The Kingdom of Heaven.

No doubt the objective of every christian is to get to heaven.  The only difference is in the understanding of what this kingdom of heaven actually is.  Is it is place in the sky that we'll go when we die and which we will enter into through some pearly gates with St. Peter standing guard at the gates?  Or is it something that is not someplace else but rather right here and now to be accessed in the the present.


In luke chapter 21 Jesus says
21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.


This suggestion that the kingdom is not something that can be pointed at like a place or an object but rather in something that is within us makes the notion of a future place shaky.   There is obviously more to the Kingdom of Heaven that what many of us think.

Jesus goes to great lengths to explain what he means by the Kingdom of God/Heaven through the use of many parables.  There is one parable above all that is key to understanding all the others.
Mark 4
13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

This refers to the parable of the sower and it goes something like this (a one a two, a one two three four . . . ):

3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Mark chapter 4.


He then goes on to explain this parable, thereby giving us insight into the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.  The seed represents a Logon (an ancient greek term translated into english as word). Let us look closer at what the word Logos (logon) actually means because merely translating it as 'word' does not do it sufficient justice.

Wikipedia:

Logos (pronounced /ˈloʊɡɒs/, /ˈlɒɡɒs/ (UK), or /ˈloʊɡoʊs/ (US); Greek λόγος logos) is an important term in philosophy, psychology, rhetoric and religion. Originally a word meaning "word," "speech," "account," or "reason,"[1][2] it became a technical term in philosophy, beginning with Heraclitus (ca. 535–475 BC), who used the term for the principle of order and knowledge.[3]

The original meaning refers to an utterance, a telling, a story, reason.  Heraclitus was the first philosopher to use it to refer to a creative principle that gives order to the universe. The Plan of the Universe.  He says:

"This LOGOS holds always but humans always prove unable to understand it, both before hearing it and when they have first heard it. For though all things come to be in accordance with this LOGOS, humans are like the inexperienced when they experience such words and deeds as I set out, . . .


It was also used by the Stoics in their philosophy.  Wikipedia:

In Stoic philosophy, which began with Zeno of Citium c. 300 BC, the logos was the active reason pervading the universe and animating it. It was conceived of as material, and is usually identified with God or Nature. The Stoics also referred to the seminal logos, ("logos spermatikos" or the law of generation in the universe, which was the principle of the active reason working in inanimate matter. Humans, too, each possess a portion of the divine logos.[23]

Reason did not just mean right thinking, but also Cause as in the reason for something existing.  The purpose of it's existence and what brings it into existence.  The Logos is like the Plan, or the blue-print of a thing, or of the world.


When the Jews became Hellenized they used logos to represent the hebrew word Dabar when they translated the bible into greek (the septuagint).  Dabar means the speech.  So in Psalm 33: 6 when we see -

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth

By the Dabar of the Lord were the heavens made . . .
Or,
By the Logos of the Lord were the heavens made . . .

-this seems in keeping with the idea of Logos as the creative principle of the cosmos. 

So by the time of Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher, the Jews were already familiar with the idea of Logos being an utterance from God that created the cosmos.  Wikipedia:

Philo (20 BC - 50 AD), a Hellenized Jew, used the term Logos to mean an intermediary divine being, or demiurge.[5] Philo followed the Platonic distinction between imperfect matter and perfect idea, and therefore intermediary beings were necessary to bridge the enormous gap between God and the material world.[25] The Logos was the highest of these intermediary beings, and was called by Philo "the first-born of God."[25] Philo also wrote that "the Logos of the living God is the bond of everything, holding all things together and binding all the parts, and prevents them from being dissolved and separated."[26]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logos

So we see that Logos already had a lofty position in the minds of all people in the Roman empire as well as amongst the jews.  So by the time John opens his gospel with the words,

In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

,that the Logos was a term already rich with meaning.  So when we go back to look at Jesus' explanation of the parable of the sower we need to apply this understanding of the Logos to what Jesus is saying.

The Seed is a Logon, according to Jesus.  I would like to suggest that the mystery of the Kingdom of God is nothing other than the process of maturation of the Logos from the moment of inception in our hearts to the point where it starts to bear fruit in our lives.  It is analogous to the process of maturation of a plant from the time of the planting of the seed to the time when it bears fruit.  This analogy to the maturation of a tree is so apt that it is used over and over again by Jesus whenever he tries to explain the kingdom. 

This would suggest that in each and everybody there is a Logos in seed form that is planted in the heart of him.  It is required that we hear it and then understand it.  However Satan works to obfuscate this.  He might snatch it up immediately so that the person in question is not even aware that they have a logos sown in their hearts.
In others they falter because the logos brings with it persecutions and some cannot withstand this.  Jesus says it's because they have no root in themselves.  In others it is not suffering and persecution that hinders the Logos but rather enjoyment and lusts. These are said to be amongst thorns.
Then there are those who provide good soil for the logos and it grows and brings forth fruit, multifold. 

So this, the very first of the parables on the Kingdom of God, is the key to the Kingdom of God.  Understand this and much else will fall into place.

@Pastor
Nice post.

It is my perception that the kingdom of Heaven is not just a thought, a conception, or a word; the kingdom of heaven is a place under the kingship of rulership of God, a place where the will of God reigns supreme.

The Kingdom of God is sometimes called the Kingdom of heaven because in the heavens, above the worlds of matter, the will of God reigns supreme. The Kingdom of heavens refers to a location(heaven), while the kingdom of God refers to the ruler(God). So the two terms are interchangeable; just as one can say “The government of America,” or “The government of Obama.” Both terms are interchangeable as long as Obama remains the head of the Government. This is a rough analogy, just to give you the idea.

So Back to the Kingdom of Heaven. Indeed the whole creation should be the Kingdom of God, but due to the failure of the human spirits in this part of creation, this part of creation is not part of the Kingdom of God; the reason for this is that the human spirits, in this part of creation, did not voluntarily submit to the will of God. This part of creation(let’s call it subsequent creation) is subject to the humans spirits; human spirits being part bearers of the Will of God should take the leadership and government of subsequent creation. This is hinted in the bible when it says that man was given dominion over the earth, including every creature in it. Man can only accomplish this task by voluntarily placing everything, including himself under the will of God; man should be a conscious mediator of the will of God in subsequent creation. But instead of this mankind set up kingdoms, empires, nations whose laws are contrary to the will of God.  With this failure of mankind, subsequent creation never became an extension of the Kingdom of God as it was intended. Hence the Kingdom(rulership) of God ended in the heavens above subsequent creation.

