NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH

Many people confuse the time of the coming kingdom of God with the time of the New Heavens and the New Earth, the New Age.

God - Yehovah has given humanity 7,000 years to show if they will submit to the rulership of Yehovah and His son [agent]. We see that most of humanity will not submit, even during the millennial reign of the lord Messiah Jesus, for when Satan is loosed for a short season at the end of the millennium he will be able to gather a huge number of people to rebel against the rulership of the lord Messiah at Jerusalem and the result is they will be completely destroyed.

Right after that takes place will be the institution of the White Throne Judgement with Jesus acting as the Judge [acting as God’s – Yehovah’s agent over all those who will be resurrected at that time. All those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire and be destroyed, which is the second death.

Then Yehovah will cause the whole earth to be cleansed by fire and after the cleansing, He will create a New Heavens and a New Earth, a whole new order of things and all those who are His glorified, immortal sons and daughters will enter into that New Heavens and New Earth as members of the New Humanity that God has been creating since the time of Adam's rebellion. So all the faithful OT men and women will be a part of the New Humanity along with all those who have become New Creations in the lord Messiah Jesus and thay will enter into the New Heavens and New Earth.

At that time God - Yehovah will come down from heaven and join with the lord Messiah Jesus will take up their place at Zion, where Yehovah has placed His name.

No person who is not an immortal glorified man or woman will be able to enter into the New Heavens and New Earth, the coming New Age!

So there is a difference between the coming Kingdom of God, the millennium [1,000-year rule of the lord Jesus] and the New Age where all those who are part of the household of God – Yehovah will enter and experience the light of Yehovah and the lord Messiah Jesus for all the ages upon ages to come!

According to God’s promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness [this is referring to the New Age that will come after the White Throne Judgement where the earth will be cleansed by fire!

Who will enter into this new age: what says the scriptures?

1 Corinthians 15:24: Then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to his God and Father after he brings to an end every ruler and all authority and power [at the White Throne Judgement].

Note: 1 Corinthians 15:50: Now I say this, brothers, and sisters: flesh and blood is not able to inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Indeed flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Only those who are immortal men and women can inherit that Kingdom where God will come down from the heavens to rule with the Messiah Jesus on this earth in the New Age coming when the new [renewed] earth and new heavens [renewed] will be evident.

Note: Revelation 30:7-15: And when the thousand years [the millennium] are finished [have come to an end], Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead that was in it, and death and Hades [the graves] gave up the dead that was in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hades [the graves] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire.

And if any was not found written in the Book of Life, he/she was cast into the lake of fire.

Now we see the revelation of the New Age: Revelation 21:1-27:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God - Yehovah made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God - Yehovah is with men, and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God - Yehovah Himself shall be with them, and be their God: and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away [the things pertaining to the 7,000 year periods]. And He that sits on the throne said:

Behold, I make all things new

And He said [speaking to those who will believe the message of salvation]:

Write: for these words are faithful and true. And He said unto me, they have come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burned with fire and brimstone; which is the second death [White Throne Judgement].

And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, that were laden with the seven last plagues [that had taken place]; and he spoke with me, saying:

Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God - Yehovah, having the glory of God - Yehovah: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates, twelve angels; and names are written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. 16 And the city lies foursquare - 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs - 1500 miles: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits - 215 feet, according to the measure of a man, that is of an angel. And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the several gates was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

And I saw no temple therein [in the New Jerusalem]: for the Lord God - Yehovah Elohim the Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple thereof.

And the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk amidst the light thereof: and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it. And the gates thereof shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be no night there): and they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it: and there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that makes an abomination and a lie [Why? Because they have all been cast into the Lake of Fire and experienced the second death before the beginning of the New Age]: but only they that are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

It is obvious that only glorified men and women can make up the people that will inherit this place and inhabit it. This is the New Age that occurs after the earth is cleansed and the New Earth and New Heavens have been created for the Heavenly Jerusalem to come down to. 

Note: I have often wondered if the New Age is referred to as the last great day of the Feast of Tabernacles - the eighth day - John 7:2; 37-39

The Feast of Booths - TabernaclesLeviticus 23:33-36: Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel and say: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to Yahweh.  On the first day, there is to be a holy assembly; you are to do no customary work. Seven days you are to offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. On the eighth day is to be a holy assembly for you, and you are to offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. It is a solemn assembly; you are to do no customary work.

