The Kingdom Of God in The Book Of Acts

Summary: The essence of this book explains that all members of the early church were fully led directly by the Holy Spirit. There were no religious regulations whatsoever, except being completely guided by the Holy Spirit.

Call to Action: As believers, may we receive His grace to continually learn to be led by the Holy Spirit day by day.

We now enter the Book of Acts and observe how the apostles carried out their works in spreading the gospel of the Kingdom. As we already know, there is only one gospel proclaimed in the books of the New Testament, namely the gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus and John the Baptist cried out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And we will see that the proclamation of the apostles in this book is focused on the kingdom of heaven.

The Book of Acts was written by Luke to Theophilus as a continuation of his Gospel. In his Gospel, Luke recounts all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day He was taken up into heaven (Luke 24:51). Before being taken up into heaven, for forty days Jesus repeatedly appeared and spoke to His disciples about the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of Elohim (Acts 1:3). Jesus spoke of nothing else except the kingdom of heaven, which indeed would later become the main theme or central focus of the apostles’ proclamation.

The Book of Acts consists of 28 chapters, which we can divide into two parts. Chapters 1–12 record the ministry of Peter and his team, primarily to the Jewish people. Then the second part, chapters 13–28, records the ministry of Paul and his team, who brought the gospel to the Gentiles, even as far as Rome, which at that time was the center of the Roman Empire.

Luke mentions that Paul taught about the Lord Jesus and the kingdom of heaven for two years in Rome while under house arrest, and then the book ends abruptly (Acts 28:31). There are many views as to why Luke ended the book so suddenly. However, in our view, there is an important truth hidden in this. Both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome around AD 67 under Emperor Nero. And there is still one more type of ministry that God desired the church to understand, namely the ministry of the apostle John, which began around AD 90–95. These three ministries (Peter, Paul, John) fulfill the principle of the Trilogy that we have discussed elsewhere. That is why Luke stopped his record abruptly, because there is still a “continuation” of the acts of the apostles that must be understood by the church.

We see from the beginning of this book that it records how Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven before His ascension. And at the end of the book, it is also recorded how Paul taught about the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, we can conclude that the Book of Acts proclaims the good news of the kingdom of heaven from beginning to end. This does not mean that the phrase “kingdom of heaven” must appear in every proclamation of the apostles. When someone proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah, he is in fact indirectly proclaiming the kingdom of heaven. For the Messiah is the Son of David, and the kingdom of David was only a symbol, whereas the kingdom of the Messiah is the reality that exists in a higher dimension, namely the heavenly dimension. Thus, whatever the emphasis of the sermons recorded in the Book of Acts, the main point is truly the good news of the kingdom of heaven.

In the Book of Acts, those who believe in the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of heaven are called disciples. We know that a disciple means one who is learning, or a student. Indeed, the kingdom of heaven is not something that believers can receive and immediately understand in its entirety. The kingdom of heaven is to be experienced and learned continuously. Paul even emphasizes that to enter the kingdom of heaven we must go through many tribulations (Acts 14:22). A disciple learns the kingdom of heaven through everything he suffers.

Let us speak briefly about the term ‘disciple’ in this book as used by Luke to refer to those who believe in Jesus. The Greek term for ‘disciple’ is ‘mathetes’, which means a learner or student. What do these believers learn? Certainly matters concerning the kingdom of heaven, because before Jesus was taken up, He repeatedly spoke to His disciples about the kingdom of heaven. Likewise, Paul taught about the kingdom of heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ for two years while he was in Rome under house arrest (Acts 28:30–31).

Concerning being a disciple—in the sense of learning about the kingdom of heaven—this is something that is very important for us to emphasize today. Why? Because in the Christian world there are many misleading slogans or jargon related to the kingdom of heaven. Preachers often say, “Believe in Jesus and you will surely go to heaven,” or “Once saved, always saved.” Regardless of whether a believer’s faith grows or not, as long as he believes in Jesus, he goes to heaven. There is even another concept of heaven believed by the majority in Christianity, namely “a heaven far away,” where the streets are made of gold, there is the Father’s house (like a physical building), and we praise and worship God forever. Meanwhile, those who are not chosen by God will be thrown into eternal hell, in the sense of writhing in the fires of hell forever. All these concepts believed by the majority in Christianity arise because believers do not become disciples and do not properly learn about the kingdom of heaven.

In the Book of Acts, we see that the disciples learned diligently under the guidance of the apostles, who indeed proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of heaven, and they lived out fellowship (koinonia), where they “sharpened one another,” as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17). They were also processed by the Father in heaven through the sufferings and challenges they had to face, for Paul also emphasized that to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must go through many tribulations (Acts 14:22). And most importantly, they lived their daily lives under the leading of the Holy Spirit. There are about seventy expressions such as ‘the Spirit led’, ‘the Spirit forbade’, ‘the prompting of the Spirit’, ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’, and so on, in the Book of Acts. Thus, all members learned to live led by the Spirit. They worshiped in Spirit and in truth, as Jesus taught (John 4).

Many Christians do not understand that the expression “believe in Jesus and you will surely go to heaven” DOES NOT EXIST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. The books of the New Testament teach us that believing in Jesus results in eternal life (‘zoe’), and that the ‘zoe’ life we receive is still in seed form and needs to grow. The Gospel of John strongly emphasizes that ‘believing in Jesus results in zoe life’. That is why the New Testament is full of encouragements, exhortations, and teachings to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in daily life so that the ‘zoe’ life within us may grow. The parable of the sower in the Gospel of Matthew explains what things can hinder the growth of the ‘zoe’ life we possess.

Furthermore, the Lord Jesus will come again—commonly called the second coming—to judge His church. Jesus Himself will assess how the ‘zoe’ life of each member of the church has grown, whether it has borne fruit or not. Jesus will also evaluate our works of service, whether they can withstand testing or not. If they endure, then we will serve Him in the next age, namely the Millennial Kingdom, when the kingdom of heaven will be fully established on earth. All these teachings about the kingdom of heaven are clearly stated in the books of the New Testament.

Therefore, the slogans or jargon in Christianity that say “believe in Jesus and you will surely go to heaven” are truly very misleading. Sadly, this is what the majority of people in Christianity believe. All of this is because many Christians do not become disciples of the Lord.

At this time, we will discuss the meaning of the good news of the kingdom of heaven proclaimed by the apostles. The understanding of the kingdom of heaven is not “a heaven far away,” which is commonly preached in Christianity. Generally, Christians hope that after death they will enter a heaven that is unrelated to this earth. There is even a teaching of the “rapture,” being taken up from this earth and going to “a heaven far away.”

Pay attention to Acts 1:6–7: “… ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He answered, ‘It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has set by His own authority.’” Here it is clear that Jesus answered that the KINGDOM OF ISRAEL ON EARTH will be restored; only the disciples do not need to know the time determined by the Father.

To understand the above matter, we must see that the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth in Revelation 21:10. Who does this ‘New Jerusalem’ represent? Observe Revelation 21:9–10, where an angel shows the apostle John ‘the Bride, the Lamb’s wife’, and then shows him ‘the holy city, Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God’. This means that the Bride of the Lamb IS the New Jerusalem. Thus, the New Jerusalem is the church, and more specifically represents the nation of Israel. The kingdom of Israel will be established on earth in the age of the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1).

We must understand that the NEW EARTH is not the first earth being totally destroyed and then the Father creating a completely new earth unrelated to the first one. Revelation 21:5 emphasizes that God is the One who makes all things new. The Greek term translated ‘new’ here is ‘kainos’, not ‘neos’. ‘Neos’ means new in terms of age—fresh, young, newly made. ‘Kainos’ means new in the sense of being very different from the old. ‘Kainos’ also means never used before, but not in the sense of erasing the old and replacing it with something entirely new. Therefore, the earth remains the earth, but undergoes a RADICAL TRANSFORMATION, so that it is called new.

Our question now is: how does the Father bring about this radical transformation of the earth we stand on? The answer: through the ministry of the ‘New Jerusalem’, which is the church, and specifically the kingdom of Israel. There are several aspects of the Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem) that we will consider.

First, there is the throne of Elohim and the throne of the Lamb in this city (Revelation 22:1). The throne in the Book of Revelation speaks of authority. The throne of Elohim speaks of the authority of Elohim, while the throne of the Lamb speaks of the authority of the Lord Jesus, as the Lamb of Elohim who redeemed humanity. The Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem) is humanity that manifests the authority of Elohim and the authority of the Lord Jesus on earth. Through a long process, the Bride of the Lamb comes to manifest God’s authority on this earth. We see that the Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem) is humanity that brings the kingdom of heaven to earth.

Second, there is the river of the water of life flowing from the throne. The Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem) will become a blessing to the nations of the earth by freely giving the water of life (Revelation 22:17). And on either side of the river is the tree of life, whose leaves heal the nations of the earth. Third, the Bride of the Lamb (the New Jerusalem) will reign as kings forever and ever (Revelation 22:5). Therefore, this new earth comes about through the ministry of the church, and specifically the kingdom of Israel.

Thus, the good news of the kingdom of heaven proclaimed by the apostles does not mean sending people to “a heaven far away,” leaving the earth behind. Rather, it means bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth, so that the earth moves toward becoming a new earth, together with a new heaven. This is in accordance with the prayer taught by the Lord Jesus to His disciples: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Let us pay attention to Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” At this time, we will discuss the phrase “to be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth.”

In writing his Gospel, Luke recorded and arranged it orderly for Theophilus (Luke 1:3). If we read the Gospel of Luke, the phrase ‘arranged it orderly’ here, among other things, means arranging the events of Jesus’ ministry in an orderly way ‘geographically’. That is, Jesus’ ministry is recorded beginning in Galilee (Luke 4:14), then His ministry from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–19:44), then His ministry in Jerusalem until His ascension (Luke 19:45–Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:1–2).

Likewise, Luke records in an orderly ‘geographical’ manner the ministry of the apostles in the Book of Acts. The ministry of Peter and his companions began in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria (Acts 1–12). Then the ministry of Paul and his companions extended from Antioch to Rome (Acts 13–28). The city of Rome, as the center of the Roman Empire at that time, can be viewed as “the ends of the earth.” Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Luke ended the book “abruptly,” because indeed the apostles had become witnesses of Jesus “to the ends of the earth.”

We already know that the apostles proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of the Messiah. Let us step back for a moment to understand the phrase “to the ends of the earth.” The Father’s plan for humanity is clearly written in Genesis 1:26–28, namely to make humanity in His image and likeness, so that they may subdue ‘all the creatures’ that move on the earth. And the Father’s plan cannot fail. However, humanity must first be processed to become in His image and likeness, so that they can subdue ‘all the creatures’ that move on the earth. Of course, the meaning of ‘all the creatures’ that move on the earth is not only physical animals, but also the devil and his evil spirits who rule on earth. Paul emphasizes that our struggle is against the kingdom of the devil (Ephesians 6:12). Thus, the Father’s plan for humanity is to subdue the kingdom of the devil that rules over the whole earth.

Many Christians think that the fall of Adam was a disaster that thwarted the Father’s plan. These Christians do not realize that Adam’s fall was indeed planned beforehand by the Father as a process so that humanity might become in His image and likeness. Consider Romans 8:19–21: “… for the whole creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope….” Even the death of the Lamb was planned before the foundation of the world: “… the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world…” (Revelation 13:8, ILT). Therefore, the Father’s plan did not fail in making humanity in His image and likeness to subdue the kingdom of the devil that “creeps” on the earth.

How can humanity subdue the kingdom of the devil on the face of this earth? Certainly through the kingdom of the Messiah, which will be fully established on earth at the coming of Jesus, commonly called the second coming. This Messianic kingdom will continue to expand without limit until everything is subdued. Consider the prophecy of the Messianic kingdom in Isaiah 9:7: “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David….” Thus, the Messianic kingdom or the kingdom of heaven proclaimed by the apostles will subdue everything on this earth.

Therefore, the meaning of the good news of the kingdom of heaven being proclaimed “to the ends of the earth” is that the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of the Messiah has already begun and will continue to subdue everything on this earth.

Let us look at the ministry of Jesus after His resurrection and before His ascension. Acts 1:1–8 states it as follows: “… for forty days appearing to them and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of Elohim… for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…” (ILT). The proclamation of Jesus is clearly the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of Elohim. Since from the beginning of His ministry in Galilee, Jesus proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and until His ministry just before His ascension into heaven, He also spent forty days proclaiming the kingdom of heaven to His disciples.

Therefore, the matter of being ‘baptized in the Holy Spirit’ must be connected to the matter of the kingdom of heaven that He taught. Jesus clearly taught His disciples to pray, saying, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). This means praying that the kingdom which exists in the heavenly dimension would descend into the earthly dimension (space and time), so that the Father’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. In order for the kingdom of heaven to be manifested on earth and for the Father’s will to be done on earth, His disciples must be baptized in the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was never intended so that His disciples could go to ‘heaven far away there’, or to the so-called ‘Father’s house’, which is imagined as a beautiful place somewhere unknown. Clearly, the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is so that the kingdom of heaven may come down to earth and the Father’s will may be done on earth.

One thing we need to understand is that the Holy Spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost was still a “pledge,” a “down payment,” or an “advance,” as a guarantee that the fullness would be given later. Ephesians 1:14 states, “The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it in full….” The term ‘guarantee’ is translated from the Greek word ‘arrabōn’, which means a down payment given as assurance that the full amount will be paid later. Meanwhile, the term ‘inheritance’ is translated from the Greek word ‘klēronomia’, which means inheritance.

Thus, the inheritance of Christ’s disciples is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in FULL, not PARTIALLY as occurred on the day of Pentecost. And the FULL outpouring of the Holy Spirit is also intended so that the kingdom of heaven may be manifested on this earth. Therefore, the inheritance of Jesus’ disciples is not HEAVEN, but THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT—meaning receiving the Holy Spirit fully, just as Jesus received Him when He ministered on this earth.

John 3:34 affirms, “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit” (Indonesian Bible). When Jesus ministered on earth, He ministered in the unlimited fullness of the Holy Spirit—that is, the Spirit in FULL, not in PART. And because His disciples would receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit just as He did, Jesus promised that “…he will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.” The reason His disciples could do greater works than those Jesus did is because Jesus went to the Father. Jesus went to the Father through His death, His resurrection, and His ascension to sit at the right hand of the Father. This is the basis for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We will discuss this later in Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:33).

Thus, Jesus’ ministry during the forty days after His resurrection was related to the matter of the kingdom of heaven that would be established on earth, and also to the fullness of the Holy Spirit—not merely a partial measure, but the full fullness of the Holy Spirit that His disciples would one day receive.

We have seen that Jesus’ ministry after His resurrection was related to the matter of the kingdom of heaven that would be established on earth, and also to the fullness of the Holy Spirit—not merely a partial measure, but the full fullness of the Holy Spirit that His disciples would one day receive. When will the FULL fullness of the Holy Spirit occur for Jesus’ disciples?

It is no coincidence that the PARTIAL fullness of the Holy Spirit occurred on the feast day of Pentecost. Therefore, we will explain when the FULL fullness of the Holy Spirit occurs through the three major feasts of Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. We will see that these three major feasts of Israel are related to the matter of the ‘harvest of souls’. It must be remembered that the souls to be harvested are mature souls, because a farmer never harvests crops that are not yet ripe.

Let us briefly look at the three feasts of Israel related to the harvest of souls.

First, Passover. Jesus, as our Passover Lamb who was slain, is the fulfillment of Israel’s Passover celebrated once a year. In John 4:35 it is written, “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest” (ILT). The Greek term translated ‘harvest’ here is ‘therismos’, which means the process and time of harvesting. Thus, Jesus said that the time of harvest had arrived. The Indonesian Bible translates it as ‘ripe for harvest’.

The souls of Jesus’ generation had matured and were ready to be harvested. The ‘harvest of souls’ associated with Israel’s Passover feast occurred in Jesus’ generation. Who were the harvesters? John 4:38 says, “I sent you to reap….” Jesus’ disciples were the harvesters. But the sowers were not Jesus’ disciples. Verse 38 says that “…others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” The ‘others’ Jesus referred to are all the servants of God in the Old Testament era—prophets, priests, kings, and all God’s chosen people throughout the Old Testament—who served Yahweh. Yet Jesus added that both the sower and the reaper rejoice together and receive their reward.

Thus, the Lord’s disciples in Jesus’ generation were the reapers, while the sowers were God’s chosen people throughout the Old Testament era. We see here that when the Jewish Passover feast was fulfilled by Jesus as the Passover Lamb, the ‘harvest of souls’ took place.

Second, Pentecost. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit discussed in Acts chapter two, as the fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Pentecost, was not a ‘harvest of souls’. Why? Because the souls who experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at that time were not yet mature. In fact, at that moment the church was just born like a baby. The church needed to experience growth. God gave apostles, prophets, shepherds, evangelists, and teachers so that the church might grow toward “…full maturity and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

The church, in the process of its growth, was split into tens of thousands of denominations due to the attacks of fierce wolves on certain leaders (Acts 20:28–30). This caused the church not yet to be mature for harvest. And it is precisely here that we see the concept of the church’s “firstfruits”—that is, members of the church throughout the ages who matured earlier and were ready to be harvested. However, the “firstfruits” of the church are not Christians who are better than others. The “firstfruits” of the church were predetermined by the Father’s sovereignty, as written in James 1:18: “…that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (ILT). Thus, throughout church history there have been Christians who matured earlier (the firstfruits) and were ready to be harvested.

The Bible explains that the harvesting of the church’s “firstfruits” occurs at the coming of Jesus, commonly called His second coming. This event is recorded in Romans 8:19–21, where the “firstfruits” of the church will experience the FULL outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is the event in which the kingdom of heaven is FULLY established on earth. And the “firstfruits” of the church will do works greater than those Jesus did, according to His promise (John 14:12). According to Romans 8:19–21, the “firstfruits” of the church will set creation free from its bondage to decay. We are not discussing the feast of Tabernacles at this time.

At present, we will discuss how Jesus ascended into heaven, during which He repeatedly appeared to His disciples, ministered to them for forty days, and spoke about the kingdom of heaven. Consider Acts 1:11: “…this Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” Perhaps this verse is used by some Bible teachers to prove that Jesus will come again and be seen by the physical eyes of the disciples. From this verse, the expression of Jesus’ “second coming” is also taught. The teaching that Jesus will come a “second time” and be visible to the physical eye has become very popular and widely believed by the majority of Christians, even though the expression “second coming” never appears in the Bible. This “physical” interpretation continues, so that in general, Christians understand the Lord’s coming as a second physical coming of Jesus, accompanied by preceding events such as the great tribulation, the coming of the Antichrist with the number 666, the rapture of believers, and so on.

In the New Testament, Christ is described as coming “with the clouds,” coming like “lightning,” coming like “a thief,” coming as “the sound of an angel,” coming with “the trumpet of God,” coming as “the bridegroom,” coming as “King,” coming as “the morning star,” coming as “Judge,” coming as “Savior,” coming into “His temple,” coming to “the Mount of Olives,” coming riding a “white horse,” coming as “the good shepherd,” coming in “His kingdom,” coming “in glory,” coming “upon His throne,” coming with “His angels,” coming with “His saints,” coming to “His saints,” coming within “His saints,” and so on and so forth. None of these descriptions point to a second physical coming. Our understanding of His coming becomes very confused if we think He comes only twice—first, His coming 2,000 years ago, and then a “second coming” sometime in the future. In fact, the Bible affirms that the Lord has come, is coming, and will come. He comes continuously, and He progressively reveals Himself until all His plans are fulfilled.

Let us begin with the Greek terms used in the New Testament that are translated as “coming.” There are six Greek terms.

The first is PAROUSIA. This term appears 24 times in the New Testament and comes from the verb ‘pareimi’, meaning ‘to be present’. The noun means ‘presence’. Parousia never refers to the act of coming or arrival, but to the presence of someone who has already come. Its usage in the New Testament is never associated with a physical coming of the Lord. Thus, ‘parousia’ means presence. Where two or three gather in His name, He is there. That is His PRESENCE. That is His COMING.

The second Greek term is APOKALUPSIS, derived from the verb ‘apokaluptō’, meaning ‘to uncover’ or ‘to reveal’, emphasizing revelation—an unveiling of someone who was previously hidden.

The third Greek term is EPIPHANEIA, which appears six times in the New Testament. It comes from a verb meaning ‘to bring to light’ or ‘to make manifest’. The noun means ‘manifestation’. This term is used to express the glory and splendor manifested by the Lord’s coming.

The fourth Greek term is PHANEROŌ, which means to make manifest or to make visible—not necessarily to the physical eye, but as a perception.

The next Greek term is ERCHOMAI, which is used to indicate the actual act of coming. This term is not the same as ‘parousia’, which refers to the presence of someone who has already come. ‘Erchomai’ is used in Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds…,” and also in Acts 1:11, “…this Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.”

The sixth Greek term is HĒKŌ, which emphasizes coming to a particular place. This word is found in Revelation 2:25, “But hold fast what you have until I come.”

Certainly, these six Greek terms do not indicate six different kinds of the Lord’s coming. Rather, the varied usage helps us understand the intended meaning of a text that speaks about His coming. For now, it is sufficient to understand that the Lord’s coming DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A PHYSICAL COMING. Thus, Acts 1:11, which explains Jesus’ coming, does not necessarily refer to a physical coming.

We have seen, based on the brief explanation of these six Greek terms translated as “coming,” that the meaning of the Lord’s coming does not have to be physical. Therefore, Acts 1:11, which explains Jesus’ coming, also does not have to refer to a physical coming.

If we look at the context of Acts 1:11—where Jesus repeatedly spoke about the kingdom of heaven to His disciples, and also their question about when the kingdom of Israel would be restored—then we certainly would not interpret Jesus’ coming as His physical return, much less as His coming to rapture His disciples away from the earth to “heaven far away there.” By paying attention to the context, we see that Jesus’ coming is actually the coming of the kingdom of heaven to earth.

In the Christian world, the teaching that the kingdom of heaven will be fully manifested on earth is not widely accepted. Generally, preachers teach that after we die, we will go to heaven and praise God there forever. Such teaching, though perhaps pleasant to the ears, is not what Jesus and His apostles taught. Jesus clearly taught His disciples to pray that the kingdom of heaven would come to earth, so that the Father’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Therefore, to understand Acts 1:11, we need to step back and look again at Genesis 1:26, which says, “…Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion… over all the earth….” God’s purpose in creating humans in His image and likeness was so that humans would have dominion over the whole earth. The term ‘dominion’ in this verse comes from the Hebrew word ‘radah’, meaning ‘to rule’. This speaks of human governance over the earth. Verse 28 further states not only that humans are to have dominion (rule), but also to ‘subdue’ (the Hebrew term ‘kabash’, meaning ‘to tread down’). This implies that there is an enemy to be subdued on earth—the kingdom of darkness. From Genesis 1:26–28, we find that God’s purpose in creating humans in His image and likeness is for humans to rule and to subdue the earth. There is an enemy to be subdued and trampled. To establish human authority and rule on earth, humans must struggle against the enemy and conquer it.

From this portion of Scripture, we see that the focus of God’s plan for humanity is the earth—how humans can rule, subdue, and trample their enemies on this earth; how humans can establish their governance on this earth. Earth… earth… earth… this is the purpose and focus of God’s plan for humanity. God did not create humans to be evacuated to heaven and sing there endlessly. God will not rapture humans from the earth to take them into heaven, because God’s purpose in creating humans is for them to rule and subdue everything that creeps upon the earth.

Therefore, the meaning of Acts 1:11—which states that Jesus will come again in the same way as His disciples saw Him go into heaven—must be understood as the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. This understanding is consistent with the context of Acts chapter 1, the context of the entire New Testament, and also the context of the whole Bible.

We have emphasized that the meaning of Acts 1:11 must be understood as the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, and that Jesus will come as King above all kings. At this time we will discuss the coming of the Lord as King. When speaking about the Lord’s coming as King, we must also speak about the kingdom, because a kingdom is the domain or territory of a king’s authority. The word ‘kingdom’ comes from ‘king’ and ‘domain’ (territory of authority), so a kingdom is the territory over which a king rules. Jesus is the King, and the territory of His authority is the heavenly realm. That is why, when Pilate asked, “Are You a king?” Jesus answered that for this purpose He was born, but that His kingdom is not from here (not of this world). This does not mean that Jesus has no authority over the whole earth. Jesus said that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. Rather, it means that the sphere of Jesus’ rule is the heavenly realm.

However, we must understand that the Father’s plan is for the Kingdom of Heaven to be established on this earth. That is why Jesus taught us to pray that the Kingdom of Heaven would come to the earth. It is in this sense that we are speaking about the coming of Jesus as King.

Before we go further, we need to clearly understand where the Kingdom of Heaven is. Let us look at two verses that speak about this. First, Luke 17:21: “…for indeed the Kingdom of God is AMONG (ENTOS) you” (LAI). Second, Matthew 23:26: “…first cleanse the INSIDE (ENTOS) of the cup, so that the outside may also be clean.” The Greek term ENTOS (which appears only twice in the New Testament) is translated as AMONG in Luke and INSIDE in Matthew. It is impossible for both translations to be correct. We know that the golden rule in understanding the meaning of a word (term) is to understand how it is used in a sentence. In Matthew 23:26, the use of ‘entos’ makes it impossible to translate it as AMONG. Therefore, it is clear that ‘entos’ must be translated as INSIDE, so Luke 17:21 should read, “For indeed the Kingdom of God is INSIDE you” (LAI). In fact, the Kingdom of Elohim or the Kingdom of Heaven is INSIDE YOU. Even if we look at the context of Luke 17, the Kingdom of Heaven was ALSO INSIDE THE PHARISEES who opposed Jesus; only the EFFECT or INFLUENCE of that kingdom was not present because they did not believe.

Thus, the Kingdom of Heaven is inside us; therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven HAS COME, IS COMING, and WILL COME. The Kingdom of Heaven HAS come into us, because it is indeed inside us; it IS GROWING inside us, in the sense that Jesus as King increasingly rules and governs every aspect of our lives; and it WILL COME into us, in the sense that we will be revealed (manifested together with Jesus in glory) when the seventh trumpet is sounded, when the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of the Lord (JESUS) and of His Anointed (that is, US)—see Revelation 11:15. When the Kingdom of Heaven comes to the earth, we will reign together with the Lord Jesus. This is the meaning of His coming as King.

The event of Jesus’ coming as King, which we are awaiting, is also written in Romans 8:19, Colossians 3:4, Jude 14, and other passages that affirm the coming of the Lord together with His saints to rule this earth. If we understand the coming of the Lord Jesus as King whose Kingdom is inside us, then we will not wait for Jesus to come from a physical heaven with a physical throne, perhaps descending to a physical Jerusalem to rule the earth from there. This physical teaching comes from a fallen Christianity. The Overcomers certainly realize that the Kingdom of Heaven is within them… ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory…’.

Let us continue our discussion into chapter 2, where the outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred on the day of Pentecost. Many Bible teachers hold the view that “Jesus comes twice physically,” that is, first 2,000 years ago, and then later at the end of the age Jesus will return physically to this earth.

But now, let us look at what actually happened on the day of Pentecost. We will explain the concept of the Lord’s coming through the three major feasts of Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The fulfillment of these three major feasts can explain to us the coming of the Lord, especially His coming in and through His chosen people.

Let us begin with the fulfillment of the Passover feast. The coming of the Lord Jesus in the fulfillment of Passover was when He came as our Passover Lamb and sacrificed Himself on the cross to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2).

Then, the coming of the Lord in the fulfillment of the Pentecost feast was when He came as the Holy Spirit. Many people assume that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as the fulfillment of Pentecost, was not the coming of the Lord. But let us look at the Lord’s promise to His disciples (the eleven disciples) on that final night. John 14:18 says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:28 also says, “…I am going away, and I am coming back to you….” John 16:16 affirms, “A little while, and you will see Me no more; and again a little while, and you will see Me.” If the coming of the Lord is understood as a “second coming,” then until now the Lord has not come, and His disciples (the eleven) have all died, so Jesus’ promise would not have been fulfilled. Remember, Jesus promised to come again TO HIS DISCIPLES (the eleven, since Judas had gone). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the coming of the Lord as “another Comforter.” The Greek term ALLOS (not HETEROS) translated as ‘another’ means ‘another but the same’. Thus, the “other” Helper (Comforter) that Jesus meant is HIMSELF, but as the person of the HOLY SPIRIT. Therefore, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is also the coming of the Lord.

Consider 1 Corinthians 15:45: “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being,’ but the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” The phrase ‘life-giving spirit’ comes from the Greek expression ‘pneuma zoopoieo’. ‘Zoopoieo’ is a verb meaning ‘to give life’. That is why Young’s Literal Translation renders the phrase as ‘life-giving spirit’. Thus, the last Adam, who is Jesus, became a Spirit who gives life. This is consistent with what is written in John 10:10, that the purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world was to give Life (‘zoe’), that is, the kind of life lived by Elohim. This ‘zoe’ life enables us to know the Father and to know Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3). THEREFORE, THE EVENT OF THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ACTUALLY THE COMING OF JESUS IN THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Just as Jesus fulfilled the Passover feast, so also Jesus fulfilled the Pentecost feast. This understanding is necessary for us to comprehend the Kingdom of Heaven. If our understanding is that Jesus comes twice physically, then we will not understand the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, the 120 people who received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were the PEOPLE OF THE KINGDOM. They are called disciples in the book of Acts because they were learning about the Kingdom of Heaven from the teaching of the apostles.

Let us continue our discussion of the concept of the Lord’s coming through the fulfillment of the three major feasts of Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Feast of Booths). We have discussed the coming of the Lord in the fulfillment of Passover and Pentecost. Now we will discuss the coming of the Lord in the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles. Again, this is important for us to understand the Kingdom of Heaven.

Let us read several passages related to the Feast of Tabernacles. First, it is written in Leviticus 23:33–44. Second, the Feast of Tabernacles is also called the Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23:16). Third, it is also called the feast of the seventh month, where the number seven speaks of fullness or completeness (Nehemiah 8:14). If we observe the three major feasts of Israel—Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles—these feasts are related to the ‘harvest’. In Passover, we have only the ‘sheaf of the firstfruits’; in Pentecost, we find the ‘harvest of the firstfruits’; in Tabernacles, we obtain the ‘harvest of the firstfruits in its fullness’.

How is the Feast of Tabernacles fulfilled in the church? We know that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the 120 disciples was a “partial” outpouring, as a pledge or guarantee. Ephesians 1:14 affirms this: “…having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance…” (ARRABON = pledge, guarantee, or down payment) (ILT). Therefore, in the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, the “firstfruits” of the church will experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in fullness. And because the Feast of Tabernacles is called the ‘Feast of Ingathering’, all the “firstfruits” of the church in every age will be gathered and will experience the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

This event of the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not the same as what is commonly understood in Christianity as a “great harvest of souls,” as proclaimed to occur in an end-time revival. Rather, this full outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the harvest of the “firstfruits” of the church (those who mature earlier) throughout the ages. Thus, not all members of the church throughout the ages will experience the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The firstfruits of the church are those members who have matured earlier, in accordance with the meaning of “firstfruits.” James 1:18 affirms this: “…that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures…” (ILT). This verse also emphasizes that becoming “firstfruits” is the Father’s decision and determination.

The full outpouring of the Holy Spirit is what Paul calls ‘glorification by faith’ (Romans 8). In the book of Romans, Paul explains salvation with three expressions: justification by faith, sanctification by faith, and glorification by faith. Glorification by faith is something that all creation eagerly longs for (Romans 8:19–21). When the ‘full outpouring of the Holy Spirit’ occurs, the firstfruits of the church will be revealed (manifested) to all creation. Romans 8:19–21 affirms that the purpose of revealing the firstfruits of the church is to liberate creation. It is no coincidence that James uses the expression firstfruits of creation, because what will be liberated by the firstfruits of the church is ALL CREATION.

Indeed, the firstfruits of the church are the “little flock” to whom the Father in heaven is pleased to give the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 12:32). We are simply waiting for the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths), in the sense of the “full” outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so that the Kingdom of Heaven within us may be revealed (manifested) on this earth, and we may minister on this earth in bodies of glory. Thus, the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles comes to the firstfruits of the church, in the sense of receiving THE FULL OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO LIBERATE CREATION.

Let us now enter into Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14–36). We will take several important points from this sermon. The first point we will discuss relates to His ascension (2:33–36). It is written: “Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of Elohim, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you now see and hear… YAHWEH said to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool’… therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that Elohim has made Him both Lord and Messiah—this JESUS whom you crucified” (ILT).

Notice the phrase “exalted to the right hand of Elohim.” This speaks of Jesus’ authority as Lord and Messiah. The term ‘Messiah’ is certainly related to the Kingdom, that is, the Kingdom led by Jesus. And this Messianic Kingdom will make His enemies a footstool for His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:24–28 affirms that this Messianic Kingdom will subdue all enemies, the last enemy being ‘death’, which is the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). When all the remnants of sin have been removed and subdued in the universe, then a condition will come that is called ‘the Father being all in all’ (verse 28). This means that the Father can express Himself through and within all creation.