The innermost core of man, the spirit, the real man, originated in a part of the heavens called Paradise. Hence man originated from the Kingdom of God and bears a part of this Kingdom of God within himself, as his spirit, the immortal spark in man, the breath of God in man. This is why it is naturally man’s duty to extend the kingdom of God into subsequent creation (earth), because man bears a spirit which originated and is part of this Kingdom of God. This is hinted in the bible in the following verse,

“The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

No other creature in subsequent creation bear this "breath of Life" which is the Spirit in man, which is bears the will of God; this automatically gives man greater responsibility than all other creatures in subsequent creation or the worlds of matter to which this earth belongs.

It is man’s duty to utilize this ‘breath of life’ in him in forming his lifestyle, his empire, his kingdoms, and his environment, and voluntarily place everything under the will of God. Man knows this will of God too well because his spirit, which is a part bearer of this will, speaks to him through his coincidence or intuitive perception. Man failed in carrying out his task, he failed in listening to his conscience, and he built up everything on earth according to the will of his physical body (intellect)—lust, greed, gluttony. Enticed by Lucifer, man made his body(his intellectual perception) the ruler instead of his spirit(Conscience, intuition)

So when Christ said, “the kingdom of God is within you”(Luke 17:21). He was referring to the spirit in man, the breath of Life which God gave to man, which originating from the Kingdom of God bears a part of this Kingdom, and which man only need to listen to and obey in-order to fulfill his task on earth.

Also, in the Lord’s Prayer, we read, “thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mathew 6:10) This goes to show that the kingdom of God, which at that moment only extended to heaven, can be extended unto the earth as well. And this is the task of mankind on earth.

Just like a king who sends people to a foreign land to set up his Kingdom in that foreign land; thus extend his Kingdom to a foreign land. If these messengers upon entering the foreign land set up a kingdom of their own, or a kingdom contrary to that of the King who sent them, then they failed their mission. And this is exactly what mankind did; this is the failure of mankind.

But in the end everything wrongly set up shall be destroyed. In the end even the earth will become part of the Kingdom of God like the Kingdom of heaven.

Suffice also for me to say that a man does not necessarily have to reside in a part of the Kingdom of God/ heaven to be under the Kingdom of God. A man who has voluntarily made God his King, a man who consciously lives in accord with the will of God is already under the Kingdom of God. In this instance, ‘the Kingdom of God’ is a condition of having made God your king and voluntarily and consciously serving His will. Such a man may still live on the earth; and even though the earth is not yet a part of the Kingdom of God, such a man is in the Kingdom of God. In biblical terms, such a person is “in the world but not part of the world.”

In conclusion. The Kingdom of God is a place where everything is in accord with the Will of God, a place where God rules supreme. Heaven(Paradise or the spiritual planes) is one of such places; hence, the Kingdom of heaven is also the Kingdom of God. As man originates from heaven(Paradise), man bears a part of this Kingdom within himself. And man, being the only creature on earth who bears a part of this kingdom within himself, carries the responsibility of extending this Kingdom all the way down to the earth.

Now consider all the ancient scriptural references to the Kingdom of God/heaven in the light of my explanation.

Thanks

Greetings Justcool.  Long time no see.  It seems that the old guard are now returning.  It only remains for M_Nwankwo to come back for my joy to near completion.  Thanks for the response.  This is what I have to say -

justcool:

@Pastor
Nice post.

It is my perception that the kingdom of Heaven is not just a thought, a conception, or a word; the kingdom of heaven is a place under the kingship of rulership of God, a place where the will of God reigns supreme.

I didn't say that the Kingdom of Heaven was a thought, or conception, or a word (logos).  What I said was that the Kingdom of Heaven was where the Logos (word) developed until maturity like a seed develops into a ful plant then then provide much fruit. 
In other words without subjection to the rule of God the Logos will not develop within you.  In other words if you are not in the Kingdom of God then the Logos will not develop within you. 

The Kingdom of God is sometimes called the Kingdom of heaven because in the heavens, above the worlds of matter, the will of God reigns supreme. The Kingdom of heavens refers to a location(heaven), while the kingdom of God refers to the ruler(God). So the two terms are interchangeable; just as one can say “The government of America,” or “The government of Obama.” Both terms are interchangeable as long as Obama remains the head of the Government. This is a rough analogy, just to give you the idea.

Agreed.

So Back to the Kingdom of Heaven. Indeed the whole creation should be the Kingdom of God, but due to the failure of the human spirits in this part of creation, this part of creation is not part of the Kingdom of God; the reason for this is that the human spirits, in this part of creation, did not voluntarily submit to the will of God. This part of creation(let’s call it subsequent creation) is subject to the humans spirits; human spirits being part bearers of the Will of God should take the leadership and government of subsequent creation. This is hinted in the bible when it says that man was given dominion over the earth, including every creature in it. Man can only accomplish this task by voluntarily placing everything, including himself under the will of God; man should be a conscious mediator of the will of God in subsequent creation. But instead of this mankind set up kingdoms, empires, nations whose laws are contrary to the will of God.  With this failure of mankind, subsequent creation never became an extension of the Kingdom of God as it was intended. Hence the Kingdom(rulership) of God ended in the heavens above subsequent creation.

Jesus describes this better in the parable of the tares.  There is more than one kind of seed that has been planted in the world.  The is the seed which is the sons of the Kingdom then there is the seed which comes from the evil one.  Both seeds must abide by each other until a certain time when a separation shall be made and only then will the sons of the Kingdom of God shine forth in full glory in this world. 

24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

justcool:


Also, in the Lord’s Prayer, we read, “thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mathew 6:10) This goes to show that the kingdom of God, which at that moment only extended to heaven, can be extended unto the earth as well. And this is the task of mankind on earth.

I would slightly disagree with you here. The Kingdom is here it is just not in full effect. True, when we pray that 'thy kingdom come' we are praying for the full manifestation of the kingdom which will happen with the tares are separated from the wheat. The common interpretation of the parable of the tares suggests that there are wicked individuals as well as righteous individuals. However I believe cos I've recognised that in this world both the wheat and the tares grow within each and everyone one of us individuals. That is why we cannot shine forth in our full glory as subjects of the Kingdom of God.

But in the end everything wrongly set up shall be destroyed. In the end even the earth will become part of the Kingdom of God like the Kingdom of heaven.

Is Tru Talk dat!!

In conclusion. The Kingdom of God is a place where everything is in accord with the Will of God, a place where God rules supreme.

I concur.