Additional Information:

The New Heavens and New Earth, i.e., Renewed Earth and Renewed Heavens will begin right after the White Throne Judgement has taken place and the earth has been cleansed by fire.

The New Heavens and New Earth will be created by Yehovah and as soon as that is accomplished and the New Jerusalem comes down out of the heavens we will take up residence in the New Jerusalem and will enjoy close fellowship with our God and Father Yehovah and His son Jesus as Yehovah will have come down to this earth to take up residence at Zion. All this is explained in Revelation 21-22.

With a city that is four square, and is 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles, which is 225,0000 square miles. It will be a huge complex and we will take up residence in that city area. Can you imagine a city that takes up 2250000 square miles? The distance of just one of the four squares would be the same as driving from New York City to Des Moines, Iowa. We are talking of a land mass that would take in all the land of the United States going directly west from the NY to Des Moines line [quarter] to the Mexican border and east to the Atlantic Ocean including Florida. That area will be able to house a lot of glorified immortal sons and daughters of God - Yehovah.

The New Heavens and the New Earth time will be so beautiful that we cannot even begin to imagine what it will be like. It will be perfect for all the sons and daughters of Yehovah to enjoy close fellowship with Him and His son Jesus. May we all strive to drive forward to enter into that time period!

THE KINGSHIP - KINGDOM OF GOD - YEHOVAH AND JESUS

I have recently finished reading Psalms and Proverbs and was struck by how many times the LORD (YHVH - Yehovah) God is mentioned as King and even sometimes by King David. Although David was king of Israel, he and others still recognized God as King overall the earth forever.

“The LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) is king forever and ever; the nations perish from His land.” Psalms 10:16

Anointed - Messiah King David wrote, “The LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) sits enthroned as king forever.” Psalms 29:10

Sons of Korah, “You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!” Psalms 44:4

Sons of Korah, “For the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah), Most High, is awesome, a great King over all the earth …

For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!” Psalms 47:2, 7

Song of David, “The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary” Psalms 68:24b

Asaph, “Yet God - Yehovah my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” Psalms 74:12

Sons of Korah, “O LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) of hosts, my King and my God.” Psalms 84:3c

“For the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Psalms 95:3

Song of David, “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless Your name [Yehovah] forever and ever.” Psalms 145:1

“The LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) shall reign forever; Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah)!” Psalms 146:10

“Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.” Psalms 149:2

“My son, fear the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) and the king;” Proverbs 24:21a

“Therefore, David blessed the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) God of Israel our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD (YHWH - Yehovah), is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD (YHWH- Yehovah), And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Then David said to all the assembly, “Now bless the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) your God.” So all the assembly blessed the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) and the king.”
I Chronicles 29:10-12, 20

Is God King? Yes. Was David King? Yes. Can both be honored as king?
Yes, as the Israelites did.

Is Jesus King? Yes! As David was made king by God - Yehovah, so was Jesus (Luke 1:32). And, as God’s - Yehovah's king was honored in the Old Testament, likewise Jesus is honored in the New Testament. But God - Yehovah remains King overall! That’s why both God - Yehovah and Jesus are blessed and honored in Revelation 5:13:

“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him (God - Yehovah) who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’”

Is God - Yehovah King of kings? Yes. (1 Timothy 6:15)
Is Jesus King of Kings? Yes. (Revelation 17:14, 19:16)
Did God call King Nebuchadnezzar King of kings? Yes! (Ezekiel 26:7)
(Likewise, both God - Yehovah and Jesus are referred to as Lord of lords)

But only God is called “God of gods.” (Deuteronomy 10:17, Psalm 136:2, Daniel 2:47, 11:36)

Jesus is never called that because he’s not God. Only one is God Almighty, the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah), the Father.

