The Deep Things of God (chapters 1-2)

Note from the moderator: This is a 3-part installment series that I want to share with Sharing the Way subscribers. It currently has a total of 6 chapters to it. I will send it out in 3 installments (of 2 chapters each) over the next few days. I submit it to the readers in hopes that it will generate thought, discussion, understanding, and hopefully, spiritual enlightenment.  Your questions, comments, and/or rebuttals/criticisms are encouraged (I Cor. 14:29). If you don’t want to wait until the other two installments are sent out, you can read it in its entirety on our website at: https://sharingtheway.com/.

THE DEEP THINGS OF GOD
By Eric Wheeler
eric@sharingtheway.com

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit
searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (I Cor. 2:10)

Chapter 1: THE NEW TESTAMENT WILL BE REPEATED

A number of years ago, the Holy Spirit revealed to me in a series of visions, dreams, and revelations that just as the Old Testament was fulfilled and played out in the New Testament, the New Testament will be fulfilled and played out in the present day and immediate future. Let me explain. The Old Testament happenings and events, Paul says, were given to us as physical examples of a spiritual reality (I Cor. 10:6-11). Take, for example, baptism. Paul says that when the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, it was a form of baptism (I Cor. 10:1-2). He said that when they ate the manna and drank water from the Rock, that it spiritually symbolized them eating and drinking Jesus Christ (I Cor. 10:3-4). In other places, Paul explains that the physical Temple, the sacrificial system, the priesthood, the holy days and Sabbaths, the ceremonial meat and drink offerings, and many other things prescribed in the Old Testament, were actually fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ as described in the New Testament.

Jesus testified to this fact also, by saying to His followers after His resurrection, “These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me.’ Then He opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures [the Old Testament]” (Luke 24:44-45).

Generally speaking, most Christians believe and understand this. That is why they call themselves “Christians” or “followers of Christ”! They believe that Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. They believe that He is the culmination and fulfillment of the entire Old Testament and its promises. Being a Christian myself, I too believe that this is by all means true! However, what many Christians don’t realize is that Jesus and the apostles both said and did many things in the New Testament which were prophetic, and given as “physical types” or examples for us today.

Many of the things which Christ and the apostles did physically in the New Testament have their spiritual counterpart in these modern times. Just as many of the events described in the Old Testament physically pointed to a spiritual reality that was to be fulfilled in the New Testament, so likewise, many physical occurrences and details in the New Testament have their spiritual fulfillment and prophetic meaning today. The Bible itself reveals this truth by saying first comes the physical, then comes the spiritual (I Cor.15:46).

Like most Christians, I too believed in the past that the New Testament Scriptures were linear, and more or less, chronological. That is to say, like history, the New Testament’s message flowed consecutively in one direction beginning with the birth of Jesus Christ and continuing forward to the writings of the last surviving apostle, John. I believed that the present-day Church, to one degree or another, was but the direct continuation of the original apostolic Church established in the New Testament. However, the Holy Spirit has since shown me that this belief is inaccurate and incomplete. Yes, it is true that we are “built upon the apostles and the prophets”. Yes, it is true that we are the spiritual descendants of the apostles. But the New Testament Scriptures are not linear. They are dual. They are prophetic.

Just as the New Testament was not just a physical continuation of the Old Testament, but rather, its spiritual fulfillment. Neither is our modern-day era of the Church just a physical continuation of the apostolic era of the Church, but rather, its spiritual fulfillment. Just as the New Testament fulfilled the writings of the Old Testament, so our modern-day Church will fulfill the writings of the first century Church! We will spiritually replay the New Testament. It has been said that history repeats itself. Well, this is exactly what the Holy Spirit has been showing me — that the New Testament is going to be repeated and fulfilled in us in this present day!

Chapter 2: SPIRITUAL PARALLELS

In the few years before the birth of Jesus Christ, we find “the Church” or people of God in the following condition:

1. They were ruled over by the Sadducees and Pharisees and the Sanhedrin.
   1. The church leaders had formal theological training and education, and were appointed by the religious, and sometimes, secular authorities.
   2. The church leaders each had positions and titles, and dressed religiously to insure that they were recognized for their authority.
   3. Many of the religious leaders were politically-aligned with the civil government.
2. They were in bondage.
   1. to sin.
   2. to the religious authorities.
   3. to the Roman government.
3. They were spiritually blind and “sitting in darkness”.
   1. They didn’t believe that they needed to change.
   2. They believed that they were righteous because they went to synagogue, paid their tithes, and submitted to the religious hierarchy.
4. They had a general expectation that the Messiah’s Coming was near, but clearly didn’t understand its spiritual significance and the signs of the times.
5. They regularly met in buildings of worship, heard prepared messages, and attended formal services.
   1. None of the laity was permitted to speak regularly.
   2. They were financially burdened and expected to financially support the synagogue or Temple.
   3. They could be put out of the synagogue or “disfellowshipped”.

Jesus described the leaders of the Church this way: They were blind guides of the blind. They were hypocrites. They taught traditions of men instead of the commandments of God. They loved to be seen of men and recognized for their position and title. They put heavy burdens on the people, and instead of helping the elderly and needy, they consumed them. They were greedy and covetous. And although outwardly they appeared righteous, inwardly they were filthy and unclean.

When Jesus came, He told them that He was there to “preach the good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to release the oppressed” (Luke 4:18). Notice that He was not talking to the Gentiles here, but to those in the Church! It says that the eyes of all of them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him and that He said to them “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears!” (Luke 4:21). In other words, they were the poor, the dejected, and broken-hearted! They were the ones held captive, spiritually blind, and oppressed! Here, Scripture gives us a clear description of the state of the Church during Jesus’ day!

Notice in the next verse (Luke 4:22) how the people in the Church responded to Jesus’ description of them. At first, they wondered and marveled at His gracious words. They didn’t realize that they were in that condition. They didn’t consider themselves to be spiritually poor, oppressed, or blind! Afterall, they were God’s people! ‘How could this be?’ they thought. But knowing their thoughts, Jesus went on to explain from the Old Testament that even a prophet’s own people wouldn’t receive the prophet’s message. And just as He had predicted, they became angry at Him, and threw Him out of their church (Luke 4:28-29).

The Church is no different today! We don’t realize how spiritually poor we are. We are blind to our current spiritual state. We think that we are rich and increased with goods, yet we are wretched, miserable and naked (Rev. 3:17)! As the prophets foretold long ago, “The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple [His Church]… but who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears?!” (Mal. 3:1-2). The Church of the first century was caught off-guard and rejected His First coming. Why do we today therefore self-righteously think that we will be ready and recognize His Second Coming?! The truth is, just as the first Church [Judaism] rejected the First Coming of the Messiah, so shall Christianity as a whole reject the Second Coming of the Messiah. Even as it is written, “The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner” (Luke 20:17). And again, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not!” (John 1:11).

Thankfully though, just as the New Testament Scriptures foretell, not all of the Jews rejected Jesus. For the Scriptures say that God left Himself a remnant of believers in disbelieving Israel. “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, to them He gave the right to become the sons of God” (John 1:12). The Scriptures seem to indicate that not very many people (probably less than a thousand) believed in the living Jesus after His ascension (see Acts 1:15; I Cor. 15:5-8). But that soon after the Day of Pentecost, many more believed and were added to the Church daily (Acts 2:41-47). This same Church-wide repentance and re-birth will happen once again in the Church in the not-so-distant future, only this time it will happen on a much larger scale!

[to be continued…]

Eric
eric@sharingtheway.com

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