Bookmarked. Flagged. Tagged. Food for weekend thought. Will be back.

and this was quite funny

Pastor AIO:

This refers to the parable of the sower and it goes something like this (a one a two, a one two three four

lol

Kingdom of Heaven is not a meritocracy.

Pastor AIO:

The Kingdom of Heaven.
21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

If the Kingdom of Heaven is within you, that means you must be the King.

The kingdom is within us all, so we are all kings.

Grey Beard:

If the Kingdom of Heaven is within you, that means you must be the King.

and there is no difference, in my view, between the kingdoms of heaven and kingdom of God. They are one and the same thing.

Grey Beard:

If the Kingdom of Heaven is within you, that means you must be the King.

explain your reasoning please.

Pastor AIO:

explain your reasoning please.

The reasoning simply is to continue provoking open-minded discussion on this topic.

By definition, a Kingdom is a political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign. In the context of what we are talking about,
it is the eternal spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ and the realm of this sovereignty.
As the Kingdom of God is deposited within us as Christ said then what is our role in relation to this. Is each of us:

- A custodian of this Kingdom or
- Solely a benefactor as a host of this Kingdom or
- A\The King of this Kingdom

Looking at the first two for a moment, it is difficult to see how the entirety of such a Kingdom would be bestowed on us simply
as a keepsake or for us to hold on to until we return. The parable of the Talents that Jesus spoke about allures to utilising
the power deposited within us to achieve things on earth. But the ability to achieve this in the context that Jesus spoke about denotes a much larger degree of control over this power than could be exercised by a simple custodian or benefactor.

If indeed we are the Kings of this Kingdom then one way of looking at it would be to understand that since God is ultimately
the King of the Kingdom of God, it is not us who are the Kings of the Kingdom within us, but the God within us who is the King
of that Kingdom. And to weld the power as the King of this Kingdom, we must first bring forth the true King
within us which is God in us all.

Until we do, we may always remain as custodians of the Kingdom of God and not Kings.

Your thoughts are welcome. 

Grey Beard:

The reasoning simply is to continue provoking open-minded discussion on this topic.

By definition, a Kingdom is a political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign. In the context of what we are talking about,
it is the eternal spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ and the realm of this sovereignty.
As the Kingdom of God is deposited within us as Christ said then what is our role in relation to this. Is each of us:

- A custodian of this Kingdom or
- Solely a benefactor as a host of this Kingdom or
- A\The King of this Kingdom

Looking at the first two for a moment, it is difficult to see how the entirety of such a Kingdom would be bestowed on us simply
as a keepsake or for us to hold on to until we return. The parable of the Talents that Jesus spoke about allures to utilising
the power deposited within us to achieve things on earth. But the ability to achieve this in the context that Jesus spoke about denotes a much larger degree of control over this power than could be exercised by a simple custodian or benefactor.

If indeed we are the Kings of this Kingdom then one way of looking at it would be to understand that since God is ultimately
the King of the Kingdom of God, it is not us who are the Kings of the Kingdom within us, but the God within us who is the King
of that Kingdom. And to weld the power as the King of this Kingdom, we must first bring forth the true King
within us which is God in us all.

Until we do, we may always remain as custodians of the Kingdom of God and not Kings.

Your thoughts are welcome. 

Thank you very much Grey Beard.  And I'm sorry for the delayed response. 

You have raised many interesting points which are also addressed by Jesus.

By definition, a Kingdom is a political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign. In the context of what we are talking about,
it is the eternal spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ and the realm of this sovereignty.
As the Kingdom of God is deposited within us as Christ said then what is our role in relation to this. Is each of us:

- A custodian of this Kingdom or
- Solely a benefactor as a host of this Kingdom or
- A\The King of this Kingdom

In many ways you've answered the questions posed above to my humble satisfaction.  I'm not sure if others will agree with you though.  We shall see if they join the thread.  I would like to expand on what you said though.

But the ability to achieve this in the context that Jesus spoke about denotes a much larger degree of control over this power than could be exercised by a simple custodian or benefactor.

If indeed we are the Kings of this Kingdom then one way of looking at it would be to understand that since God is ultimately
the King of the Kingdom of God, it is not us who are the Kings of the Kingdom within us, but the God within us who is the King
of that Kingdom. And to weld the power as the King of this Kingdom, we must first bring forth the true King
within us which is God in us all.

I believe that there is a certain degree of delegation involved in the kingdom of Heaven.  We are not just to sit back and enjoy the fruits of the kingdom but rather we are to take part in exercising the government of the Kingdom.  But how? 

Before I go into the how, I want to touch on one other parable that IMHO shows the effect that the Kingdom will have on the world. 

31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Matt 13:31

From the start it is something that is so slight that you will hardly even notice it yet when it comes to full maturity it becomes a source of shelter for many.  I understand from this that citizens of the Kingdom will be a service to the world.  People will come to you for respite, for shelter, or sanctuary.

But what is the Mechanism of the Kingdom.  What is the 'How'?  Since we have authority delegated to us to operate in the Kingdom, how do we go about it?  What is the system?

18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

It seems that what is being said here is that we can bring about any arbitrary thing by whim, but at the end we find that it has to be done in his name.  By 'in my name' Jesus isn't talking about an incantation or a formula like many christians seem to think.  That is why you hear so many prayers ending with 'in Jeeeeeesus name', 'In the miiiiiiiighty name of Jeeeeeeeeeeessssuss!!!', etc.  Onoma is not just an appellation, but it refers to the authority of the person.
If the police come to a house and bang on the door shouting, 'open in the name of the law', what is implied is that by the authority of the law, the householder is obliged to open the door. 
When a million people march against the war in Iraq and chant, ' not in my name', they are saying that they have not given the government authority to go to Iraq. 

3686. onoma
3687 >>
a name, authority, cause

Original Word: ὄνομα, ατος, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: onoma
Phonetic Spelling: (on'-om-ah)
Short Definition: name, character, reputation
Definition: name, character, fame, reputation.

http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/3686.htm

So obviously the power of a christian cannot be exercised arbitrarily, but has to be constrained by what is authorised by God. 

54And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

to be contined . . .

. . . The Mechanism of the Kingdom. How does it operate? I don't know. I'm not involved in the minutiae of it. All that I do is set the agenda. And the goal is brought about by means I don't know. Jesus put it in a parable.

26And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

Mark 4: 26

Wow! is it really that easy? So you mean that all the gra gra that I do everyday is just an inefficient waste of my power. Come of it, can Jesus really be serious?

