egypt to that
which occurred relative to entrance into the land set before them – is what John 3: 3, 5 draws from and has to do with.
[* Compare this with the salvation
of
the spirit (“on the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5: 5, N.I.V.).]
The
Israelites, following the death of the firstborn, had been called out of
In
the antitype, Christians, following the death of the firstborn, have been
called out of this world to a heavenly land.
Those inhabiting this land (Satan and his angels [Eph. 6: 10-18]) are to be overcome, later
overthrown; and [overcoming] Christians are to one day realize an inheritance in
this land, within a theocracy.
Christians, as both the wife of Christ and God’s firstborn son, are to rule
as co-heirs with Christ [during the coming
age]; and the nations are to be ruled by and
blessed through Christ and His co-heirs in this manner.
An
individual must go to the types – particularly the type having to do with
the Israelites under Moses, and later Joshua – if he would properly understand
what John 3: 3, 5 deals with. Ignore the types – i.e., ignore God’s way of explaining the matter – and these verses
can never be properly understood. But
pay attention to the types, which have been given to shed light upon and help explain
the antitype, and the whole matter will become self-evident.
This
is what Nicodemus, a religious ruler and leading teacher among the Jewish
people, should have been able to easily see and understand. Jesus drew from the Old Testament Scriptures;
and Nicodemus should have been able to go back to the complete overall type,
extending from Exodus chapter twelve through Joshua, and easily ascertain the
things to which Christ was referring.
John 3: 3 draws from the
death of the firstborn in Exodus chapter twelve. Then John 3: 5
draws from the
And,
again, note one thing at this point. It
matters not whether a person is dealing with events in Exodus chapter twelve or
with events in subsequent chapters of this book or chapters in subsequent books, the same goal is in view – the land, wherein a theocracy was
to be realized.
1) Out of Water
(The
word “born” in John
3: 3-8 [Gk., gennao]
has to do with a bringing forth. The
word is used throughout the New Testament mainly in connection with birth, but
the word is also used at times apart from birth [e.g., Phile. 10]. The
word is used both ways in John 3.)
Born
out of water in the type has to do with the
And,
in the antitype, this is pictured
through the act of [Christian] baptism.
A Christian who has experienced the death of the firstborn (pointing to
the birth from above) is taken through and raised up out of the waters of
baptism (through the place of death). He
then, within the symbolism involved, finds himself in a position of having been
raised with Christ (Col. 2: 12; 3: 1). And in this position – wrought through
supernatural, resurrection power – the Christian is to walk “in newness of life” (Rom.
6: 4), with a view to a land [and
an inheritance] set before him.
The
Israelites, passing through the Sea, had gone down into the place of death. Only the dead are to be buried, and the death
of the firstborn had just occurred.
Thus, a burial must also occur. But beyond burial, there must also be a [selective] resurrection
[e.g.,
Phil. 3: 11; Luke 14: 14; 20: 35; Heb. 11: 35b;
Rev. 20: 4-6].
The
Israelites, through the death of the firstborn, possessed spiritual life. Thus, they must be raised from the
place of death to walk “in newness of life” –
something having to do with the spiritual man alone, for this
resurrection has nothing to do with the man of flesh. He is to be left in the place of death.
In
the antitype, matters are exactly the same.
It is going down into the place of death because of the death of the
firstborn, and it is rising from this place because the person possesses
spiritual life. And this rising has to
do with the spiritual man alone, for, again, this
resurrection has nothing to do with the man of flesh. He is to be left in the place of death.
And
the symbolism seen in rising from the waters [of
baptism] is not only inseparably connected with Christ’s resurrection but in the
land [and the inheritance] set before Christians (as seen in the type in Ex. 14ff).
In Col. 2: 12-15, Christ, through His
resurrection, stripped the present principalities and powers inhabiting this
land (Satan and his angels) of their power; and following His
resurrection, He openly triumphed over them (Col.
2: 15). In this respect, His
resurrection was inseparably connected with regality, as is that seen in the
symbolism of a Christian rising from the waters of baptism.