Fear the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) God - Yehovah as King overall. Jesus is the King that God - Yehovah appointed and gave all authority in heaven and on earth to rule with only Himself excluded. “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to the God and Father Yehovah, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power. … When 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 -  Yehovah may be all in all.” 1 Corinthians 15:24, 28

And the LORD (YHWH - Yehovah) shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be — “Yehovah is one, and His name one.” Zechariah 14:9

Written by Stephanie Schlegel and edited by Bruce Lyon

HE IS RISEN

This simple but powerful statement resides at the heart of the earliest Christianproclamation of the gospel and forms the foundation upon which Christian faith and hope arebased. As the Apostle Paul stated:

“And if the Messiah has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:17

Anyone familiar with The Book of Acts knows that on many occasions where the earliest Christians had an opportunity to share the good news publicly, the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah stood at the center of their message. Let’s take a look at a few of these instances.““Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God – Yehovah to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God - Yehovah did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s – Yehovah’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, withthe help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God - Yehovah raised him fromthe dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep itshold on him.

David said about him: “‘I saw Yehovah always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God - Yehovah had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing whatwas to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God - Yehovah has raised this Jesus to life, and we areall witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God - Yehovah, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out [on the day of Pentecost] what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said: ‘Yehovah said to my Lord [the Messiah]: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God – Yehovah has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both lord and Messiah.” Acts 2:22-36.

“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer; at three in theafternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus the Messiah of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God - Yehovah. When all the people saw him walking and praising God - Yehovah, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 

While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does thissurprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God - Yehovah raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know wasmade strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.” Acts 3:1-16

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met inJerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus the Messiah of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God - Yehovah raised from the dead, that this man standsbefore you healed. Jesus is “the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:1-12Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

But during the night an angel of the Lord - Yehovah opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin; the full assembly ofthe elders of Israel; and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked,with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss,wondering what this might lead to. Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put injail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the peoplewould stone them.

The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin tobe questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God - Yehovah rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead; whom you killed by hanging him on a cross [stake]. God - Yehovah exalted him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that He might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.” Acts 5:17-3

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God - Yehovah does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right. You know the message God - Yehovah sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah, who is lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached; how God - Yehovah anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God - Yehovah was with him. “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross [stake], but God - Yehovah raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God - Yehovah had already chosen; by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from among the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgivenessof sins through his name.” Acts 10:34-43

“Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message ofsalvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yetin condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down fromthe cross [stake] and laid him in a tomb. But God - Yehovah raised him from among he dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.” “We tell you the good news: What God - Yehovah promised our ancestors He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.” Acts 13:26-33

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects ofworship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship; and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live intemples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man [Adam] He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out theirappointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us.‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone; an image made by human design and skill. In the past God - Yehovah overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man [Jesus] He has appointed. He has givenproof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”” Acts 17:22-31 The weight of the evidence is overwhelming! May we celebrate this day in praise to God for the “...working of his mighty strength, which He exerted in the Messiah when He raised him from among thedead...” Ephesians 3:19-20

ONE IN THE MESSIAH JESUS

When a person believes in Jesus the Messiah, accepting him as his risen lord, he is born of God and becomes a new creation in the Messiah Jesus. As a result, this new believer identifies with Messiah in all of the Messiah's accomplishments: past, present, and future. "In the Messiah" the believer has already been judged as to his spiritual standing before God and the verdict is "not guilty" (Romans 8:1; I Corinthians 1:30). This is not because of the believer's own righteousness but because of the Messiah's sin-offering sacrificial death and the resulting gift of righteousness which God gives, or credits, to believers on the basis of His grace (Romans 3:21- 5:17). The Book of Ephesians speaks about this new creation in the Messiah:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - Yehovah - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's – Yehovah’s workmanship, created in the Messiah Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Being created in the Messiah Jesus is the work of God - Yehovah, not man. It is a spiritual creation, not physical, and is accomplished by a believer being born from above by God's Spirit and incorporated through that Spirit into the spiritual body of the Messiah, the called-out Assembly of God. The Letters of Ephesians and I and 2 Corinthians explain this truth:

And you also were included in the Messiah when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, which is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The body is a unit, although it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with the Messiah. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (I Corinthians 12:12-13).

Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

For the believer in the Messiah, all things have become new because he is now a new creation in the Messiah Jesus. He has been baptized with the Spirit of God - Yehovah, not water, into the one body of the Messiah Jesus. As a result, the believer stands before God clothed with the righteousness, holiness and redemption that have been made possible by the Messiah's sin-offering sacrifice, death, and resurrection. All of this is God's – Yehovah’s own work of grace which He imparts to us, in the Messiah Jesus, through the Spirit. As Paul says:

You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God (I Corinthians 6:11).

It is because of Him [God - Yehovah] that you are in the Messiah Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - Yehovah - that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30).

The Messiah died for us and paid the ransom price for the sins of all mankind (I Timothy 2:4-6). When we accept the sin-offering sacrificial death of the Messiah Jesus for us by believing in him as our risen lord, we receive the benefits of all that he accomplished for us. The gift of "righteousness" means that we have been justified [declared not guilty], or acquitted of our sins, and therefore stand in a new right relationship with God: accepted and at peace with him (Romans 4:23-5:2). The word "holy" means that we have been set apart for God – Yehovah and are now God’s – Yehovah’s "saints" or "holy people" with our citizenship in heaven (Ephesians 2:19; Philippians.3:20). The word "redemption" means that we have been bought back and set free from the spiritual bondage of sin and of Satan's realm of darkness and transferred into the dominion of the Messiah’s kingdom or rule (Colossians 1:13-14).

This redemptive work of the Messiah Jesus on our behalf is a truth that every believer should understand. It is through the Messiah Jesus's work that we are redeemed, not through our own work. As a result of believing in the Messiah and being incorporated into him, we identify with him in all that he did, is doing, and will do on our behalf. The following list shows our spiritual identification with the Messiah Jesus in all of his accomplishments:

"In the Messiah" we as believers:

were crucified with him (Galatians 2:20), died with him (Romans 6:3), were buried with him (Romans 6:4), were made alive with him (Ephessians 2:5), were raised up with him (Ephesians 2:6), are seated in heaven with him (Ephesians 2:6), will appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:4).

It is precisely because of this spiritual identification of the believer with the Messiah Jesus in all of his accomplishments that we now stand before God clothed in the righteousness, holiness and redemption that are ours because we are in the Messiah Jesus.

Biblically, the Messiah Jesus is the elect one or chosen one of God - Yehovah in whom all of God's – Yehovah’s purposes are accomplished (e.g. Isaiah 42:1; Luke 9:35; Ephesians 1:1-14). All who are incorporated into the Messiah Jesus - through faith and the Spirit - become a part of God's – Yehovah’s elect or chosen people and thus share with His anointed one Jesus in all of God's – Yehovah’s purposes "for those who love him" (Romans 8:28; I Corinthians 2:9; James 2:5). This is all in accordance with God's – Yehovah’s foreordained plan. In fact, the Book of Ephesians shows that God – Yehovah actually chose us in the Messiah Jesus before the creation of the world in order that we would become his children and live in intimate fellowship with him:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in the Messiah. For He chose us in him [the Messiah] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us [marked us out beforehand] to be adopted as His sons/daughters through Jesus the Messiah in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the One He loves (Ephesians 1:3-6).

God chose and predestined us [marked us out beforehand] to be His children before the creation of the world. This was His plan of salvation. God - Yehovah knew that man would sin and in His wisdom and love He prepared a plan so that through His Son, Jesus the Messiah, we could be redeemed. In his wisdom, God – Yehovah knew according to His foreknowledge the people would believe. Therefore in His love, He made it such that when we did believe we would become His children. God's – Yehovah’s choice and predestination of us [marking us out beforehand], therefore, is based on His own foreknowledge of a people who would believe but with no interference in their freedom to choose. It was our decision to believe. God simply predestined [marked out beforehand] the results of that belief - for us to become His children! The Book of Romans summarizes these wonderful truths in God's – Yehovah’s plan of salvation:

And we know that in all things God - Yehovah works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God - Yehovah foreknew he also predestined [marked out beforehand] to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined [marked out beforehand], He also called; those He called, He also justified [declared not guilty]; those He justified [declared not guilty], He also glorified. What, then shall we say in response to this: If God – Yehovah is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will He not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God - Yehovah has chosen? It is God - Yehovah who justifies [declares not guilty]. Who is he that condemns? The Messiah Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to live - is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us as our High Priest. Who shall separate us from the love of the Messiah? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God - Yehovah that is in the Messiah Jesus our lord (Romans 8:28-39).