28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28

I find it hard to believe that there is a way to achieve things without all the huffing and puffing that I've been doing all my life. However, come to think of it, I haven't really got that much result from all the huffing and puffing, so I'm not sure why I remain convinced that that is the only way to achieve things.

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

matthew 6

Na wa o!

It seems that the kind of faith this kingdom of Heaven requires is a bit harder than the faith that I was taught in sunday school. There I was taught to sing and shout and profess at the top of my voice that Jesus is Lord. That was such a sweet display of faith.

But this faith that requires me to cool down, to be meek and humble . . . when I have bills pending . . . when my mates have advanced stratosperically, leaving me behind . . . . when I'm a laughing stock . . . . , this kind of faith is not so sweet.

Can it be so easy that all we have to do is ask and straightaway everything acts to bring about our request?

If that is the case then every lazy day dreamer would have won the lottery a million times over. Abi?

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

There must be small print cos I know that it is not everything that is answered. Where did I go wrong when my plans failed to bear fruit? I'm sure there I many things that could go wrong but the ones that I can identify off my head right now are . . .

a) It is not in Jesus name

b) There is no forgiveness in my heart.

c) The gra gra itself is an impediment

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

John 14:13

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

John 15:7

23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

John 16

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1 John 5




James addresses the fact that in spite of all my strenuous efforts to the point of being ready to kill and go to war still nothing comes to fruition.

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

James 4:2

Pastor AIO , I know it is in the bible that you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and saviour in order to have eternal life but if you keep sinning after being born again, won't you end up in hell?

On the same note it can be said that no man is perfect and your sins will be forgiven once you are born again.

For instance I am very sex hungry and think about it alot even though I have never done it b4. I think that I may end up fornicating if I get the chance. Does this mean I will end up in hell even though I am born again?

Won't God through his mercy , forgive me for acting on my carnal urges? Is it not said that all sins are the same in Gods eyes. So doesnt that mean that me who fornicates occasionally is the same as someone who tells lies from time to time. Won't God forgive us both if we ask for forgiveness of sins thru prayer?

@Pastor, intriguing post

The Kingdom of God is within us truly  , but what does it really mean.? (Listen then to what the parable of the sower means - truly listen)

Is Jesus talking plainly or was he expressing a deeper concept that he could only breakdown in lay-people terms. It got me wondering why Jesus would be clear about what Heaven is and choose to call it the Kingdom of God. looking at the references below, I propose that he was not preaching about Place or Statehood of Christlike Governance. he was talking about the State/Position of the Spirit Man on the Spiritual Hierarchy as God intended

Mathew 6:33 but seek first his Kingdom [/b]and his [b]Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. What other things?

Romans 14:17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit, Ultimately Man must achieve this state before he can be truly prepared for the Kingdom of God

Luke 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you. A Revelation of Knowledge to the Kingdom of God

Mark 4:11 [/b]He told them, "The Secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you.[b] But to those on the outside everything is said in parables A Revelation of Knowledge to the Kingdom of God

Mark 1:15 "The time has come," he said. "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" perhaps in discernment of the varying levels of Spiritual Understanding of the people

John 3:5 [/b]Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God [b]unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Obviously a requirement of elevation from our fallen state. a pre-cursor to another rung on the heirarchy

Matthew 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  My thoughts go to Paradise or the Garden of Eden.

Acts 28:31 Boldly and without hindrance he[b] preached the kingdom of God[/b] and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. A spiritual doctrine IMHO

Luke 18:17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." perhaps like our Adamic state before the fall. but please if you disagree then let me have your take on what he meant there

Mark 12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

I have always wondered which took precedence in the order of spiritual matters from Gods point of view, Our going to Heaven or Our achieving the Spiritual State we where prepared to achieve before Satan threw a spanner in the works.  - The Union of Immortality and The Revelation of Wisdom (Knowledge and Understanding) through the Holy Spirit

@jacobscross

Pastor AIO , I know it is in the bible that you need to accept Jesus as your Lord and saviour in order to have eternal life but if you keep sinning after being born again, won't you end up in hell?

On the same note it can be said that no man is perfect and your sins will be forgiven once you are born again.

For instance I am very sex hungry and think about it alot even though I have never done it b4. I think that I may end up fornicating if I get the chance. Does this mean I will end up in hell even though I am born again?

Won't God through his mercy , forgive me for acting on my carnal urges? Is it not said that all sins are the same in Gods eyes. So doesnt that mean that me who fornicates occasionally is the same as someone who tells lies from time to time. Won't God forgive us both if we ask for forgiveness of sins thru prayer?

Of course God will forgive any sin. But if you are having issues with urge . You should seek help rather than waiting for an opportunity to fulfil the urge. Dont treat it as normal.There is a spirit of lust to deal with. You pray against it. Declare that your body is the temple of God. And get busy serving God. "It is said that an idle mind is the devils workshop" dirty tv programmes and films can be a tool Satan use to stir up such feelings and it can soon become demonic. But to answer your question. God forgives every sin.

@Pastor AIO - Much food for thought there. I needed to take out some time to digest a lot of the things you said.

Pastor AIO:

It seems that the kind of faith this kingdom of Heaven requires is a bit harder than the faith that I was taught in sunday school.  There I was taught to sing and shout and profess at the top of my voice that Jesus is Lord.  That was such a sweet display of faith.

But this faith that requires me to cool down, to be meek and humble . . . when I have bills pending . . . when my mates have advanced stratosperically, leaving me behind . . . . when I'm a laughing stock . . . .   , this kind of faith is not so sweet.

Very true.

Pastor AIO:

25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

True followership of Christ is not as glamorous as many would like it to be. In one sense, it is easy to let go of everything - your hopes, dreams, plans, ambitions, expectations etc and just lean on Christ. In another sense, it is probably one of the hardest things in life to do wholeheartedly.

But back to "The Kingdom".
@Pastor AIO - if I may I would like to focus for a minute on one of the parables you mentioned and its relationship with the Kingdom of God within us:

Pastor AIO:

26And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

I believe there is much more to this parable than is immediately apparent.
In this parable, Jesus uses the analogy of a man, a seed, a known action (casting/planting), an unknown action (germination) and the eventual fruit & harvest to describe the Kingdom of God.

By far the most intriguing aspect of this parable is the unknown action which is outside the control of the man but is a kind of law of the earth:

"For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself".

In other words, when the seed is inside the earth, this phenomenon will occur. This unknown action indeed seems to be the essence of the parable because without it, every other action in the parable is futile.

