the second advent

A Few Little Keys to the Kingdom

Posted: October 14, 2007 by Stephen Simons in What We Believe
Tags: Baptism, Holy Supper, Jesus Christ, Priesthood of Believers, Repentance, Salvation, Sin, Ten Commandments

Jesus left more than a few keys of the kingdom in the hands of his followers. He never intended that anyone would horde them, or intentionally deprive others of them for their own selfish gain. But starting with the first apostles, and then bishops, and then popes that is exactly what happened — people used the keys to keep others out instead of letting themselves in. Strange isn’t it that Peter and the others thought that the holy spirit Jesus had given them was of a better quality or granted them more power or authority than the holy spirit that came upon the thousands present who were converted by it at the feast of Pentacost?
Jesus warned, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
There is only one teacher — Jesus Himself.
He is the holder of the keys, and He freely gives them to all who are willing to accept them. It is His will that whenever we discover one, we share it. And so, here are just a few of His keys to His kingdom that I have discovered in my walk with Him.
Jesus Christ is God

Jehovah God Created Heaven and Earth (Gen 1:1)
Jehovah God Himself is and Always Has Been the Savior of the World (Isa 43:11; Hos 13:4; Isa 47:4; Isa 63:16)
Jesus Christ is Jehovah God (Isa 9:6-7; Isa 7:14; Mt 1:23; Isa 25:9; Isa 40:3-5; Jn 1:1-14; Ps 33:6; 1 John 5:20)
Jesus was Born of the Virgin Mary – the Divine Soul in a Mortal Body and Mind (Lk 1:35)
By His Own Power Jesus Made Himself Fully Divine, Completely One with His Soul, so that After Resurrection and Ascension He Was and Always Will be Jehovah God All the Way Down Even to His Body, whose name we now know “Jesus Christ” (Jn 14:6; Lk 24:39; Jn 14:9; Jn 3:25; Mt 11:27; Mt 28:18; Rev 1:8-11)
Jesus Christ is the Archetypal Human, in whose image and likeness we were made — and so to be human is to be Christlike(Gen 1:26-27)
Saving Faith is Believing and Following the Life of Jesus Christ (Jn 3:36; Jn 15:4-5)
Every Believer is a Priest (Exod 19:6; Jer 31)
Every Person has an Individual, Direct, Unmediated Relationship with Jesus (Jn 15:15)
Jesus Christ Made His Second Advent (1745 - 1770) when He appeared in Person to Emanuel Swedenborg and Commissioned Him as a Revelator (Jn 16:12-15; Mt 24; Rev 1-22) as the prophets had foretold

Only God Explains Truth With Authority

The Written Revelations Given By God contain Divine Truth Itself (Jn 6:63; Mk 13:31; Lk 16:17)
The Written Text of these Revelations Describes the Truth, but it is a Believer’s Living and Present Relationship with God that Prescribes Answers for Life (Jn 16:12; Mt 5:17)
Every Believer Can and Should Search the Scriptures for God’s Eternal Message (Mt 7:7-8; Mt 21:21-22; Mt 23:25-26)
The Ten Commandments (Exod 20:1-17) Summarize Civil, Moral, and Spiritual Law(Mt 22:35-40; Lev 22:31; Jn 14:15; Jn 15:10)

Every Person’s Life is Their Faith, and Salvation is God’s Ability to Bless, Correct, Improve, Restore, and Resurrect

There is Only One True Faith that can save no matter what (Mt 16:16-18; Ephesians 4:4-13)
Saving Faith is Complete Confidence in Jesus Christ and Trust that Everyone who Lives a Good Life and Holds a Proper Belief is Saved by Him (Jn 11:25; Jn 3:16)
Doing God’s Will and Obeying God’s Commands are Required to Facilitate the Gifts of Faith and Salvation Even Though These Actions Do Not Cause a Believer to Deserve or Merit Heaven (Jn 3:27; Jn 15:4-8; Jn 13:17; Mt 13:23; Mt 7:24-26; Lk 10:27)

Salvation is God’s Purpose for Every Life, Because He Wants You to Succeed and Be Blessed like Everyone Else

Heaven Isn’t Just a Destination After Death, it is a Quality of Life, Right Here, Right Now (Lk 17:21)
In terms of Physics (position, velocity, and acceleration) – Heaven is a Velocity, not a position.
Everyone Lives Forever One Way or The Other (Jn 14:19; Jn 11:25)
Heaven is Full of People Who Love God and Love People Like God Loves Them (Mic 6:8; Lk 10:27)
Hell is Full of People Who Love Themselves and the stuff they can own, control, and manipulate (Ps 9:17; Lk 12:5)
Heaven and Hell are Both Eternal (Lk 16:26)
Every Human Being is Created for Heaven but is Free to Reject it (Lk 17:21)
People in Heaven are Married, One Man with One Woman, to Eternity (Mt 19:4-6)

Every Moment of Every Day, Jesus Christ is Using Everything that He has to Bless You

All Humans Have Free Will in Spiritual Matters and so Determine The Network and Context of their Own Eternal Life by Their Lifestyle Decision For or Against Jesus Christ (Ps 54:6; Isa 1:16-17; Jn 8:31-36; Jn 15:14-16)
Confessing Sins to Jesus Christ alone without another mediator, changing the decision for sin, giving back for the Damage Caused, and being Born Again to New Life in His Name is how we accept restoration, blessing, peace, and success (Jn 3:3; Jn 3:5; Lk 3:3-8; Mk 1:4; Mk 1:15; Lk 13:5; Lk 15:7; Mt 10:39; Ps 51:10)