Furthermore, Jesus affirmed that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him; therefore, make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–19). This means that the basis of the command to disciple all nations is that Jesus possesses authority in heaven and on earth. It is clear that salvation, or making all nations disciples of the Lord, depends on the authority of Jesus Christ. Salvation does not depend on human response, because all people are already dead in sin. Dead people cannot give any response. Likewise, Paul affirms that the people of the world cannot believe the gospel because they have been blinded by evil spirits (2 Corinthians 4:4). That is why Jesus said that if He were lifted up, in the sense of dying, rising, and sitting at the right hand of the Father, and obtaining authority in heaven and on earth, then He would and could draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).

Then, the ascension of Jesus is also the basis for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Notice Acts 2:33: “Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of Elohim, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit, or baptized His disciples with the Holy Spirit, because He had been exalted and had sat at the right hand of the Father. Thus, the baptism in the Holy Spirit did not occur because the disciples prayed and waited for ten days until Pentecost arrived. There was nothing the disciples needed to do in order to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The disciples simply BELIEVED in Jesus, and they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the basis of His ascension.

The fact that Jesus has already sat at the right hand of the Father and possesses authority in heaven and on earth should be a strong encouragement for us to make disciples and to believe that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

The second point we will discuss in Peter’s sermon concerns the resurrection of Jesus. Peter quotes David’s prophecy about the resurrection of the Messiah, as follows: “For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 2:27).

To understand the resurrection, we need to understand what is meant by ‘Hades’ in the verse above. The phrase ‘the realm of the dead’ is translated from the Greek term ‘hades’. The meaning of hades is actually a dwelling place (a realm) where the spirits of people who have died reside. We do not know exactly what the life of those spirits who have left their bodies is like. What is clear is that ‘the realm of the dead’ is not like a grave where there is no life at all. People who have left their earthly bodies enter into a kind of existence that is referred to as ‘the realm of the dead’ in the verse above.

Let us look at the story of the fall of Adam and Eve so that we may understand this ‘realm of the dead’. Genesis 2:17 states, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” The term ‘die’ in this verse is translated from the Hebrew expression ‘mut tamut’. Mut tamut cannot be translated simply as die, because ‘mut’ means ‘to die’, and therefore the expression ‘mut tamut’ carries a specific meaning. Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible renders it accurately as, ‘dying thou dost die’, meaning that at the moment you eat the forbidden fruit, you immediately enter a ‘condition of death’ that progresses toward physical death. Thus, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they did not die physically at once, but they entered a ‘condition of death’ that eventually led to physical death. This is why Adam and Eve were still able to function for hundreds of years before finally dying physically.

The Bible refers to this ‘condition of death’ experienced by Adam and Eve with the term ‘death’, because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore, ‘death’ is not a condition without activity like the grave. In reality, ‘death’ is the condition of a sinful person who lives apart from the life of Elohim. A human being who lives apart from the life of Elohim is said to live in the ‘realm of death’, This is the condition of sinners which, in turn, results in physical death.

Let us return to Acts 2:27 above: “for You will not abandon my soul to the realm of the dead….” After His death on the cross, Jesus entered the ‘realm of the dead’ for three days. However, the ‘realm of the dead’ could not hold Jesus there. Jesus was raised because He possessed the kind of life of Elohim (‘zoe’), which overcomes the kind of life called ‘death’. The resurrection of Jesus proves that He has conquered the kind of life called ‘death’. That is why Paul declares, “…death has been swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54–55).

Such was Peter’s sermon affirming that the resurrection of Jesus had been prophesied by David. The Lord’s disciples in the early church strongly emphasized the resurrection of Jesus, both in their teaching and in their role as witnesses of His resurrection.

We continue Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost concerning the resurrection of the Messiah and compare it with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 15. We will see that the resurrection of Jesus has an impact on the resurrection of all the dead. Note 1 Corinthians 15:13: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.” This means that precisely because Christ has been raised, there will be a resurrection of the dead. For Christ has been raised as the “firstfruits” of those who have died (verse 20). We know that the meaning of “firstfruits” implies that there will be subsequent fruits to be harvested.

Let us observe Paul’s line of thought in explaining the resurrection of all the dead as a result of Christ’s resurrection as the “firstfruits.” 1 Corinthians 15:21–23 states: “For since death came through one man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through one man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order….” Here Paul is speaking

about headship. Both Adam and Christ Jesus are heads of humanity. This means that what the head experiences will also be experienced by all its members.

When Adam fell into sin and received the kind of life called ‘death’ as the wages of sin—which in turn leads to physical death—all his members (all human descendants of Adam) also receive the kind of life called ‘death’, which results in physical death. We do not need to do anything to receive this kind of life called ‘death’. When we are born into the world, we immediately receive the kind of life called ‘death’, which leads to physical death, because we are members of Adam as the head of humanity. Likewise, Christ Jesus is the head of humanity. When Christ was raised, all humanity will also be raised, each in his own order.

Observe the order explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:23–28: “…Christ the firstfruits; afterward those who belong to Him at His coming. Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after He has destroyed all rule and all authority and power… The last enemy to be destroyed is death… so that God may be all in all” (Indonesian Bible).

Thus, the order of resurrection is as follows. First, Christ as the firstfruits. Second, at His coming—commonly called the second coming—there will be the resurrection of the bodies of His chosen ones. This event is recorded in Romans 8:19–21, where the sons of Elohim, with glorified bodies, are revealed to all creation in order to free all creation from its bondage to decay. Third, the kingdom of Jesus and His chosen ones will subdue everything until the last enemy, death, is defeated. When death as the wages of sin has been defeated, then all humanity will also be raised in glorified bodies. Thus it is fulfilled that Elohim becomes all in all, meaning that Elohim can express the fullness of His glory in and through all humanity.

Thus, the resurrection of Jesus as the “firstfruits” has an impact on the resurrection of all humanity. At this point, we continue Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost concerning the death of Jesus. Note Acts 2:23: “This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of Elohim, you killed by the hands of lawless men, having crucified Him” (ILT).

We have discussed His ascension and His resurrection, as well as their impact on believers and on all humanity. Now we will discuss the death of Jesus, which is certainly central to the proclamation of the apostles.

Let us quote several verses related to the death of Jesus. Matthew 26:28 states, “For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 22:19 says, “And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’” 1 Corinthians 11:24–26 states, “…This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me…. This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

There are several things we need to note in the verses above. First, the New Covenant is sealed by the blood of Jesus. Second, the Lord’s Supper is observed by the church as a remembrance of Jesus. Third, by observing the Lord’s Supper, the church proclaims the death of the Lord until He comes.

What does the expression ‘in remembrance of Me’ mean? The Greek term translated as ‘remembrance’ is ‘anamnesis’, which means a reminder. Thus, if translated literally, Jesus said, ‘Do this as a reminder for Me’. This is reinforced by the phrase ‘of Me’, which comes from the Greek term ‘emos’, indicating that the reminder belongs to Jesus. Therefore, the church observes the Lord’s Supper to remind Jesus. Remind Him of what? To remind Jesus of His promise to come again.

This is in harmony with the prayer that the Lord Jesus taught His disciples: ‘Your kingdom come’. It is also consistent with Revelation 6:10: “…How long, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” And 2 Peter 3:12 states, “as you look forward to the day of God and hasten its coming” (Indonesian Bible). Therefore, every time the church observes the Lord’s Supper, the church reminds the Lord Jesus of His promise to come again and establish His kingdom on earth.

By observing the Lord’s Supper, the church also proclaims the death of Jesus. This is very important, because the essence of the gospel is the death of Jesus that takes away the sin of the world. And the early church observed the Lord’s Supper daily.

We continue Peter’s sermon, in which Peter quotes Joel 2:28–32 as he explains the phenomenon that occurred on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:17 states, “And it shall be in the last days, Elohim says, that I will pour out from My Spirit upon all flesh…” (ILT). The Indonesian Bible translates it as, “I will pour out My Spirit upon all people.”

The original text, ‘pas sarx’, indeed means ‘all humanity’. However, we see that the phenomenon of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred only to the 120 people who were together with Peter and the other apostles. The prophecy of Joel that Elohim would pour out His Spirit upon ‘all humanity’ will indeed come to pass. However, what happened on the day of Pentecost was only a partial fulfillment. This means that the prophecy that Elohim will pour out His Spirit upon all humanity will certainly be fulfilled later. How will Elohim fulfill Joel’s prophecy of pouring out His Spirit upon all humanity?

We will explain the process of Elohim fulfilling Joel’s prophecy through His purpose as revealed in Ephesians 1:9–10, where ultimately all things will be united in Christ. Note Ephesians 1:9–10: “He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of the times, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth.”

There are several things we need to observe from these verses. First, all things will be united in Christ, both in heaven and on earth. In the original text there is no term ‘head’, as found in the Indonesian Bible, although indeed Christ Jesus is the Head. Thus, all things will be united IN CHRIST. The phrase ‘to unite’ is translated from the Greek verb ‘anakephalaioō, derived from the roots ‘ana’ and ‘kephalaioō’. The preposition ‘ana’ means ‘again’. This indicates that all things will return to their original condition where there is no separation. To unite all things in Christ means that all things will RETURN AND BE UNITED IN CHRIST. There will be nothing ‘outside of Christ’ that remains separated.

Adam’s sin caused separation everywhere in Elohim’s creation. But the verse above affirms that there will be a time when nothing is separated anymore, and ALL THINGS ARE UNITED IN CHRIST. The phrase ‘all things’ comes from the Greek term ‘pas’, meaning ‘all’, ‘the whole’, or ‘every kind of’. This refers to everything created by Elohim—not only living beings, but also the entire universe. This is the ‘purpose of Elohim’ declared in the verse above.

Second, the Indonesian Bible translation “the plan for the fullness of the times” comes from the Greek phrase ‘oikonomia ho plērōma ho kairos’, which is accurately translated in Young’s Literal Translation as “the dispensation of the fullness of the times.” As we know, Elohim’s plan or purpose is fulfilled through several dispensations (or ages). The verse above speaks of an age in which all things are united in Christ, namely the dispensation of “the fullness of the times.” We will not now discuss this dispensation or the other ages in which the fulfillment of Elohim’s purpose takes place. What is important for us to understand is that THERE WILL BE A TIME when all things are united in Christ.

The third thing we must observe from the verse above is the expression “the mystery of His will.” The term ‘mystery’ (Greek: ‘mysterion’) does not mean something hidden and impossible to understand. Rather, it requires revelation for the Lord’s disciples to understand “the mystery of His will.” In fact, the revelation of the mystery of His will or ‘the purpose of Elohim’ is clearly stated in Scripture: that all things will be united in Christ. Unfortunately, within Christianity there has spread and been believed by the majority of the Lord’s disciples the idea that Elohim will only choose some people to enter heaven while the rest (perhaps the majority) will be thrown into hell and tortured forever. This results in ELOHIM’S CREATION BEING SEPARATED FOREVER. This doctrine of “eternal hell” is what keeps the mystery of His will a mystery for most of the Lord’s disciples. But His chosen ones will receive revelation concerning the purpose of Elohim, which is clearly declared in Scripture. Thus, in His time, Elohim will unite all things in Christ, and this means that all humanity will receive the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. This is the ‘full fulfillment’ (not partial fulfillment) of Joel’s prophecy that Elohim will pour out His Spirit upon all humanity.

We continue our discussion of the fulfillment of Joel 2:28–32, as Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, when only 120 people received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, while in Joel’s prophecy Elohim would pour out His Spirit upon ALL HUMANITY. We have explained this issue by quoting Ephesians 1:9–10, where ultimately all humanity will be united in Christ, and therefore all humanity will ultimately receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in accordance with Joel’s prophecy. Now we will explain the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy by examining the fulfillment of the three major feasts of Israel (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles) in the context of the church.

Let us look at these three major feasts of Israel. First, the Feast of Passover (Leviticus 23:4–5). Second, the Feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15–22). Third, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (Leviticus 23:23–25). The Feast of Passover occurs in the first month, the Feast of Pentecost in the third month, and the Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month. That is why Deuteronomy 16:16 states, “Three times a year all your males shall appear before YAHWEH your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Sukkot…” (ILT).

The Feast of Passover has been fulfilled by Jesus as our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). The Feast of Pentecost has also been fulfilled by Jesus when He came in the person of the Holy Spirit as a “down payment” (guarantee, Greek: ‘arrabōn’, Ephesians 1:14). And Jesus will come again—commonly called “the second coming”—as the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, by pouring out the Holy Spirit fully, no longer partially, upon the OVERCOMING CHURCH. Why only upon the overcoming church? This is because the early church, which received a partial outpouring of the Holy Spirit, later fell and fractured into tens of thousands of denominations. And the Lord calls His overcomers in every church age to be representatives of His fallen church (Revelation 2–3).

The event of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in its fullness occurs only to the “little flock” (the overcoming church), to whom the Father is pleased to give the kingdom of heaven (Luke 12:32). Let us look more closely at these overcomers so that we do not misunderstand them or assume that they are the “great and famous people” in the Christian world. The context of Luke 12:32 is Jesus’ words to His disciples not to worry about food and drink. Jesus then commands them to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven (v. 31). After that, Jesus declares the Father’s decision that He is pleased to give them the Kingdom of Heaven.

Here, the disciples of Jesus—to whom the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom of Heaven—are called a “little flock.” The Greek term ‘mikros’, translated as little, does not only mean small in number or quantity, but also small in dignity (glory and honor). This is very meaningful, because in the Christian world—where the church has been fragmented into tens of thousands of denominations—the “great and famous people” within it possess human glory and honor. Meanwhile, the “little flock” does not possess such human glory and honor. Therefore, in the Christian world, “many are called, but few are chosen.” These few who are chosen are the “simple ones,” or the “little flock,” to whom the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom of Heaven.

We must be clear about this: the overcomers, or the “little ones” in the Christian world, receive the Kingdom of Heaven solely by the decision and sovereignty of the Father. It is not because this “little flock” is great, famous, possesses many spiritual gifts, or is “used extraordinarily by God” in the Christian world that the Father is pleased to give them the Kingdom of Heaven. Not at all. Clearly, this “little flock” receives grace and is given the Kingdom of Heaven freely by the Father in heaven.

What does it mean that the Father gives the Kingdom of Heaven to this “little flock”? Romans 8:19–21 explains that at the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, when the “little flock” receives the outpouring of the Holy Spirit ‘in fullness’, this “little flock” will minister together with Jesus on earth in glorified bodies to liberate creation from the bondage of corruption. This present earth—the one we stand on today—will move toward the New Earth and the New Heaven through the ministry of the “little flock,” where there will no longer be death, which is the wages of sin (Revelation 21:4; Romans 6:23). In the condition where there is no longer death, the Father can be ALL in ALL, meaning the Father can express His love, His glory, and His character in ALL HUMANITY. This means that ALL HUMANITY, in the end, will receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so that the prophecy of Joel 2:28–32 is fulfilled.

Now we will discuss the case in which Peter and John healed a man who had been lame from birth at the Temple (Acts 3:1–10). After the healing took place, Peter preached to the crowd who were astonished by what had happened. Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Portico caused the number of believers to grow to five thousand men (4:4).

We need to discuss briefly the role of miracles in evangelism. Many people assume that without miracles, evangelism will not be successful—in the sense that few or no people will repent. Actually, this view is mistaken, because miracles do not always result in the repentance of souls. Consider the case when Jesus raised Lazarus, who had been in the tomb for four days. Some Jews who witnessed this miracle did not repent; instead, they reported it to the Pharisees. Then the Sanhedrin, upon hearing this report, decided to put Jesus to death (John 11:45–53). Thus, miracles do not always result in repentance, although miracles can indeed confirm the word that is preached.

We need to understand that repentance occurs because a person receives revelation of what the Lord Jesus has already done for him or her. And this is solely the decision of His grace. Consider Acts 13:48: “…and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (NKJV). This means that Elohim first determined a person to receive eternal life, and only then could that person repent and believe.

There is a common error in the Christian world. Many people, including preachers, cry out, “Believe in Jesus, go to heaven.” Meanwhile, the Bible says, “Believe in Jesus, receive eternal life.” Eternal life in the verse above is translated from the Greek expression ‘zoe aionios’. We know that ‘zoe’ is the kind of life that Elohim lives. Jesus emphasized, ‘I am the zoe’. And indeed, Jesus came to give His life—‘zoe’ (John 10:10). Meanwhile, the term ‘aionios’ is an adjective whose noun form is ‘aion’, meaning ‘age-long’, or a dimension of time. Thus, eternal life is a kind of Elohim’s life (zoe) that enters the dimension of time. And everything that enters the dimension of time requires a process to grow. Likewise, the life of ‘zoe’ that we receive in our inner being when we believe also needs to grow day by day. Therefore, by believing in Jesus, we receive ‘zoe’ life that must continue to grow.

In the Gospel of John, there are many expressions stating that believing in Jesus results in receiving eternal life. Thus, believing in Jesus does not mean going to heaven, but receiving eternal life (‘zoe’ life), which must continue to grow until we truly know Elohim, because it is this ‘zoe’ life that enables us to know the Father and Jesus whom He has sent (John 17:3).

In the Book of Acts, those who believed in Jesus are called disciples. This is because they were learning about the Kingdom of Heaven, which is central to the apostles’ teaching. And Paul emphasized that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven we must go through many tribulations (Acts 14:22).

If we look at the teachings on the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew—especially the parables of the sower, the wise and foolish virgins, the parable of the talents, and the parable of the faithful and evil servants—we know that at the time of Jesus’ coming to establish His Kingdom on earth, not all born-again Christians will be permitted to take part in it. This confirms that believing in Jesus means receiving eternal life (the seed of ‘zoe’ life), not entering heaven or taking part in the Kingdom of Heaven that will be established on earth at His coming.

We return to the role of miracles in evangelism. Christians, including preachers, must realize that miracles do not always produce repentance, nor do they always produce faith, nor do they always cause the seed of ‘zoe’ life to grow in the inner being of Christians. We must place miracles in their proper place—as something that can confirm the word being preached. But we must focus on the word that is preached. We must focus on His grace, which enables people of the world, as well as Christians, to receive the revelation of God’s word that saves (for unbelievers) and that grows the seed of ‘zoe’ life (for believers). This is how we should understand the role of miracles in the proclamation of God’s word.

Let us enter Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Portico after the miracle of healing the lame man (Acts 3:12–26). Verse 13 states: “The Elohim of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the Elohim of our fathers, has glorified His Servant, JESUS, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him” (ILT). Now we will reflect on the term ‘glorified’ in this verse.

The term ‘glorified’ comes from the Greek verb ‘doxazō’, which means ‘to make glorious’. The fact that Jesus was glorified by the Father does not mean that Jesus did not already possess glory before the Father. John 17:5 states: “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Jesus already had glory before the Father, but He ‘emptied Himself’ to carry out the work of redemption.

After Jesus was glorified through death, resurrection, and sitting at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit came into believers, because before Jesus was glorified, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given (John 7:39). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Glory who dwells in believers who are reproached for the name of Christ (1 Peter 4:14).

Indeed, the pinnacle of salvation is when we as believers are glorified at the coming of the Lord. The glorification of believers at Christ’s coming is rarely discussed in the Christian world. If believers are not glorified in Christ, then salvation is not yet complete. Romans chapters 1–8 explain this complete salvation.

Generally, in theological schools there is a course called Soteriology, which discusses the salvation provided by the Lord Jesus for us. But usually only justification by faith and sanctification by faith are discussed. If only these are discussed, then salvation is not complete. There is one more, which is actually the pinnacle of Jesus’ work for us: glorification by faith.

Romans chapter 8 explains glorification by faith as the pinnacle of our salvation. Let us quote a few verses. Romans 8:10: “And if Christ is in you, the body indeed is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (ILT). Romans 8:17: “…joint heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (ILT). Romans 8:23: “…we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (ILT). Here, glorification by faith is explained as ‘the redemption of our body’—the removal of this sinful body and its replacement with a glorified body like the one Jesus has, since we are joint heirs with Him.

When, where, how, and for what purpose are we glorified together with the Lord Jesus? Romans 8:19–21 explains: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of Elohim” (ILT).

When and where does this glorification by faith take place? Certainly when the kingdom of heaven—of which we are already citizens—is fully manifested on earth at His coming (commonly referred to as the Second Coming of Jesus). How does this glorification by faith occur? When our physical body is replaced with a glorious body like the one Jesus possesses. For God’s elect who have died before Jesus’ coming, they await the resurrection of the saints at His coming. What is the purpose of our being glorified together with the Lord Jesus on earth? To set all creation free from the bondage of corruption and bring it into the glorious freedom of the children of Elohim.

Through the ministry of the glorified children of Elohim, this old Earth (the First Earth) will move toward the New Earth and the New Heaven as well. When Elohim creates the New Heaven and the New Earth, it does not mean that the first heaven and earth are totally destroyed and replaced with entirely new ones. In theological terms, this is not ‘creatio ex nihilo’, but ‘creatio ex vetere’. This means that the New Heaven and the New Earth are the first heaven and earth that have undergone a ‘radical transformation’ through the ministry of the glorified children of Elohim. Thus, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob not only glorified Jesus Christ, His Son, but will also glorify us together with Him at His coming, when the kingdom of heaven is fully established on earth.

Let us continue Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Portico by considering Acts 3:18: “But those things which Elohim foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Messiah would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (ILT). In the preaching of the apostles, the point that the Messiah must suffer is strongly emphasized (Acts 17:3; 26:23). Why is this so?

For the Jewish people in particular, they were expecting a Messiah exactly like David, because they believed that the Messiah was the son of David. The Messiah awaited by Israel was a warrior leader like David, one who would build a physical Temple—though it was not David but his son Solomon who built it—and who would bring peace to the world, with Israel as the “head” and the other nations as the “tail.” This expectation was not entirely wrong, since the Messiah is indeed the Son of David, a physical descendant of David as prophesied by the prophets. However, what the Jewish leaders did not understand was that the Messiah is not only David’s physical descendant; the kingdom of the Messiah is greater than David’s kingdom, as Psalm 110:1 affirms.

When Jesus asked the Pharisees why David called the Messiah his Lord, if the Messiah was David’s son, they were unable to answer Him (Matthew 22:41–46). Actually, this is easy to understand: the kingdom of the Messiah exists in a “higher dimension” than David’s kingdom. David’s kingdom was earthly in nature, whereas the Messiah’s kingdom is spiritual, existing in the heavenly realm (the kingdom of heaven). That is why David called the Messiah his Lord. Jesus affirmed to Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). The Messiah’s kingdom exists in the heavenly dimension but will be fully established at His coming (commonly referred to as the Second Coming).

As those who believe in Jesus as the Messiah, we must also proclaim that the Messiah had to suffer. Why? Philippians 1:29 states, “For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for Him.” Paul also exhorted Timothy, “…share in suffering for the gospel…” (2 Timothy 1:8). Romans 8:17 emphasizes, “…co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (ILT). Hebrews 12:11 declares, “Now no discipline seems joyful at the time, but grievous….” Acts 14:22 affirms, “…through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (NKJV). There are many other verses that speak of suffering as something normal for Christians. Therefore, as believers in Jesus, we must proclaim that the Messiah had to suffer, because we too will experience suffering in following Him.

However, we must not seek suffering, become people who love suffering, or preach that suffering is an additional requirement for salvation. Consider Jesus’ struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. There were two elements in His struggle: the cup of suffering and the will of the Father. Jesus did not choose suffering; He chose the Father’s will. But when the Father’s will required Him to drink the cup of suffering, Jesus chose His Father’s will and drank the cup. So, Jesus did not choose suffering, but the will of His Father.

Likewise, we should not choose suffering. But if, by the Father’s sovereign arrangement, we must experience suffering, we should not avoid it or run away from it when it comes. Suffering is necessary to make us strong and ready to be glorified together with Jesus at His coming.

We continue Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Portico by paying attention to Acts 3:21, which says, “whom heaven must indeed receive until the times of restoration of all things, which Elohim has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the age began” (ILT). After, in the previous verses, Peter testified about the death and resurrection of Jesus and exhorted his listeners to repent so that the Lord might bring times of refreshing, he then made a remarkable statement that, “Christ must remain in heaven until the time of the restoration of all things…” (Acts 3:21, NIV/LAI). With this statement, Peter declared that the ‘times of refreshing’ or the ‘times of restoration’ were not intended only for his listeners, but that these times of refreshing or restoration were intended for ALL THINGS.

This is what we will reflect on now, namely, how Christ Jesus can remain in heaven while the work of restoring all things can still take place or continue. Let us consider the words of Jesus to His disciples in John 14:12, which say, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.” In this verse, Jesus emphasizes the reason His disciples can do works greater than those He did, namely, because Jesus is going to the Father. This means that Jesus goes to the Father through His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, so that the Holy Spirit may come upon His disciples. Thus, it is because of the Holy Spirit that the disciples are able to do greater works than those Jesus did. Certainly, these are not works of redemption—which were accomplished solely by Jesus on the cross and have been perfectly completed—but what Jesus meant are THE WORKS OF THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS AS REFERRED TO IN PETER’S SERMON.

It is the Holy Spirit who enables His disciples to carry out the work of restoring all things. We know that the Holy Spirit who came upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost was still in the form of a “down payment” or “deposit,” that is, an advance payment as a guarantee that the full payment will certainly be given (Ephesians 1:14). When will the full payment be received by His disciples? This will take place at the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, as described in Romans 8:19–21, which says, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of Elohim” (ILT).

The FULL outpouring of the Holy Spirit will occur upon the sons of Elohim, namely the overcomers throughout the church age as described in Revelation chapters 2–3. Because the church has fallen into tens of thousands of denominations, only the overcomers of the church will receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit at His coming (commonly called the second coming of Jesus). When the overcomers of the church receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit, then the work of restoring all things begins—namely, the restoration of creation from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of Elohim.

The event of the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit is eagerly awaited by all creation. This is the time when the kingdom of heaven is FULLY established on earth. This is the time for us, with glorified bodies, to do works greater than those Jesus did, according to His promise. Thus, Peter’s sermon is fulfilled, which states that Christ Jesus must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things by the overcoming church, that is, His believing disciples.

Let us continue Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Portico concerning the prophecy about the Messiah. The prophecy concerning the Messiah began with Abraham and Moses and was continued by the prophets, starting from Samuel and the other prophets. At this time, we will only discuss the

Messianic prophecy related to His kingdom. Consider Acts 3:25, which says, “You are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which Elohim made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”

We will see the meaning of Abraham’s calling when he was commanded to come out of Ur of the Chaldeans. Before the calling of Abraham in Genesis 12, the Bible tells of a man named Nimrod who built the kingdom of Babel and others, even building the Tower of Babel, where God confused their languages at that time so that they were scattered, each with their own language, their own gods, and their own kingdoms. The region of Ur of the Chaldeans, the place of origin of Terah, Abraham’s father, had a god called the moon god and was ruled by the kings of ancient Babylon. These ancient Babylonian kingdoms were fragments of Nimrod’s kingdom, for Nimrod was the first man to exercise power and build a kingdom.

Why was Abraham called out of the region of Ur of the Chaldeans, even having to leave the family of Terah, his father? The answer is that God would build a lineage (the nation of Israel) and give the Promised Land in order to build a kingdom that would be a symbol of the Messianic kingdom. The kingdom of David was a symbol of the Messianic kingdom. God could not build a kingdom through the descendants of Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans, because Ur of the Chaldeans was already dominated by the ancient Babylonian kingdoms, which were fragments of Nimrod’s kingdom. It is impossible to build a kingdom within another kingdom. Thus, in essence, Abraham’s calling out of Ur of the Chaldeans was to build a kingdom as a symbol of the Messianic kingdom.

Therefore, through Abraham, the Bible had actually already prophesied the Messianic kingdom, which would become a blessing to all the peoples of the earth, just as God promised to Abraham and his descendants. Furthermore, we all believe that the prophesied Messiah is Jesus Christ, even though to this day, as a nation, Israel has not yet accepted Jesus as their Messiah.

Let us look at the Messianic kingdom in the context of Christianity. Jesus said that He would build His church, and that the Messianic kingdom is a kingdom that exists in the heavenly dimension (the kingdom of heaven). Luke 17:21 emphasizes, “…for indeed, the kingdom of God is among (‘entos’ in Greek) you.” The Greek term ‘entos’ should be translated as ‘within’. Young’s Literal Translation renders it, “…the reign of God is within you.” Thus, within the inner being (spirit) of every member of the church there is the kingdom of heaven.

The church should manifest the kingdom of heaven on this earth. The church is the instrument through which the kingdom of heaven is manifested on earth. Jesus taught His disciples to pray that the kingdom of heaven would come to earth, that the Father’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

However, the church has been divided into tens of thousands of denominations. And these denominations are human kingdoms. There are rulers (kings) in each denomination who have the right to regulate everything; even the church buildings they build usually become the property of “the king.” In such a condition, it is impossible for the church to function as an instrument to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. And usually, the main focus of preaching in denominations is not the kingdom of heaven. Yet the central teaching of Peter and the apostles was the kingdom of heaven or the Messianic kingdom.

We continue our discussion into chapter 4, where Peter and John were arrested by the priests, the Sadducees, and the captain of the temple guard, and were brought before the Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin). There are three occasions where the church bore witness before the Jewish Council that had been the mastermind behind Jesus’ crucifixion. First, in chapter 4, where Peter and John testified. Second, in chapter 5, where Peter and the other apostles testified. Third, in chapter 7, where Stephen testified before the Council and at the same time became the first martyr of the church.

After the church testified three times before the Jewish Council and they still did not accept Jesus as the Messiah, then in AD 70 the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army, so that Judaism was practically brought to a halt until today. The synagogues that exist are merely places where Jews gather to study the Torah and pray. All sacrificial festivals, tithing laws, and other observances that had to be carried out at the Jerusalem Temple ceased.

Let us reflect on why the Jewish Council, which represented the Jewish nation, remained unwilling to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Certainly, there is a reason from the perspective of God’s word, namely that God Himself blinded their eyes for His own purposes (John 12:37–40). From the perspective of the rabbis, they were waiting for a Messiah like David who could deliver Israel from its physical enemies (the surrounding nations), rebuild the Temple, and bring peace to the world. Meanwhile, Jesus came to deliver Israel from their sins and to build a spiritual Israelite kingdom (the New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb, Revelation 21). But now we will look at the reason why the Sanhedrin did not accept Jesus as the Messiah from the perspective of the kingdom.

It cannot be denied, in a certain sense, that the Sanhedrin was a human kingdom led by Jewish religious leaders. They had authority over the nation of Israel—not only in religious matters, but also in political and social matters. And the Sanhedrin felt disturbed when Jesus appeared and ministered among the people. They felt jealous and threatened by Jesus’ influence. Pilate understood this when the Jewish religious leaders handed Jesus over to him (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10). Thus, there was a hidden reason why the Jewish religious leaders did not want to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah: their “kingdom” felt threatened by the coming of Jesus as King.

If we reflect even more deeply, indeed the kingdom of heaven will be fully established on earth, and the kingdoms of this world will be subdued. Consider Revelation 11:15, which says, “Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying: ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Anointed, and He shall reign forever and ever.’” The expression ‘His Anointed’ refers to the overcoming church; therefore it should be written in lowercase, ‘his anointed’. This means that Jesus and the overcoming church will take over all human kingdoms in this world—whether political, social, or religious—and reign on earth until all His enemies are subdued.

This is the hidden reason why the Jewish religious leaders did not want to accept Jesus as King. Their religious kingdom felt threatened by the coming of a new King who would even subdue them. In fact, Satan was behind this religious kingdom of the Sanhedrin, and of course Satan realized this. May we not build our own religious kingdoms like the Sanhedrin, so that unconsciously we reject Jesus as King.

Let us continue our discussion about the kingdom of the Sanhedrin that rejected Jesus as the Messiah (King). Now we will examine whether the denominations that exist in Christianity are also human kingdoms. If it is proven true that these denominations are human kingdoms established by Christian religious leaders, then those denominations cannot accept the message of the Messianic kingdom (the message of the kingdom of heaven), just as the kingdom of the Sanhedrin could not accept Jesus as the Messiah.

Let us begin by looking at the early church in the book of Acts. They were not a human kingdom, because there was not a single leader who had authority over the church. The authority of the early church was clearly the authority of the Holy Spirit, because all church members were directly led by the Holy Spirit. Peter, Paul, John, and the other apostles were all servants of God and of the church. However, in Acts 20:28–30, Paul prophesied that some leaders would arise who, through false teachings, would try to draw the Lord’s disciples after themselves. Through their false teachings, they would seize the authority of the Holy Spirit over the Lord’s disciples and establish their own authority over them. This is where human kingdoms began—when church leaders drew the Lord’s disciples to themselves and established their own authority over them.

Indeed, this is what has happened with denominations in Christianity. Each leader draws the Lord’s disciples to himself, so that the church is divided into tens of thousands of human kingdoms. Initially, all church members were governed directly by the Holy Spirit, but now the Lord’s disciples are governed by their respective leaders, and each builds his own kingdom.