However, if we examine what we know about this phenomenon it is obvious that a seed cast or planted in the earth must first die before a new plant can grow out of it. This is the phenomenon of germination. How it happens that new life comes from death is indeed the mystery here. But it seems that essentially what Jesus is telling us  is that essence of the Kingdom of God here on earth is in the mystery or the law of new life coming from death.

So my questions would be:
[list]
[li]For the Kingdom of God inside us to be fully manifest here on earth, are there things within us that must first die for this phenomenon to take place? (e.g. certain negative emotions and desires etc)[/li]
[li]Is this phenomenon somehow related to being "born again"? Must part of us die for us to be born? Again?[/li]
[li]Is Jesus' death and resurrection also a manifestation of the essence of the Kingdom of God here on earth?[/li]
[/list]

lagerwhenindoubt:

@Pastor, intriguing post

The Kingdom of God is within us truly  , but what does it really mean.? (Listen then to what the parable of the sower means - truly listen)

Is Jesus talking plainly or was he expressing a deeper concept that he could only breakdown in lay-people terms. It got me wondering why Jesus would be clear about what Heaven is and choose to call it the Kingdom of God. looking at the references below, I propose that he was not preaching about Place or Statehood of Christlike Governance. he was talking about the State/Position of the Spirit Man on the Spiritual Hierarchy as God intended

Mathew 6:33 but seek first his Kingdom [/b]and his [b]Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. What other things?

Romans 14:17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit, Ultimately Man must achieve this state before he can be truly prepared for the Kingdom of God

Luke 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you. A Revelation of Knowledge to the Kingdom of God

Mark 4:11 [/b]He told them, "The Secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you.[b] But to those on the outside everything is said in parables A Revelation of Knowledge to the Kingdom of God

Mark 1:15 "The time has come," he said. "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" perhaps in discernment of the varying levels of Spiritual Understanding of the people

John 3:5 [/b]Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God [b]unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Obviously a requirement of elevation from our fallen state. a pre-cursor to another rung on the heirarchy

Matthew 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  My thoughts go to Paradise or the Garden of Eden.

Acts 28:31 Boldly and without hindrance he[b] preached the kingdom of God[/b] and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. A spiritual doctrine IMHO

Luke 18:17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." perhaps like our Adamic state before the fall. but please if you disagree then let me have your take on what he meant there

Mark 12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

I have always wondered which took precedence in the order of spiritual matters from Gods point of view, Our going to Heaven or Our achieving the Spiritual State we where prepared to achieve before Satan threw a spanner in the works.  - The Union of Immortality and The Revelation of Wisdom (Knowledge and Understanding) through the Holy Spirit

I would agree that by the Kingdom Jesus is referring to a state of spiritual awakening in people rather than to a place (I am presuming that you are saying what I think you are saying).

Mathew 6:33 but seek first his Kingdom [/b]and his [b]Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. What other things?

The other things that he mention just prior to this verse, namely things like what we shall eat and where we shall shelter etc. Everyday worries and stuff.

Romans 14:17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit, Ultimately Man must achieve this state before he can be truly prepared for the Kingdom of God

Jesus did not say this, this is from a letter of Paul.

Luke 11:20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you. A Revelation of Knowledge to the Kingdom of God

Mark 4:11 [/b]He told them, "The Secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you.[b] But to those on the outside everything is said in parables A Revelation of Knowledge to the Kingdom of God

Mark 1:15 "The time has come," he said. "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" perhaps in discernment of the varying levels of Spiritual Understanding of the people

I couldn't really follow your reasoning in these parts.

John 3:5 [/b]Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the Kingdom of God [b]unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Obviously a requirement of elevation from our fallen state. a pre-cursor to another rung on the heirarchy

I believe that Jesus is referring to an aspect of our being, the 'Spirit' that must be awakened in order for one to be part of the Kingdom of God. I'm not exactly sure of what you mean by an hierarchy.

Luke 18:17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." perhaps like our Adamic state before the fall. but please if you disagree then let me have your take on what he meant there

I am aware of a number of different interpretations of this. I favour the interpretation that because the child is not yet fully socialized it is easier of them to enter the Kingdom. The more adult we are and the more we have learned the ways of our society the harder it will be.

Grey Beard:

But back to "The Kingdom".
@Pastor AIO - if I may I would like to focus for a minute on one of the parables you mentioned and its relationship with the Kingdom of God within us:

I believe there is much more to this parable than is immediately apparent.
In this parable, Jesus uses the analogy of a man, a seed, a known action (casting/planting), an unknown action (germination) and the eventual fruit & harvest to describe the Kingdom of God.

By far the most intriguing aspect of this parable is the unknown action which is outside the control of the man but is a kind of law of the earth:

"For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself".

In other words, when the seed is inside the earth, this phenomenon will occur. This unknown action indeed seems to be the essence of the parable because without it, every other action in the parable is futile.

However, if we examine what we know about this phenomenon it is obvious that a seed cast or planted in the earth must first die before a new plant can grow out of it. This is the phenomenon of germination. How it happens that new life comes from death is indeed the mystery here. But it seems that essentially what Jesus is telling us  is that essence of the Kingdom of God here on earth is in the mystery or the law of new life coming from death.

So my questions would be:
[list]
[li]For the Kingdom of God inside us to be fully manifest here on earth, are there things within us that must first die for this phenomenon to take place? (e.g. certain negative emotions and desires etc)[/li]
[li]Is this phenomenon somehow related to being "born again"? Must part of us die for us to be born? Again?[/li]
[li]Is Jesus' death and resurrection also a manifestation of the essence of the Kingdom of God here on earth?[/li]
[/list]

Indeed in the process of the development of the Logon there is a period that far from being progressive is actually marked by reversals. It is like a man that wants to travel from Lagos to Ibadan, but at the very outset of the journey finds himself trapped and carried off on a boat into the atlantic ocean, from the atlantic ocean he finds himself come ashore on the coast of the Congo. The process then carries him from there to South Africa and then from SA he catches a plane to Abuja. It is from abuja that he manages to catch a bus to ibadan but the bus breaks down en route and he gets a lift from someone but that person is going to Ife not Ibadan. From Ife he then manages to eventually get a lift to Ibadan.
But the sweetest thing about it is that when he reaches Ibadan he finds that it is the most opportune time to reach there. If he had got there earlier as planned he would not have been at such fortuitous advantage as his late arrival.
It is established that persecutions will arise as a result of the Logon. But are these persecutions/setbacks etc really retrogressive? It depends on what we mean by progressive.
In a system that is linear, ie starting at a point and progressing in a line up until the finishing point, then going backwards is not progress, only going forward is progress. However in a system that is cyclical, ie. starting at a point and then progressing up until one returns to the starting point, then in an attempt to reach the apex of the circle it does not matter if one first starts with a descent and goes through the nadir before rising up again eventually reaching the apex. especially if there is a current that carries him along this process. I hope this makes sense.