Christ,
following His resurrection, was positioned as “the head
of all principality and power” [Col. 2: 10]. The Father has delivered “All power …
in heaven and in earth” unto Him (Matt. 28: 18).
And, because of this, Satan and his angels have been stripped
of all power (the word “spoiled” in Col. 2: 15 could be better translated and
understood as “stripped”), and Christ
has openly triumphed over them relative to that which has been done.
However,
though stripped of power, with all power having been given to the Son, the time is yet future when this power will
be taken from Satan and exercised by Christ. In the interim, the Son is seated at the
right hand of the Father, and the [Holy] Spirit is in the world calling out a bride for the Son.
The former is with a view to Christ’s enemies being made His footstool;
and the latter is with a view to that same time, when the second Man, the last
Adam, takes the sceptre and rules the [this] earth (Ps. 110: 1ff).
Scripture
also presents Christ triumphing openly over the present principalities and
powers following His resurrection in 1 Peter 3:
18-22. And baptism is dealt with
in the text as well, exactly in the same manner seen in Col. 2: 12-15 (cf.
Romans chapter six through eight where all these things are again seen in a
more detailed and expanded sequence).
Relative
to Christians and baptism, 1 Peter 3: 21
clearly states, “the like figure [Gk. “antiupos,”
“antitype”] whereunto
even baptism doth also now save us…”
And the statement not only draws from another type – eight souls saved
through water during Noah’s day – but it occurs in a book which begins by
making specific reference to the subject matter of the book, the [future] salvation of the soul (cf. 1 Peter 1: 5, 9, 10).
How
does baptism save (and note that the
salvation of the soul is being dealt with, not the [eternal] salvation which Christians presently possess)? The reader is not left to his own
imagination. The text goes on to explain
how baptism saves, with the physical, outward act of baptism itself (as the
Flood itself, or the Red Sea passage itself) having nothing to do with the
matter.
The
[future]
salvation in view is associated, not with “the putting
away of the filth of the flesh,” but with “the answer of a good conscience
[‘proper spiritual awareness’] toward God.”
The [future]
salvation in view has to do with walking
“in newness of life [something which a man
without spiritual life cannot possibly do],” which is inseparably connected
with Christ’s resurrection [and the believer’s “better
resurrection”] (cf.
This
is why Paul was so completely obsessed with knowing Christ, knowing the power
of His resurrection, knowing the fellowship of His sufferings, and being made
conformable unto His death (Phil. 3: 10 [the
word for “know” in the Gk. text of this verse
has to do with a knowledge gained by experience]).
Paul,
whatever the cost might have been, strained every muscle of his being (1 Cor. 9: 24-27) as he
passed through the experiences associated with being raised from the place of
death (born out of water, pictured through rising from the baptismal
waters, drawing from the type in Ex. 14),
for he
wanted to be among those who would “attain unto the
resurrection [‘out-resurrection’] of the dead” (Phil.
3: 11).
2) Out of Spirit
In
John 3: 5, Christ not only referred to a
birth out of water in the preceding respect, but he also referred to a birth
out of Spirit as well.
In
the type, this is seen through the Israelites, on the eastern banks of the
And
the antitype is evident. A Christian, [who is obedient to the precepts of Christ,
(Acts 5: 32)]
- raised from the waters to walk “in newness of life,” has the indwelling [Holy] Spirit to lead
him into all truth, as he moves toward the land set before him.
There
must be a [select] resurrection
[of reward] in
view. Then, the one raised from the
place of death must follow the man of spirit, allowing the [Holy] Spirit to fill
and lead him throughout his pilgrim journey (cf. Eph. 5: 18, 19; Col. 3: 16).
This
is why both (“water” and “Spirit”) are set forth side-by-side in John 3: 5; and this is why the epistles, drawing
from the types, go to such great lengths to call all the various facets of this
matter to a Christian’s attention. Only through this dual means can a
Christian be successfully led to the goal of his calling. Only through this dual means can a Christian enter
into the
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