Let us now look at the book of Revelation to prove that denominations are human kingdoms. We know that the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ—and certainly of His church—given to the apostle John in symbolic language (Revelation 1:1). In the book of Revelation, there are three women with different characteristics: the woman in Revelation 12, the woman in Revelation 17, and the woman (the Bride of the Lamb) in Revelation 21–22.

Throughout the Bible, a woman is always a symbol of the church, as the Bride of Christ. Adam is a type of Christ; therefore Eve is a type of the church (Romans 5:14). Eve speaks of the aspect of the church that comes from Christ, because Eve was created from Adam’s rib. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, represents the aspect of the church that comes from the world, because Joseph received her in Egypt (a symbol of the world). Abigail represents the aspect of the church as Christ’s warrior, because David was a man of war. And there are many other symbols of women that represent the church in its various aspects.

Let us look at the characteristics of the woman in Revelation 17–18. First, this woman sits on a beast (Revelation 17:3). The beast is a symbol of a human governmental system. Therefore, the woman sitting on a beast represents a church that is supported by a human governmental system. Second, this woman is given the name Babylon (17:5). Babylon was the kingdom built by Nimrod. Therefore, the woman called “Babylon” is none other than the church (a human kingdom) built by “Nimrods.” Third, this woman is the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth (17:18). In the book of Revelation, a city represents a human governmental system, and this church (the great city) has authority over the kings of the earth. Thus, it is clear that the church described in Revelation 17–18 is the denominations, and they are human kingdoms, whether Catholic or Protestant.

Therefore, because denominations are human kingdoms established by their leaders, they cannot accept the message of the Messianic kingdom or the kingdom of heaven. The good news (gospel) of the kingdom of heaven does not receive its proper place in denominational preaching.

After Peter and John were threatened by the Jewish Council not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus, they gathered with the believers and reported this to them (Acts 4:17, 23). Then, when the believers heard it, they spontaneously prayed, “…Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot vain things… grant to Your servants boldness to speak Your word…Stretch out Your hand to heal, and perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus, Your holy Servant… They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:25–31).

There are several things we need to note regarding this prayer of the congregation. First, this prayer arose spontaneously, without being arranged or programmed by church leaders. Indeed, the life of the early church functioned spontaneously; it was neither forced nor regulated by its leaders. The congregation evangelized spontaneously, gave spontaneously, prayed spontaneously, and gathered spontaneously as well. Why was this so? Clearly, it was because the One who directed the movement of the church was the Holy Spirit Himself. Every member of the church was directly guided by the Holy Spirit. That is why we say that the early church was an organism (the Body of Christ), whose authority was held directly by Jesus through His Spirit.

This is different from what generally happens in Christianity today. Why? Because leaders have taken (more precisely, “seized”) the authority of the Holy Spirit over each church member and begun to regulate the church themselves. Church leaders have begun to act as “managers” rather than as servants. A manager has authority over subordinates, and generally a manager’s tasks include planning, organizing, leading/motivating, and implementing control systems over the movement of the church. As a result, Christianity today is driven by programs created by leaders, and the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit is no longer present.

Second, we see that the congregation’s prayer was focused on the proclamation of God’s word. They prayed to be given boldness to proclaim the word of God. They prayed for healings, signs, and wonders so that these might serve as confirmation and strengthening of the proclamation of the word (Acts 14:3). The early church was focused on proclaiming the word of God. When the number of disciples increased and the apostles became preoccupied with ‘serving tables’ (diaconal service to widows), the congregation chose seven men to serve in the distribution to widows and the poor, so that the leaders could focus on prayer and the word of God (Acts 6:1–7).

Third, in the passage above we see that the sign of a person being filled with the Holy Spirit is boldness in proclaiming the word of God. Notice the statement above: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God boldly.” Therefore, the sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit is not outward signs such as performing miracles, speaking in tongues, or even convulsions and other outward manifestations, as commonly occur in Pentecostal and Charismatic services within Christianity. Rather, the sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the courage to proclaim the word of God as it truly is.

We know that after Peter preached at Solomon’s Portico, the number of believers increased to about five thousand. At this point we will discuss how the early church, or the people of the kingdom, managed their finances. There are two passages we will consider: Acts 2:44 and Acts 4:34–35. These two passages explain the finances of the people of the kingdom, as follows: “…all things were held in common. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”

There are several points we need to observe in these verses. First, all their possessions were held in common. What does this expression mean? Does it mean that members of the early church were not allowed to have personal property? From Peter’s words in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, we see that owning personal property and managing it according to the owner’s will was not wrong. Notice Peter’s words: “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?”

Second, there was no one among them who lacked anything. As a result of the financial management of the people of the kingdom, no one was in need. Clearly, the use of the congregation’s finances was specifically directed toward members who were in need.

Third, the money obtained by the early church came from wealthy people who, moved by the Holy Spirit, sold their houses or lands and handed the money over to the apostles. There is no indication that collections were passed around to extract money from the congregation, let alone teachings on tithes, firstfruits (money), faith pledges, or other doctrines as a means of drawing money from church members. And all the money collected was distributed to each member according to need.

Did the apostles receive a fixed allowance (salary), or anything of that sort, from the congregation? Let us look at some important points in Paul’s teaching regarding church finances. First, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” (1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18). These verses do not support a wage system at all, such as that found in Christianity today. The Corinthian church, which Paul himself had founded, criticized Paul regarding the legitimacy of his apostleship. This occurred because there were false teachers/false apostles teaching in the Corinthian congregation. These false teachers certainly expected money from the Corinthian church, since money is often a sure measure of whether someone is a false teacher or not. Therefore, Paul did not want to receive money from the Corinthian church, even though it was indeed his right as a servant of God to be supported occasionally (1 Corinthians 9:12). We must emphasize ‘occasionally’, because Paul never received ‘regular’ financial support from any church, including the churches he had founded. The church in Philippi only helped Paul from time to time.

Furthermore, Paul taught Timothy that elders who lead well and who preach and teach are worthy of double honor, meaning that they deserve financial support from the church. Yet even here we do not see any indication that such support must be given regularly. Rather, true widows were to be supported regularly from church funds (1 Timothy 5:3). Supporting widows on a regular basis was indeed a practice of the early church (Acts 6:1).

Second, giving must be done willingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). Paul never taught tithing, firstfruits (money), or faith pledges, which are commonly practiced by teachers within Christianity.

Third, giving to the poor and assistance to churches in need. For Paul, ministry to the poor and to churches in need of help was of great importance (Galatians 2:10). Paul also brought aid to the church in Jerusalem to be given to members who were lacking. The finances of the early church were indeed prioritized for widows and the poor. This differs from Christianity today, where generally the money collected is used for the needs of the ministers and the needs of the ministry itself, including buildings and other expenses.

In fact, Paul’s teaching on church finances is not difficult to understand. Clearly, church funds were primarily given to members who were in need, while church ministers only occasionally received support from church finances. This is the essence of Paul’s teaching regarding church finances. Such was the financial management of the people of the kingdom, or the early church, as we see in the New Testament books.

We now enter chapter 5 and discuss what Ananias and his wife Sapphira did. We have already discussed that the money collected in the early church came from wealthy people who were moved by the Holy Spirit to sell their houses or lands, and whose proceeds were brought to the apostles to be distributed to each church member according to need. Such financial management ensured that no member of the church lacked anything.

Notice Acts 5:1–2: “But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. With his wife’s knowledge he kept back part of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” However, Peter said that Ananias and Sapphira had agreed to lie to the Holy Spirit. This was because Ananias and Sapphira acted ‘as if’ they had handed over the entire proceeds of the sale to the apostles. Peter clearly stated that before it was sold, the land remained theirs, and even after it was sold, the money was still under their control.

The question for us is: why did Ananias and Sapphira do this? If we look at the preceding verses, we see a man named Joseph, whom the apostles called ‘the son of encouragement’, who also sold a field he owned and laid ‘all’ the proceeds at the apostles’ feet. We see here that Joseph was appreciated by the apostles, but this does not mean that the apostles only valued members who gave money. Rather, Joseph’s action was indeed commendable because it supported members of the congregation who were in need.

It appears that Ananias and Sapphira wanted to receive recognition from the apostles and other church members for selling their land and bringing the proceeds to the apostles. But their love of money caused them to hold back part of it. On the one hand, they wanted to be honored by people; on the other hand, they also loved their money. They did not realize that their action was not lying to the apostles or the congregation, but lying to the Holy Spirit. In the end, they were disciplined by the Holy Spirit and died.

From this case we see that the early church, or the people who were learning about the kingdom of heaven, were not to seek human honor or human glory. Paul emphasized that if he were trying to please people, he would not be a servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10). Seeking human honor is not a trivial matter for the Lord’s disciples who are learning about the kingdom of heaven. Why is this so?

Consider Colossians 1:27: “…Christ in you, the hope of glory” (ILT). Likewise Luke 17:21: “…for behold, the kingdom of God is among (Greek: entos = within) you” (ILT). It should be translated, “for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” For the early church—namely, the Lord’s disciples who were learning about the kingdom of heaven—seeking human honor or human glory was not a trivial matter. The Holy Spirit directly administered discipline in the form of physical death. The Lord’s disciples in the early church possessed an ‘inward’ glory, namely Christ dwelling within the believer; that was their glory. Likewise, the kingdom of heaven that dwells within each believer is the hope of glory.

The people of the kingdom will be glorified together with Christ at His coming (Romans 8). The people of the kingdom must seek and strive for the glory of God alone. When Satan tempted Jesus, he tempted Him by offering worldly glory (Matthew 4:8). Sadly, the early church later fell into what is now Christianity, in which glory has become outward, human, and even worldly. The people of the kingdom can certainly understand this.

We continue our discussion in chapter 5 by paying attention to verse 12: “Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.” In the early church, God performed many signs and wonders through the apostles to confirm the word of God and the testimony of the apostles, especially their testimony concerning the resurrection of Jesus.

But now we will discuss the characteristics of the people of the kingdom in terms of their fellowship. It is emphasized in the verse above that they were always together in Solomon’s Portico in close fellowship. What is meant by the expression ‘close fellowship’? The expression ‘close fellowship’ (Greek: ‘homothumadon’ = of one mind) has a meaning closely related to the term fellowship (Greek: ‘koinonia’). Both terms express the existence of unity among believers. Where there is ‘homothumadon’ and ‘koinonia’, division cannot exist. Let us compare these two terms with Johannine theology.

Johannine theology is marked by an emphasis on the proclamation of life (Greek: ‘zoe’ = the kind of life of God) and ‘koinonia’, a fellowship that exists as a result of sharing the same kind of life. Thus, the First Epistle of John is filled with an understanding of ‘life’ and ‘koinonia’. Although John also explains that God is Light and Love, all of this is related to the concept of ‘koinonia’.

The reason the Apostle John so strongly emphasized ‘life’ and ‘koinonia’ in all his writings is that he wrote from the perspective of Patmos. John’s exile on the island of Patmos by the churches that had fallen in Asia Minor was actually a ‘breaking of koinonia’. That is why 1 John 1:3 states: “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship (koinonia) with us…” Thus, the Apostle John no longer had ‘koinonia’ with the fallen churches in Asia Minor, which had been corrupted by three false teachings: Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans. However, he wrote his letter so that some members of those congregations might receive it, and thus have ‘koinonia’ with him.

The Apostle John saw that the fallen churches no longer had true ‘koinonia’ with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. Indeed, the fallen churches had a kind of ‘koinonia’ or fellowship among their members, but not with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is what the Apostle John emphasized when he said, “…and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

Furthermore, the Apostle John strongly emphasized the matter of joy in his letters. In his first letter, he even stated that his purpose in writing was that our joy might be made complete (1:4). The joy John referred to is the joy that results from having true ‘koinonia’ with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and true ‘koinonia’ with fellow believers. Such joy is abiding and does not depend on circumstances outside of us. This is the goal of living in ‘koinonia’.

Let us return to the expression in the verse above: “All the believers were together in Solomon’s Portico in close fellowship.” The people of the kingdom not only gathered regularly, but they also had ‘koinonia’, even to the extent that “…no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common” (Acts 4:32).

In fact, a community within Christianity may gather together without experiencing ‘koinonia’. We must distinguish between ‘gathering’ and having ‘koinonia’. These two things are very different. But the early church always gathered, and they also had ‘koinonia’.

We are still discussing chapter 5, where the Jewish Sanhedrin began to act against the church. Notice verse 17: “Then the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.” As we read the Gospel accounts, we can understand that the Jewish Sanhedrin held authority over the nation of Israel. At this point we will discuss whether Christianity today, or the existing denominations, have become ‘similar’ to the Jewish Sanhedrin in exercising authority over other church members.

In The New Bible Dictionary, Volume II, page 2, it is written: “The history of the Sanhedrin is obscure. Traditionally it began with the seventy assistants of Moses (Num. 11:16–24). Ezra is thought to have reorganized this institution after the exile.” Both Jesus and Paul acknowledged and submitted before the Jewish Religious Court, since Jesus and Paul were part of the nation of Israel.

When Jesus was tried before the Jewish Religious Court and was accused by many false witnesses, Jesus remained silent (Matthew 26:59–64). However, when the High Priest asked Him under oath by Elohim whether He was the Messiah, Jesus answered firmly. This proves that Jesus acknowledged the authority of the High Priest, and therefore Jesus had to respond to his question. Likewise, when Paul was judged before the Jewish Religious Court and was accused of insulting the High Priest, Paul immediately gave an explanation (Acts 23:1–5).

Let us consider Matthew 23:1–12, which says: “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore do and observe whatever they tell you, but do not do according to their deeds… But you are not to be called Rabbi… you are all brothers… Nor are you to be called leaders… For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pay attention to the verses above. Jesus told the crowds that they must obey and do everything taught by the scribes and the Pharisees, because they sat on the ‘seat of Moses.’ The seat of Moses here is certainly symbolic, referring to an authority, just as Moses had authority over the nation of Israel as the one sent by God to bring Israel out of Egypt. Even though the behavior of the scribes and the Pharisees was not right, because of their authority they still had to be obeyed.

However, when Jesus spoke to His disciples, He firmly stated that ‘you are all brothers.’ No one should be called rabbi, father, or leader. Jesus did not mean that there should be no teachers or leaders in the church, but according to the context, there must be no “seat of Moses” in the church. What Jesus meant was that in the church no one has authority over other members. All church members are equal, egalitarian, and no one may have authority over another.

Yet, because some church leaders draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves, today leaders in the Christian world possess human authority over other members (Acts 20:28–30). Hierarchy and human systems of government have entered the church. As a result, church leaders occupy the “seat of Moses,” just like the Pharisees and the scribes.

The Christian world has become similar to the Jewish Religious Court, which had authority over its members. Church leaders who seize the “seat of Moses” have in fact exalted themselves, and the verses above clearly state that whoever exalts himself will be humbled.

We have already discussed that the Jewish Religious Court is “similar” to denominations in the Christian world, in the sense that denominations have authority over their members, including the right to judge, just as the Jewish Religious Court (the Sanhedrin) did.

However, the leaders of the early church, or the leaders of the kingdom people, had no authority over other members, and certainly no authority to judge. When Peter spoke to Ananias and Sapphira, he only spoke what the Holy Spirit whispered or revealed to him. Peter did not know at all what would happen next to Ananias. It was the Holy Spirit who ‘pronounced the verdict’ on Ananias and Sapphira. The Holy Spirit judged them, because the Holy Spirit revealed their wrongdoing and passed judgment on them. Therefore, Peter had absolutely no authority over other members.

In the Christian world we often hear the phrase, ‘do not judge.’ Generally, this is meant to prevent people from pointing out the faults of denominational leaders. Many Christians do not understand what the phrase ‘do not judge’ really means. Therefore, let us discuss this. ‘Do not judge’ is an instruction from Jesus, and it does not need further debate—but have we truly understood what Jesus meant?

Let us examine this from Scripture. Matthew 7:1 states, “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.” But John 7:24 says, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” The Greek verb ‘krino’ in both verses actually means ‘to decide, to evaluate, to distinguish, to consider’ something before making a decision. If these two verses are not viewed in context, they appear contradictory. On the one hand, Jesus says ‘do not judge,’ but on the other hand He says it is permissible to judge as long as it is done justly and not according to appearances. So, may we judge or not judge?

Let us look at the context of Matthew 7:1. To whom was Jesus speaking? Matthew 7:1 is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus delivered to His disciples. Note Matthew 5:1, which says, “When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.” Then Jesus spoke to them (His disciples—verse 2). Jesus was not speaking to the crowds; He was speaking only to His disciples. It was to His disciples that Jesus said, ‘do not judge.’

Now let us consider the context of John 7:24. To whom was Jesus speaking? Jesus was speaking to the Jews, especially the scribes and the Pharisees, who were judging Him unjustly. Thus, the scribes and the Pharisees MAY judge, as long as they do so justly. Our question now is: why were the scribes and Pharisees allowed to judge, as long as it was just, while His disciples were not allowed to judge?

Let us return to the book of Matthew. Matthew 23:1–11 states: “…The scribes and the Pharisees sit on MOSES’ SEAT. Therefore do and observe whatever they tell you (THE CROWDS)… But you (HIS DISCIPLES) are not to be called rabbi, for you have one Teacher, and YOU ARE ALL BROTHERS… Nor are you to be called leaders, for you have one Leader, the Messiah. Whoever is greatest among you shall be your servant.” These verses clearly explain why the scribes and the Pharisees COULD JUDGE the Jewish nation, while Jesus’ disciples COULD NOT JUDGE. This was because the scribes and the Pharisees sat on MOSES’ SEAT—an authority that applied only in the CONTEXT OF THE OLD COVENANT. But in the church (the New Covenant), there is no MOSES’ SEAT. Church leaders certainly exist, but there is no authority to judge, because in the New Covenant context, THERE IS NO MOSES’ SEAT. Jesus emphasized to His church that whoever is greatest must become a servant in the truest sense—having no rights, let alone authority, over His church. Jesus never delegated His authority, because the church is an ORGANISM, where the authority that operates is the LIFE OF THE BODY. And that Life is Jesus: I AM THE LIFE.

Now consider the Christian world. The church, which is an ORGANISM, has fallen and fractured into thousands of ORGANIZATIONS through the behavior of “Jezebels” who seized Jesus’ authority over His church, just as Jezebel seized the authority of Ahab, her husband, in the case of Naboth’s vineyard. The leaders of church organizations, those at the top of church organizational hierarchies, are the ones who possess authority to judge the congregation, just like the scribes and the Pharisees. THE AUTHORITY OF CHURCH ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS IS ILLEGAL AUTHORITY. Jesus never delegated His authority over the church.

Let us now draw a conclusion. This conclusion is somewhat personal. I am often accused of judging people or judging church organizational leaders. Let us be honest and open. I hold no position in any organization within the Christian world. I have no authority over His church, and indeed it should be so. I CANNOT POSSIBLY JUDGE. I only rebuke leaders, admonish, and point out errors, just as Paul advised Timothy (2 Timothy 4:2), but I cannot make any decisions because I HAVE NO AUTHORITY. I am simply obeying Paul’s exhortation.

Do you know who likes to judge in His church? Those who like to judge are leaders who possess ‘illegal authority’ in the church. They are the ones who evaluate, admonish, rebuke, and make decisions over people in their organizations—perhaps even expelling people from the organizations they lead. They do this, perhaps daily, because that is their task: JUDGING THE CHURCH OF JESUS, just as the Jewish Religious Court judged the nation of Israel.

So, stop accusing me of judging… although I truly do not care about people’s judgments of me… it is the denominational leaders who love to judge. I even suspect that they are the ones who POPULARIZED the phrase ‘do not judge,’ so that congregations follow it blindly without understanding its meaning. Leaders like this do not want to be rebuked or criticized for their actions and teachings…

Now we will discuss Gamaliel’s advice regarding the case in which the apostles were judged by the Jewish Religious Court (Acts 5:26–40). Gamaliel was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish Religious Court, a teacher of the law, and highly respected by all the people of the Jewish nation (verse 34). Gamaliel’s advice was indeed very good.

Let us consider his advice. First, he advised the Religious Court to carefully consider what they were about to do to the apostles (verse 35). Second, he presented facts about Theudas and Judas, who caused disturbances and then died, and whose followers were scattered, leaving no lasting impact (verses 36–37). Third, based on these facts, he concluded that the Religious Court should take no action against the apostles, because, he said, “…if this plan or undertaking is of human origin, it will fail” (verse 38).

We know that this advice was very good, because it was based on common sense and factual data. But we must remember that Saul, who persecuted the church, was a disciple of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Why did a Gamaliel still produce a Saul who persecuted the church? To answer this, we must return to the books of Genesis and Revelation.

We know that the Garden of Eden is a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth in its initial stage, while the city as a symbol of human government (the New Jerusalem descending to earth) represents the Kingdom of Heaven coming to earth in its fullness. The New Jerusalem is the Bride of the Lamb (Revelation 21:9–10). Indeed, the journey from the ‘Garden of Eden’ to the ‘New Jerusalem’ is the journey of humanity to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

However, humanity must eat from the fruit of the ‘Tree of Life’ in order to carry out the Father’s plan in heaven—namely, to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Jesus is symbolized by the Tree of Life, whom humans must eat (John 6:53). But because Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, humanity lives based on its knowledge of good and evil.

Therefore, although Gamaliel gave good advice, because he (and all members of the Religious Court) did not believe in Jesus, his good advice still resulted in persecution and resistance against the church and the Kingdom of Heaven. The two ‘Trees’ in the Garden of Eden are always in conflict. Although the Tree of Knowledge makes people religious, religion can never understand the ways and will of the Father. The Father’s thoughts and will can only be understood by ‘Tree of Life’ people. Conversely, ‘Tree of Knowledge’ people (religious people) do not understand the Father’s will.

It cannot be denied that Christianity has fallen and become the Christian religion. The early church, which originally consisted of believers all led directly by the ‘Life-giving Spirit of Christ’ (the Holy Spirit), has now fractured into the Christian world, where leaders of the Christian religion govern and manage their members with religious regulations, whether Catholic or Protestant.

For the kingdom people, it is clear that Revelation 17:5–6 describes the Catholic Church (the mother) and the Protestant churches (her daughters), who are drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus throughout the ages. Those who study the history of Christianity certainly understand this. The history of Christianity is indeed filled with “Gamaliels” who, although giving good advice, still persecuted the kingdom people.

Now we move into chapter 6 and discuss how the kingdom people managed their finances. Acts 6:1 states, “Now in those days, when the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint arose among the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.” Before we discuss the problems that occurred in the early church as the number of disciples increased, let us consider the apostles’ teachings, especially Paul’s, related to church finances. Let us begin by examining the following facts from Paul’s teachings.

First, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” (1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18). These verses do not support a wage system like the one found in the Christian world at all (the teaching of Balaam). The Corinthian church, which Paul himself founded, criticized Paul regarding the legitimacy of his apostleship. This happened because of false teachers/false apostles teaching in Corinth. These false teachers certainly expected money from the Corinthian congregation, because a sure indicator of whether someone is a false teacher is always related to money. Therefore, Paul did not want to receive money from the Corinthian church, even though it was indeed his right as a servant of God to be supported OCCASIONALLY (1 Corinthians 9:12). We need to emphasize OCCASIONALLY, because Paul never received REGULAR financial support from any church, including the churches he founded. The church in Philippi only helped Paul from time to time.

Next, Paul taught Timothy that elders who lead well and who preach and teach are worthy of double honor, meaning they should receive financial support from the church. Even here, we do not see any indication of regular payment. Instead, true widows were to be supported regularly from the congregation’s funds (1 Timothy 5:3). Supporting widows regularly was indeed a practice of the early church (Acts 6:1).

Second, giving must be done willingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). Paul never taught tithes, firstfruits (money), or faith pledges, which are commonly practiced by teachers in the Christian world.

Third, giving to the poor and assistance to churches in need. For Paul, ministry to the poor and helping churches that required assistance were essential …what was important (Galatians 2:10). Paul also brought aid to the church in Jerusalem to be given to church members who were in need. The finances of the early church were indeed prioritized for widows and the poor. This is different from much of Christianity today, where the money collected is generally used for the needs of the ministers and for ministry needs, including buildings and other things.

In fact, Paul’s teaching on church finances is not difficult to understand. It is clear that church funds were primarily given to members who were in need. Meanwhile, church ministers only occasionally received support from church finances. This is the essence of Paul’s teaching regarding church finances.

Let us return to Acts 6:1 above, where the issue arose that the distribution of church funds to Greek-speaking widows was being neglected. Notice the phrase ‘daily distribution’ in that verse. Clearly, giving money to widows was a routine service that had to be carried out every day. Thus, widows were entitled to receive financial assistance from the church every day according to their needs. In fact, the finances of the early church were distributed to all members according to each one’s need (Acts 2:45).

This ministry to widows was so important that the apostles needed to appoint seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, to carry out this task, so that the apostles could focus on prayer and the ministry of the word.

At this point we come to the case of Stephen as the first martyr of the church. Stephen was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit and was one of the seven chosen to serve in the administration of church finances (Acts 6:5). When Stephen debated with the Jewish community and they were unable to withstand his wisdom, they accused Stephen of blaspheming Moses and Yahweh. Therefore, Stephen was brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin to be judged. This was the third time that the witnesses of Jesus were judged by the Jewish Sanhedrin: first Peter and John, then Peter and the apostles, and the third time was Stephen.

After Stephen was put to death by the Sanhedrin, Luke began to record the movement of the church in evangelizing throughout all Judea and Samaria, and through Paul, to the “ends of the earth,” namely Rome, or in other words, evangelizing the Gentiles. Thus Luke records the “achievement of the church” in evangelizing the entire known world at that time, according to Jesus’ command: “… you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Luke records that the early church (the disciples of the kingdom of heaven) had fulfilled Jesus’ command to be His witnesses.

Now we are not discussing Stephen’s sermon before the Jewish Sanhedrin, but we will give meaning to Stephen’s death after the church bore witness for the third time before the Sanhedrin. In the Bible, the principle of ‘three times’ (trilogy) has significant meaning (Proverbs 22:20; Hebrew term: ‘shalosh’ = three times). Proverbs 22:20 says, “Have I not written to you three times…” (ILT). Thus, since Stephen’s third testimony before the Sanhedrin was still rejected, this means that the opportunity was closed for the Jewish Sanhedrin to accept Jesus as their Messiah. In other words, as a nation represented by its leaders (the Sanhedrin), Israel was declared by Elohim to be a nation that rejected their Messiah. Of course, there have been Jews throughout the church age who accepted Jesus as Messiah, but this is not counted as the acceptance of a nation, only as individuals.

After the Sanhedrin put Stephen to death (around AD 34), in AD 70 the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Roman army led by General Titus. Judaism, as a religion, practically came to a halt and has been unable to carry out sacrificial rituals, tithes, and other rituals prescribed in the Law of Moses to this day. The synagogues that exist are merely places where Jews gather to pray and study the Torah. The death of Stephen was a “closure” for Judaism.

Why do we discuss this? Because the death of Stephen as the “closure” of Judaism, at which point the Gentiles entered the church, has meaning in accordance with what is written in Romans 11:25–26: “… a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved…”. How, in the end, will all Israel be saved? Israel will be saved in its entirety when the kingdom of heaven is fully manifested at the coming of Jesus (commonly called the Second Coming).

This is the meaning of Stephen’s death, which will ultimately result in the salvation of all Israel. We will discuss Daniel’s prophecy (70 × 7) in order to better understand the Father’s plan to save and restore all Israel.

Let us continue our discussion of the restoration of Israel according to God’s word in Romans 11:26–27: “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins.’”

There are several things we need to reflect on from the verses above. First, all Israel will be saved. The Greek term translated as ‘all’ is ‘pas’, which means ‘all, the whole, every kind of’. It appears 1,244 times in the New Testament and means ‘all, whole, whatever, whoever, everything’, and it is never translated as ‘some’ in the New Testament. This means that all Israel, in the true sense, will surely be saved.

Second, Israel is saved by the Deliverer who comes from Zion. The Greek expression translated by the Indonesian Bible as ‘Deliverer’ actually means ‘the One who liberates’, and it uses a definite article before it. Thus, the one who liberates Israel is ‘a specific person’ who comes from Zion. We all certainly agree that this specific person who liberates Israel and comes from Zion is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, the problem is that Israel to this day, as a nation, does not accept Jesus as their Messiah. However, the preceding verse (verse 25) gives us the answer: “… Israel has experienced a hardening until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” Thus, all Israel will be saved by Jesus Christ ‘after’ the Gentiles have come in. The expression ‘the Gentiles have come in’, according to the context, means that at this present time only a ‘remnant of Israel’ is saved (Romans 11:5), and likewise only a certain number of Gentiles are saved. When that certain number of Gentiles has come in (been saved) in this age, then all Israel will also be saved.

Fourth, the Messiah will save Israel through a covenant. The covenant referred to is certainly not the Old Covenant, in which the removal of sin was only symbolized by the blood of animals. But the verse above (verse 27) firmly states that God removes the sins of Israel. Thus, the Messiah will save all Israel through the New Covenant (New Testament).

We have emphasized that the death of Stephen was a “closure” for the Jewish nation as a whole. That is, through the death of Stephen as the third witness before the Sanhedrin, the opportunity for the Jewish nation “as a whole” (as a nation) to accept the Messiah was closed. And after a number of Gentiles have come in, then Israel will be saved.

The matter of Stephen’s testimony being the “closure” for the nation of Israel to accept their Messiah can be explained through Daniel’s prophecy of 70 × 7 (Daniel 9:24–27). Daniel 9:24 states: “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy.” There are two interpretations of Daniel’s 70 × 7: first, the futurist interpretation, and second, the historicist interpretation.

The futurist interpretation states that one week (7 years) in Daniel’s 70 × 7 has not yet been fulfilled, meaning there is a time gap (interval) of unknown length until the third Jerusalem Temple is built and the Antichrist appears, who will make a covenant with the nation of Israel. Such an interpretation is very strange, because it causes Daniel’s 70 × 7 years to be interrupted by an unknown interval of time and then resumed again after the third Temple is built and the Antichrist comes.

We believe the historicist interpretation is more reasonable, because it allows Daniel’s 70 × 7 to run continuously without being interrupted by an unknown interval of time. The historicist interpretation states as follows: first, 7 × 7 years occurred from 457 BC to 408 BC, namely from the time King Artaxerxes ordered the Jews to restore Jerusalem until its completion. Second, 62 × 7 years (408 BC to AD 27), from the completion of the restoration of Jerusalem until the baptism of Jesus Christ. Third, 1 × 7 years (AD 27 to AD 34), from the baptism of Jesus Christ until the death of Stephen, during which the crucifixion of Jesus occurred (AD 31). Thus, after the death of Stephen, the Jewish nation will be restored by the Messiah in the context of the New Covenant, as written in Romans 11:26–27 above.

Let us continue our discussion of the restoration of Israel. We know that the restoration of Israel will take place through their Messiah (Christ Jesus), after the number of Gentiles who come in has been fulfilled. Those Gentiles who come in certainly include individual Jews, and together they are called the church. But we know that since the time of the apostle John, the church has fallen into tens of thousands of denominations. Revelation 2–3 explains to us that God is seeking His overcomers to represent the church throughout the ages.

When the Lord Jesus comes (commonly called the Second Coming), He will judge His church and establish His kingdom together with His overcomers on this earth. Revelation 5:10 and Revelation 20:4 affirm that Christ Jesus and His overcomers will reign for 1,000 years on this earth. The ministry of this overcoming church is written in Romans 8:19–21, which essentially concerns restoring creation from its bondage to corruption. This means that the ministry of the overcoming church does not stop with the 1,000-year kingdom, but continues on into the age of the New Heaven and New Earth, and even until the Father becomes all in all.

The question for us now is: when will the kingdom of Israel, or the nation of Israel, be ‘fully’ saved? This is what the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, to which He answered, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7). But to the apostle John it was revealed that Israel will be fully restored when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven, as recorded in Revelation 21:9 to 22:17.

We must understand that the New Jerusalem is a symbol that points to the Bride of the Lamb. Notice Revelation 21:9–10, where an angel says he will show the Bride, the wife of the Lamb, to the apostle John, yet he shows him the city of New Jerusalem. Therefore, the New Jerusalem is the Bride of the Lamb. Who, then, is the Bride of the Lamb?

Consider the basic nature of the Old Covenant, which is like a covenant between husband and wife. Jeremiah 31:32 says: “not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband” (ILT). The relationship between Yahweh and Israel is like that of husband and wife, whereas the relationship between Elohim and the New Testament church is like that of father and child. Thus, specifically, the New Jerusalem (the Bride of the Lamb) depicts the nation of Israel. And since a city is a symbol of a government, the city of New Jerusalem depicts Israel as a whole, both as a nation and as a kingdom.

Therefore, in the age of the New Heaven and New Earth, Israel will be fully restored as a nation and also as a kingdom. Israel will even offer healing to the nations through the “leaves of the tree of life” (Revelation 22:2). Likewise, Israel will offer the “water of life” freely to whoever is thirsty (Revelation 22:17). Thus Israel will be fully saved and restored.