In this sense Death is not a terminal end but can just be seen as the nadir which one must go through in order to rise to the Apex.

^^^ This post just reminds me why I have so much deep respect for Pastor AIO.

It is important that I remind myself, becaise sometimes he is so erratic that i often fear that it is actually another person that has somehow hacked into his account and is posting as him, but not him.

Anyways, that is the brilliance and splendour of a multifaceted character. A truly LIGHT soul.

You have hit so many buttons right on this thread, I cannot even begin to state them. May the most High God bless you.

33Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

This is a very interesting parable of the Kingdom.  It is interesting on so many levels. 

Firstly it is one of the very few teaching of Jesus that Paul makes reference to. 

Secondly it demonstrates something I've been trying to get across that exclusive groups tend to create their own jargon that outsiders will have difficulty understanding.  ( and that there is plenty of these jargon in early christianity that modern christians cannot make sense of).

And Thirdly, and most importantly, it teaches a very important principle of character building that every christian should be aware of. 

As it stands it seems to be very open to all sorts of interpretation.  It probably is, but I would like to share my understanding of it.  I understand the Leaven to mean Influence.  All sorts of influences.  Influences from society, influences from books we read, influence from various teachings, influences from media, influences from friends, and also divine influence. 
The suggesting is that just a little bit of influence can grow and grow until it affects the whole of your being.  Kind of like an infection if you are thinking of it in a negative sense. 
In fact it is in a negative sense that Paul quotes it. 


6Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company,[b] if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. [/b]12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
1st Corinthians 5

What has happened here in this case is that there are some immoral people in the church and Paul is advising the recipients of the letter not to associate with them.  Why?  Because their immorality will infect the others.  Just like only a little bit of leaven will leaven a whole lump of bread dough. 
There is no better place to see an example of this than on Nairaland.  There is almost no one whose posts have not changed from the time they joined to the present.  I particularly remember good ol' Krayola.  That chap was such a gentleman when he first joined, lol.  He soon got the hang of things though.  The fact is your environment affects you, those you associate with, even if the association is slight it can end up affecting your whole being. 
Of course it is not practical to isolate yourself from the world.  Otherwise like Paul said in verse 10 'must ye needs go out of the world'.  Even Adeboye cannot afford space shuttle to flee the world with all the tithe money that he has received.  If someone is not a christian and they are sinful but yet are good at their job it would be inefficient not to employ them.  However if someone who calls himself a christian is sinful, worse still they are actually fellowshipping with other christians and sharing bread with them then the other christians are in grave danger. 
To actually celebrate communion with such a person would be a very risky affair. 
Paul suggests that Christians are only to judge other christians but not to judge outsiders. 

But back to the main point of Leaven.  It is something that spreads.  An influence that only a little will end up affecting everything.  It is a good advice that whatever you want to do or to be in life you should seek out the people that are already masters and tried to be always in their company.  Eg if you want to be a great musician then seek out other great musicians.  Try to be around them all the time, and if possible play with them.  Even just socialising with them will help cos something will rub off on you.   If they shoo you away you should just keep hanging around.  even if it is to just help them carry their instruments or whatever.  It is the same with whatever walk of life. 

Jesus uses the imagery of leaven again when he talks about the doctrines of pharisees. 

12Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Matt 16

There is a bit more to this leaven imagery and it has to do with the passover and the practice of eating unleaven bread.  however that is beyond where I want to go with this post


My point is: Yes it it true that birds of a feather flock together but often before the become birds of a feather it is the flocking together that actually made all their feather alike. so the opposite is also true.
Birds of a feather flock together - TRUE
Birds flocking together become of one feather - TRUE TOO

The kingdom of heaven is not the same as the kingdom of God.Even though some writers used the two terms interchangeably,they are not the same . The kingdom of God has always been on, Jesus ushered us into the kingdom of heaven. And it will fully manifest physically in his millennial reign. The Kingdom of God is greater. So there are two kingdoms. But the lesser is part if the greater.  Christ is the head of one , God is the head if the other. The kingdom of heaven has a limited scope. It will merge with the greater one.

1 Corinthians 15:24-25
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

Joagbaje:

The kingdom of heaven is not the same as the kingdom of God.Even though some writers used the two terms interchangeably,they are not the same . The kingdom of God has always been on, Jesus ushered us into the kingdom of heaven. And it will fully manifest physically in his millennial reign. The Kingdom of God is greater. So there are two kingdoms. But the lesser is part if the greater.  Christ is the head of one , God is the head if the other. The kingdom of heaven has a limited scope. It will merge with the greater one.

1 Corinthians 15:24-25
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

Yeepa!  Pastor Joe, you are taking me deep into uncharted territory of Paul's theology.  My understanding of the chapter (and I think it is essential to read the whole chapter, not just a couple of verses) is that Christ will spend his reign conquering all the forces and powers in the world and when he has done so completely then it will be the end and he will then hand over the authority to God, and Christ reign itself will come to an end. 

All this is quite off the beaten path of most christian teachings.  To be honest it is rather new to me too.  Not many churches go into this passage. 

Particularly off the beaten path is verse 28 :

And when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all

Or in more modern english, so that no one misconstrues what it says:
28When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

Jesus apparently will hand over all the authority that he gained after he has subdued everything to God.  Then Jesus himself will be just a subject of the final kingdom and not the king of it.  God himself will become everything.

However, as interesting as all this is, I do not see where any distinction is made between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. 

^^^^

Pastor AIO:

However, as interesting as all this is, I do not see where any distinction is made between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. 

The kingdom of God does not have tares but the kingdom of heaven( christ kingdom) has tares and sorts coming in.

God is the head of The Kingdom of God. This kingdom has always been it has no beginning  . but The kingdom heaven is the domain of christ. Christ is the head . Has a beginning ,it is futuristic.

Daniel 2:44-45
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up[b] a kingdom[/b], which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Daniel 7:13-14
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, [/b]that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and [b]his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Who's kingdom?

There is a kingdom of christ and the kingdom of God. The lesser is part of the greater.

Colossians 1:13
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

This kingdom will become a physical structure during the millennial reign of christ (1,000 years) after which the final judgement will take place and Jesus will submit the kingdom to the father .