In the Messiah Jesus, we are God's – Yehovah’s children; foreknown before the creation of the world; called to be His own chosen people; justified [declared not guilty] so as to be righteous and blameless before him. And, even though the Messiah has not yet returned, already assured of appearing with him in glory.

The People of God - Yehovah

All true believers in Jesus the Messiah together make up the one family of God, members of His household, and as the called-out Assembly - the body of the Messiah. This is a spiritual family and spiritual assembly which transcends every man-made denomination, division, or sect. The Spirit of God - Yehovah binds all believers in the Messiah into a new people of God – Yehovah united above and beyond all worldly distinctions. This collective sense of being the new people of God - Yehovah is stated in many different ways within the New Testament Letters. Sometimes Old Testament imagery (e.g. the temple of God - Yehovah) is used to describe God's – Yehovah’s people while at other times completely different and new terminology (e.g. the body of the Messiah – which is the called-out Assembly of God) is introduced to describe the new spiritual realities that exist under the new covenant. Look at the Old Testament imagery used in the Book of I Peter:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God - Yehovah, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God - Yehovah (I Pet. 2:9-10).

In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was the called and chosen people of God. The New Testament, however, reveals that because of the Messiah's life, death, resurrection, and his giving of the holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost a new covenant relationship has been established between God - Yehovah and His people. Now all who believe in the Messiah Jesus - irrespective of ethnic, social or religious background - are part of the new covenant people of God, as new creations in the Messiah Jesus members of the New Humanity (cp. Matthew 21:33- 43; I Peter 2:4-10; etc.). As Paul says:

It is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God - Yehovah, who glory in the Messiah Jesus and who put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3; cp. Galatians 6:16).

This is simply Old Testament language being applied to the new covenant people of God - Yehovah. All that was promised in the Old Testament to God's – Yehovah’s covenant people, Israel, now becomes the rightful inheritance of God's -  Yehovah’s new covenant people in a way far greater than the Old Testament people ever saw or conceived. This is all a result of the work of the Messiah Jesus and the giving of God's – Yehovah’s gift of the Holy Spirit to all who believe in His anointed one, the Messiah Jesus. Look at the following verses from the Book of Ephesians:

For through him [the Messiah] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's – Yehovah’s people and members of God's – Yehovah’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with the Messiah Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him [the Messiah] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God - Yehovah lives by His Spirit (Ephesians 2:18-22).

What magnificent truths! We are fellow citizens with all of God's – Yehovah’s people regardless of ethnic race or national boundaries. We are united together in a citizenship that transcends and supersedes the national citizenships of this world. Our allegiance is therefore first and foremost to God - Yehovah and His kingdom. No national, ethnic or family allegiance can ever take priority over that. We are members of God's – Yehovah’s household - bound together in God's – Yehovah’s family by His Spirit of which we are born. In fact, so great is this new relationship with God - Yehovah that the Bible teaches that we, as God's – Yehovah’s chosen people, are now the temple of the living God, individually and collectively. God - Yehovah, the creator of the heavens and the earth, now lives in us by way of His Spirit, enabling us to do His will!

One in the Messiah

Throughout the New Testament this new special relationship of God – Yehovah with His people is emphasized over and over along with the love and care that God's – Yehovah’s people are to have for each other. In Old Testament times it was often thought that only Israelites or converts to the religion of Israel could be part of God's – Yehovah’s people. Gentiles, i.e., all of the other ethnic groups of the world, were thought to be impure and unclean. Though it was foretold in the Old Testament that these Gentiles would one day be blessed by God - Yehovah, it was never thought that they would be accepted as part of the people of God - Yehovah on an equal basis with Israel. However, as a result of the life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah and then his giving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost all barriers dividing God's – Yehovah’s people have been forever broken down (Ephesians 2:11-18). Look at the Letters to the Galatian and Corinthian churches:

You are all sons of God - Yehovah through faith in the Messiah Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in the Messiah Jesus (Galatians 3:26-28).