Now we will discuss the content of Stephen’s sermon before the Jewish Sanhedrin. We know that Stephen’s sermon was the third testimony to the Sanhedrin, and after the Sanhedrin rejected it, the opportunity was closed for the Jewish nation as a whole (as a nation) to accept their Messiah. The Father’s program to restore Israel as a nation will take place after the number of Gentiles has come in, as we have discussed previously.

Stephen’s lengthy testimony explains the history of Israel beginning with Abraham’s call by Elohim until the time Solomon built the Temple. This sermon shows how Israel repeatedly rejected those whom God sent. Stephen’s sermon concludes with the assertion that just as the ancestors of Israel rejected those sent by God, so too the Jewish Sanhedrin had rejected Jesus as the Messiah whom God sent. Acts 7:51–53 is the conclusion of Stephen’s sermon, directly rebuking the Sanhedrin: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you…”

Let us now expound Stephen’s sermon by paying attention to the true meaning of Abraham’s calling. Indeed, Abraham was promised descendants and the land of Canaan (the promised land). But what was Elohim’s purpose in all this? In fact, Abraham’s calling was a calling to build a kingdom (the kingdom of Israel) as a symbol of the coming Messianic kingdom.

Note that Abraham had to leave Ur of the Chaldeans, because at that time Ur of the Chaldeans was part of the fragmented kingdoms built by Nimrod (Genesis 10–11). Abraham also had to leave his father’s household, because they worshiped other gods (Joshua 24:2). Thus, Abraham was called to build a kingdom as a symbol of the Messianic kingdom. Therefore, Abraham had to leave the fragmented kingdoms of Nimrod and have descendants and land/territory to build a kingdom.

However, the journey to build the kingdom of Israel as a symbol of the Messianic kingdom required a considerable length of time. From Abraham (around 2000 BC) to the kingdom of David (around 1000 BC) took at least 1,000 years. Within this time span, Stephen explained how the ancestors of Israel continually resisted those whom God sent. What Stephen presented was historical fact and could not be refuted by the Sanhedrin. But perhaps what shocked the Sanhedrin was Stephen’s conclusion, which emphasized that just as your ancestors always resisted the Holy Spirit, so do you as well.

We know that after hearing Stephen’s testimony, and even after Stephen declared his vision that the Son of Man was standing at the right hand of Elohim, the Sanhedrin rushed upon Stephen together, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him to death. Stephen was the first martyr of the church. And after the death of Stephen, the church in Jerusalem experienced severe persecution; yet it was precisely because of this persecution that the gospel spread throughout Judea and Samaria.

Let us continue Stephen’s sermon by looking at the role and ministry of Moses in building the kingdom of Israel as a symbol of the Messianic kingdom. Deuteronomy 33:4–5 affirms, “Moses commanded the law to us… He was king in Jeshurun….” Jeshurun is another name for the descendants of Jacob, and Moses became king among the descendants of Jacob.

We know that Moses’ ministry was to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt toward the Promised Land, but they had to pass through the wilderness. In fact, Egypt, the wilderness, and the seven nations in the Promised Land that Israel had to conquer are respectively symbols of the world, the flesh, and the devil with his evil spirits. Moses led the people of Israel toward the Promised Land so that Israel, as a kingdom in the Promised Land, could become a symbol of the Messianic kingdom. In this sense, Israel was a kingdom people undergoing a process of building a kingdom.

Let us observe the condition of Israel’s journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.

First, Israel in Egypt. Stephen emphasized in his sermon that a king of Egypt who did not know Joseph arose and oppressed the people of Israel. It was at that time that Moses was born and adopted as a son by Pharaoh’s daughter. Because Moses was educated in all the wisdom of Egypt, he was powerful in word and deed. When Moses tried to resolve a conflict among the Israelites, they rejected him as ruler and judge. Moses needed to be shaped for forty years in the wilderness before he could deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt. With the “rod” of Elohim, Moses delivered Israel by performing miracles in Egypt.

Second, Israel in the wilderness. In his sermon, Stephen emphasized that Israel refused to obey Moses’ leadership and wanted to return to the land of Egypt (7:39). Israel even made a golden calf and offered sacrifices to the idol. Therefore, God allowed Israel to worship idols throughout the forty-year journey in the wilderness, as written in verses 42–43: “…Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? No; you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the images you made to worship….” How tragic it is that during the forty years in the wilderness, the kingdom people worshiped idols, even though the tabernacle of Moses was among them.

Third, Israel in the Promised Land. We know that because of Moses’ carelessness in his words at Meribah, since Israel embittered his spirit, Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land (Psalm 106:32–33). Joshua then led Israel to take possession of the Promised Land from the seven nations. In fact, even in the Promised Land, Israel experienced many failures in taking possession of it. Specifically, when Joshua and all his generation died, another generation arose that did not know the works of Yahweh, so Israel mingled with the surrounding nations and worshiped idols. This was the period of Israel’s decline in the Promised Land, as recorded in the book of Judges.

Thus was the role and ministry of Moses, as king in Jeshurun, in leading the people of Israel toward the Promised Land. Even though Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land, he remained a great leader in Israel.

We have seen that Israel, as a kingdom people under the leadership of Moses and also Joshua, undergoing the process of building a kingdom through the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, constitutes an important part of Stephen’s rather long sermon (Acts 7:15–45). Now we will move into the application of Israel’s journey from Egypt, the wilderness, and the Promised Land.

We know that the Old Testament is a symbol, a shadow, and a prophecy, while the reality, substance, and essence is Christ within the hearts of believers (Colossians 2:17). Let us begin by discussing Israel while they were in Egypt. In the Bible, Egypt is a symbol of the world. When Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved by Pharaoh. Moses was sent by God to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt so that they might worship God (Exodus 4:22–23). Likewise, the church, as a kingdom people, must also be delivered from the bondage of this world in order to worship God.

In the Bible, the world has two meanings: the world in a general sense, and the world in the sense of a religious world. When the devil tempted Jesus, he showed Him the glory of the world in a general sense—that is, the splendor of the kingdoms of this world (Matthew 4:8). Christians are also tempted by the devil through love for the splendor of this world. We will not discuss this now.

What we will focus on specifically is the world in the sense of the ‘religious world’. To understand the world in this sense, we must look at the writings of the apostle John. The Greek term ‘kosmos’ (translated world) appears 186 times in the New Testament, of which 78 times are in the Gospel of John and 24 times in his epistles. Thus, more than half of its occurrences are found in John’s writings. The frequent use of this term in John’s writings certainly has special significance in Johannine theology.

We know that the meaning of a term is determined by how it is used in a sentence. When the term world appears in John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”—we understand that ‘world’ here means all humanity on the face of the earth. But when the term ‘world’ appears in 1 John 2:15—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him”—then the meaning of ‘world’ here is certainly not all humanity. The world here is a ‘system’ whose values are contrary to God’s values.

In the dictionary, a system is a group of things that work together according to certain rules or values. Economics, politics, social structures, and even religion have become systems. Before we elaborate further on this system, let us look at several passages from John’s writings that will clarify this system for us.

Let us look at John 15:18–25. In the Indonesian Bible (LAI), this passage is titled ‘The World Hates Jesus and His Disciples’. If we read the entire passage, we can identify who is meant by the world here. Verse 25 says, “But this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without a cause.’” It is clear that ‘the world’ here refers to the Jewish religious system or Judaism—that is, the Jewish religion with their Law. They were the ones who killed Jesus and hated and persecuted His followers. Why did Judaism kill Jesus and hate His followers? Because Judaism did not know the Father in heaven who sent Jesus.

Next, let us look at the entirety of John chapter 17, where the term ‘world’ appears 18 times. Chapter 17 is Jesus’ prayer on the final night, and Jesus says, “…I do not pray for the world” (verse 9). “…the world has hated them” (verse 14). “O righteous Father, the world has not known You…” (verse 25). In this chapter, Jesus firmly states that the world (Judaism—the Jewish religion) does not know the Father who sent Him, and here Jesus does not pray for the world (Judaism). Jesus prays only for His disciples and for those who will believe through their word.

If we consider John 12:31—“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out”—and also Revelation 12:9—“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world…”—then we can understand that the devil is the ruler of the world in the sense of the religious system, and the devil is also the one who deceives the religious world.

Has Christianity today become a religious system, or a world? Have false teachings become so widely accepted in Christianity today? Has the church fallen? These questions must be answered honestly by us, especially by God’s chosen people.

In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, three false teachings that have infiltrated the church are clearly described. The teachings of the Nicolaitans and Jezebel, where hierarchy entered the church and leaders usurped the authority of the Lord Jesus as the Head of the church. This caused the church to be divided into laity and priests (Catholicism), or congregations and pastors (Protestantism). Then there is the teaching of Balaam, where the wage system in serving God and commercialism were justified. Is not the Christian world full of commercialism, just as in the time of Jesus when the Temple was filled with trade? Thus, the church, as a kingdom people, must also be delivered from the bondage of the world (the Christian system) in order to worship God in spirit and truth, as taught by Jesus (John 4).

We have seen how Israel in Egypt, through extraordinary miracles, was eventually led by Moses to walk through the wilderness toward the Promised Land. But we know that the generation of Israel that came out of Egypt failed to reach the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb. We will discuss several factors that caused them to fail to reach what God had originally planned for them.

First, the incident of the golden calf (Exodus 32). This event may seem like a temporary act of idolatry. However, Stephen in his sermon explains that this idolatry lasted for forty years in the wilderness. Consider Acts 7:42–43: “…Did you offer Me slaughtered animals and sacrifices during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? No, you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images which you made to worship….” Here we see that after the golden calf worship, Elohim turned away from Israel and allowed them to worship idols for forty years (7:42). Thus, even though the tabernacle of Moses was among them in the wilderness, they worshiped idols for forty years (7:44). This is one of the reasons why the first generation that came out of Egypt could not reach the Promised Land.

Second, the case of Israel grumbling and demanding meat (Numbers 11). Notice verse 5: “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.” Here we see that Israel still remembered the pleasures of Egypt, even though they had already left Egypt. This caused them to desire to return to Egypt, as in the case of the twelve spies (Numbers 14:4). It seems that Israel had come out of Egypt, but “Egypt” had not yet come out of Israel.

Third, grumbling and rebellion against the leadership of Moses (Numbers 16). God’s judgment upon their rebellion was terrifying, for the earth opened its mouth and they went down alive into the realm of the dead.

Fourth, the case of the twelve spies (Numbers 13–14). We know that of the twelve spies, only Joshua and Caleb continued to believe God that He was surely able to bring Israel into the Promised Land, even though there were formidable enemies before them.

Let us apply Israel’s failures in the wilderness to the context of the church. We know that Israel’s inheritance was the Promised Land (Canaan), but the church’s inheritance is the fullness of the Holy Spirit, for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was only a “down payment,” a “guarantee,” or a “deposit” (Ephesians 1:14). The full outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be given to us at the coming of the Lord Jesus.

However, we know that the church has failed and fragmented into tens of thousands of denominations. Therefore, God calls His overcomers throughout the church age to represent this fallen church. And indeed, only His overcomers will receive the inheritance, namely the full gift of the Holy Spirit at the coming of the Lord. This event is written in Romans 8:19–21, where His overcomers are glorified together with Christ to restore all things.

Thus, just as the first generation of Israel failed in the wilderness except for Joshua and Caleb, so also the church has failed and fragmented into tens of thousands of denominations, and only His overcomers will receive the church’s inheritance and reign with Christ for a thousand years on the earth (Revelation 5:10; 20:4).

Let us continue our discussion of Israel in the Promised Land. We know that the second generation of Israel entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. The seven nations in Canaan have now perished, but we know that Israel never fully possessed the Promised Land that God had promised. Israel even experienced a division of the kingdom after the reign of King Solomon and also experienced exile to Assyria (the northern kingdom) and to Babylon (the kingdom of Judah).

Let us look from Israel’s history at what was required for Israel to possess their inheritance, namely the Promised Land. First, Israel had to fight the seven nations in Canaan and not intermarry or ‘coexist’ (make covenants) with these seven nations. But after the time of Joshua and his generation passed away, another generation arose that did not know the wars of Canaan and that ‘coexisted’ with the remaining nations left by Joshua (Judges 2–3). The people of Israel ‘compromised’ with the remaining nations, and this caused Israel to participate in their idolatry.

Second, Deuteronomy 7:22 states, “And YAHWEH your Elohim will drive out those nations before you little by little. You will not be able to destroy them all at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you” (ILT). This means that according to the growth of the people of Israel (multiplying), God would gradually drive out those nations.

Third, Israel was to be a nation led directly by Yahweh (a theocracy). Of course, Yahweh used elders and prophets as His spokesmen to lead Israel. But in the days of Samuel, Israel rejected Yahweh and asked for a king to lead them, like the surrounding nations. Although there were good kings in Israel, Israel’s history continued to decline during the time of the kings, until Israel eventually went into exile and did not obtain the promised inheritance.

There are certainly other things Israel had to do in order to obtain their inheritance, but the three points mentioned above are sufficient for this brief writing. Let us apply these matters to the case of the church in attaining its inheritance, namely the gift of the Holy Spirit in His fullness.

First, the seven nations in the Promised Land are symbols of the Devil and his evil spirits that must be fought by the church so that the church may obtain its inheritance. James 4:7 affirms, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (NIV). Of course, the Devil uses the world and human flesh to attack us. Here we are challenged not to compromise with the values of this world and must learn to deny our own flesh. By submitting ourselves to the values of Elohim and refusing to compromise, we are resisting the Devil.

However, there is one thing we must be alert to, namely the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). Therefore, we must continue to learn humbly before the Lord and always be ready to

receive new revelation from Him. We should not be overly confident in all our views, but keep learning, so that we may be spared from many of the devil’s deceptions.

Second, the application of Deuteronomy 7:22 above is that we must live day by day being led by Christ inwardly (living the ‘zoe’ life). In this way we grow in the ‘zoe’ life, where this ‘zoe’ life begins to fully govern our minds, emotions, and wills, so that the devil is increasingly “pressed back” and retreats from our soul-life.

Third, every member of the church must be led directly by the Holy Spirit, just as in the early church. Jesus affirmed that “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). The system of church governance must be ‘Theocracy,’ just as Israel was meant to be. If the church is in such a condition, then the devil and his evil spirits are driven back step by step, and the church can receive its inheritance, namely the fullness of Christ.

Thus, the church will receive its inheritance if the three things above are carried out diligently. At His coming, the church will be glorified together with Christ and will receive its inheritance together with Christ (Romans 8:19–21).

We are still discussing Stephen’s sermon, in which he concluded with the story of David who desired to build the Temple, although in the end it was Solomon who built it. Why did Stephen end his sermon with the story of David’s desire to build the Temple as a dwelling place for Elohim? At least two points can be presented here.

First, the kingdom of David is a symbol or shadow of the Messianic kingdom. David received grace and a promise concerning his descendants, that his throne would never end (1 Chronicles 17). The Jewish people were always waiting for the coming of a leader (the Messiah) from the lineage of David, who would establish the kingdom of Israel forever. In the case where the second Temple had been destroyed by the Roman army, they also hoped that the Messiah would rebuild the Temple.

But we know that they rejected Jesus as their King and Messiah. This was because they expected the Messiah to build a ‘physical’ kingdom like the kingdom of David, for that was their understanding of the Messiah as the Son of David. They hoped that the Messiah would free them from ‘physical’ enemies, namely the surrounding nations that fought against Israel. They did not expect a Messiah who would free them from the bondage of sin.

At one time Jesus asked the Pharisees whose son the Messiah was (Matthew 22:41–46). Of course, the Pharisees immediately answered, ‘The Son of David’. But when Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, where David calls the Messiah his ‘Lord’, and asked how it was possible that David called the Messiah his Lord while the Messiah was also his son, the Pharisees were unable to answer Him.

For us, however, this issue is very simple. The kingdom of David was only a symbol or shadow, while the Messianic kingdom is the reality. Jesus once said to Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world. The Messianic kingdom exists in a higher dimension, namely the heavenly dimension (the kingdom of heaven). That is why David called the Messiah his ‘Lord’, because the kingdom of David is “lower” than the Messianic kingdom. The kingdom of David exists in the earthly dimension, while the Messianic kingdom exists in a higher dimension, the heavenly dimension.

Second, Stephen emphasized that although David’s intention to build the Temple was good, the Most High does not dwell in ‘physical places’ called the Jerusalem Temple (Acts 7:48–50). The Jerusalem Temple was only a symbol, and when the reality came, it was no longer needed. Indirectly, Stephen was rebuking the ‘physical thinking’ or ‘physical concepts’ of the Pharisees. If they had been able to let go of their ‘physical concepts’ about the Messiah, they would have been more open to receiving Jesus as their Messiah.

After Stephen explained the case of David, he then strongly rebuked the Sanhedrin. Both the kingdom of David and the Temple he longed to build were merely physical symbols. The reality of all these things is ‘spiritual,’ namely the Messianic kingdom (the kingdom of heaven) and the “Temple” built by the Messiah, which is the church (the saints). Sadly, the Pharisees were unable to shed their physical concepts.

These are the two points we need to reflect on as to why Stephen ended his sermon with the case of David and then rebuked the Sanhedrin.

We now enter chapter 8, where the gospel of the kingdom begins to spread to the regions of Judea and Samaria after the severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem. Those who were scattered went throughout the land preaching the gospel. This chapter specifically records the evangelism carried out by Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve tables (Acts 6:5).

There are several things we need to pay attention to in Philip’s evangelism in chapter 8. First, Philip preached the gospel of the kingdom of Elohim or the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and the name of Jesus Christ (verse 12). Philip preached the gospel of the kingdom just as the Lord Jesus preached it. The good news of the kingdom of heaven as written in the New Testament focuses on the coming of the Lord Jesus to establish the kingdom of heaven ‘fully’ on earth. This is the good news—that the kingdom of darkness has been destroyed by the Lord Jesus and is gradually being driven back from this earth.

Second, signs and miracles accompanied Philip’s preaching (verses 6–7). We must remember that the function of signs is only to confirm the word that is preached. This does not mean that without signs or miracles people cannot believe the gospel. Consider the ministry of John the Baptist, who did not perform a single sign, yet many people believed in Jesus because John the Baptist spoke the truth about Jesus (John 10:41–42). Therefore, above all, the word of God must be preached correctly.

Third, the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon the Samaritans (verse 16). This does not mean that when the Samaritans believed in Jesus Christ they did not receive the Holy Spirit who gives Life (‘zoe’) to those who believe. Rather, the Samaritans who believed in Jesus had not yet been ‘connected’ to the church in Jerusalem (the Body of Christ). Peter and John, as representatives

of the Jerusalem church (the Body of Christ), were needed to lay hands on them, and then the Holy Spirit came upon them. This was because Philip was not a ‘representative’ of the Jerusalem church, as the apostles were as leaders of the Jerusalem church.

Fourth, the case of Simon the sorcerer who later believed in Jesus (verse 13). Simon tried to offer money in order to receive the power to impart the Holy Spirit, as Peter and John did. Peter’s response was very firm in rebuking Simon, so that Simon asked to be prayed for that the severe rebuke would not come upon him. Here we see Peter’s attitude of being impossible to ‘bribe’ with money concerning the gift of Elohim. For the apostles, selling the gift of Elohim was a great evil.

We see how Jesus responded when there was trading in the Temple. Jesus drove out all who bought and sold in the Temple courts, overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and said, “You are making it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:12–13).

In the early church we do not see any ‘buying and selling’. Church funds that were collected were primarily given to the poor and to widows. Christianity that has been filled with ‘buying and selling’ can no longer be called the church, because its basic nature has changed into a “den of robbers.”

We continue with Philip’s evangelism in chapter 8, this time to the Ethiopian eunuch (verses 26–40). There are several things we will discuss in this evangelism.

First, the leadership of the Holy Spirit in Philip’s evangelism is clearly evident. We read in the passage above, “…an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip… Then the Spirit said to Philip… The Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away…”. In the book of Acts, there are about 70 expressions that emphasize that the Holy Spirit fully directed the movement of the church. This is very different from the general movement of Christianity today. In the Christian world, there are many church “managers” who regulate the movement of the church. These “managers” make plans, organize, motivate and lead, and establish control systems over church members. All of this happens because “savage wolves” have attacked some church leaders, so they exalt themselves by drawing the Lord’s disciples after themselves and controlling the Lord’s disciples who have become their followers (Acts 20:28–30). We will discuss this later.

Second, Philip’s evangelism was focused on Jesus. Note verse 35: “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” The passage read by the eunuch was a prophecy of Isaiah concerning the Messiah, that the Messiah would be like ‘a lamb’ led to the slaughter and would not open His mouth, meaning He would not resist those who slaughtered Him.

A gospel that is focused ON JESUS must be emphasized, because today many preachers are focused on HUMAN NEEDS. Indeed, Jesus is very good and will meet our needs. But if our preaching is focused on human needs, especially physical needs, then Christians will seek Jesus in order to obtain physical needs. Jesus rebuked the crowd who sought Him because they had eaten physical bread and were filled (John 6). Jesus emphasized that the physical bread He gave was only a ‘sign.’ Jesus wanted the crowd to understand the ‘sign’ He performed and to come to Him to receive the bread of life, which is Himself. Evangelism must be focused on Jesus, so that people come to Jesus to receive the bread of life.

Let us take just one example of how a preacher who is focused on human needs will certainly misinterpret the Bible. A very popular and often-preached verse is found in John 10:10: “…I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This verse is understood to mean that Jesus intends to give an abundant life in terms of health, prosperity, wealth, and so on, related to human physical needs.

If the preacher were focused on Jesus, he would not misinterpret it as above. He would understand that Jesus intends to give His Life (Greek: ‘zoe’) so that humans may know the Father and know Jesus whom He sent, for that is the purpose of ‘zoe’ life (John 17:3, eternal life = ‘zoe’ life). And if that ‘zoe’ life grows into abundance, then humans will know the Father and know Jesus truly and fully. There are still many other verses that are “twisted” by preachers who focus on human needs. And what is most tragic is that in the end they will also “twist” verses to meet their need for money. No wonder teachings such as tithes (money), firstfruits (money), faith pledges (money), and so on arise in the Christian world. This is the logical consequence for preachers who prioritize human physical needs. Such preaching does not glorify the name of the Lord Jesus.

Third, spontaneity regarding baptism. When the eunuch saw water, he spontaneously asked to be baptized. Philip immediately baptized him after ensuring that he believed in Jesus. There were no ‘religious regulations’ regarding baptism. Indeed, one of the characteristics of the early church was a spontaneous life led by the Holy Spirit. These are the three things we need to observe regarding Philip’s Spirit-led evangelism.

We now turn to the conversion of Saul, who previously persecuted the church (Acts 9:1–19). Verse 1 states, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest.” We need to realize that Saul was not a criminal or a murderer in the general sense. Saul, a Pharisee, according to his own confession, was “…as for righteousness based on the law, faultless” (Philippians 3:6). So Saul was a very devoutly religious person. The question now is: why can a devoutly religious person be so cruel in persecuting the church? To understand this, we need to look back and examine the origin of religion and what religion actually is.

Let us look at Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve fell into sin by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they realized/knew that they were naked, and therefore they felt ashamed. They felt or considered nakedness to be something “evil” and shameful. This is the result of eating the fruit of that Tree of Knowledge. Adam and Eve possessed KNOWLEDGE that they previously did not have.

In fact, ‘nakedness’ is not “evil” and does not have to produce shame, because God Himself placed Adam and Eve naked in the Garden of Eden. But Adam and Eve were placed by God in the Garden of Eden in a condition of NOT KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL (Genesis 3:22). The problem or sickness of Adam and Eve was that they possessed the knowledge of good and evil. As long as they did not have the knowledge of good and evil, their nakedness was not a problem and did not produce shame. The glory of Elohim “covered” them so that they did not feel ashamed. Sin caused them to lose the glory of Elohim and to feel ashamed of their nakedness. For sin causes humanity to fall short of the glory of Elohim (Romans 3:23).

Because of their shame, Adam and Eve made an effort of their own, namely sewing fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. This effort by Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness is the first RELIGIOUS EFFORT made by humanity. Subsequently, all the descendants of Adam and Eve would make religious efforts according to their knowledge of good and evil. THEREFORE, THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF RELIGION IS HUMAN EFFORT TO COVER ONE’S NAKEDNESS BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF THE GLORY OF ELOHIM DUE TO SIN. Every nation, tribe, or race without exception has this tendency. The tendency to be religious exists because human beings ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Atheism is also a religion—that is, a religion that does not acknowledge God.

Thus, religion is a human effort based on one’s knowledge of good and evil. In fact, the more religious a person is, the more arrogant he tends to become, because he relies on his own knowledge and effort. He will feel that he is the most correct, and will regard those who hold different views as people who are astray. And indeed, according to the Law of Moses, deception must be eradicated completely.

What religious people often fail to realize is that ‘faith’ is very different from ‘religion’. That is why Saul (who became Paul) acknowledged that when he persecuted the church, “…I did it all ignorantly, in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13). Even though Saul was very religious, he was outside of faith, and therefore he persecuted the church.

We will continue the story of Saul, but at this point we will discuss the authority Saul had to persecute the church (Acts 9:1–19). Notice verse 14: “And here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.” The phrase ‘authority’ is translated from the Greek term ‘exousia’, which means ‘authority’. It was this authority that gave Saul the right to judge, in the sense of declaring someone heretical and passing sentence upon them.

The Jewish religious court indeed had authority to judge the nation of Israel, not only in religious matters, but also to a certain extent in political and social matters. We know that Judaism originated from the covenant between Yahweh and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai, with Moses as the mediator. And Jesus acknowledged the existence of ‘authority’ to judge within the Mosaic Covenant.

Let us look at Matthew 23:1–12: “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore do whatever they tell you and observe it… But you are not to be called Rabbi… you are all brothers… and call no man your father… neither be called leaders, for you have one Leader, the Messiah…’”

When Jesus spoke to ‘the crowds’, He commanded them to obey and practice the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, because they possessed “Moses’ seat.” “Moses’ seat” here speaks of ‘authority’. However, authority in the Old Testament was only symbolic. In the New Testament (the church or the people of the Kingdom), there is no “Moses’ seat,” nor any authority of one member over another. That is why, among the people of the Kingdom (the church), there must be no judging of one another. To judge means to declare guilt and to pass sentence. In the church, one may point out wrongdoing, rebuke, and exhort (2 Timothy 4:2), but one must not pass sentence, because in the church there is no authority of “Moses’ seat.” Peter did not judge Ananias and Sapphira. Peter merely pointed out their wrongdoing, and then the Holy Spirit passed judgment on Ananias and Sapphira.

Let us try to apply this truth to the Christian world, since it is common in Christianity to hear the phrase “do not judge,” especially directed toward denominational leaders. Judging and pointing out wrongdoing/rebuking are two very different things. Pointing out wrongdoing and rebuking are actually commanded within the context of the church.

A servant of God who does not have “Moses’ seat” or authority cannot judge. He can only point out wrongdoing and rebuke. But servants of God who possess “Moses’ seat” or authority are the ones who can judge, in the sense of declaring someone’s wrongdoing and passing sentence upon them.

We know that the church has split into tens of thousands of denominations because of fierce wolves who caused certain leaders to exalt themselves and draw disciples after themselves. Therefore, such leaders possess “Moses’ seat” or authority over the disciples they have drawn to themselves or their followers (Acts 20:28–30). These leaders—whether pastors or whatever they are called—have the right to declare the wrongdoing of their members and to pass judgment, even to the point of dismissing their representatives if necessary. They are the ones who have the power to judge. Perhaps the phrase “do not judge” in Christianity has been popularized by such people, so that their own wrongdoing would not be exposed. However, the people of the Kingdom cannot judge, and they entrust judgment over His church to the Lord Jesus at His coming.

We continue the story of Saul, namely his conversion that caused him to be temporarily blind. Acts 9:8 states, “Saul got up from the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing….” Saul’s blindness was physical, but the Bible repeatedly uses physical blindness as a picture of spiritual blindness.

A passage that clearly describes spiritual blindness is found in John 12:40: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” The context of this verse speaks of the leaders of Judaism (the Sanhedrin) who crucified Jesus even though Jesus had performed so many miracles ‘before their very eyes’ (12:37). The Pharisees and scribes had physical eyes and could clearly see the miracles Jesus performed, but they could not believe because Elohim had blinded their spiritual eyes.

Likewise Saul, although he was a Pharisee and blameless in keeping the Law, was spiritually blind—just like his teacher Gamaliel, who was highly respected by the people. The Father’s act of blinding Saul’s eyes after Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” has a deep meaning that we will discuss later.

Let us look at the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:17–18: “For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked… and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” The church in Laodicea consisted of believers who had been born again (saints) and had the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, for that is the New Testament definition of the church. The church is not unbelievers. Yet they had spiritual blindness, so that they said, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” Why is this so?

Let us take the example of Balaam, who could not see the Angel of the LORD with a drawn sword in His hand, ready to kill him, while his donkey had already seen and turned aside from the road (Numbers 22). Why could Balaam no longer see? Certainly because of money, wages, or bribery, which blinded him (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19).

Certainly one of the causes of the Laodicean church’s blindness was money, wages, or bribery. In the New Testament, Balaam is referred to as “the way of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,” “the error of Balaam for pay,” and “the teaching of Balaam” (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 1:11; Revelation 2:14). Thus, in the New Testament, Balaam represents those who minister yet love wages, and even formulate teachings that support a love of wages in ministry.

The seven churches in Revelation 2–3 portray churches that have deviated because of three false teachings: the teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans. Let us apply these three false teachings to Christianity today, especially the teaching of Balaam. In general, Christianity has accepted the teaching of Balaam. Why? Christianity consists of “ministers” and congregations—priests and laity in Catholicism, pastors and congregations in Protestantism. Church ministers feel entitled to receive wages for ministry, and therefore they draw money from the congregation, whether through offerings, tithing teachings, firstfruits, faith pledges, or other means. Serving God in Christianity has become a profession, so those who minister are entitled to regular salaries and other offerings.

Let us look at the examples of Peter, Paul, John, and the other apostles. Did they draw church money for their personal needs and ministry? Did they teach doctrines to extract church funds through tithes, firstfruits, or faith pledges? The problem is that in Christianity, drawing church money has ‘become doctrine and is no longer questioned’. If it were merely a practice, only a few people would do it; but once it becomes doctrine, it is practiced by many and justified.

Do denominational leaders in Christianity not know the Bible? Not at all. Almost all of them hold theological degrees and are respected by many, especially their followers. The question is whether they ‘see or not’. By His grace, the people of the Kingdom can see what the teaching of Balaam truly is.

We are still discussing Saul, specifically Jesus’ words to him: “…Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul answered, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4–5). From these verses we clearly see that Jesus does not distinguish Himself from the church. In fact, Saul was not persecuting Jesus; he was merely acting on his belief that the church was a heretical “sect” within Judaism and had to be eradicated. It turns out that Jesus and the church are one. Whoever persecutes the church persecutes Jesus.

To understand why Jesus identifies Himself with the church, we must discuss one important point in Paul’s theology, namely the ‘Body of Christ’. The term Body of Christ is used only by Paul; Peter and John do not use it. To explain the Body of Christ, we must understand the New Testament trilogy—that the communities produced by Peter’s ministry differ from those produced by Paul’s or John’s ministry. Many Bible teachers do not distinguish between the communities resulting from Peter’s ministry, Paul’s ministry, and John’s ministry.

Peter and his team primarily ministered to Jews, while Paul and his team ministered to the Gentiles, as well as Jews who believed through his ministry. Paul emphasized that ‘in Christ’ there is neither Jew nor Gentile. Meanwhile, the apostle John ministered to the seven churches in Asia Minor that had deviated because of the three false teachings of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans, and Balaam, and he called out the overcomers (Revelation 2–3).

Consider 1 Corinthians 11:16: “But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, ‘we’ have no such practice, nor do the ‘churches of Elohim’” (ILT). Also 1 Corinthians 15:9: “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the ‘church of Elohim’” (ILT). In 1 Corinthians 11:16, Paul clearly distinguishes his community (we) from Peter’s community, which he calls the ‘churches of Elohim’. He then states that he persecuted Peter’s community, the church of Elohim.

What about John’s community? Consider 1 John 1:3: “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with ‘us’; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” From John’s statement it is clear that he and his team ‘no longer had fellowship (koinonia)’ with the seven churches in Asia Minor.

The Greek term ‘koinonia’ does not merely mean gathering for worship. It does not merely mean unity of mind; it goes deeper—it means being one spirit with the Holy Spirit. The early church (Peter’s community) ‘devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship (koinonia)’ (Acts 2:42). Their level of ‘koinonia’ was such that “all who believed were together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44).

Thus, John’s community represents the community of overcomers throughout the church age. The overcomers are not famous or powerful figures in Christianity, but simple people who do not participate in the three false teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans.

The differences between the communities of Peter, Paul, and John do not mean that there are three different churches in the New Testament. Rather, we must understand these differences to more clearly grasp the truth about the ‘Body of Christ’.