Joagbaje:

God is the head of The Kingdom of God. This kingdom has always been it has no beginning  . but The kingdom heaven is the domain of christ. Christ is the head . Has a beginning ,it is futuristic.

Daniel 2:44-45
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up[b] a kingdom[/b], which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Daniel 7:13-14
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, [/b]that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and [b]his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Who's kingdom?

There is a kingdom of christ and the kingdom of God. The lesser is part of the greater.

Colossians 1:13
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

This kingdom will become a physical structure during the millennial reign of christ (1,000 years) after which the final judgement will take place and Jesus will submit the kingdom to the father .

Perhaps it will be easier if you took a passage that talks of the kingdom of God and show how it only talking about a kingdom without tares, and then took a passage about the Kingdom of Heaven and show me how that has tares in it.

@Pastor AIO,
Your interpretation of the “Parable of the leaven” is as interesting as it is enriching. I will offer my own perception of the parable too, perhaps you might find mine as enriching as I found yours to be.

The Leven represents the spirit in man or immortal spark in man which originated from Paradise or the Kingdom of God. This spirit spark left Paradise as an unconscious spirit germ or seedling, in its quest for development. Just as a seed planted in the soil with the right conditions germinates and grows into a full-blown tree. The spirit spark in man, when put under the right conditions, grows into a full-fledged human spirit; it grows from being a seedling to a human spirit with a human form.
Being placed in the right condition means being shielded from darkness, or being connected with the light which comes from Paradise or from God; connection with the light is an indispensible condition for the germination and growth of the spirit, just like water is an indispensible necessity for the germination and growth of seedlings.
It is not without significance that Jesus uses woman in this Parable. Women are guardians of the light that comes from above. The woman receives this light, and passes it on to man; hence, man needs woman for his spiritual growth and survival more than woman needs man. Men can only receive this light partly from above and partly from the woman. Therefore when the woman goes astray, men almost inevitably follows; this is why Lucifer attacked women first. This is hinted in the story of Adam and Eve.
Therefore it is more the duty of woman to create this condition necessary for the germination and growth of the spirit spark in man. If woman fulfills her duty, by being womanly and serving the light, soon the earth will be flooded by light and the spirit spark in mankind will find itself in the right condition for germination and growth. Just as a small piece of yeast (leaven), when placed in the right conditions, grows and fills the container. The spirit seed or spark in man, under the right conditions will grow and mature into a human spirit worthy to be admitted into the kingdom of God.
The woman hiding the leaven in three measures of meal symbolizes how women in their activity protect the human spirits; though her spiritual activity she draws rays of light from Paradise, and consequently dispels all darkness; thus hiding human spirits from all currents of darkness. By flooding subsequent creation with the light which dispels darkness, she makes subsequent creation an extension of the Kingdom of God which no form of darkness can exist.

Another way to look at the Parable is this way: Anything that comes from above, when placed on the right conditions, rightly guarded, or kept pure, will grow and mature. This is based on the law of movement and the law of attraction of the homogeneous species, since the maturity or growth is nothing but a consequence of attracting the other parts of the element until it becomes a complete whole.
I will give an example: One who receives a piece of the Truth. If such a one holds on to this Truth, and not degrade or drag it to the dirt with his intellect; if he lets it come to life in his intuitive perception. Soon this piece of Truth will lead him to more Truth, and gradually, if he remains steadfast and not let vanity interfere with it, this Truth will lead him to the whole Truth. Just as a piece of yeast grows when placed in the right condition; everything that comes from above grows, matures, or attracts the other parts, if rightly guarded or kept in the right motion. I know this is similar to your interpretation, correct me if I’m wrong.

Once again the woman is needed for the reception and maintenance of that (the light) which comes from above. Equipped with a very delicate intuitive perception, women are to receive the subtle currents that comes from above, and pass them on to man, who equipped with a coarser intuition are supposed to go into activity prompted by these currents. But in this the woman failed and consequently man failed too. Enticed by Lucifer, women succumbed to the currents of darkness, and passed these currents onto man, who out of spiritual inactivity offered no resistance. Hence man took the forbidden fruit from woman; the man is as guilty as the woman.
So instead of putting the leaven into three measure of meal for it to germinate; the woman took the currents of darkness and allowed it to germinate and flood subsequent creation.
Also, it is my perception that the expression “put in three measures of meal” is not without great significance. It represents the three cornerstones or basic activity of woman. The knowledge of these activities of woman has been lost to mankind; these activities start from the highest parts of creation. The three Feminine Primordial spirits (Johanna, Cella, and Josepha), in the primordial spiritual plane embody these three feminine activities, each embodying one of the three activities that all woman should swing in. This is will be more understandable to anybody who has read the Grail Message.
In any plane of creation where these three feminine activities are lacking, or where women have lost connection with Johanna, Cella and Josepha, there striving towards the Light or germination and growth of the spirit becomes more difficult.
There is no point going into each of these three activities, as anybody familiar with the Grail Message will be familiar with them. I believe these three feminine activities are what in the Parable were referred to as “three measures of meal”.

Indeed all Parables of Jesus are so deep; there is no end to the Truth that one can derive from them. Jesus is indeed the greatest teacher; with a few words He reveals so many mysteries.


Thanks and remain blessed.

@Justcool. Thank you for your contribution above. That is certainly plenty to mull over.

There are parallels between what you say about woman and certain things I've learnt and certain realizations that I've come to.

Especially the trinity. Traditionally in most cultures Goddess is depicted as a trinity. Sometimes as 3 trinities, making nine. As in the 9 muses.

The Triple Goddess is a term first popularised by the poet and scholar Robert Graves in the 20th century. He depicted the triplicity as Maiden, Mother and Crone and many neo-pagans have followed this imagery. While some scholars attributed the idea to the lively imagination of the poet, recent archaeology has made it abundantly clear that "Goddess Triplicities" are to be found throughout ancient Europe.

In Hinduism today, the triplicity of the Goddess in Shakta worship is of cardinal importance, and outside the Indo-European world the Triple Goddess is found in Africa and Asia.

. . . . .

While many of us contemplate the single image of Our Mother, there has always been an important Trinitarian aspect to Her worship. Ironically the great Christian theologian, St. Augustine, mocked the pagans for their belief that the Triple Goddess could be One and also Three. After his conversion he found himself defending the masculinised version of the same doctrine!

http://www.mother-god.com/triple-goddess.html

This is actually a very vast topic that requires about 3 different threads of it's own, each thread discussing a different aspect of the matter. Apart from that there is a lot there that I do not consider appropriate for a discussion on a public forum like the internet.