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with the Messiah Jesus. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink (I Corinthians 12:12-14).

Water baptism in the name of Jesus the Messiah can be very meaningful and significant but it is only symbolic of a far greater spiritual reality. For it is only the one Spirit of God - Yehovah in which we are "all baptized" - at the moment we believe in the Messiah - that truly cleanses us and unites us together in the one body of the Messiah – the called-out Assembly of God - Yehovah. This spiritual baptism into the Messiah is far greater than any kind of water baptism which we may undergo. For it is a baptism in the life-giving power of God's – Yehovah’s own Spirit which God - Yehovah Himself, through the Messiah, pours out upon all who believe (Titus 3:4-7; cf. John 1:32-34; Acts 1:5; 2:33; 11:15-17; 15:7-9).

As a result of this God – Yehovah giving "unity of the Spirit" (Ephesians 4:3) there are no longer any distinctions among the people of God on the basis of ethnic race, social and economic status, or national citizenship. It makes absolutely no difference to God – Yehovah whether a believer in the Messiah is black or white, rich or poor, European or American because God - Yehovah is no respecter of persons - only of conditions (Acts 10:34-35). Anyone - absolutely anyone - who believes in the Messiah is accepted by God – Yehovah into his household on an equal basis with everyone else because we are "all one in the Messiah Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). 

The Mystery Of The Messiah

This truth concerning the equal composition of the called-out Assembly - the body of the Messiah - the new covenant people of God - was so revolutionary that it was not immediately understood by the people of New Testament times. In fact, it was not even revealed by God - Yehovah until many years after the original outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Instead, it was a "mystery" or "secret" hidden in God - Yehovah and never before revealed until it was finally made known to the apostle Paul and then to the other New Testament apostles and prophets. Paul’s Letters to the Ephesian and Colossian churches set forth explicitly the wonderful truth regarding this mystery:

Surely you have heard about the administration of God's – Yehovah’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of the Messiah, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's – Yehovah’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of the Messiah Jesus (Ephesians 3:2-6, emphasis added).

This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant ...for the sake of his body, which is the called-out Assembly. I have become its servant by the commission God - Yehovah gave me to present to you the word of God – Yehovah in all its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God - Yehovah has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is the Messiah in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:23b-27, emphasis added).

As a result of all that the Messiah has accomplished, Gentile believers in the Messiah Jesus now share equally with Jewish believers in all that God - Yehovah has promised to His people. All who believe in the Messiah - whether Jew or Gentile - are now "heirs together," "members together of one body," and "sharers together in the promise of the Messiah Jesus". In addition, the Messiah, by way of the Spirit, now lives in each and every believer (Romans 8:9-10). So incredible are these truths that had "the rulers of this age" known about this mystery "they would not have crucified the lord of glory" (I Corinthians 2:8). In fact, by instigating the Messiah's crucifixion Satan himself thought that he had accomplished his greatest victory ever over God - Yehovah; but in truth, it was exactly the opposite, because the Messiah's sin-offering sacrificial death and his victorious resurrection sealed Satan's doom and gained victory forever for the people of God - Yehovah (Colossians 2:9-15; Romans 16:20). Now a new people of God – Yehovah is being formed made up of all who believe in Jesus the Messiah from every nation, family and ethnic race of the world. In this new people of God - Yehovah "there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but the Messiah is all, and is in all" (Colossians 3:11). What a great truth! For when the Messiah was personally present on earth he could only be in one place at one time. Today, however, he is present, by way of the Spirit, wherever there is a disciple that follows the lord Jesus. Therefore, as the called-out Assembly – the body of the Messiah, with the Messiah in each and every member, we are his representatives, ambassadors wherever we may be in this world. The Apostle Paul sums up this wonderful truth in God's – Yehovah’s plan of salvation:

I have been crucified with the Messiah and I no longer live, but the Messiah lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God - Yehovah, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

As God's – Yehovah’s children, created in the Messiah Jesus, foreknown and chosen before the creation of the world, it is now our joy, privilege, and responsibility to "declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light" (I Peter 2:9), so as to bring others into the blessings of God's – Yehovah’s salvation as well.