Let us continue our discussion of the Body of Christ. We have emphasized that there are three communities in the New Testament writings: the communities of Peter, Paul, and John. To further understand these three New Testament ministries—Peter, Paul, and John—we must understand the principle of the ‘Trilogy’, which is discussed elsewhere in this ‘Kingdom Theology’ series. For now, we will focus on the meaning of the ‘Body of Christ’ as Paul intended.

What is a ‘Body’ or an ‘Organism’? To understand an organism correctly, we must understand the difference between an organism and an organization. According to the Indonesian dictionary, an organism is a systematic arrangement of various parts of a living body for a particular purpose. As a noun in biology, an organism is a living being. Thus, an organism refers to the interconnectedness of living body parts—such as feet, hands, and other parts—so that a specific purpose of the living being is achieved.

An organization, on the other hand, is defined as a unity or arrangement consisting of parts (people) in an association for a particular purpose. Another definition is a cooperative group of people formed to achieve a common goal. Thus, it is clear that an organization is the relationship between people within a structure, whereas an organism is the relationship between body parts within a living being.

Next, we must understand what kind of authority operates in an organism and what kind of authority operates in an organization. This is crucial, because neither an organism nor an organization can function without some form of governing authority.

Authority in an organizational context is human authority, which within a structure is called a ‘chain of command’. In an organizational structure, the chain of command connects one person to another. This chain determines who leads whom and who is responsible to whom. The person at the top of the organizational structure possesses the highest human authority.

Meanwhile, authority in the context of an organism is called the authority of life, or the life-authority of that being. It is the life of the being that governs the relationship between the feet and the hands. If there is no longer life within that being, then there is no longer any authority regulating the relationship between the hands and the feet; in fact, there is no movement of the hands and feet at all—namely, death.

Next, we must understand what Paul meant by the term ‘Christ’. Let us look at the Epistle to the Colossians, which explains the meaning of this term. Colossians 3:4 states, “… Christ, our life …” (ILT). Colossians 1:27 says, “… Christ in you ….” Paul emphasizes that Christ is our life (‘zoē’), and that Christ dwells within us. This means that Christ is the kind of life belonging to Elohim (zoē) that exists within our inner being. That is why Jesus emphasized, “I came that they may have life (zoē),” and Paul also said, “For to me, to live is Christ” (John 10:10; Galatians 2:20).

Now it is time for us to combine the two terms used by Paul, namely BODY and CHRIST. We must always remember that Paul emphasized that the church IS the Body of Christ. Paul did not say that the church is LIKE the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is an ORGANISM, in which there is a HEAD (Jesus) and MEMBERS OF THE BODY. The Head and the Body are not separated, BECAUSE THEY ARE UNITED BY THE AUTHORITY OF LIFE. Every member of the Body must move by the authority of Life. There must be no other authority within the church. Every member of the church moves by the authority of Life. The early church was an organism; that is why every member of the church was DIRECTLY COMMANDED BY THE LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT (THE HOLY SPIRIT).

Such is the meaning of the BODY OF CHRIST. That is why, when Saul persecuted the church, he was also persecuting Jesus, because Jesus and the church are ONE ORGANISM IN THE TRUE SENSE. Today, the church has been divided into tens of thousands of denominations. The church and denominations are very different. Why? BECAUSE THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH IS THE AUTHORITY OF LIFE, WHEREAS THE AUTHORITY OF DENOMINATIONS IS THE AUTHORITY OF LEADERS (HUMANS).

Let us continue our discussion of the conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1–18). Verses 4–5 state, “… Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? Saul answered, Who are You, Lord? ….” Here we see that Saul immediately addressed the voice he heard—Jesus—as LORD. This designation of LORD is very important for Saul’s subsequent spiritual journey.

Let us see what the term ‘Lord’ means in the original text. The Greek term ‘kurios’ actually means ‘the supreme authority’, or ‘the sole ruler’. This means that if someone calls Jesus LORD, he acknowledges that only Jesus determines everything in his life. Not only that, but he will obey every leading of Jesus Christ in his life. Therefore, the confession that Jesus is Lord is not merely verbal. Indeed, it is very possible for someone to confess Jesus with his lips, yet have his life governed by something else. This is precisely what we will discuss next.

Consider Matthew 7:21–23, which says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” There are several things we need to observe from these verses.

First, those who cry out ‘Lord, Lord’ will not necessarily enter the kingdom of heaven. This does not mean that one does not need to confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord. Rather, confessing Jesus as Lord is only “half the matter,” because one must confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in the heart in order to be saved (Romans 10:9). If someone truly believes in his heart, that faith will surely bear fruit in concrete actions.

Second, the requirement for entering the kingdom of heaven is doing the will of the Father. This does not mean that salvation depends on works. Salvation clearly depends solely on faith. However, it means that faith without works is dead and does not save (James 2:14–26).

Third, acts or ministries such as prophesying in the name of the Lord, casting out demons in the name of the Lord, and performing many miracles in the name of the Lord do not automatically guarantee that a person will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Fourth, the term ‘lawlessness’ in the above passage is translated from the Greek term ‘anomia’, which means the absence of law. It refers to not obeying the applicable law—in this case, the ‘law of the kingdom of heaven’. The law of the kingdom of heaven speaks of the authority of Jesus Christ as King above all kings.

The matter of AUTHORITY in the context of the kingdom of heaven is extremely important. That is why Jesus is called LORD, because He possesses the HIGHEST AUTHORITY. Jesus affirmed that all authority has been given to Him, and this is the reason why He commanded us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20).

In his conversion, Saul had already called Jesus LORD, and throughout his spiritual journey, Saul learned how to obey the authority of Jesus without condition. Saul, who became Paul, referred to himself as a ‘prisoner of the Spirit’, meaning that he was completely led by the Holy Spirit. Paul was a free man, and no human authority above him could regulate his movements. In his missionary journey, he followed entirely the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, every member of the early church was directly led by the Holy Spirit. In this way, the early church acknowledged the authority of Jesus as LORD.

We are still discussing Matthew 7:21–23, a passage that is rarely examined in detail within Christianity, especially verse 23, which states: “Then I will declare to them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” The term ‘you’ in this verse refers to those who prophesied in the name of the Lord, cast out demons in the name of the Lord, and performed many miracles in the name of the Lord. When Jesus declares this plainly, He rejects them. The moment when Jesus speaks plainly refers to the time of His coming (commonly called the Second Coming) as the righteous Judge. The crucial question from this verse is: who are the ‘you’ who commit ‘lawlessness’ (anomia) referred to here? Are they born-again Christians with remarkable ministries, as seen in the passage, or not?

The Greek term ‘anomia’ is also used in the parable of the ‘weeds among the wheat’ (Matthew 13). We can identify who the ‘you’ in Matthew 7:23 refers to by comparing the use of the same term (‘anomia’) in that parable. What is clear is that the ‘you’ in Matthew 7:23 call Jesus LORD, and Jesus does not deny that they performed prophetic ministry, cast out demons, and performed many miracles IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. What Jesus takes issue with is that they practiced ‘anomia’—lawlessness.

Let us look at the parable of the weeds among the wheat (Matthew 13). In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. The Lord Jesus is the one who sowed the good seed, and the wheat represents the children of the kingdom. The devil is the one who sowed the evil seed, and the weeds represent the children of the evil one.

We must understand that the devil sowed the evil seed ‘in the field belonging to the Master in heaven’, so that both the weeds and the wheat are IN THE MASTER’S FIELD. At the early stage, weeds and wheat are very similar, making it impossible to distinguish between them. That is why the Master forbade His servants from pulling out the weeds before the time of harvest, lest the wheat also be uprooted.

The meaning of this parable describes what the kingdom of heaven is like, since it is preceded by the phrase, ‘the kingdom of heaven is like’. Initially, only Jesus sowed the good seed—the children of the kingdom. When the church was born on the day of Pentecost, only good seed was sown. But later, the devil sowed evil seed into the church, resulting in the church being divided into thousands of denominations as it is today—what we call the Christian world (Acts 20:28–30; the fierce wolves are the devil). Therefore, we can conclude that originally the church consisted only of “wheat seed,” but later developed into the Christian world in which there are both “weed seed” and “wheat seed.” Within the Christian world, there are “weeds,” namely those who practice ‘lawlessness’ (‘anomia’) (Matthew 13:41), which is the same as the ‘workers of lawlessness’ (anomia) in Matthew 7:23.

Furthermore, verse 41 also states that at the time of harvest, everything that causes stumbling will be gathered. We should note the term ‘stumbling’ (Greek: ‘skandalon’) in verse 41, which is also used in Revelation 2:14: “… among you are some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block (skandalon) before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.” Thus, this matter of causing stumbling refers to false teaching (Balaam) that the devil sowed into the church, leading God’s people to idolatry and immorality. In fact, there are three false teachings sown by the devil into the church, as written in Revelation 2–3: the teaching of Jezebel (usurping the authority of Life in the church), the teaching of the Nicolaitans (subjugating the laity, dividing the church into two classes—Catholic: priest-laity; Protestant: pastor-congregation), and the teaching of Balaam (justifying commerce within the church).

Such is the condition of the kingdom of heaven, in which there are both “weeds” and “wheat.” But at the time of harvest, the weeds and the wheat will be separated, and at that time Jesus will plainly reveal which are “wheat” and which are “weeds.” Jesus will also plainly speak to those who prophesied in the name of the Lord, cast out demons in the name of the Lord, and performed many miracles in the name of the Lord—and reject them.

Thus, the ‘you’ in Matthew 7:23 ARE the “weeds” in Matthew 13:41. Those who are rejected by Jesus from participating in the manifestation of the kingdom of heaven on earth at His coming are born-again Christians who nevertheless practice lawlessness (‘anomia’ = not following the rules/laws of the kingdom of heaven).

What are the rules or laws in the kingdom of heaven? Since Jesus is **LORD**, the rule in His kingdom is that Jesus Himself must directly govern all members of His church. The early church was an organism, in which every member was directly governed by the authority of Life, which is Jesus (I am the life = zoē). However, within the Christian world today, there are authorities other than the authority of Jesus—namely, the authority of denominational leaders (organizational authority). Those who serve the Lord Jesus but do not submit directly to the authority of Jesus, instead submitting to “other authorities,” are those who tend to be rejected at His coming from participating in the kingdom of heaven fully manifested on earth.

Let us continue the story of Saul’s conversion and now consider what Jesus said concerning Saul’s future life. Acts 9:16 states, “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” Saul (Paul) was fully aware that his future involved suffering for the sake of Jesus’ name. In Acts 20:22–23, he declares, “… as a prisoner of the Spirit … I do not know what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me from city to city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.” Yet Paul was determined not to consider his life of any value to himself, as long as he could finish the race and complete the ministry entrusted to him by Jesus. Let us look at several passages related to suffering as taught by Paul.

First, Philippians 1:29 says, “For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for Him.” Here Paul firmly states that believing in Christ is a gift of grace, and likewise, suffering for Him is also a gift of grace.

Second, 2 Timothy 2:3 says, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” And 2 Timothy 3:12 states, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Paul realized that persecution would surely come if one desired to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. Such persecution can come from anywhere, and to strengthen Timothy, Paul urged him to share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ.

Third, Romans 8:17 says, “… we are heirs … provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.” By ‘being glorified’, Paul means that at the coming of Jesus (commonly called the Second Coming), we will be glorified together with Christ, in the sense of receiving resurrection bodies (glorified bodies), through which we will reign with Christ to liberate creation from its bondage to decay (Romans 8:19–21). However, Paul emphasizes here that if we are to share in glory with Christ at His coming, then now we must also share in the sufferings of Christ in our service.

Fourth, Acts 14:22 states, “… it is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of Elohim” (ILT). Paul exhorted and strengthened the disciples in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to continue in the faith, because entering the kingdom of heaven requires enduring many hardships.

Paul’s teaching on suffering does not mean that there is an additional requirement for entering the kingdom of heaven—namely, faith plus suffering. Entrance into the kingdom of heaven, or participation in the kingdom of heaven that will be established on earth, depends solely on God’s choice and His grace. However, if we are chosen to share in the glory with Christ that will be revealed in the future, then we will automatically also share in the sufferings of Christ. The choice of grace and the suffering that accompanies it cannot be separated. Indeed, the present suffering we experience together with Christ only strengthens our future participation in the glory of His kingdom that will be fully manifested on earth.

We are still discussing the conversion of Saul and how the Holy Spirit reveals His guidance step by step. Let us consider Acts 9:6, which says, “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The Lord Jesus only instructed Saul to get up and go into the city, without explaining what would happen there. Similarly, when Saul testified about his conversion to King Agrippa in Acts 26:16, he said, “But now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen of Me and of what I will yet reveal to you.” Why is it important to discuss the guidance of the Holy Spirit that comes ‘step by step’?

Alright, let us observe the movement of the early church as recorded in the Book of Acts. We know that there are 28 chapters in this book, and there are about 70 expressions such as ‘the Spirit said’, ‘the prompting of the Spirit’, ‘the Holy Spirit forbade’, ‘filled with the Spirit’, and so on. The movement of the early church was clearly and entirely led by the Holy Spirit. One of the characteristics of being led by the Holy Spirit is a ‘spontaneous life’. The early church spontaneously gathered, prayed, evangelized, gave, and so forth. The apostles did not establish ‘religious regulations’, such as having to gather on Sunday, having to give tithes, or having to do this or that, as is commonly found in the world of Christianity.

What causes Christianity, in general, to be very structured in everything—its meeting days, its liturgy, its methods of offerings, and so on? Meanwhile, for those who read the New Testament with a clear mind, they certainly cannot find such ‘religious regulations’ as are commonly present in Christianity. In worship gatherings, Paul gave only one rule, which we may call the ‘mutual rule’, namely ‘mutual edification’, by which each person brings something, such as a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a gift of tongues, and its interpretation (1 Corinthians 14:26).

This may not seem very important to discuss, but Acts 20:28–30 explains something to us that is almost never discussed by leaders in Christianity, namely the attack of savage wolves (the devil) against church leaders. Because of these attacks by savage wolves, some leaders DRAW AWAY the Lord’s disciples with FALSE TEACHINGS in order to make them THEIR FOLLOWERS. These leaders need RELIGIOUS REGULATIONS in order to BIND their followers.

Religious regulations that are common in Christianity include the requirement to worship on Sunday and the PULLING OF MONEY from followers through various false teachings such as tithes, firstfruits (money), faith pledges, and various other monetary offerings. Leaders who have been attacked by savage wolves will certainly try to justify their false teachings. But one thing is certain: the leaders of the early church never practiced or taught what is now commonly practiced by leaders in Christianity.

Because of the attacks of savage wolves, leaders no longer became SERVANTS, but MANAGERS, who manage the movement of the church, especially its followers. These managers make plans, organize, lead, and establish control systems over the movement of their followers. Once again, Paul and the other apostles were not church MANAGERS; rather, they were SERVANTS of the Lord and of His church. That is why the apostles never made plans or organizational systems like managers do. The division of tasks to distribute money to church members in need was not like the task of managers in Christianity (Acts 6). This division of tasks was merely a way for the apostles to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.

Therefore, if the church is led by the Holy Spirit, no religious regulations are needed at all. The Holy Spirit will DIRECTLY lead each member of the church ‘step by step’, as happened with Saul (Paul). But because of the attacks of savage wolves, church leaders began to act as managers and to regulate the church, and thus they felt the need to create religious regulations. Every denomination in Christianity has its own religious regulations. However, the people of the Kingdom do not draw followers, nor do they become followers of anyone, except as they learn to be led by the Holy Spirit ‘step by step’.

After Saul was baptized and became a disciple, Acts 9:31 states, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” This verse affirms that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria increased in number through the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit. We have mentioned that Peter’s community (church) was different from Paul’s community. Now we will discuss the movement or expansion of the church as recorded in the Book of Acts.

In the Greek text, this book is titled ‘Praxeis’ (Acts), a term commonly used in Greek literature to describe the achievements of a particular figure. It appears that this book is divided into two parts: the achievements of Peter (chapters 1–12) and the achievements of Paul (chapters 13–28). The church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria represents the achievements of Peter and his team, including other peoples such as the Samaritans and also Cornelius (chapter 10). Meanwhile, the movement of the church to the “ends of the earth” (Rome) represents the achievements of Paul and his team. Thus, the witnesses of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, fulfilled Acts 1:8, which states, “…you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

If we look only at this book, it may seem that the movement of the church was carried out only by Peter and his team, and by Paul and his team. This is because many Christians, including Bible teachers, do not see the principle of Trilogy that we will briefly discuss below, namely that God has spoken three times through Peter, Paul, and John. In particular, if we understand the movement of the church through John and his team, we will see that the movement of the early

church cannot be equated with the movement of Christianity. In other words, the movement of Christianity is not a “natural continuation” of the movement of the early church. Something has happened to the church, and we will see it clearly only if we understand the movement of the church through the apostle John and his team. Let us look at this Trilogy principle.

In the dictionary, a trilogy means a group of three plays, novels, operas, etc., to be performed or read in succession, each complete in itself but having a common subject. Thus, a trilogy refers to a group of three works that are presented or read sequentially, each complete, yet sharing a common theme. If we apply this term to our discussion of the ministries of Peter, Paul, and John, then the meaning of trilogy is ‘a group of ministries consisting of three—namely the ministry of Peter, the ministry of Paul, and the ministry of John—where these ministries occur successively, beginning with Peter’s ministry, followed by Paul’s, and finally John’s’. Each of these three ministries is complete in itself, yet they all share a common theme. What is the common theme of their ministries? As we have seen, the theme of all three is the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN or the KINGDOM OF ELOHIM, where Jesus Christ is King above all kings, and His chosen people are kings.

Is the concept of a trilogy found in the Bible? Although the term ‘trilogy’ is not written in the Bible, the concept of a trilogy is found extensively in Scripture. Let us first look at Proverbs 22:20, which reads, “Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge?” We will compare the Indonesian translation with the English translations. The King James Version reads, “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsel and knowledge?” Young’s Literal Translation reads, “Have I not written to thee three times…?” The Jerusalem Bible reads, “Have I not written for you thirty chapters…?” The phrase ‘excellent things’ in Proverbs 22:20 comes from the Hebrew word ‘shalosh’, which according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (#7991, 7969) means a triple, or a triangle, or threefold, or the third rank, or three. Essentially, the root meaning of ‘shalosh’ is three. A slight change in the vowels of this Hebrew word makes it mean thirty, as in The Jerusalem Bible’s translation. However, Young’s Literal Translation is more accurate in accordance with the root meaning of the Hebrew word. And if we combine the translations of Young and the King James Version, it means that speaking three times in counsel and knowledge is something very good (excellent). Thus, the concept of trilogy is directly revealed in Proverbs 22:20.

We are still discussing the movement of the church in the Book of Acts. We know that the movement of the church in Acts records only the movement through Peter and Paul. But by understanding the Trilogy principle we have briefly discussed, we know that the movement of the early church recorded in Acts is explained or continued through the ministry of the apostle John. If someone does not understand John’s writings related to the movement of the church, then he will certainly view Christianity as a “natural continuation” of the movement of the early church. That is why almost all denominational leaders call their denomination the church. They make no distinction at all between denominations and the early church. The teaching of the ‘visible and invisible church’ initiated by Martin Luther supports this error (compare post-Reformation church doctrine in Berkhof’s ‘Systematic Theology’, pp. 560–561).

Therefore, let us begin to discuss the writings of the apostle John to understand that the movement of the early church is not the same as the movement of Christianity, meaning that the movement of Christianity is NOT A NATURAL CONTINUATION of the early church. Consider 1 John 1:3, which states, “That which WE have seen and heard we proclaim also to YOU, so that YOU too may have FELLOWSHIP with US….” The First Epistle of John is a general letter addressed to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which had been contaminated by three false teachings: Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans. The apostle John and his team no longer had fellowship (‘koinonia’) with them, because these three false teachings led the church into idolatry (Revelation 2–3). Meanwhile, the early church had a strong characteristic, namely fellowship/koinonia (Acts 2:42).

In truth, the church is a gathering of believers with close ‘koinonia’. Without ‘koinonia’, a gathering of believers can no longer be called a church. The church is like a collection of “living stones” arranged neatly into the Temple of Elohim. If those “living stones” are scattered, then it is not a church. Thus, denominations are collections of “living stones” that are scattered, where each group of “living stones” follows its own leader. In other words, the early church has been broken into thousands of denominations. Can we still call denominations the church? Paul already prophesied the division of the church because leaders would be attacked by savage wolves, causing each leader to seek his own followers (Acts 20:28–30).

Notice that the Lord calls the overcomers in each church in Asia Minor (Revelation 2–3). The overcomers are those who receive His grace, so that they do not take part in the three false teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans. These overcomers are the ones who continue the movement of the early church. In every age, God has His overcomers. It must be remembered that these overcomers are not the “great people” in Christianity, because generally the great and famous figures in Christianity take part in the three false teachings. Therefore, we now see that the movement of the early church is not directly continued by Christianity, but by His overcomers who represent the early church.

We now enter chapter 10 and discuss how the Jewish people viewed other nations in relation to the proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom. Consider verse 28, which says, “And he said to them, ‘You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.’”

The story in chapter 10 speaks of how the gospel of the Kingdom was received and opened to the Gentiles. It seems that the Jewish people misunderstood Yahweh’s choice, thus considering other nations unclean or defiled.

Let us observe how Yahweh established His covenant with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. Exodus 19:5–6 states, “…you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation….” Here we see three important things related to the Mosaic Covenant. First, Israel would become Yahweh’s treasured possession. Second, Israel would become a kingdom of priests, meaning the entire nation would become kings and priests. What is the function of being a priest? Since Yahweh says, “All the earth is Mine,” Israel was expected to function as priests to the other nations. That is, Israel would stand before Yahweh on behalf of other nations, and Israel would bless other nations on behalf of Yahweh. As mediators, the task of priests is to bring other nations before Yahweh and to bring Yahweh to other nations. That is the task of priests. Third, Israel would become a holy nation, meaning set apart for Yahweh’s own purposes and goals.

Likewise, we see God’s promise to Abraham, the forefather of Israel: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). Specifically, the offspring of Abraham refers to Christ Jesus, who would become a blessing to all the families of the earth. But Abraham’s physical descendants, the nation of Israel, would also become a blessing to the nations, as we see in the Mosaic Covenant above, where Israel was planned to be priests to the other nations. Acts 13:47 also confirms this: “…I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (LAI).

Perhaps Israel’s misunderstanding that they were appointed to be priests and a blessing to other nations was caused by the incident of the golden calf at Mount Sinai. When Israel worshiped idols, Moses cried out, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me,” and we know that only the tribe of Levi came to Moses (Exodus 32:26). Thereafter, we see that God chose only the tribe of Levi to be priests, not for the other nations, but only for the other tribes of Israel. Thus, the failure of the priesthood of the entire nation of Israel occurred at Mount Sinai. Even Peter himself had to receive a special revelation in the form of a vision concerning unclean animals (verses 10–16). But then Peter understood that he should not call any person unclean.

We continue our discussion of the Jewish misunderstanding that regarded other nations as unclean and impure. Now we will see how Peter was given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew 16:19: “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Here we see that after Peter received revelation about who Jesus is, Jesus gave Peter the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, meaning that Peter would become the one who opens the way for people to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Peter used this “key” for the Jewish people in his sermon on the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, three thousand people repented, were baptized, and were called disciples, because they were learning about the Kingdom of Heaven (Acts 2:41–42). Then Peter also used this key to open the way for the Gentiles to enter the Kingdom of Heaven in the case of Cornelius, which we are currently discussing (Acts 10).

However, we must understand why Peter was entrusted with the keys of the kingdom of heaven by the Lord Jesus. In the tradition of the Catholic Church, Peter is regarded as the first Pope, the direct successor of Jesus in the leadership of the Church. Thus, to this day, the Pope holds the highest authority in the Catholic Church.

Let us consider Matthew 16:18, which serves as the theological basis for the Catholic Church’s belief that Peter is the leader of the Church. Matthew 16:18 says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” At first glance, this verse seems to suggest that Jesus would build His church upon the ‘person’ of Peter. However, the Greek term for ‘Peter’ in this verse is ‘petros’, while the Greek term for ‘rock’ is ‘petra’. The meaning of ‘petros’ is ‘a stone’, referring to Peter as an individual, one of the twelve apostles. Meanwhile, ‘petra’ does not refer to Peter as a person, but can be understood either literally (rock) or figuratively, namely as referring to the ‘revelation given to Peter’ that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living Elohim (Matthew 16:16). Therefore, Jesus would build His church not on Peter as a person, but on the foundation of the REVELATION CONCERNING THE PERSON OF JESUS.

We have repeatedly emphasized in this series of writings that among the people of the kingdom there is no one who possesses authority except Jesus Himself (Matthew 23:1–12). Indeed, in the Catholic Church the Pope holds the highest authority, and in Protestant churches the senior pastor or shepherd of the congregation holds the highest authority. This represents the fall of the early church into tens of thousands of denominations, including the Catholic denomination. This is the teaching of Jezebel, who usurped the authority of her husband (King Ahab) in the case of Naboth’s vineyard. The Christian world (both Catholic and Protestant) has justified this usurpation of authority, because it has already become a ‘doctrine’, no longer merely a ‘practice’ carried out by a few leaders. Instead, all leaders in the Christian world have accepted and taught this doctrine of Jezebel.

In truth, whoever belongs to the people of God and, by His grace, receives a revelation of Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of Elohim—and therefore receives a revelation of the Messianic kingdom (the kingdom of heaven)—to that person the Lord Jesus also gives the ‘keys of the kingdom of heaven’, to open the way for those who believe in the gospel of the kingdom.

Let us look at the main points of Peter’s sermon to Cornelius and those gathered with him (Acts 10:34–43). First, Elohim shows no partiality (v. 34). Second, Jesus Christ is Lord of all (v. 36). Third, there are witnesses that Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead (vv. 39–40). Fourth, Jesus is appointed as judge of the living and the dead (v. 42). Fifth, whoever believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. Peter’s sermon was interrupted because the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and those with him.

We will not discuss all the points of Peter’s sermon, but will focus specifically on the second and fourth points. It is emphasized that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. What does it mean that Jesus is Lord over all people? Clearly, it means that Jesus has authority over all people. The Greek term ‘kurios’ (Lord) means sole ruler or holder of supreme authority.

Before Jesus gave what is commonly called the Great Commission to disciple ALL NATIONS, He spoke about HIS AUTHORITY over heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18–20). There is a conjunction, ‘therefore’ (Greek, ‘oun’), which links Jesus’ authority and the command to disciple all nations

(verses 18 and 19). This means that the basis for Jesus’ command to disciple all nations is that He possesses authority over heaven and earth.

If Jesus did not have authority over heaven and earth, there would be no basis for commanding that all nations be discipled. Do we see here that salvation, or making all nations His disciples, DEPENDS on Jesus’ authority? Salvation does not depend on human response, because all humans are dead in sin, and it is impossible for the dead to respond to anything. Jesus Himself clearly stated that no one can come to Him unless the Father has granted it by grace (John 6:44).

In John 12:32, Jesus declared, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” Being lifted up from the earth means dying, rising again, and sitting at the right hand of the Father, and therefore possessing authority over heaven and earth. Thus, when Jesus commanded His disciples to disciple all nations, He Himself would draw all nations to Him. Jesus did not intend to command the disciples to disciple all nations and then leave the outcome dependent on the response of the nations. If that were the case, His command would have no authority. Jesus commanded that all nations become His disciples, yet in reality many nations have not believed in Jesus. If that were truly the case, it would prove that Jesus does not have authority over heaven and earth (over all things). But that is not so, my brother. The conclusion here is that when Jesus commanded that ALL nations be discipled, ALL nations will come to Jesus and become His disciples.

The next point, the fourth, is that Jesus is appointed as judge of the living and the dead. Generally, Christians—including their teachers in the Christian world—understand judgment merely as evaluating someone and pronouncing a verdict upon them, namely that those who do not believe in Jesus are cast into hell forever. This doctrine of eternal hell contains many errors. First, it changes the wages of sin, which were originally ‘death’ (Romans 6:23), into eternal hell in the sense of endless torment. Second, it fails to understand the authority of Jesus and that salvation depends on Jesus’ authority, not on the response of humans who are dead in sin. Third, it fails to understand the positive meaning of judgment, which is that people may come to know the truth (Isaiah 26:9). There are certainly many other ‘blunders’ in the doctrine of eternal hell, but for now this will suffice.

We have emphasized that Peter was given the ‘keys of the kingdom of heaven’, in the sense that Peter opened the way for other nations to receive the revelation of the word concerning the kingdom of heaven. Peter used these ‘keys of the kingdom of heaven’ in the case of Cornelius. However, this caused a dispute when Peter arrived in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1–18). After Peter explained everything, verse 18 states, “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified Elohim, saying, ‘Then Elohim has also granted repentance to the Gentiles leading to life.’” The phrase ‘repentance leading to life’ is translated from the Greek expression ‘metanoia eis zoe’. The preposition ‘eis’ (into) indicates a point to be reached or attained. Thus, repentance enables a person to reach or receive ‘zoe’—the kind of life lived by Elohim.

Peter received the keys of the kingdom of heaven in the sense of ‘opening the way’ so that the Gentiles might receive ‘zoe’. Jesus said in John 14:6, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life (zoe).” This personal revelation of Jesus was proclaimed by Peter (the WAY), by Paul (the LIFE = zoe), and by John (the TRUTH). At this time, we will discuss only the revelation of ‘zoe’ proclaimed by Paul, because Paul became the apostle to the Gentiles. The revelation concerning how the Gentiles are united with the Jews was given especially to Paul. Therefore, we will examine his writings to understand this.

Consider Ephesians 3:3–6: “that by revelation He made known to me the mystery, as I have briefly written already. By reading this, you may understand my insight into the mystery of Christ… that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and members of the same body through the gospel.” This is the revelation given to Paul concerning the uniting of Jews and Gentiles in Christ. At least three points must be noted from this passage in order to understand the revelation given to Paul.

First, the mystery of CHRIST. When Paul uses the term CHRIST, he means: Christ is our life (zoe) (Colossians 3:4). Furthermore, Christ within us is the riches of glory for the Gentiles—“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Moreover, Christ is the kingdom of heaven within us—“the kingdom of Christ is within you” (Ephesians 5:5; Luke 17:21, entos = within).

Second, Christ is corporate: there is Christ the HEAD (Jesus Christ), and there is Christ the BODY (all members of the church—believing Jews and believing Gentiles).

Third, the believing Gentiles become fellow heirs together with believing Jews. The inheritance of the Body of Christ is the fullness of the Holy Spirit, which will be given at the coming of Jesus (commonly called the second coming). The giving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and also in the house of Cornelius, was only a down payment or guarantee (Ephesians 1:14, ‘arrabon’ = a down payment guaranteeing that the full amount will be given later).

Thus, believing Gentiles are joined with believing Jews. Next, we will discuss in more detail the inheritance of the Body of Christ, because in the Christian world it is commonly accepted that by believing in Jesus we go to heaven, which is understood as ‘a beautiful place far away’.

Let us continue our discussion of the inheritance of the Body of Christ. We have emphasized that the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Body of Christ, which began at Pentecost, is still only a down payment (Ephesians 1:14). The Father has promised to give the full payment later, namely the outpouring or giving of the Holy Spirit IN FULL, as Jesus received when He was baptized by John the Baptist. That is why Jesus promised believers that they would do greater works than He did (John 14:12). The reason believers can do greater works is because Jesus goes to the Father. Jesus’ going to the Father means dying, rising again, and sitting at the right hand of the Father. This is the basis for the giving of the Holy Spirit in Peter’s sermon that we have already discussed (Acts 2:33).

When does the giving or outpouring of the Holy Spirit IN FULL occur? This takes place at the coming of Jesus (commonly called the second coming). In Revelation 14:14–16, this full outpouring of the Holy Spirit is described as the HARVEST OF THE END TIMES, when Jesus harvests His church that has already matured (the firstfruits of the church, James 1:18). Not all members of the Body of Christ will be harvested at His coming, because not all members of the Body of Christ have matured. The end-times harvest reaps only those members of the Body of Christ who have matured.

This event of the ‘end-times harvest’ is explained by Paul in Romans chapter 8, where the sons of Elohim are harvested and revealed to all creation in order to free creation from its bondage to corruption (Romans 8:19–21). Romans chapter 8 explains ‘glorification by faith’, which is the climax of our salvation, in which the “firstfruits” of the church are harvested. Let us quote only a few verses to explain this. Romans 8:10 says, “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness” (ILT). Romans 8:17 says, “… co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (ILT). Romans 8:23 says, “… we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption as sons, the redemption of our body” (ILT). Here, glorification by faith is described as ‘the redemption of our body’, that is, the putting off of this sinful body and its replacement with a glorious body like that which Jesus has, because we are co-heirs with Him.

When, where, how, and for what purpose are we harvested or glorified together with the Lord Jesus? Romans 8:19–21 explains: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of Elohim” (ILT).