But there is one thing that I would like to say about it. That is that, femininity, or the feminine generative principle, is to be found in all things as is the masculine principle too. However it is just accentuated more in women, while the masculine is accentuated in men. Yet the feminine principle can be found in men too, though in attenuated form. We inherit it from our mothers. Without it we would be totally impotent. We wouldn't even be able to get up to brush our teeth.

Motherhood, or femininity is the mechanism of the Universe.

@Pastor
Thanks for addressing my post. For the sake of clearity, I will further elaborate what I said earlier.

Pastor AIO:

@Justcool. Thank you for your contribution above. That is certainly plenty to mull over.

There are parallels between what you say about woman and certain things I've learnt and certain realizations that I've come to.

Especially the trinity. Traditionally in most cultures Goddess is depicted as a trinity. Sometimes as 3 trinities, making nine. As in the 9 muses.
http://www.mother-god.com/triple-goddess.html

The three basic activity of the famine are: Home(Johanna), Motherhood( Cella), and Care for cloaks(Josepha). These activities are very delicate and too refined for masculine beings. And these activities are needed all planes of creation, not only the earth.

Home here is not limited to the earthly concept of home. But Home in a higher sense. The desire to create and maintain a harmonious home belongs to the activity of the feminine. Even the earthly feeling of nostalgia is as a result of this desire for a home. The connection that one feels to one’s native land, and even patriotism. The home is very necessary for development, for we retreat to it for peace and also draw strength for it. As the spirit matures, it begins to feel the longing for its true home Paradise. This longing gives it a grate impetus for maturity and development.

Also motherhood here is not limited to the earthly motherhood or giving birth to a child. Although this earthly activity belong to it, or is a physical representation of the high concept of motherhood; motherhood here implies the delicate and most loving duty of the feminine to care for, nourish all with the light she receives from above, guide, and guard all. Above subsequent creation, women do not give birth to children, but women still function as mothers; so the motherhood mentioned here is not limited to the earthly giving birth to children.

Likewise, the care for cloaks is not limited to nursing the physical body or beautifying it; it reaches further even to the highest heights where physical bodies do not exist. Need I mention the role that the body or cloak plays in the development of inner being?

These three feminine activities are indispensible for the Kingdom of God; for each of these activities is an expression of Love. Since only the feminine can swing in these activities, the feminine or womankind is indispensible for the Kingdom of God on earth.

Today a lot of women has lost connection with the rays from above, and hence only distorted forms of these activities are practiced on earth today. Giving birth replaced the high concept of motherhood, which involves guidance for the developing and not just giving birth to a child. Even the care for cloaks is replaced the vanity of beautifying the body just for seduction or attraction of mate. The fruit of these distortions is lust, sexual immorality and hatred.

Suffice also for me to mention that the goddesses that the ancient cultures saw and knew ware not Johanna, Cella, and Josepha. What the ancients saw were substantiate or intermediary beings in the rays of Johanna, Cella, and Josepha. I mentioned Johanna, Cella, and Josepha because they are the starting points, in creation, of these radiations; below them are so many beings, each standing below the other.  Some ancient cultures were able to see these beings, starting from the ones closest to the physical plane; and gradually as they matured, their seeing went further to higher ones. Some went as far as seeing the lords of the elementals like Venus(Aphrodite), Astarte, and etc. The ancients worshiped these beings as goddesses; but in reality they are not Gods and Goddesses, they were only intermediary beings in the radiation chain.

If the development of these cultures was not halted or disturbed by invaders and missionaries, these cultures would have, link by link, trace these radiations to the spiritual realm and back to the source of all radiations – the one and only true God.

Pastor AIO:

But there is one thing that I would like to say about it. That is that, femininity, or the feminine generative principle, is to be found in all things as is the masculine principle too. However it is just accentuated more in women, while the masculine is accentuated in men. Yet the feminine principle can be found in men too, though in attenuated form. We inherit it from our mothers. Without it we would be totally impotent. We wouldn't even be able to get up to brush our teeth.

Motherhood, or femininity is the mechanism of the Universe.

What man receives from his mother is only the physical. All forms of inheritance or heredity are limited to the physical. Hence men inherit a certain amount of the feminine hormones (estrogens/progesterone) from his mother; and on the other hand a woman can inherit some testosterone from the father. Both hormones dwell inside the physical bodies of man and woman; but in different quantities. Men have more testosterone, while women have more estrogens.

These hormones are actually not the source of our behavior, but their radiations offer the spirit the bridge to operate in the physical world. Thus the feminine soul needs the radiation of estrogen in the physical body in order to fully activate or function through the body. The body produces these hormones more when generative power sets in; only at this point does the body offer the soul the radiation that it needs to fully work through the body or use the body. Prior to this point, the spirit incarnated in the body is like a man in an island with no bridge to the mainland.

The source of the behavior which identifies one as a male or female, is actually the spirit. The radiations of the physical bodies or its hormones only offer the spirit the opportunity to completely make use of the body.

But spiritually man does not inherit anything from its parents.

You are right, to a certain extent, that man possess a certain feminine principle. That which arouses to desire for refinement in a man is as a result of the radiation of the feminine; if there are not such things as women, men would not even care to beautify themselves or become refined in anyway. It is the radiation of the feminine that causes the man, who bears a coarser spirit within, to respect and desire refinement.

Men do not do these thing(shower, brush their teeth and etc.) just to appear good looking to women and hence attract a mate. The inner compulsion to do these things(shower and brush your teeth and etc.) are as a result of the radiation of women, men partly absorb these radiations. Like I said earlier the man is partly dependent on women when it that which comes from above.

And since man carries estrogen in his body, although less than the woman does; these feminine radiations that he receives from women can cause his little estrogen to vibrate, and hence lending him a little refinement even in his physical body and movement of his physical body. This vibration is also retroactively felt by his spirit, lending love for delicacy and refinement. It is this love that that arouses the desire in men to protect woman. The woman lends him that which he lack and which he most definitely need for his refinement, growth or maturity. Hence the woman in a certain sense is his door to the luminous heights.

But a man must be careful not to over indulge in the feminine radiation or activity. Because like I explained, his spirit receives this retroactively, and may hamper the masculinity he had so far achieved. Such an effeminate man may be forced to incarnate in a female physical body in his next incarnation, making him a distorted soul who is neither masculine nor truly feminine; this is not progress but retrogression.

Women are a great blessing!

Bookmarked for weekend consumption