Two Processes that Can Change You: Baptism and Holy Supper

Christian Baptism Replaces Circumcision (Deut 10:16; Galatians 5:6; 6:15)
Baptism is an Introduction to a Network and Context of Believers on Earth and in Heaven (Mt 3:13)
Baptism is Full Immersion in Water in the Name of Jesus Christ (Mt 28:18-19)
Baptism of Water is only a stepping stone so that a Person will be Born Again by the Spirit of Jesus Christ the living and only God (Jn 3:5; Mk 16:16)
Jesus Christ is Present With, Redeems, and Opens Heaven to Those who want to walk with Him when they Take the Bread and Fruit of the Vine in His Name (Jn 6:51-56)
Eating and Drinking with Jesus Connects the Believer’s Life with Jesus Christ and so renews their Freedom in Him (Deut 8:3; Jn 6:27)
Grace is the immediate willingness of God to work with us no matter what
Mercy is the empowered love of God that restores what was broken as we walk with Him in new life.

There are so many keys, these are just a few that have turned my life around. Take them, try them, and when God reaches into your life, like He has so many time in mine and takes these thoughts or others and makes them keys for you, keep a copy for yourself, but pass the original along to someone else in your life. Because it is only when we bring someone with us that any of God’s keys will open the door to eternal life.

The Kingdom of God is at Hand

Posted: April 12, 2007 by Stephen Simons in What We Believe
Tags: Baptism, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, Second Advent, Second Coming

The time of waiting is completed. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ is now at hand.
So change your life, and believe this Good News.
Jesus Christ returned centuries ago and nobody paid attention, nobody gave Him notice. Just as there were many who tried to personally gain from His ministry in Galilea only to turn on Him when they discovered He would not fight to restore the throne of His ancestor David – there have been many who have tried to turn what Jesus taught at His second coming to their own advantage. There have been false prophets who claimed His words as their own, but twisted them so as to corrupt them for their own ends. There have been so called intellectuals who have made a distinction between Jesus and the teaching He completed during His second coming on the grounds that His return is all about “the truth” and “enlightenment”, but once again these are just looking for an angle to personally gain from what they have discovered, so that they can sound smart, win in the petty economic struggles of earthly existence, and delight in the ignorance of those who have not read what Jesus taught. All in all, Jesus has been surrounded by unbelieving, self-absorbed, power hungry, wealth and position seeking people ever since He returned in person to finish what He started over 2000 years ago. Just like His 12 disciples arguments over position, power, and influence – those who have come across the news of the second coming have completely missed its primary point. And so, over 200 years later, the world is still waiting for the kingdom that God is already setting up!
So, repent! Hear the Good News and change your life! For the kingdom of God is here, right now, and you can be a part of it. And come, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and spread the Word that He is alive, He is God, He has come again, and He is and will always be right here, right now, ready to save.

Intimacy is the Key to Healing, Happiness, and Success

Posted: April 8, 2007 by Stephen Simons in What We Believe
Tags: Blessings, Healing, Intimacy, Peace, Presence of God, Relationships, Ten Commandments, Two Great Commandments

You can’t compel love. A person held in a relationship against their will would never be said to be in love with the one holding them there. However, when Jesus was asked, ”Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
Jesus answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
The American Heritage Dictionary says that a commandment is “n. A command; an edict.” However, in the Bible commandments are less like commands and more like the negotiated terms of a commitment or contract. Just as a marriage is a commitment between one man and one woman that has specific terms of faithfulness, support, and care — our relationship with God can be a committed relationship that will be successful according to the terms that we expect, maintain, and dedicate our lives to.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Jesus is not compelling our love. He is actually not even commanding our love. He is providing, sustaining, and empowering our love by consistently being there for us, blessing us, and providing for our happiness and success. He is keeping up his part of our relationship with Him — meeting us where we are and loving us with everything that He is.
However, just knowing Jesus loves every human being isn’t enough, because when we don’t love Him in return even His infinite love and omnipotent presence is ineffective in its attempt at blessing us. This is why He so passionately wants people to love Him — because love is always a two way street. One way love is ineffective until it is received and reciprocated. And so the all powerful creator of the universe says, “Love me so that I can bless you! Give me the opportunity to show you what I can do for you!”
It is God’s passionate joy to give you every good thing from success in business to good health and fulfilling relationships. He wants to bless your life with intimacy, peace, and contentment. He wants the best results possible in every situation that is facing you today, because He already loves you with everything that He is and everything that He has — and that’s everything.
The entirety of creation was designed to bless you, because God loves you. He created you so that He could bless you, and now He is telling you these two keys to success in life – Love God and Love Other People Just Like God Loves Them.
Intimacy. Real, lasting, deep, and passionate connections between human beings. Intimacy is what matters the most to God. Intimacy can heal the body. Intimacy can heal the spirit. Intimacy can solve the hatred, anger, depression, anxiety, and every other sin facing you today. Because intimacy is the presence of God. Intimacy is the result of love received and returned. Intimacy is the connection that God is looking for that enables His blessings, and His awesome will to be done.

the second advent

Monday, November 14, 2011