When and where does this ‘glorification by faith’ occur? Certainly when the kingdom of heaven—of which we are already citizens—is fully revealed on earth at His coming (the second coming). How does glorification by faith occur? When our physical bodies are replaced with glorious bodies like that which Jesus possesses. For God’s chosen people who have died before Jesus’ coming, they will wait for the resurrection of the saints at His coming. What is the purpose of our being glorified together with the Lord Jesus on earth? To liberate all creation from the bondage of corruption and bring it into the freedom of the glory of the children of Elohim.

Through the ministry of the glorified children of Elohim, this old earth (the First Earth) will move toward the New Earth, and there will also be a New Heaven. When Elohim creates the New Heaven and the New Earth, it does not mean that the first heaven and earth are totally destroyed and replaced. In theology, the term is not ‘creatio ex nihilo’, but ‘creatio ex vetere’. That is, the New Heaven and New Earth are the first heaven and earth that have undergone a ‘radical transformation’ through the ministry of the glorified children of Elohim. This kind of ministry of the children of Elohim is what Jesus meant when He said, ‘you will do greater works than I have done’. This is the inheritance of the Body of Christ for us who believe.

We will say a little more about the inheritance of the Body of Christ, consisting of believing Jews and Gentiles. We have emphasized that the inheritance of the Body of Christ is the outpouring or giving of the Holy Spirit ‘in full’, which will occur at the coming of Jesus (the second coming). We have explained that not all Christians who have believed in Jesus and been born again will receive this inheritance at His coming. However, it seems necessary to explain this again through the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1–23, to make it clearer why not all members of the Body of Christ will receive their inheritance at His coming.

The parable of the sower speaks about the response of people to whom the “seed” of the word of the kingdom of heaven is sown, or the “seed” of Jesus as Life (zoe). The seed of ‘zoe’ that falls along the path is certainly not born-again Christians, because the devil (“the birds”) devours it completely (Matthew 13:4). But the seed of ‘zoe’ that falls on rocky ground and among thorns represents born-again Christians, because they receive the seed of ‘zoe’, yet do not grow and bear fruit as they should (Matthew 13:5–7). Those sown on good soil are born-again Christians who, in due time, produce mature fruit—some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. These are the ones harvested by Jesus and who receive the inheritance of the Body of Christ at His coming. But we must always remember that fruitful Christians are those who receive grace to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 13:11–17).

Let us take a closer look at this parable. There are several lessons we can draw from the parable of the sower. First, Jesus—and certainly His apostles as well—proclaimed the word concerning the kingdom of heaven. Of course, Jesus also spoke about the church, but the focus of all His words was the word of the kingdom of heaven. Second, from this parable it is evident that a person’s response determines whether the word of the kingdom of heaven that is sown will bear fruit or not. But once again, we must not conclude that everything depends on human response, for everything depends on His grace. Thus, in truth, everything depends on the will of the Father in heaven—whether the Father is pleased to give the kingdom of heaven to someone or not (Luke 12:32). As for the human heart that has fallen into sin, it has been severely corrupted, and no one seeks God (Romans 3:11). If someone understands the word of the kingdom of heaven, it is because the Father is at work in that person’s heart.

The third lesson we need to see in this parable concerns ‘fruit’. In the Christian world, we often hear about a Christian’s ‘fruit’, namely the number of souls won, one’s character, or even material blessings obtained through one’s ‘ministry’. None of these is the ‘fruit’ meant by hearing and understanding the word of the kingdom of heaven.

The fruit that is meant is what is referred to in James 1:18, namely becoming part of the “firstfruits” of creation. The firstfruits, in the context of the New Testament, are the chosen ones who therefore mature earlier and are ready to be harvested by the Lord Jesus to join Him in establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth, so that the earth moves toward becoming a new earth. Indeed, through His death and resurrection, Jesus sowed Himself as Life (‘zoe’) into His chosen people; therefore, Jesus will obtain fruit—people who will be with Him to carry out the Father’s will on earth.

Therefore, the ‘full’ outpouring of the Holy Spirit as the inheritance of the Body of Christ (the Jewish nation and the other nations) will only be received by the ‘firstfruits’ of the church. And all of this is solely the decision of the Father in heaven.

We have discussed how Peter used the ‘keys of the kingdom of heaven’ to open the way for the Gentiles in the case of Cornelius, a man of Italian nationality. Yet even so, the disciples who were scattered because of the persecution that arose after the death of Stephen continued to preach the gospel only to the Jews (Acts 11:19). This proves how strong their understanding was regarding the distinction between Jews and Gentiles.

However, Acts 11:20 emphasizes, “…there were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who came to Antioch and began speaking also to the Greeks, proclaiming the good news that Jesus is Lord.” The men of Cyprus and Cyrene referred to in this verse were Jews who had been scattered as far as Cyprus and Cyrene due to the persecution that arose after Stephen was martyred.

Luke records that the hand of the Lord was with their preaching, so that a great number of Greeks believed. This confirmed the Lord’s favor upon their evangelism and also declared the will and plan of God for the Gentiles. Subsequently, Barnabas was sent by the apostles in Jerusalem to strengthen the church in Antioch, and he also brought Saul of Tarsus to teach the church in Antioch (Acts 11:22–26). It was in the church at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians, which means followers of Christ.

If we return to Acts 1:8, which states, “…you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” then the church in Antioch functioned as a “mission center,” through which, by Paul, the good news of the kingdom of heaven reached the ends of the earth—namely Rome, which at that time could be regarded as “the ends of the earth.” Thus, the early church fulfilled its calling as witnesses of Christ.

It appears that the designation ‘Christian’ in the church at Antioch did not merely mean follower of Christ, but carried a deeper significance. We know that there were differences between the churches established by Peter and his team and those that would later be established by Paul and his team. Consider again 1 Corinthians 11:16: “But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God” (ILT). Thus, Paul clearly distinguishes between the churches pioneered by him (we) and the churches pioneered by Peter and his team (the churches of God).

There is a striking difference between the churches pioneered by Paul and those pioneered by Peter. Consider Acts 21:20–21: “…They said to Paul, ‘Brother, you see how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law. But they have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to forsake Moses…’” The churches pioneered by Peter and his team (Jewish believers in Jesus) did indeed still observe certain regulations of the Law, though certainly not the sacrificial laws that had to be carried out by the Levitical priests in the Temple.

By contrast, Paul, who received the revelation of the unity of Jews and Gentiles into one Body of Christ, no longer practiced the regulations of the Law. Consider Ephesians 2:15: “by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that He might create in Himself the two into one new man, thus making peace.” Here Paul firmly states that through the death of Jesus, the Law—which was the “dividing wall” between Jews and Gentiles—has been abolished, thus creating one new man composed of Jews and Gentiles.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why, by the prompting of the Spirit, the disciples in Tyre advised Paul not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:3–4). Because of the differences in task and revelation received, if Paul were to go to Jerusalem, unnecessary conflict could arise between him and the leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

We enter into the story in chapter 12, where James is killed by King Herod. And because Herod knew that this action pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter, intending to bring him before the people. But the church prayed earnestly for him, and the Lord delivered him through the help of an angel.

In this case, the church suffered persecution from the political world (King Herod). But we must remember that Jesus was actually killed by the Jewish Religious Council—the religious world. Pilate, who represented the political world, had actually wanted to release Jesus. But the Jewish Religious Council insisted, and even incited the crowd to choose Barabbas, a murderer, to be released, and Jesus was crucified.

Throughout church history, we can see that persecution of God’s people can come from the political world, but also from within the religious world. Why is the church persecuted by both the political and the religious worlds? Indeed, it is written that all who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). But there is one common element between the political and religious worlds that enables them to persecute the church, namely the presence of human power (authority).

The church cannot persecute anyone—not only because the church teaches the love of Christ, but because within the church there is no human authority. The church is an organism, the Body of Christ, in which only one authority operates: the authority of the Life of that organism. Within the church there is only one authority, namely the authority of the Life of Christ (zoe). The apostles, elders, and deacons who became leaders in the early church did not have authority over the members of the church. They were merely “joints and ligaments” that hold the Body together, so that all the members hold fast to the Head and the Body receives its divine growth (Colossians 2:19).

If a church member possesses human authority, then he can judge—in the sense of evaluating someone’s condition—and pass a verdict on that member. Peter did not have authority over Ananias and Sapphira. Peter merely became a “channel” of the Holy Spirit, through whom the Holy Spirit evaluated the condition of Ananias and Sapphira’s hearts and passed judgment upon them. The political world and the religious world possess ‘human authority’; therefore, political or religious leaders who hold such authority can evaluate a person’s condition and pass judgment upon others, in whatever form that judgment may take. All members of the church can only point out wrongdoing, but cannot pass judgment, because they do not possess human authority.

Jesus firmly told His disciples that they are all brothers, meaning that there must be no “seat of Moses” among them (Matthew 23:1–12). No one is to be called leader, father, or rabbi, because there is only one leader of the church—the Messiah—who leads each member of the church directly through His Life (zoe). This does not mean that there are no apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers in the church, but that none of them has authority over the other members. All are brothers. This is the church built by Jesus, and it is profoundly different from the political world and the religious world.

Let us look at the ‘prostitute woman’ mentioned in Revelation 17:5–6, who is drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. This means that this prostitute woman persecutes the saints and the witnesses of Jesus. Who is this prostitute woman? Since Adam is a type of Christ Jesus, Eve is a type of the church as the bride of Adam (Romans 5:14). Because the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ—and therefore of His church—expressed in symbolic language (Revelation 1:1), this prostitute woman is the church, but with certain characteristics.

The characteristic of this prostitute woman is ‘Babylon the Great’. Babylon was a historical city built by Nimrod. Since in the book of Revelation Babylon becomes a symbol, the Babylon attached to the prostitute woman signifies a church in which the authority of “Nimrod” exists. Thus, the Christian world (Catholic and Protestant) constitutes human kingdoms in which the authority of various “Nimrods” operates.

Does the Christian world persecute the saints and the witnesses of Jesus? Those who study Christianity understand that the Christian world (especially Catholicism) has been drunk with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. Of course, not only Catholicism—the Catholic–Protestant wars in Germany alone lasted 30 years and claimed an enormous number of victims, not to mention other events. Indeed, the religious world inevitably persecutes the saints, because it possesses human authority. However, the church built by Jesus does not possess human authority, and therefore there will be no persecution of the saints by fellow members of the church.

We enter into chapter 13 and see how Barnabas and Saul were sent out from the church in Antioch (Acts 13:2). The sending of Barnabas and Saul was not a program devised by the church in Antioch. Barnabas and Saul were commanded solely by the Holy Spirit to carry out a special task. This special task is written in Acts 14:27: “…that He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”

This special task is commonly called ‘mission’, and those who carry it out are called ‘apostles’; therefore, Paul’s journeys are called ‘missionary journeys’ or ‘apostolic ministry’. The special task carried out by Paul and his team was to ‘open the door of faith to the Gentiles’, in the sense of pioneering churches and appointing elders to shepherd the churches they established. In each city there were elders (plural) who shepherded the church, and each church pioneered by Paul was named according to the city in which it was located—for example, the church in Corinth, the church in Thessalonica, the church in Philippi, and so on. This differs from the churches pioneered by Peter and his team, which were called “the churches of God” (1 Corinthians 11:16). Because Peter and his team specifically served the Jews, and Paul and his team were set apart for the Gentiles, the churches pioneered by Peter were bounded by a nation—namely, the Jewish nation—and were called ‘the church of God’. But the churches pioneered by Paul were bounded by a locality (a city) consisting of both Jews and Gentiles, because there was no longer any distinction.

We need to distinguish between apostolic ministry and the general ministry of the church. Generally, in apostolic gatherings only the apostle speaks (one-way), whereas church gatherings are arranged in such a way (usually around a table) that every member of the church can build one another up by offering a psalm, teaching, a revelation from God, a tongue, or an interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:26).

Not all church members receive an apostolic calling. We see this in the church at Antioch, where only Barnabas and Saul were given a ‘special task’ (an apostolic task). In his movements, Paul did not make his own plans. Everything he did was according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He even referred to himself as a ‘prisoner of the Spirit’ and did not know what would happen from city to city (Acts 20:22–23).

Once again we see in the early church that both apostolic ministry and general church ministry were directly governed by the Holy Spirit. The authority of the Holy Spirit over every church member is clearly evident. This is the main characteristic of the early church. No one attempted to seize authority over church members.

But when the attack of savage wolves came upon the elders, some elders began to draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves through various false teachings (Acts 20:28–30). The Christian world as we know it has experienced the attack of savage wolves, where the false teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans have been widely accepted. False teaching here implies that there is an original, true teaching. For example, church leaders are only to ‘equip’ the Lord’s disciples, who in turn build up the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–12). Meanwhile, false teaching not only ‘equips’ the Lord’s disciples but also ‘draws’ the Lord’s disciples to themselves—in other words, not only winning souls but also seeking ‘followers’. Furthermore, the original teaching on giving is according to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the willingness of each member. But false teaching “forces” the Lord’s disciples through false doctrines of tithing, firstfruits (money), faith pledges, and so forth.

In the Christian world, in each locality (denomination) there is generally one person who ‘rules’, whether he is called the senior pastor, senior elder, or by any other title. Generally, the authority of these ‘rulers’ extends not only to directing the movement of the church (read: its followers), but also to owning all church assets collected from the followers’ money. This condition is completely different from that of the early church. Therefore, ministry and church gatherings, as well as apostolic ministry and gatherings, have become almost indistinguishable in the Christian world.

We continue discussing chapter 13 by looking at how Paul and Barnabas confronted a sorcerer and false prophet, Bar-Jesus or Elymas, a Jew (verse 6). When Paul and Barnabas were proclaiming the word of God to the proconsul of the island of Cyprus, Elymas tried to hinder Paul’s preaching. By the wisdom of the Lord, Paul rebuked him, thus, “…you son of the devil, you who are full of all deceit and wickedness, an enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (13:10).

Elymas, this false prophet and sorcerer, was rebuked by Paul as a “son of the devil.” We do not need to immediately judge that Elymas, a Jew, had no connection at all with the Jewish religion. For Jesus also rebuked the Jewish religious leaders by saying that their father was the devil (John 8:44). Even the designation “false prophet” given to him proves that he was someone connected to the Jewish religion. It was just that he practiced sorcery and deception toward the governor of the island for purposes that clearly benefited himself.

Let us now directly apply this case to the Christian world. For the books of the New Testament also frequently mention false teachers, false prophets, false brothers, false motives, false circumcision, and false miracles. We will not focus too much on what kind of ‘falsehood’ they spread, but rather on their “magical power” by which they are able to deceive many people. Therefore, specifically, it is this ‘magical power’ within the context of Christianity that we will discuss now.

Let us look at Revelation 18:23: “…by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.” Young’s Literal Translation renders the term ‘deceived’ as ‘led astray’. Here, ‘astray’ means ‘to go in the wrong direction’ or ‘to have the wrong result’. Thus, ‘led astray’ means being LED in the wrong direction and also producing the wrong outcome. This verse speaks about LEADERSHIP, but leadership that causes those who are led to walk in a deviating (erroneous) direction.

In this verse it is also emphasized that this deviant leadership is connected with ‘sorcery’. That is, the deviation in leadership is caused by the leader using sorcery, whether consciously or unconsciously. The Greek term for ‘sorcery’ here is PHARMAKEIA, whose other occurrence is found only in Galatians 5:20. The term ‘pharmakeia’ comes from ‘pharmakeus’, which means ‘medication’ (pharmacy). Strong defines it as ‘the use of medicine, drugs, or spells’. One meaning of ‘spells’ here is ‘words that are thought to have magic power’ or ‘a quality that a person has that makes him or her so attractive’. Thus, ‘pharmakeus’, meaning ‘medication’, refers to the use of drugs in such a way that a person is made to “fly,” or is not fully conscious, thereby making the person who speaks to him appear extremely attractive.

The context of Revelation 18:23 is the symbol of the woman (the church, Revelation 17), which we have discussed extensively. The leadership of this woman in Revelation 17 is very ‘attractive’ and causes many people to follow her. It is said that this woman sits on “many waters,” where the waters symbolize many peoples (Revelation 17:15). Thus, through the leadership of the woman (the church) of Revelation 17, many of God’s people are attracted and follow her, as if under a spell or as if they had drunk a drug that makes them not fully conscious.

Why are so many of God’s people attracted and enchanted by the leadership of the woman in Revelation 17? According to the Epistle of Jude, the false teachers “…pervert the grace of our Elohim into sensuality…” (verse 4, ILT). That is, these leaders teach the GRACE OF ELOHIM but direct it toward FLESHLY MATTERS. Even when quoting very spiritual verses, they direct them toward the flesh. For example, a verse they often quote is, “…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). They say that this abundance means abundance in spiritual life, physical life, health, prosperity, freedom from problems, disasters, and so on. Yet this verse speaks about ‘Life’ (zoe), where the abundance of ‘zoe’ life means an abundance of knowing God (John 17:3), an abundance of understanding and obeying His commandments (John 12:50), an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, and so on—the fruits of the Spirit—because the fruits of the Spirit are contained in ‘Life’. John 10:10 does not speak at all about physical matters. There are many other verses used by these church leaders (Revelation 17), for example regarding tithes, firstfruits (money), wealth through sowing, and so on. All verses are used by the leaders of the church of Revelation 17 to be DIRECTED TOWARD FLESHLY THINGS.

Who would not be attracted when preached to that if you follow God you will be rich, successful, prosperous, free from problems, free from sickness, become the head and not the tail, and so on? Many of God’s people are not aware that they HAVE BEEN ENCHANTED. God’s people are “flying” and no longer fully conscious.

One sign that they have been enchanted by their leader is this: when the Lord Jesus is insulted, they remain calm; but when their pastor is criticized, they immediately attack with verses, especially the verse “DO NOT JUDGE.” God’s people who defend their pastor WITHOUT SOUND REASON are clearly a sign of being “not conscious” and already under a spell. However, these “sorcerers” in the church will later face the judgment of the Lord Jesus at His coming, just as the church (Revelation 17–18) faces God’s judgment.

Let us continue our discussion in chapter 13, and now we will see how Paul delivered his sermon in Antioch of Pisidia (13:16–41). At this time we are not discussing the content of Paul’s sermon, but we will look at the result of his sermon: “…and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (13:48). In order to believe the gospel, a person must first be appointed. And because they believe, they receive eternal life, where the Greek expression for eternal life is ‘zoe aionios’. We know that ‘zoe’ is the kind of life lived by Elohim, and ‘aionios’ is an adjective that explains a noun (aion). Many Bible translations translate the noun ‘aion’ as ‘eternal’, in the sense of everlasting.

Actually, ‘aion’ means ‘time’, which has a beginning and an end. Thus, the Greek expression ‘zoe aionios’ means a kind of divine life (zoe) that is placed into the dimension of time, and everything that enters the dimension of time needs to grow. That is why ‘zoe’ life also needs to grow within

our inner being, so that we may know Elohim (John 17:3). The fact that ‘zoe’ must grow is stated by Jesus in John 10:10: “…I came that they may have life (zoe), and have it abundantly (grow to the fullest).” Therefore, believing in Jesus means receiving the kind of life of Elohim, which must grow to the fullest and bear fruit.

In the Christian world we often hear the expression, “believe in Jesus, go to heaven.” Such an expression does not exist in the books of the New Testament. What is correct is ‘believe in Jesus, receive eternal life (zoe)’. In the Gospel of John there are many expressions: believe in Jesus, receive eternal life (zoe). The question is whether the ‘zoe’ life that exists within the inner being of all Christians (the born again) grows to the fullest—in the sense of bearing fruit—or not. That is another matter.

The parable of the sower explains this to us (Matthew 13:1–23). The seed of the word of the kingdom of heaven that falls by the roadside does not represent born-again Christians, because the word is immediately stolen by the devil and does not have time to grow. But the seed of the word of the kingdom of heaven that falls on rocky ground and among thorns represents born-again Christians; yet, for certain reasons, in their growth the seed of the word of the kingdom of heaven is hindered and does not bear fruit. Only what is sown on good soil bears fruit—some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold. Therefore, not all born-again Christians bear fruit for the kingdom of heaven.

That is why the expression “believe in Jesus, go to heaven” is very misleading. What is correct is: believe in Jesus, receive ‘zoe’ life; and whether this ‘zoe’ life grows for the kingdom of heaven or not is another matter. When the Lord Jesus returns (commonly called the second coming) to establish His kingdom on this earth, only those who bear fruit for the kingdom of heaven will appear with Jesus to be glorified before all creation (Romans 8:19–21). And the purpose of His coming is to set creation free from its bondage to decay and bring it into the freedom of the glory of the children of Elohim.

Thus, the meaning of the designation ‘disciples’ for those who believe in Jesus in the book of Acts becomes clear. They are called disciples because they are learning the word of the kingdom of heaven, so that they may bear fruit for the glory of the kingdom of heaven.

Now we will discuss Paul’s sermon in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:16–41). Paul begins with the story of the ancestors of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), how Yahweh made the people of Israel grow in number while they lived in Egypt. Paul recounts the history of Israel by emphasizing the mighty deeds of Yahweh toward His people. In Egypt, Yahweh delivered His people with an uplifted arm. For forty years in the wilderness, Yahweh patiently endured their behavior. Then Yahweh destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and distributed the land to them as their inheritance. Yahweh also gave judges to deliver Israel from their surrounding enemies until the time of the prophet Samuel. When Israel asked for a king, Yahweh gave them Saul to reign, and then David, a man after Yahweh’s own heart, who did all His will.

Then Paul explains about the descendant of David, namely Jesus as the Savior of Israel, and about John the Baptist who preceded Him to proclaim repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. After explaining the death and proving the resurrection of Jesus, Paul states the key point of his sermon: “And by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (verse 39).

The key point emphasized by Paul is not only that a person can be justified by faith alone, which justification cannot be obtained through the law of Moses, but Paul also emphasizes complete salvation by faith, namely ‘deliverance from all sins’. This complete salvation is explained in detail by Paul in his letter to the church in Rome. In the Christian world, generally, salvation is explained only as justification by faith and sanctification by faith, while forgetting one important aspect of complete salvation, namely glorification by faith, in which we receive a glorious body like that possessed by Jesus.

If a preacher of salvation speaks only about justification by faith and sanctification by faith, what about our physical bodies? For even though a person has been justified and sanctified by faith, his physical body remains dead because of sin (Romans 8:10). The issue of the death of the physical body is resolved by glorification by faith. Glorification by faith occurs when believers receive glorious bodies and are revealed to all creation to free all creation from its bondage to decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of Elohim (Romans 8:19–21). This is the time when the children of Elohim are glorified together with Christ Jesus at His return (commonly called the second coming).

However, what is not well understood by most Christians is that this glorification by faith is not automatically received by everyone who has been justified and sanctified by faith. Why is that? There are several things to note here. First, the church has fallen because of the three false teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans, and the Lord calls His overcomers to represent His church (Revelation 2–3). His overcomers are those who receive grace not only to be called, but also chosen and faithful (Revelation 17:14). Second, James 1:18 emphasizes our understanding of the “firstfruits” of creation, where some are appointed to mature earlier (to become firstfruits) of creation, while others will mature later. Third, glorification by faith is our inheritance (Romans 8:17), but if a Christian has not yet reached maturity, that person cannot yet receive his inheritance (Galatians 4:1). Fourth, the parables in Matthew 24–25, related to the coming of the Son of Man, prove that not all Christians will be accepted into the glory of the next age after this age. Thus is the complete salvation preached by Paul: deliverance from all sins, which ultimately results in us being glorified together with Christ at His coming.

Let us continue our discussion in chapter 13. After the service, Paul and Barnabas exhorted those who believed in Paul’s message. Acts 13:43 states: “…they kept urging them to continue in the grace of Elohim” (ILT). After Paul emphasized that only by faith alone can a person be saved—namely complete salvation (justification by faith, sanctification by faith, glorification by faith)—he exhorted the believers to CONTINUE IN THE GRACE OF ELOHIM. How do we continue in the grace or favor of Elohim? This is what we will discuss.

The church in Galatia did not continue in grace, because they tried to grow in the Lord by PERFORMING WORKS OF THE FLESH. That is why Paul emphasized, “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Many Christians think that works of the flesh are ONLY evil deeds. They do not realize that religious works—namely, following religious regulations—can also very easily be done in the flesh. The term ‘flesh’ (Greek: ‘sarx’) means the whole human being who has fallen into sin. We must always remember that Adam and Eve sinned by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of GOOD and evil. And the first GOOD act according to Adam and Eve was making fig leaves to cover their nakedness. THIS IS THE FIRST RELIGIOUSLY GOOD DEED OF THE FIRST HUMAN BEINGS. Since then, the descendants of Adam and Eve have liked to do good by following RELIGIOUS RULES. Human beings love religion and religious regulations. Saul is an example of a man who loved religion very much (Judaism), and because of his love for Judaism, he persecuted and killed members of the early church.

Are we aware that the transformation from the early church into the Christian world involved the emergence of RELIGIOUS RULES MADE BY CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS? Must attend Sunday services, must follow certain rituals or creeds, must pay tithes, firstfruits, faith pledges, and other religious rules. In the early church THERE WERE NO RELIGIOUS RULES AT ALL EXCEPT FOLLOWING THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Everything happened spontaneously under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The early church gave, met, prayed, evangelized, and carried out mission work—all according to the Spirit’s leading. When the church was attacked by fierce wolves, and some elders (leaders of the early church) DREW the Lord’s disciples after themselves, this is where they began to create religious rules that, of course, benefited them. Why MUST Sunday services, MUST pay tithes, firstfruits, faith pledges, MUST this and MUST that? The answer is simple: all of this benefits Christian religious leaders.

Church members are actually led out of grace, because they are “forced” to carry out all those religious rules outside of faith. Why outside of faith and grace? Because the commands MUST… MUST… MUST cause church members not to act according to the LEADING OF THE SPIRIT. This is what Paul calls: YOU HAVE BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT BUT ARE FINISHING IN THE FLESH. Flesh here means GOOD RELIGIOUS WORKS.

Does this mean that Christians who remain in grace do nothing? Not at all. Rather, Christians who remain in grace do whatever they do ACCORDING TO THEIR FAITH. What, then, is faith? Faith comes from hearing the word of God. But a person who is dead in sin cannot possibly hear the word of God unless the Father in heaven grants grace to hear. If someone receives grace to hear the word of God, then the saving power of Elohim will enter into his inner being (Romans 1:16). This power of Elohim is the energy of Christ that enables a person to believe in God, to do the will of the Father, and to become a witness of Christ who boldly proclaims the word of God.

Living faith is the power of Elohim or the energy of Christ that drives a person to obey God. It is impossible for someone to have living faith and yet have no acts of obedience to God. James says that faith without works is dead faith (James 2:17). Before we continue James’s explanation concerning works, let us read Paul’s explanation of the Gospel in Romans 1:17.

In Romans 1:17 it is written, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written: ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (LAI). The phrase ‘from faith to faith’ comes from the Greek expression EK PISTEOS EIS PISTIN. This Greek expression cannot be translated simply as ‘faith’, because there is an important understanding within it that we must pay attention to. Let us quote Marvin Vincent’s commentary in his Word Studies: “the idea is that of progress in faith itself… faith is a progressive principle” (p. 14, Vol. 3). Thus, the important understanding in the Greek expression above is the idea of progress. Faith is something that grows. Faith is not “static,” but continually moves toward its perfection. Faith that does not grow and make progress is dead faith, and this is not the saving faith that Paul refers to.

If so, what makes faith progressive? What makes faith grow? James affirms, “…faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect” (James 2:22). It is emphasized here that faith is made perfect by works. The works referred to here are works that are born of faith, because James says, “…I will show you my faith by my works” (2:18). Therefore, it is not works apart from faith, but works that spring from faith that will perfect faith, so that faith grows toward its perfection. In this way, Paul’s and James’s explanations of faith complement one another.

Indeed, Paul also emphasizes that faith cannot be separated from obedience. Romans 1:5 and Romans 16:26 explain the connection between faith and obedience. In both verses it is said that Paul received the grace of apostleship so that the nations might be led to the ‘obedience of faith’ (ILT version).

Therefore, we can conclude that faith produces obedience, and in turn, obedience perfects faith. Thus, faith grows and progresses. This is biblical faith. This is saving faith. That is why James says that Abraham was justified by his works. This does not at all contradict Paul’s explanation of faith, because the ‘works’ referred to by James are works that are born of faith.

Thus, the exhortation of Paul and Barnabas to remain in grace means to continue to preserve faith, in the sense of ALWAYS ACTING IN FAITH. For we are justified, sanctified, and glorified solely by faith alone. If a Christian always acts in faith, then he always abides in the grace of God. Once again, Christians must not act “blindly” by following religious rules made by Christian religious leaders. Christians must act according to their faith.

We now enter chapter 14 and discuss the miracles that accompanied the early church, especially in Paul’s missionary journeys. Acts 14:3 states, “…And the Lord bore witness to the word of His grace, granting them power to perform signs and wonders.” It is clear from this verse that the role of miracles is to confirm the message of His grace, that is, the message of the Gospel.

What if, in the proclamation of the Gospel, there are no miracles such as those recorded in the book of Acts? Does that mean the preacher of the Gospel has failed in his task? Let us look at several cases where miracles occurred, yet there was no repentance.

First, in Acts 14:8–19, there is the miracle of a lame man being healed while Paul was preaching in Lystra. The people in Lystra misunderstood the miracle, so that they considered Paul and Barnabas to be gods who had come down in human form. The people of Lystra did not understand the word of God that Paul was preaching. In this case, the miracle that should have confirmed the Gospel message instead led them to want to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas.

Second, the case where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Some of the Jews who witnessed it with their own eyes did not repent and confess Jesus as the Messiah, but instead went to the Pharisees (who later killed Jesus) and reported what Jesus had done (John 11:46).

Third, the case where Jesus performed the miracle of feeding five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish (John 6:1–66). Actually, the miracle of the five loaves and two fish was intended only to strengthen the message that Jesus is the bread of life. This miracle of physical bread was merely a sign pointing to the bread of life, who is Jesus Himself. However, the people did not believe and did not understand this message, and even some of His disciples withdrew after hearing that Jesus is the bread of life who came down from heaven (verse 66).

The three cases above do not mean that miracles have no significance in the proclamation of the word of God. In the case where Paul rebuked Elymas the sorcerer and caused him to become blind, the governor of the island believed in the Lord (Acts 13:12). Certainly, there are many cases where miracles lead people to believe the Gospel. However, we must understand that a person believes the Gospel because of the grace of God that ‘opens the eyes of his heart’, not because he sees a miracle with his physical eyes. Note John 12:37–40: “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him… Therefore they could not believe… He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts….” Thus, everything depends on His grace—whether God chooses to open the eyes of a person’s heart or not. Of course, God has His own purposes for blinding the eyes of the Jewish religious leaders, so that they crucified Jesus.

Therefore, we must place miracles in their proper place in the proclamation of the Gospel. The proclamation of the Gospel without miracles does not mean that it is not accompanied by the “hand of the Lord” or that it has failed. On the contrary, Gospel proclamation with miracles does not necessarily produce true repentance in those who hear it. What is most important is His grace, which opens the eyes of a person’s heart, so that he repents and believes in the Lord Jesus.

We are still discussing chapter 14 and looking at the work of an apostle (missionary work) in proclaiming the word of the kingdom of heaven from city to city. Note Acts 14:23: “In every church they appointed elders for them, and after praying and fasting, they committed them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.” After the apostles established a church in a city, the next task was to appoint elders to shepherd the church in that city. This appointment does not mean that the apostles had ‘authority’ over the church, but that they were merely instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit to do so. That is why Paul said to the elders in Ephesus, “…the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church…” (Acts 20:28). The authority of the early church was the authority of the Holy Spirit, because all members of the church followed the leading of the Holy Spirit day by day.

There are two Greek terms translated as ‘overseer’, ‘elder’, or ‘bishop’, namely ‘presbuteros’ and ‘episkopos’. Presbuteros refers to one who is old and mature, while episkopos comes from two root words: epi, meaning ‘over’, and skopos, meaning ‘to see’. Thus, episkopos means ‘to see from above’, that is, someone who can “see from above” spiritually, so that he can guard the flock from attacks by savage wolves.

These two Greek terms refer to the same person, because they are used interchangeably in Titus 1:5–7. Note Titus 1:5–7: “I left you in Crete for this reason… that you might appoint elders (presbuteros) in every town… for an overseer (episkopos), as God’s steward, must be blameless….” Episkopos and presbuteros are two terms for the same person. Therefore, the leaders of the early church were spiritually mature elders who could “see from above” when the church was attacked by savage wolves. The leaders of the early church were always plural—more than one—and there was no term such as “senior elder” who had human authority over the others.

History records that a man named Ignatius (around AD 117) is regarded as the first to teach a distinction between elders (presbuteros) and bishops (episkopos). Ignatius was a church leader in Antioch (Syria) who died as a martyr under Emperor Trajan. In The History of Christianity – Lion Handbook, p. 83, it is written: “He (Ignatius) argued strongly that there should be one ‘bishop’ in charge of each congregation, in order to prevent splits in the church and to ensure that correct beliefs were preserved.” Although Ignatius was a great leader and died as a martyr, through this teaching the church fell into HUMAN AUTHORITY (HIERARCHY).

Let us look at some of his teachings contained in the letters he wrote while traveling to Rome to die as a martyr. In The Apostolic Fathers (1956) by J. B. Lightfoot, it is written:

Plainly therefore we ought to regard the bishop as the Lord himself (p. 65).

Therefore as the Lord did nothing without the Father (being united with Him), either by Himself or by the Apostles, so neither do ye anything without the bishop and the presbyters (p. 70).

…submitting yourselves to your bishop and presbytery, ye may be sanctified in all things (p. 64).

Be obedient to the bishop… (p. 72).

…he that doeth aught without the bishop and presbytery and deacons, this man is not clean in his conscience (p. 74).

Do ye all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles (p. 84).

…he that doeth aught without the knowledge of the bishop rendereth service to the devil (p. 84).

Although Ignatius was a great leader, he was attacked by savage wolves, which caused the church to fall into a SYSTEM OF HUMAN GOVERNMENT (Acts 20:28–30). After this teaching was widely accepted, among the bishops in each city there arose one who exalted himself and called himself an Archbishop. Among the Archbishops, competition arose over who had greater authority, giving rise to Cardinals. Among the Cardinals, competition arose again over who had the greatest authority, resulting in the Pope. After this, the church fell into human government, and in history this period is called the Dark Ages, and this is the Catholic Church.

We now enter chapter 15, where the council in Jerusalem is recorded. The background of this council was that some people (especially from the Pharisee party) who had believed in Jesus came to Antioch and taught that “…the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses” (verse 5). This issue was very important because it concerned salvation, which can only be obtained through faith and by His grace alone. Of course, Paul and Barnabas opposed this view, and therefore they came to Jerusalem to discuss it with the apostles and the elders.

Let us first look at the views expressed in this council. First, Peter’s view was very firm that Elohim makes no distinction at all between Jewish believers and believers from other nations, because Elohim gave the same Holy Spirit to both Jewish believers and non-Jewish believers (verses 8–9). The conclusion of Peter’s view is that salvation is obtained solely by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (verse 11).

Second, Paul and Barnabas supported and confirmed Peter’s view by recounting all the miracles that Elohim had done among the Gentiles through their ministry (verse 12). Through all the miracles that Elohim performed among the Gentiles, it was clear that Elohim makes no distinction between Jewish believers and believers from other nations.

Third, it seems that James’s opinion concluded the council, namely that believers from the Gentiles should not be troubled, and therefore he gave four regulations related to food: to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood (verse 20).

Luke records the conclusion of this council as follows: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” (15:28). Why did Luke not write simply ‘the decision of the Holy Spirit’? Because in the early church all members were ‘directly led’ by the Holy Spirit. That some members failed to hear the “whisper” of the Holy Spirit is another matter. Even Paul once failed to hear the “whisper” of the Holy Spirit through the disciples in Tyre, who told him not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:3–4). Nevertheless, Paul referred to himself as a “prisoner of the Spirit,” meaning that he was led solely by the Holy Spirit in his life (Acts 20:22). It seems that when Luke recorded the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us, this decision represented a “middle way” taken by James.

For in Paul’s later writings, it is evident that Paul did not emphasize food restrictions for believers. Indeed, in their journeys from city to city, Paul and Silas delivered the letter containing “the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us to the churches to be observed” (16:4). Nevertheless, we see that the decision of the Jerusalem Council was a “temporary” decision for the Gentiles concerning the issue at hand.

We have further seen that Paul emphasized the differences between the churches pioneered by Peter and his team and the churches pioneered by himself (1 Corinthians 11:16). Paul also referred to himself as an apostle to the uncircumcised, while Peter and his team were apostles to the circumcised (Galatians 2:9).

We continue our discussion in chapter 15, where James made a “middle-ground” decision for Gentile believers. As for believers from a Jewish background, they indeed continued to keep the Law of Moses, as it is written: “Brothers, you see how many thousands of Jews have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law” (Acts 21:20). However, we must always remember the difference between the Petrine community and the Pauline community.

It appears that the Jews were very closely attached to the Law of Moses. They formulated as many as 613 religious regulations, which they believed were revelations received by Moses on Mount Sinai. But we must understand that Judaism was merely a symbol, a prophecy, and a shadow, whereas the reality, the substance, and the fulfillment have come through Jesus. That is why in John 4, Jesus emphasized that worship is no longer about rules such as “this mountain” or “that mountain.” Since the fulfillment of the Law has taken place, worship must be in spirit and in truth (reality). There is only one rule of worship: to be led by the Holy Spirit. This is how the early church conducted its worship. There were no religious regulations whatsoever, other than living daily life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They gathered, evangelized, gave, prayed spontaneously, and whatever they did was based entirely on the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In Colossians 2:17, Paul firmly states that the fulfillment of all the regulations of the Law is Christ within, who must become the guide of the believer’s life. That is why Paul declares that ‘to live is Christ’. Let us look at the Christian world that has become institutional Christianity, filled with so many religious regulations. Each denomination has its own set of religious rules.

The reason there are so many religious regulations in Christianity is because Christian religious leaders draw the Lord’s disciples to themselves. They seek followers, and therefore they need certain religious rules to “bind” their followers. If a leader merely equips the Lord’s disciples according to Ephesians 4, without drawing them to himself, then such a leader has no need to create any rules. He only equips the disciples to grow in faith, so that they may act in faith and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in their daily lives.

Because of religious regulations in Christianity, worship has become very outward and external. This actually denies the power of worship in spirit and truth as taught by Jesus. Consider 2 Timothy 3:5: “having a form of godliness but denying its power; and from such people turn away” (ILT). The term ‘godliness’ comes from the Greek word EUSEBEIA, which means ‘worship (devotion)’. The word ‘form’ (Greek: MORPHOSIS) can mean outward appearance. Thus, this verse means merely ‘taking on or wearing the appearance of worship while rejecting its power’.

After the church fragmented into thousands of denominations, Christian leaders began to draw God’s people to buildings, organizational programs, rituals, religious events, and offerings—whether tithes, firstfruits (money), faith pledges, or whatever they may be called—so that God’s people no longer focused on following the leading of the Holy Spirit day by day, but instead focused on leaders who provided many programs and regulations.

Many believers feel that they have worshiped once they attend a certain building on Sunday, perform certain rituals, give certain offerings, and follow certain rules according to their leaders’ directions. Leaders have ‘restricted’ worship to buildings, programs, and religious activities alone. Such actions produce people who only ‘appear’ to worship, while the power of worship brought by the Holy Spirit is rejected. Boldness in proclaiming the Word in daily life is ‘robbed’ by such religious activities. They appear godly outwardly, but the power of the Spirit that energized the early church continues to fade. Paul warns us to avoid this.

How can we avoid this? It is simple: we must be freed from the “bondage” of religious activities and regulations built around leaders. God’s chosen people will surely take this simple step and begin to learn to be led only by the Holy Spirit day by day—learning to hear only the Spirit’s voice, following the Lamb wherever He goes. By taking this simple step, God’s chosen people begin to experience the power of true worship. No longer enslaved by a religious spirit, they are free to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. God’s chosen people will experience how the Holy Spirit energizes them, enabling them to boldly proclaim the Word of God in their daily lives.

We continue our discussion in chapter 16, where previously there was a dispute between Paul and Barnabas concerning John called Mark (15:35–41). It appears that the congregation leaned more toward Paul, as they commended Paul and Silas to the grace of the Lord (verse 40). Barnabas and Mark certainly carried out their ministry well on the island of Cyprus, but their ministry is no longer recorded in the book of Acts.

Let us examine the case where Paul instructed Timothy to be circumcised before taking him along on his missionary journey (16:3). Paul did this because of the Jewish-background believers in Timothy’s region (Derbe and Lystra). As we know, for the ‘Pauline community’, being circumcised or not was not an issue. Paul himself stated, “For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:15). However, we see that Paul was “forced” to do this because of pressure and influence from Jewish believers.

For the Jews, there were at least three things that distinguished them from other nations: circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, and dietary laws (Leviticus 11). They considered those who did not observe these things as **“unclean.”** We further see that Jewish religious regulations (the Old Testament dispensation) became an **obstacle** to the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles in the New Testament dispensation. Even during his missionary journeys, Paul was often persecuted or disturbed by Jews (Judaism) and by false brothers—believers of Jewish background who neither understood nor preached the pure Gospel to the Gentiles. After the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Roman army (AD 70), and thus the influence of Judaism over the church diminished, the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles to build the ‘Pauline community’ could proceed as it should.

In fact, the issue we have discussed above is often not merely about the presence or absence of religious regulations (Jewish teachings) in the preaching of the Gospel in the New Testament dispensation. Rather, it goes deeper—it is about ‘trying to please people’. Let us take one example where Paul rebuked Peter regarding this issue. In Galatians 2:11–14, Paul rebuked Peter because he was drawn into the matter of trying to please people, specifically the group associated with James. Previously, Peter ate together with the uncircumcised brothers, but when the group from James arrived, Peter tried to please them by withdrawing from the uncircumcised believers. Even Barnabas was led astray in this matter. We can imagine how even Peter or Barnabas could stumble over the issue of trying to please people.

In a Christian world filled with religious regulations—which, as we have discussed, contradict Jesus’ teaching to worship in spirit and truth—we see that the problem is not merely about religious rules or differences in interpretation. Rather, it goes deeper: the issue of trying to please people. Generally, Bible teachers who try to please people tend to add religious regulations here and there in order to please others—and ultimately themselves. But Paul firmly states, “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

We continue our discussion in chapter 16, which covers Paul’s second missionary journey. Consider Acts 16:6–7: “They passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”

Here we see that the movement of Paul and his team was entirely led by the Holy Spirit. In this passage, the Holy Spirit forbade them from preaching the Gospel in Asia and instead led them to southeastern Europe, where the city of Philippi became the first city they evangelized.

Cases like these—where the Holy Spirit directly leads missionary movements and church movements—are common and indeed how things should be. In the book of Acts, there are approximately seventy instances where expressions such as ‘the Holy Spirit led’, ‘the Holy Spirit forbade’, ‘the Holy Spirit whispered’, ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’, and so on appear. When we read Acts, the most striking feature is the authority of the Holy Spirit in governing both the church and mission. There were no religious rules, leaders’ programs, creeds, rituals, or anything man-made. There was no human authority in the early church. Jesus had already forbidden His disciples from acting as hierarchical authorities, meaning there was no “seat of Moses” in the church (Matthew 23:1–12). Leaders functioned as “ligaments and joints” that hold and unite the Body, with each part holding fast to the Head, so that the Body receives its divine growth (Colossians 2:19). Indeed, the church is an organism (the Body of Christ), and the authority that operates within it is the authority of that organism—the authority of the Spirit who gives life in Christ.

Consider these verses related to being led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of Elohim, these are the sons of Elohim” (ILT). Galatians 5:18: “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Galatians 5:25: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” These verses emphasize that the mark of being children of Elohim is being led by the Holy Spirit. If a person’s life is led by the Spirit, then automatically he is not living under religious regulations (the Law). It is impossible to live under religious regulations and at the same time be led by the Holy Spirit. These two are mutually exclusive. A person can live either under religious regulations or be led by the Holy Spirit.

To live by the Spirit means to be led by the Holy Spirit. This is Jesus’ teaching concerning worship (John 4). Worship in spirit and truth is worship led by the Holy Spirit, not regulated or led by religious rules. Why did Jesus emphasize to the Samaritan woman that the time had come when believers would worship in spirit and truth? Because Jesus had fulfilled all the regulations of the Law, and the time had come for believers to be led solely by the Holy Spirit. That is why the apostle John states that you do not need anyone to teach you, because His anointing teaches you all things (1 John 2:20, 27).

Why is the Christian world full of religious regulations? There are rules for every denomination, rules from every Christian leader—whether pastor, senior elder, or whatever title they bear. There are also Old Testament regulations selectively adopted, usually related to money—tithes, firstfruits, faith pledges, and so on. Why is this so? The answer is clear: church leaders have been attacked by “fierce wolves”, drawing the Lord’s disciples to themselves through false teachings (Acts 20:28–30). These Christian leaders create rules to bind their followers. But the people of the Kingdom follow only the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4).

We have discussed that the movement of Paul and his companions was entirely governed by the Holy Spirit. Let us now look at an example of someone led by the Holy Spirit in ministry, particularly in chapter 16. There are several lessons we need to learn.

First, there was confirmation from the Holy Spirit for Paul and his companions when they were about to cross into southeastern Europe (Macedonia), in Paul’s case through a vision (verse 9). Confirmation from the Holy Spirit does not have to come through a vision alone. The Holy Spirit has many ways to confirm His servant for ministry in a particular place. What matters is that there is direct confirmation from the Holy Spirit upon His servant.

This confirmation is not a series of religious regulations that must be carried out, as is commonly found in Christianity when someone joins an organization (a particular stream or denomination). It may resemble a ‘job description’, complete with salary, office hours, and predefined programs set by superiors (managers). If this is the case, then the person cannot be said to be ‘serving’, but rather ‘working’ like an employee in a business corporation—only that the work is related to Christianity.

Second, what happens to a servant of God may be hospitality and acceptance—as in Paul’s case from Lydia (verse 15)—or persecution and imprisonment (verses 16–24). When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, three thousand people repented; but when Stephen preached, he was struck by “three thousand” stones. Both Peter and Stephen were led by the Holy Spirit when they preached, yet different outcomes occurred. However, in Christianity today, it is generally assumed that a preacher—whether preaching in his own place or invited elsewhere—will receive money, whether called a love offering or a salary. Such practices are common and unquestioned because Christianity has become a ‘system’ (kosmos = system), where everything is arranged by religious leaders. And the Christian ‘kosmos’ cannot function without money, because money is the ‘driving force’ of that system. Such things never existed in the book of Acts.

Third, the singing of Paul and Silas in the Philippian prison appears to be on a different level altogether (verse 25). This is not merely because a great earthquake miracle followed their singing. We can compare this with Israel in captivity in Babylon (Psalm 137:4). They were asked to sing, but they could not sing in a foreign land. In reality, Christianity has also fallen into a “Babylonian” condition. The woman in Revelation 17–18 symbolized as ‘Babylon’ is a very fitting picture of Christianity. We will not discuss this now, but what we want to emphasize is that praise in Christianity today is not on the same level as the praise of the early church. Why? Because the early church was not ‘captivated’ by anything except the Holy Spirit alone. Paul referred to himself as a “prisoner of the Spirit” (Acts 20:22).

For those who understand, it is clear that the Christian world is “held captive” by various religious regulations made by its leaders. In such a condition, even though praises are lifted up in a beautiful building, with complete music arrangements and professional MCs, it is still not on the same level as what took place in the early church.

From all the examples we have seen above, one lesson can be drawn: we must be led directly by the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, and in whatever ministry we carry out. This is the meaning of worship in spirit and in truth as taught by Jesus. The people of the Kingdom are those who are free to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit wherever the Holy Spirit desires to lead them.

We continue our discussion in chapter 16, where the Philippian jailer asks how he can be saved. Acts 16:31–32 states: “They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved—you and your household.’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.” Notice verse 31, where the unit of salvation is the household. This is confirmed through several examples: the family of Noah (Gen. 7:1), the households that took part in the Passover (Exod. 12:3–4), the family of the prostitute Rahab (Josh. 2:18–19), the household of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:9), the household of Cornelius (Acts 11:14), the household of Lydia (16:15), and the household of Crispus (18:8).

Indeed, the unit of salvation is the household, but in order to obtain eternal life (zoe), a person must personally believe in the Lord Jesus. That is why, in verse 32, Paul proclaimed the word of the Lord to everyone in the jailer’s house. Acts 13:48 affirms: “…all who were appointed for eternal life believed” (LAI). The Bible emphasizes that believing in Jesus personally results in receiving eternal life (zoe aionios). We have already discussed the Greek expression ‘zoe aionios’, which refers to the life of Elohim (zoe) that enters into the context of time (aion). This means that the life of Elohim must grow, so that believers may know Elohim and know Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3).

In the first eight chapters of the book of Romans, Paul explains the perfect salvation that believers will receive. Paul uses three terms to describe this perfect salvation: justification by faith, sanctification by faith, and glorification by faith. Many believers already understand the meaning of justification by faith and sanctification by faith, but glorification by faith is rarely discussed—even in theological schools. Yet, ‘glorification by faith’ is the pinnacle of salvation, where believers receive perfect salvation.

Let us briefly revisit glorification by faith, since we have discussed it elsewhere. We will quote only a few verses to explain this. Romans 8:10 states: “And if Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (ILT). Romans 8:17 states: “…joint heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (ILT). Romans 8:23 states: “…we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (ILT). Here, glorification by faith is explained as ‘the redemption of our body’, namely the putting off of this sinful body and its replacement with a glorified body like the one Jesus has, because we are joint heirs with Him.

When, where, how, and for what purpose are we glorified together with the Lord Jesus? Romans 8:19–21 explains: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of Elohim. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of Elohim” (ILT).

Glorification by faith occurs when the Kingdom of Heaven—of which we are already citizens—is fully revealed on earth at His coming (commonly called the Second Coming of Jesus). What does glorification by faith look like? It is when our physical bodies are replaced with glorified bodies like the one Jesus possesses. For God’s chosen people who have already died before Jesus’ coming, they await the resurrection of the saints at His coming. What is the purpose of being glorified together with the Lord Jesus on earth? It is to liberate all creation from the bondage of corruption and bring it into the glorious freedom of the children of Elohim.

Through the ministry of the glorified children of Elohim, this old Earth (the First Earth) will move toward the New Earth, and likewise the New Heavens. When Elohim creates the New Heavens and the New Earth, it does not mean that the first heavens and earth are totally destroyed and replaced with something entirely new. In theological terms, this is not ‘creatio ex nihilo’, but ‘creatio ex vetere’. This means that the New Heavens and the New Earth are the first heavens and earth that have undergone a “radical transformation” through the ministry of the glorified children of Elohim.

This is the perfect salvation accomplished by Jesus on the cross. This is also the reason the Father predestined His chosen people. We will not be evacuated to “a heaven far away,” where the only activity is singing forever. Such fairy-tale notions of heaven are not found in the books of the New Testament, even though they are believed by the majority in the Christian world. Rather, His chosen people long for the perfect salvation accomplished by Jesus.

One thing must be emphasized here: glorification by faith is not automatically obtained by all Christians who have experienced justification by faith and sanctification by faith. Glorification by faith is experienced only by the “firstfruits” of the church—those who are not only called, but also chosen and faithful (Rev. 17:14; James 1:14). The “firstfruits” of the church are those who mature earlier and are ready to be harvested at the end of the age. They are presented before all creation to liberate all creation. This is the perfect salvation described by Paul in the book of Romans.

We now enter chapter 17 and observe Paul’s missionary ministry in Thessalonica. Notice verse 3: “He explained and demonstrated that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, and said, ‘This Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Messiah.’” Paul delivered this sermon in the synagogue (the Jewish house of worship), where their general understanding of the Messiah was that of a leader who would bring Israel to its glory.

The Jewish people hoped that the Messiah would build a kingdom like David’s—a physical kingdom that would free Israel from its physical enemies or surrounding nations that fought against Israel—because they believed the Messiah was the son of David. Indeed, the Messiah is the son of David according to Yahweh’s promise to David (2 Samuel 7). However, they did not understand that the Messiah’s kingdom exists in a higher dimension—the heavenly dimension.

Jesus once questioned the Pharisees about the Messiah in Matthew 22:41–46. When asked whose son the Messiah is, they answered without hesitation, the son of David. Yet Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, where David calls the Messiah ‘my Lord’. Therefore, Jesus emphasized how the Messiah could be David’s son when David himself calls Him Lord. Jesus was not denying that the Messiah is David’s descendant in a physical sense. Rather, He was emphasizing that the Messiah’s kingdom is “higher” than David’s kingdom, which is why David calls the Messiah his Lord. The Messiah’s kingdom exists in the heavenly dimension. It is the Kingdom of Heaven, which is why Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).

After His resurrection, Jesus said that all authority had been given to Him (Matt. 28:18). In accordance with Old Testament prophecy, the Messiah had to suffer, rise again, and even sit at the right hand of the Father so that He could establish His kingdom on earth. The proclamation that the Messiah had to suffer, die, rise again, and sit at the right hand of the Father in order to establish His kingdom on earth is the central theme of the apostles’ preaching. The New Testament has one main theme—the Kingdom of Heaven—not in the sense of “a heaven far away” where Jesus will someday take us to sing forever, but the Kingdom that will be fully established on earth. That is why Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the Kingdom of Heaven to come to earth in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:10). Why must the Kingdom of Heaven come to earth? The answer is clear in the Lord’s Prayer: so that the Father’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

For the Jewish people (Judaism), the concept that the Messiah must suffer is unacceptable. If we look online, the common reason given by Jewish rabbis for why they still cannot accept Jesus as the Messiah is precisely because Jesus was crucified. That is why, to this day, the Jewish people as a nation do not accept Jesus as their Messiah. Yet Paul’s preaching sought to convince the Jews that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again.

We continue our discussion in chapter 17 and look at Paul’s missionary ministry in Berea (Acts 17:10–13). Notice verses 11–12: “Now the Jews in Berea were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed…”

The verses above emphasize that the Jews in Berea were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica for two reasons: first, they received the word with eagerness, and second, they examined the Scriptures to see whether Paul’s teaching aligned with what was written. Because of this attitude of heart, many Jews in Berea came to believe.

Here we see that believing in the word of God is closely related to the condition of one’s heart. This was already emphasized in the parable of the Kingdom of Heaven—the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Let us briefly review it. Jesus, as the sower, and later His disciples, sow the seed of the word of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it receives different responses depending on the type of soil (the human heart) where the seed falls. There are four categories of soil: the path, the rocky ground, the thorny ground, and the good soil.

The soil on the path represents those who hear the word of the Kingdom of Heaven but do not understand it; the evil one snatches it away, and there is no growth at all (v. 19). The rocky ground represents those who hear the word and initially grow because they receive it with joy, but they have no root (v. 21). When trouble or persecution comes because of the word of the Kingdom, they quickly fall away. The thorny ground represents those who hear the word and initially grow, but do not bear fruit because of the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth (v. 22). The good soil represents those who hear and understand the word of the Kingdom of Heaven, and thus bear fruit—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Although a person’s response or heart condition determines whether they believe and bear fruit, everything ultimately depends on the grace of the Father in heaven. Notice Matthew 13:11: “Jesus replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given to you, but not to them.’” Some are given the grace to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, while others are not. In conclusion, everything depends on the will of the Father in heaven—whether the Father is pleased to give the Kingdom of Heaven to someone or not (Luke 12:32). The human heart, having fallen into sin, is severely corrupted, and no one seeks God (Rom. 3:11). If someone understands the word of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is because the Father has been at work in that person’s heart.

Thus, the Jews in Berea who believed Paul’s message did not do so merely because of their own heart response to God’s word. Rather, the Father was pleased to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven to them, and therefore they received the word eagerly and examined the Scriptures to test everything. The fact that the Jews in Berea had more noble hearts than those in Thessalonica was entirely due to the Father in heaven being pleased to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven to them.

We are still discussing chapter 17, and now we will look at Paul’s sermon in Athens, where he proclaimed the good news about Jesus and His resurrection (v. 18). Although in this sermon Paul does not explicitly explain the Kingdom of Heaven, this does not mean that he did not proclaim it. For Jesus, John the Baptist, and the apostles all proclaimed the good news (the Gospel) of the Kingdom of Heaven. As we know, the main theme of the New Testament is the Kingdom of Heaven that will be fully established on earth.

Let us examine some background regarding the Athenians before discussing the points of Paul’s sermon. First, the city of Athens was full of idols (v. 16). The Athenians were even concerned that there might be a god who had not yet been given an altar or worshiped. Therefore, they made an altar to an unknown god, which Paul used as an introduction in his sermon.

Second, the Athenians tended to enjoy philosophical thinking. There were Epicurean philosophers, followers of Epicurus (341–270 BC), whose philosophy was materialistic and denied the Creator and His providence over the world. The Epicureans sought physical pleasure, especially in eating and drinking, and Paul refers to them in Philippians 3:18–19 and 1 Corinthians 15:32. There were also Stoics, followers of Zeno (340–265 BC), whose philosophy was pantheistic, believing that everything was predetermined and that all events were expressions of “divine will.” Therefore, humans should accept and submit to their fate. Paul also refers to them in Philippians 4:11 by using the expression “contentment,” a term commonly used by the Stoics.

Third, there were poems known to the Athenians stating that we are of the offspring of Elohim (v. 28). These poems likely refer to Aratus (around 270 BC) and Cleanthes (around 300 BC), both of whom addressed such words to Zeus or Jupiter, whom they regarded as the highest god. Paul used these poems to support his sermon.

With this background, let us now enter into the points of Paul’s sermon. First, Paul begins with the matter of creation. Paul affirms that there is Elohim who created the heavens and the earth, and He does not dwell in temples made by human hands. Elohim began by creating one man, Adam, so that all nations and humankind might fill the earth. And Elohim desires that human beings seek Him and, hopefully, find Him. Then Paul reveals a truth: that human beings are the offspring of Elohim, and therefore they live in Him, move in Him, and have their being in Him.

Second, Paul emphasizes that all people must repent, especially those who regard the being of Elohim as something like gold, silver, or stone—an image formed by human art and skill.

Third, Elohim will judge the world with justice at the appointed time by a Man whom He has designated, namely Jesus, and He has given proof of this by raising Him from the dead. Through this sermon, some people came to believe.

Here we see that the climax of Paul’s sermon focuses on the authority of Jesus to be the righteous Judge of the whole world. In the Christian world in general, we rarely hear about the righteous judgment of the world by Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus will come (commonly referred to as the second coming) primarily to judge His church first, and afterward, together with His overcomers, Jesus will judge the world.

We now enter chapter 18 and discuss Paul’s ministry in Corinth, especially verses 5–6, which state: “…where he testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed him and blasphemed… ‘Your blood be upon your own heads; I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’” We see that the Jews, as a nation, to this day have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah. They still hope that the Messiah will come and establish a physical kingdom of Israel like the kingdom of David, and of course build a physical Temple (the Third Temple) in Jerusalem. Will the hope of Israel as a nation (to build a physical kingdom and a physical Temple, with a ‘physical’ Messiah like David whom they await) be fulfilled or not?

Before answering this question, we need to understand that all Israel will surely be saved, as written in Romans 11:26–27: “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’”

There are several points we need to reflect on from Romans 11:26–27 above. First, all Israel will be saved. The Greek term translated as ‘all’ is ‘pas’, meaning ‘all, the whole, every kind of’. It appears 1,244 times in the New Testament and carries the meaning ‘all, whole, whatever, whoever, everything’, and it is never translated as ‘part’ in the New Testament. This means that all Israel, in the true sense, will certainly be saved.

Second, Israel is saved by the Deliverer who comes from Zion. The Greek expression translated by LAI as ‘Deliverer’ actually means ‘the One who sets free’ and is preceded by the definite article. Thus, the One who sets Israel free is ‘a specific person’ who comes from Zion. We all certainly agree that this specific One who delivers Israel and comes from Zion is the Messiah, namely the Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, although Israel to this day, as a nation, does not accept Jesus as their Messiah, the preceding verse (verse 25) gives us the answer: “…Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” Thus, all Israel will be saved by Jesus Christ ‘after’ the Gentiles have come in. According to the context, the expression ‘the Gentiles have come in’ means that in the present time only a ‘remnant of Israel’ is saved (Romans 11:5), and likewise only a certain number from among the Gentiles are saved. When that certain number of Gentiles has come in (been saved) in this present age, then all Israel will also be saved.

Fourth, the Messiah will save Israel through a Covenant. The Covenant referred to is certainly not the Old Covenant, in which the removal of sin was only symbolized by the blood of animals. Rather, our verse above (verse 27) clearly states that the Lord removes Israel’s sins. Thus, the Messiah will save all Israel through a Covenant, namely the New Covenant (NC).

Next, let us consider the ‘New Jerusalem’ in Revelation 20:9–10. The New Jerusalem here is a symbol, consistent with the fundamental nature of the book of Revelation (1:1; Greek ‘semaino’, from the root ‘sema’, meaning symbol). The symbol of a ‘city’ in Revelation represents a system of government. Meanwhile, the symbol of the ‘New Jerusalem’ is the ‘Bride of the Lamb’, because when the angel was about to show the Bride of the Lamb to the apostle John, what was shown to him was the holy city, the New Jerusalem. If so, who is this ‘Bride of the Lamb’? Consider the basic nature of the Covenant between Yahweh and Israel in Jeremiah 31:32: “…although I was a husband to them, declares Yahweh” (ILT). Thus, the basic nature of the Covenant between Yahweh and Israel is like a covenant between husband and wife. Based on the Covenant, Israel is the “wife” of Yahweh. Therefore, the Bride of the Lamb, in a special sense, speaks of the nation of Israel as the “bride” of Yahweh.

That is why the kingdom of Israel will surely be restored, but through the context of the New Covenant—not as a physical kingdom like the kingdom of David with its physical Temple, in the context of the Old Covenant. Through the Messiah, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, the kingdom of Israel will be restored in the dispensation of the ‘New Heavens and New Earth’. There will no longer be a physical Temple in the dispensation of the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:22).

So, returning to our question above: Will the hope of Israel as a nation (to build a physical kingdom and a physical Temple, with a “physical” Messiah like David whom they await) be fulfilled or not? The answer is clear: it will not be fulfilled. However, Israel will be saved in its entirety, and the ‘spiritual’ kingdom of Israel will be established on this earth in the age of the New Heavens and New Earth.

We are still discussing Paul’s ministry in Corinth (18:1–17). Pay attention to verses 12–13: “…the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, ‘This man persuades people to worship Elohim contrary to the Torah’” (ILT). These Jews certainly misunderstood, because Paul did not persuade people to worship Elohim contrary to the Torah. The real problem was that the Jews misunderstood the purpose for which Yahweh gave the Torah at Mount Sinai. The Torah given by Yahweh at Mount Sinai was not intended so that the Jewish people might be justified before Yahweh ‘by doing the works of the Law’.

Consider 1 Timothy 1:4: “…which promote controversies rather than the stewardship of Elohim that is in faith” (ILT). The Greek term translated as ‘stewardship’ here is ‘oikonomia’. The term ‘oikonomia’ comes from the root words ‘oikos’ (household) and ‘nemo’ (to distribute or provide food or rules/laws). In English, ‘oikonomia’ is translated as management, stewardship, dispensation, and economy. Thus, ‘oikonomia’ means a way in which Elohim manages His household (His people) and distributes or administers His laws within a particular period of time. But what we must always remember is that this management of Elohim ‘is in faith’.

In this writing we will discuss only two periods of time: the period in which Elohim managed the Jewish nation (the Old Covenant), and the period in which Elohim manages His church (the New Covenant). The meaning of Elohim’s management that is in faith is that all saints, whether in the context of the Old Covenant or the New Covenant, are justified by faith. Even from the time of Abel onward, all saints are justified by faith (Hebrews 11).

If so, what is the purpose of Elohim giving His laws in each specific period of time? Elohim’s purpose is clear: the saints in each period of time must express their faith through the law applicable in their time. In the context of Israel, Yahweh determined that the saints of the Old Covenant era must ‘express their faith through the Law of Moses’. The saints in the Old Covenant era were ‘still justified by faith’, but the faith they possessed had to be manifested through obedience to the Law.

Justification by faith is grace (Romans 4:16). A saint cannot “create” faith within himself. Only Jesus can create faith within the saints and bring that faith to its perfection (Hebrews 12:2). Therefore, if someone understands the meaning of ‘oikonomia’ that is in faith, he will understand that the measure of grace in the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is the same. Many Christians (including Bible teachers) compare or contrast the Law and Grace. Those who do so fail to understand the ‘oikonomia’ of Elohim that is in faith.

Now we enter the context of the church (the New Covenant). All Christians generally understand that we are justified solely by faith. But what law did Elohim give to the church so that the church might express its faith? If we examine the priesthood of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, we can clearly see the difference between the law applicable in the Old Covenant context and that in the New Covenant context (Hebrews 7). The priesthood of the Old Covenant is clearly the ‘Aaronic order’, and the law governing the Old Covenant priesthood is the Torah. But the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek (New Covenant) is governed by the law of Life (‘zoe’) (Hebrews 7:16).

The law applicable in the New Covenant is the law of the Life of Christ (zoe), or the law of love, as Jesus declared on His final night, or the law of the Spirit, in accordance with New Covenant worship—worship in spirit and truth. Those who teach the law of tithing, firstfruits (money), and other religious regulations do not understand at all the ‘oikonomia’ of Elohim that is in faith. Indeed, the primary corruption of the Christian world lies in its priestly regulations, because the priestly system in Christianity is neither the order of Aaron nor the order of Melchizedek. Religious leaders in Christianity generally create religious rules according to their own purposes. But the people of the Kingdom express their faith according to the law applicable to the priesthood of Melchizedek.

We are still discussing chapter 18, where after Paul completed his second missionary journey, he immediately departed and traveled throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples (verse 23). What we will now discuss is the matter of ‘strengthening’ the hearts of all the disciples, which is one aspect of Paul’s ministry. The term ‘strengthening’ is translated from the Greek verb ‘episterizo’, which appears only four times in the book of Acts.

There is another Greek term, ‘oikodomeo’ (to build), which is used forty times in the New Testament but often refers to building something physical, especially in the Gospels. However, when this term is used in the book of Acts, its meaning becomes mutual encouragement among the disciples. Furthermore, there is another Greek term with a similar meaning to ‘episterizo’, namely ‘sterizo’, which is used thirteen times in the New Testament, but it is also used to refer to a ‘place’, such as in the parable of the rich man, Lazarus, and Abraham (Luke 16:26). Therefore, the term ‘sterizo’ can still have a physical connotation.

However, ‘episterizo’ comes from two root words: ‘epi’, meaning ‘above’, and ‘sterizo’, meaning ‘to build or strengthen’. Thus, the meaning of ‘episterizo’ always refers to strengthening the “above” dimension of a person—that is, strengthening the spiritual dimension of a disciple. Paul did not strengthen the hearts of disciples in the way motivational speakers often do in Christian pulpits, where they encourage congregations to achieve physical things such as success, prosperity, physical healing, and other outward matters.

Consider Paul’s inward-focused proclamation of the gospel as written in Colossians 1:27–28: “…Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom…” (ILT). Paul’s proclamation focused on ‘Christ who dwells within a person’, even though his ministry was accompanied by various outward signs and miracles as confirmations granted to him by Elohim. Once again, Paul never proclaimed physical healing, economic restoration, or other outward matters, as we often see when someone holds a “revival meeting” in the Christian world.

Why did the disciples need to be strengthened in their spirit? Acts 14:22 states: “There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (LAI). Paul strengthened the disciples because ahead of them lay many SUFFERINGS that had to be endured in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (the kingdom in the heavenly dimension). But Christian motivators generally strengthen people because ahead of them lies WORLDLY SUCCESS (physical in nature). This is the difference between Paul, the proclaimer of the kingdom of heaven, and Christian motivators in the Christian world.

Now we will discuss the ministry of Apollos in Ephesus in Acts 18:24–26. Verse 25 states: “He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. With great fervor he spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.” Apollos’s understanding of ‘the way of the Lord’ was not yet complete, because he knew only the baptism of John, even though he also taught about Jesus. Why was it incomplete?

To see the deficiency in Apollos’s message, we need to understand the role of John the Baptist as the one who prepared the way for Jesus (Matthew 3:3). Although John the Baptist proclaimed the same message as the Lord Jesus—“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”—John himself clearly stated, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is mightier than I… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11).

Let us first look at Luke 16:16 to further understand the role of John the Baptist: “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of Elohim is preached, and everyone presses into it” (ILT). The Law and the Prophets here refer to the Old Covenant. And we know that the Old Covenant consists only of symbols, prophecies, and shadows. From this verse it is clear that John the Baptist represents the “closure” of the ministry of symbols, prophecies, and shadows in the Old Covenant. The reality of the shadows and symbols in the Old Covenant is Jesus. That is why Jesus declared, “I am the Truth” (aletheia = Reality). Likewise, Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies in the Old Testament.

We know that all prophecies, types, and symbols in the Old Testament point to the person of the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, and certainly also to the Messianic Kingdom (the Kingdom of Heaven). In fact, Jesus Himself is the Kingdom of Heaven manifested on earth (Luke 17:20–24). Verses 22–24 in Luke 17 prove that the Kingdom of Elohim is Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, even though John the Baptist proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven, he himself was NOT INCLUDED IN IT (Matthew 11:11).

John the Baptist proclaimed, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” with the purpose of preparing the way for Jesus, who is the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. If someone from the people of Israel repented, John baptized him merely as a sign of repentance, not as a sign that the person had received Jesus as the Messiah. And those who repented and were baptized by John were not the people of the Kingdom of Heaven. A person must believe in Jesus as the Messiah to become a citizen of the Kingdom, and then he will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for it is Jesus who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

Through all the explanations above, it is not surprising that there were disciples whom Paul encountered in Ephesus—where Apollos had ministered—who had not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1–6). After the disciples were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, they received the Holy Spirit and became people of the Kingdom.

Now we will discuss Paul’s ministry in Ephesus in chapter 19. Verse 10 states, “This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” Paul preached the gospel and sought to persuade people about the Kingdom of Elohim (verse 8). Because some were hardened and refused to be persuaded, Paul separated the disciples and taught them daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for two years.

Although Paul did not determine the movement of his mission from city to city by himself, the Holy Spirit led him to strategic cities such as Ephesus and Corinth. In Corinth, Paul stayed for one and a half years (18:11). Everything was arranged by the Holy Spirit in such a way that even though Paul spoke in the lecture hall of Tyrannus, all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord. Certainly, the Lord confirmed His word in various ways. We will discuss three things that confirmed the word of the Lord preached by Paul during his time in Ephesus.

First, God performed extraordinary miracles in Ephesus, so that people brought handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched Paul and laid them on the sick, and their diseases left them and evil spirits came out (19:11–12).

Second, God “used” some Jewish exorcists who invoked the name of the Lord Jesus to heal those who were demon-possessed. There were seven sons of a Jewish high priest who attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus, but the evil spirits overpowered them. Through this event, the name of the Lord Jesus became widely known (19:17).

Third, there was a riot involving Demetrius and his craftsmen who made silver shrines of the goddess Artemis, while Paul firmly declared that what is made by human hands is not a god (19:26). Through this riot, the name of the Lord Jesus became even more widely known. God’s confirmation does not always take the form of healing, casting out demons, or various miracles. God’s confirmation can also take the form of riots, or like Stephen, who was stoned to death. If the true gospel is preached, there will certainly be genuine repentance, OR a riot. Wherever Paul preached the gospel of the Kingdom, something always happened—either repentance or a riot. Acts 17:6 states, “…These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.”

We see that Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was very successful, because through it all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord. However, it is very unfortunate that in only about thirteen years, at the end of Paul’s ministry, it turned out that “…all who are in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1:15). Phygelus and Hermogenes were certainly church leaders. If we compare this with 2 Timothy 1:8, which says, “…do not be ashamed of me, His prisoner…,” then perhaps Phygelus and Hermogenes were among those who were ashamed of Paul as a prisoner and led others to turn away from him.

Or perhaps it was because of the attack of savage wolves, as Paul had declared to the elders in Ephesus in Acts 20:28–30, where some leaders would draw disciples after themselves in order to make them their followers. Through Paul’s imprisonment, Phygelus and Hermogenes gained the opportunity to draw followers by “removing” Paul.

Whatever the reason, the churches in Asia Minor had deviated from the truth, as also stated in Revelation 2–3, where the church in Ephesus in particular had left its first love. All this was caused by the three false teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans.

We now enter chapter 20 and discuss Paul’s prophecy or warning to the leaders of the church in Ephesus: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the assembly of Elohim which He acquired through His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Even from among yourselves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (verses 28–30, ILT).

This portion of God’s word is very important for us as the church, especially for leaders. However, if a leader does not understand the basic nature of the church that the Lord Jesus is building, he will not understand this passage. When Jesus spoke to Saul, who was persecuting the church on his way to Damascus, Jesus did not say, “Why are you persecuting the church?” but rather, “…Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). In fact, Saul was not persecuting Jesus; he was persecuting the church, which he considered heretical. Do we realize that Jesus and the church cannot be separated? Jesus and the church are ONE “PERSON,” namely the “PERSON” of Christ. Jesus as Christ is the Head, and the church is the Body of Christ. The Head and the Body are one—ONE ORGANISM.

Leaders in Christianity generally do not understand the difference between an ORGANISM and an ORGANIZATION. They think that an organization is merely a tool to make pastoral care better and more effective. But in fact, the difference between an organism and an organization is like the difference between heaven and earth. The difference lies in AUTHORITY. The authority of an organization is HUMAN—its highest leader, whether called a senior pastor, a senior elder, or anything else. But the authority of an organism is the LIFE of the organism itself. When Jesus said, “I am the Life” (zoe), it means that Jesus as Life directly exercises authority over every member of the Body, just as in any organism (living being). Jesus never delegated His authority. The expression delegated authority exists only in the context of organizations. In an organism, there is no concept of delegated authority. ALL MEMBERS OF AN ORGANISM ARE DIRECTLY GOVERNED BY THE LIFE OF THE ORGANISM ITSELF.

Let us try to compare organism leadership with organizational leadership to better understand what church leadership should be like. We will use one term to compare the two: ‘essence’. Essence, according to the Indonesian Dictionary, means the nature, core, or fundamental thing. What is the nature, core, or fundamental element in organism leadership and organizational leadership?

We will be helped by two Bible verses. First, Acts 20:30, which we mentioned above: “Even from among yourselves some will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” Second, Ephesians 4:11–12: “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the Body of Christ.” These two verses speak about leadership with two very different outcomes. The first produces division in the Body, while the second builds up the Body of Christ. The essence of the first leadership that tears apart the Body is DRAWING DISCIPLES TO FOLLOW THE LEADER. The essence of the second leadership that builds up the Body of Christ is EQUIPPING. This is the difference in essence.

Leadership that DRAWS DISCIPLES is organizational leadership, whereas leadership that EQUIPS THE SAINTS is organism leadership. This understanding may seem trivial, but in Christianity it is almost not understood. My theology lecturer once said that the church is an organism that needs to be organized. Although he was a synod leader, a senior pastor with thousands of members, a theology lecturer at various seminaries, and held a Doctor of Theology degree, he did not understand what we are discussing here. It seems that such an understanding is common in Christianity. In fact, the basic nature of the church is an organism and does not need to be organized at all.

Let us continue our previous discussion, where we firmly stated that the church is an organism and does not need to be organized, because the life of the organism governs all the members of the body. The church as an organism is described in detail in the book of Acts. There are approximately seventy expressions such as ‘the Spirit whispered’, ‘the Holy Spirit forbade’, ‘the Holy Spirit said’, ‘filled with the Spirit’, and so on, in its 28 chapters. In this book, believers are called ‘disciples’ because they are learning the central theme of the New Testament books—the Kingdom of Heaven—and are also learning to be led solely by the Holy Spirit in daily life.

Paul called himself a ‘prisoner of the Spirit’. In his missionary work, Paul did not make plans, organizational structures, leadership systems (except by example), or control systems, as is typical of leaders (read: managers) in Christianity. Paul simply followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. That is why the life of the early church moved spontaneously, just as the members of an organism move spontaneously according to the leading of the organism’s life. They spontaneously gathered, gave, prayed, and held ‘revival meetings’, as Peter and his companions did. There were no “human hands” directing the movement of the early church, even though there were leaders in the church. Everything was directed by the Holy Spirit.

Now we will compare the growth of an organism and the growth of an organization to better understand the church as an organism. Consider Colossians 2:19: “…and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the growth that is from God.” The expression “joints and ligaments” in an organism refers to leaders who function to support and hold the Body together. All members of the organism hold fast to the Head. Furthermore, the phrase ‘grows with the growth that is from God’ is translated from the Greek expression ‘auxanō ho auxēsis ho Theos’, which means ‘may increase with the increase of God’. What does ‘the increase of God’ mean here? It means that the life of God (zoe) grows within the church (the organism). The church increasingly knows the true Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent, as the life of zoe grows, because the function of the life of zoe is to know Elohim (John 17:3). This is the true growth of the church—growing in the true knowledge of Elohim.

But organizational growth is very different. When studying the course ‘church growth’, we were required to use a textbook titled Understanding Church Growth written by Donald McGavran, who is regarded as the “father of church growth.” Although McGavran held a Ph.D. from Columbia University, he also did not understand what we are discussing here. Understanding that the church is an organism that does not need to be organized at all is not a matter of impressive academic titles. If someone receives grace from God, he will certainly understand it. McGavran’s book would be more accurately titled Understanding Denomination Growth rather than Understanding Church Growth, because what it actually discusses is the growth of church organizations (denominations), not the growth of the church (organism). Unfortunately, in

Christianity, leaders have become accustomed to calling denominations the church. This is due to the doctrine of the ‘visible and invisible church’ initiated by Martin Luther.

We are still discussing Paul’s prophecy or warning to the leaders of the church in Ephesus. Now we will pay attention to the expression “savage wolves” used by Luke to describe Satan’s attack on church leaders in Ephesus: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Even from among yourselves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (verses 29–30, ILT).

Let us note several points from these verses. First, the savage wolves (the devil) do not attack the church directly, but its leaders—specifically, the elders (plural). Second, leaders who are attacked by the “savage wolves” will speak misleading things. What is meant by “misleading things” here are false teachings, and this does not mean something completely different from the original teaching. The apostle John identifies these false teachings as the teachings of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2–3).

Third, the purpose of leaders who are attacked by savage wolves in creating false teachings is clear: to draw the Lord’s disciples to become their followers. Disciples who originally followed only the leading of the Holy Spirit day by day then become followers of certain leaders, so that the church is divided into factions, as in the church in Corinth, which said, I follow Paul, I follow Apollos, I follow Cephas, or even I follow Christ (1 Corinthians 1:12). Paul rebuked all this firmly, because such behavior causes the church to be torn apart, just as when savage wolves attack their prey.

We have seen above the result of the attack of savage wolves on church leaders, namely that the church is divided into factions, or what we call denominations. But there is one thing that is often overlooked in discussing this attack: the matter of the system (Greek: kosmos). Because of the attack of savage wolves, church leaders build a kosmos (system, also translated as ‘world’) through the three false teachings mentioned above—Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans.

Let us now examine the writings of the apostle John to understand the meaning of the term ‘kosmos’ (system, world). In fact, the term ‘kosmos’ appears 186 times in the New Testament, 78 times in the Gospel of John and 24 times in his epistles, so that more than half of its occurrences are found in the writings of the Apostle John. The frequent appearance of this term in John’s writings certainly carries a special meaning in Johannine theology.

We know that the meaning of a term is determined by how it is used in a sentence. If the term ‘world’ appears in John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV), we clearly understand that the meaning of ‘world’ here refers to all humanity on the face of the earth. However, if the term ‘world’ appears in 1 John 2:15, which says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them,” then the meaning of ‘world’ here is not all people on earth. Here, ‘world’ refers to a ‘system’ whose values contradict God’s values.

In a dictionary, a system is a group of elements that work together according to certain rules or values. Economy, politics, society, and even religion can become systems. Let us look at John 15:18-25. In the ESV, this pericope is titled ‘The World Hates Jesus and His Disciples’. If we read the entire passage, we can understand who is meant by ‘world’ here. Verse 25 says, “But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’” It is clear that ‘world’ here refers to the Jewish religious system or Judaism, specifically the teachings of Judaism and their Torah. They were the ones who killed Jesus and hated and persecuted His followers.

It is clear that the ruler of the ‘cosmos’ is a fierce wolf (Satan). Consider John 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” Also, Revelation 12:9 states, “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray—he was hurled to the earth…” Therefore, we can understand that Satan (the fierce wolf) is the ruler of the world in terms of the religious system, and Satan is also the one who deceives the religious world.

Christianity has become a ‘cosmos’ (system) through three false teachings. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3, these three heresies that infiltrated the church are clearly outlined. The teachings of Nicolas and Jezebel, in which hierarchy enters the church and leaders usurp the authority of Jesus as the head of the church, split the church into the laity and priests, or congregation and pastors. The teaching of Balaam involved trade. Isn’t the Christian world full of trade, just like in Jesus’ time when the Temple was full of commerce?

Thus, this fierce wolf attacks church leaders so that they teach these three false doctrines to build a ‘system’ of Christianity. Let us take an example of how this Christian system works. Christianity consists of denominations, theological schools, and synods. These three function together as a ‘system.’ It is undeniable that this system is driven by money. Christianity as a system cannot operate without money. This contrasts with the early church, which was ENTIRELY Spirit-led. All members of the early church only needed money to meet daily needs. That is why Paul said, “Food and clothing are sufficient.” However, a leader in the Christian system needs many things, such as building costs, ministry expenses, salaries for workers, and so on, beyond their personal needs. All of this is justified in the Christian world because the three false teachings validate it. Such conditions did not exist in the early church before the attacks of the fierce wolf.

Our conclusion regarding the attack of the ‘fierce wolf’ is that Satan attacks church leaders to teach the three false doctrines so that God’s disciples follow the leaders, and more than that, the leaders build a ‘system’ that enslaves God’s people with many religious rules. Under the Christian system, God’s people can no longer worship in spirit and truth because they can no longer follow the leading of the Holy Spirit wherever He wills. This is the attack of the ‘fierce wolf’ that tears the church apart and brings God’s people into religious slavery.

We are still discussing chapter 20, where we examine several things in Paul’s words to the elders in Ephesus (Acts 20:17-35). We know that God appointed Paul as an example for believers (1 Timothy 1:16). Specifically, we will see examples of how someone serving God should live. Let us consider several examples given by Paul:

First, Paul emphasized that the elders should observe how he lived among them (verses 18-20). Here Paul gives an example through his life among them—how he humbly served God and never neglected what was beneficial to the believers, even though he faced many trials from the Jews who tried to kill him.

Second, Paul prioritized reaching the finish line, meaning completing the ministry assigned by Jesus, even disregarding his own life (verse 24). Clearly, Paul was not commissioned by humans, any human institution, or anything other than Jesus Christ Himself. In the early church, this could be done by every member because each lived daily under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit. But in the Christian world, one cannot follow the Spirit wherever He leads because Christianity has become a ‘system’ that enslaves God’s people, preventing them from freely following the Spirit.

Third, Paul’s message was clear: the gospel of God’s grace, which is the kingdom of God (verses 24-25). Paul always taught and convinced people about the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ, even in Rome, from morning until evening (Acts 28:23).

Fourth, in his ministry, Paul never sought silver, gold, or clothing from anyone (verse 33). He worked as a ‘tentmaker’ to meet his own needs and those of his companions. Did this mean Paul never received assistance from others or the church? Of course, Paul occasionally received support—from friends, the church in Philippi, and even from Governor Publius when his ship was stranded on Malta. He received help as the Spirit directed, but he never received a regular salary from a specific church or routine support from anyone because he did not work for humans. Paul worked for Jesus, and Jesus alone was responsible for his needs and those of his companions.

This differs from the Christian world as a ‘system.’ If someone “serves” in the Christian world, they simply follow what leaders have arranged. In a ‘system,’ duties, accountability, salary, working hours, etc., are all determined by leaders. This is no longer truly serving Jesus but working like a doctor or any employee. Yet this is the condition of Christianity as a system. There are many other examples in Paul’s life, and we cannot easily follow them. However, through these examples, we can already imagine how one should serve Jesus.

We now move to chapter 21, where Paul intended to go to Jerusalem on his return journey after his third mission. When he reached Tyre and visited the disciples there, “…through the Spirit’s prompting, the disciples urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem” (21:4). Yet Paul ignored this ‘prompting of the Spirit’ and continued toward Jerusalem. Later, we will discuss possible reasons why the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from going to Jerusalem. But for now, we emphasize that listening to and obeying the ‘Spirit’s prompting’ was normal in the early church.

As we know, the phrases ‘Spirit’s prompting,’ ‘Holy Spirit forbade,’ ‘full of the Holy Spirit,’ and similar expressions appear about 70 times in Acts. This shows the full authority of the Holy Spirit over the early church. No other authority directed the early church. All members were led directly by the Holy Spirit—Peter, John, Paul, the apostles, and the elders. The early church was purely an organism, where the life authority of the organism, Christ’s life (‘zoe’), directed the church’s movement.

The Holy Spirit could use any member to speak to other members and sometimes directed the early church through angels, visions, dreams, etc. In any case, all members were led directly by the Holy Spirit.

Here we see that Paul failed to hear the ‘Spirit’s prompting’ through the disciples. In a sense, this failure could happen. Every church member is called a disciple, meaning they are learning to hear the ‘Spirit’s prompting’ in daily life. Failure is part of learning and should not be seen as extraordinary. Clearly, no member had authority over another, unlike in the Christian world, where leaders act as “managers/bosses” of the church, making plans, organizing, directing, and controlling the congregation like a company. Since the “church” belonged to them, not as Jesus would establish it, it is natural for leaders to control everything.

Let us examine Paul’s failure again, where the Holy Spirit reminds Paul through the prophet Agabus and disciples in Caesarea not to go to Jerusalem (21:8-14). Yet Paul refused, and the disciples submitted, saying, ‘May the Lord’s will be done.’ One reason Paul may have ignored the advice was his desire to die as a martyr in Jerusalem (21:13). As a Jew, Jerusalem held spiritual significance as the city chosen by Yahweh to place His name. Yet Yahweh did not intend for Paul to die as a martyr there.

Next, we will discuss possible reasons why the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from going to Jerusalem. To understand this, we need to look at the Trilogy principle in the New Testament. Without this principle, we might confuse Peter’s ministry with his team, Paul’s ministry with his team, and John’s ministry with his team.

Before continuing, there is an important term appearing only once in the New Testament, the Greek word ‘orthotomeo’ (verb) in 2 Timothy 2:15: “…rightly dividing the word of truth” (KJV). The phrase ‘rightly dividing’ comes from the Greek ‘orthotomeo,’ meaning ‘to cut straight.’ That is, to cut or discern accurately. Therefore, ‘orthotomeo’ means to accurately discern (or “cut”) the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 is Paul’s advice to Timothy, so that as a preacher of the Gospel (word of truth) or servant of God, he can rightly discern the word of truth.

Let us discuss the ‘trilogy’ concept. In English, a trilogy means ‘a group of three plays, novels, operas, etc., to be performed or read in succession, each complete in itself but having a common subject.’ In short, a trilogy is three consecutive stories, each with the same theme. Does this concept exist in the Bible? Although the term ‘trilogy’ is not written in the Bible, the concept is found frequently. Consider Proverbs 22:20: “Have I not written to you excellent things in counsel and knowledge” (ESV). The phrase ‘excellent things’ comes from the Hebrew word ‘shalosh,’ meaning ‘three.’ The Young’s Literal Translation says, “Have I not written to thee three times…” Combining Young’s and KJV translations, speaking three times in counsel and knowledge is highly significant. Thus, the Trilogy Principle is revealed in Proverbs 22:20.

Applying this principle to the New Testament, there are three ministries: Peter and his team, Paul and his team, and John and his team—each complete, sequential, and sharing a common theme: the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.

We continue our discussion of why the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from going to Jerusalem in chapter 21. We have addressed the Trilogy Principle and rightly discerning the word of truth (‘orthotomeo’), but one more term must be discussed: the Greek ‘oikonomia’ in 1 Timothy 1:4: “…the stewardship of God in faith” (KJV). The term ‘stewardship’ comes from Greek ‘oikonomia,’ derived from ‘oikos’ (household) and ‘nemo’ (dispense laws or rules). Thus, God’s ‘oikonomia’ is how He manages His people during a specific period by giving His laws. In English translations, ‘oikonomia’ is rendered as ‘dispensation,’ ‘administration,’ ‘management,’ or ‘economy.’

We have emphasized that the New Testament explains Peter and his team’s ministry to the Jews, Paul and his team’s ministry to the Gentiles, and John and his team’s ministry to the churches that had fallen (the seven churches in Asia Minor). How can we “discern correctly” (“ortothomeo”) the ministries of the three? Clearly, the ministry of Peter and his team was directed toward the Jewish people, where God organized Israel by giving the Law of Moses. However, the ministry of Paul and his team, directed toward the Gentiles, was organized by God not through the Law of Moses, but through the Law of Christ, or the Law of the Spirit, or the Law of Life, or the Law of Love.

Indeed, the ministry of Peter and his team offered the New Covenant to the Jews, because the New Covenant ratified by the blood of Jesus was primarily directed toward the Jewish people (Jeremiah 31:31). For Jews who were already bound by the Old Covenant with Yahweh, and who then believed in and accepted Jesus as the Messiah, they did not completely abandon the Law of Moses. Notice Acts 21:20: “… Then they said to Paul: ‘Brother, see, thousands of Jews have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law of Moses.’” Of course, being zealous for the Law of Moses did not mean they served in the Temple, because the Law of Moses established that only the Levites could serve in the Temple. They also no longer observed the laws regarding animal sacrifices, for Jesus had fulfilled them. However, some rituals of the Law of Moses were still practiced, such as the laws of vows, circumcision, and others (21:21-24).

Meanwhile, God revealed to Paul understanding that was different from what Peter and his team received, regarding the Gentiles. In Galatians 5:2, Paul emphasizes, “Behold, I, Paul, say to you, if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.” Paul meant that anyone who seeks righteousness through the Law of Moses will live outside of grace. One will be separated from Christ if they rely on the Law of Moses for righteousness. Likewise, Ephesians 2:15 states: “For by His death He has abolished the law of commandments and ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, making peace.” This means that through Christ’s death, there is no longer a dividing wall between Jew and Gentile; both become one new man in Him. That is why, in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:28).

However, the understandings received by Paul and his team could not be understood or accepted by Peter’s group, whose ministry was directed toward the Jews. If Paul went to Jerusalem, conflict would arise that really need not happen. Perhaps this is why the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from going to Jerusalem. This does not mean that the gospel received by Peter’s group contradicted the gospel received by Paul. Rather, each revelation complements the other and progresses according to the principle of the Trilogy.

Before Paul and his companions arrived in Jerusalem, when they were in Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus came and foretold that Paul would be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles (Acts 21:11). Again, Paul was advised by the brethren there not to go to Jerusalem, but Paul insisted on going, saying he was ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

After Paul arrived in Jerusalem and explained what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry, James’ group raised the issue of whether Paul was teaching Jews in the diaspora to abandon the Law of Moses. Here, Paul faced a dilemma—a difficult and confusing situation. On one hand, Paul, as a Jew, was fully entitled to observe the vow rituals, as he had done in Cenchrea (Acts 18:18), but the revelation he received regarding the mystery of Christ, through which Christ’s death abolished the Law of Moses and made Jews and Gentiles one new man, created a dilemma for him (Ephesians 2:11-22). It was not easy for Paul to explain this, perhaps one reason the Holy Spirit had forbidden him to go to Jerusalem.

Next, James’ group suggested that Paul take part in a vow ritual with several others to demonstrate that he still observed the Law of Moses and did not teach Jews in the diaspora to abandon it (Acts 21:21-24). In reality, according to the revelation he had received regarding the mystery of Christ, Paul did teach that ‘in Christ’ there is no Jew or Gentile (Galatians 3:28). Nevertheless, Paul agreed to take part in the vow ritual to purify himself and show that he still observed the Law of Moses and did not teach Jews in the diaspora to abandon it.

However, we know that when this vow ritual was nearly complete, Jews from Asia accused Paul of opposing the Law of Moses, causing a riot in Jerusalem and capturing him. In fact, they planned to kill Paul if the commander had not intervened.

When Paul was allowed by the commander to speak to the crowd, they only heard part of his explanation (Acts 22:22). Naturally, the crowd that did not accept Jesus as the Messiah could not understand Paul’s explanation, even though he recounted his extraordinary conversion. Truly, the Jews who still could not accept Jesus as the Messiah were part of God the Father’s own divine arrangement. Just as the Jewish religious leaders would not accept Jesus as the Messiah, even though He performed many miracles before them (John 12:37-41). All of this was orchestrated by the Father’s wisdom. In the end, when the Gentiles are fully included, all Israel will accept Jesus as the Messiah and be saved (Romans 11:25-27).

The next story is Paul’s testimony before the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem (Acts 23:1-10). By God’s wisdom, Paul testified that he was a Pharisee who hoped in the resurrection of the dead. We know that the Sanhedrin members from the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection or angels, so Paul’s words caused a great uproar, forcing the session to be suspended.

Even though Paul’s difficulties in Jerusalem arose because he did not heed the whispers of the Holy Spirit through the disciples, God still strengthened him (Acts 23:11): “… Be courageous, for as you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.” Indeed, Paul had planned to visit Rome after Jerusalem (Acts 19:21). So, Paul’s plan to visit Rome was fulfilled despite his difficulties in Jerusalem.

However, Paul’s journey to Rome in chains was not smooth. He had to be transferred to Caesarea due to a plot by the Jews to kill him. He also faced trial before the Jewish Sanhedrin under Felix. Two years later, when Festus succeeded Felix, Paul remained in custody. He also faced trial before Festus and had to appeal to the Emperor (Acts 25:11). On the journey to Rome, Paul experienced a shipwreck and was stranded on the island of Malta. Yet through these trials, Paul finally arrived in Rome as ordained by God.

As a conclusion to this section, let us consider Paul’s testimony regarding his conversion before King Agrippa: “Now rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of what you have seen and of what I will reveal to you” (Acts 26:16). Here we see how God led His servant Paul. God did not reveal His entire will to Paul at once. He guided Paul step by step. When God appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, He only instructed him to go there, promising to reveal further instructions later (Acts 22:10). Even before Paul began his first mission, more than a decade had passed since his conversion.

Yet, by obeying God step by step, Paul could declare at the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day…” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Paul received the crown of righteousness from the Lord, the righteous Judge, whose justice is evident in rewarding His obedient servant who followed Him step by step.

Now, let us consider Paul’s conversation with Felix in Acts 24:24-26: “… But when Paul spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became frightened and said, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’” Paul’s conversations with Felix were frequent during the two years of Paul’s imprisonment in Caesarea, not because Felix sought the truth, but because he hoped Paul would offer him money for release.

What we should note in this conversation is the matter of ‘self-control’ and the ‘coming judgment’. When Felix heard this, he became afraid. This is understandable because Felix had a Jewish wife named Drusilla, the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, previously married to Azizus of Emesa. Felix, as a Roman governor, persuaded Drusilla to leave Azizus and marry him. Felix (Marcus Antonius) was a greedy man who cared little about justice, so it is understandable that he feared hearing about the ‘coming judgment’.

However, in the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, the ‘coming judgment’ is a critical point that must be proclaimed. Jesus, after teaching about the ‘deceptions’ His followers would face, concluded the Sermon on the Mount by emphasizing judgment (Matthew 7:21-27). 2 Corinthians 5:10 also states: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” We must view God’s judgment in two aspects: punishment (what one sows, one reaps) and restoration, as in Isaiah 26:9: “… When You judge the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.”

Consider the judgment in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day… we prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and did many wonders in Your name… Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Here, judgment depends on whether someone does the Father’s will, not merely on acts of prophecy, exorcism, or miracles in His name. Followers of Jesus who are rejected from reigning with Him when the kingdom of heaven is fully manifested on earth (the Millennium) are those who committed ‘lawlessness’, meaning they did not do the Father’s will.

The Greek term translated as ‘lawlessness’ is ‘anomia’, meaning ‘absence of law’. These followers of Jesus performed ministry in His name but violated the Law of the Kingdom of Heaven. The term ‘anomia’ also appears in the parable of the tares among the wheat: “… all evildoers (‘anomia’) in His kingdom” (Matthew 13:41). These followers were already in the kingdom of heaven, yet during their earthly ministry, they did not do the Father’s will and violated the Kingdom’s Law, hence they were rejected from reigning on earth at Christ’s second coming.

Thus, anyone preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, as Paul did, must proclaim the ‘coming judgment’, whether the listener believes in Jesus or not, as with Felix. Even though acceptance of the kingdom is by grace and the Father’s favor (Luke 12:32), sin must still be addressed. The coming judgment reveals the truth.

We conclude with Paul’s conversation with the Jews in Rome (Acts 28:17-29). The Jews in Rome understood the gospel of the kingdom as a ‘sect’ facing opposition everywhere (v. 22). They allowed Paul to explain this ‘sect’, which was actually the gospel of the kingdom, concerning the Messiah’s kingdom promised by Yahweh to the Jews.

Acts 28:23 states: “And when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified about the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning until evening” (ILT). The Jewish Scriptures, the Tanakh, consist of the Torah (five books of Moses), Nebiim (the Prophets), and Ketubim (the Writings), which we call the Old Testament. Paul explained the kingdom of heaven from their Scriptures, convincing them that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

Even though Paul taught about the Messiah’s kingdom from morning to evening based on their Scriptures, not all were convinced. Some still did not believe. Yet it was prophesied in the OT that the Jewish people as a nation would not accept Jesus as Messiah until a full number of Gentiles came in (John 12:37-41; Romans 11:25-26; Isaiah 6:10). Once the Gentiles were included, all Israel would be saved, meaning they would accept Jesus as their Messiah.

For two years, Paul proclaimed the kingdom of heaven and the Lord Jesus Christ to all who came to his lodging. Around 63 AD, Paul was released, resumed ministry, and wrote 1 Timothy and Titus. Later, he was imprisoned a second time in Rome and wrote 2 Timothy before dying a martyr under Emperor Nero in 67 AD. Amen.