So, if God is not in control, who is? Well, if we are to believe the scriptures to be true, then we must look to God’s Word for answers. Our first answer is found in Genesis in the truth that the triune God made the Garden of Eden, and then asked mankind to guard and keep it. When Adam failed in his responsibility to guard and keep the Garden, he handed the responsibility by default, and therefore the authority over to Satan. Paul called Satan the god of this world and although the word, god, is not capitalized, it should be clear Satan is the earth’s current ruler.
However, the scriptures name a second ruler. In the book of Matthew, Jesus stands in front of His disciples and says to them, “I will give to you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” Matthew 16:19. In that the disciples were the seed bed of the Church, it should be clear Jesus gave authority over the kingdom of heaven to dispense the blessings of the kingdom of heaven onto the earth. This means the Church has authority in the earth to bless and to curse.
Now it might be helpful if we define the kingdom of heaven. In a certain place Jesus was asked if John the Baptist were a prophet, to which He answered, “Of those born of a woman, there has not arisen a greater man than John the Baptist, but he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John” Matthew 11:11. By saying this in this manner, Jesus has delineated two kingdoms. The kingdom of God was the kingdom the Father God established with the covenant He made with Abraham, which was carried over into the old covenant established with His children.
However, upon Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus established a new covenant which established a new kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. According to Jesus’ statement, John the Baptist was the greatest man in the kingdom of God but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. This is because the new covenant is far superior to the old covenant.
In Malachi 3:10 God pleads with the Jews, saying, “Bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing you will not be able to receive.” By this statement we can deduce that it was the Jew’s disobedience that had closed the windows of heaven in the first place. In chapters 27-34 of Deuteronomy, Moses pronounced blessings and cursing over the people and the blessing or cursing was dependent on obedience and disobedience.
Now, though Satan is the God of this world, it seems apparent the triune God is attempting to take authority back by giving mankind authority over the kingdoms of God. The chosen people of God under the kingdom of God were the Jews but we do not live under the kingdom of God. We live under the kingdom of heaven, and although the God of the old covenant was the Father, Jesus is the God of the new covenant and Jesus’ chosen people are any who come to Him in repentance and faith.
It is tragic that the Church has not understood the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven. While it is true Jesus died under the authority of the old covenant law to redeem mankind from the law, it is also true that Jesus established a new covenant upon His resurrection. While it is true people who accept Jesus’ death on the cross for sin are delivered from sin they cannot enter the new covenant by that faith because it had not yet been established. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are two separate kingdoms. Jesus fulfilled the old covenant by keeping its laws perfectly, then dying as one guilty of transgressing each and every one but then established a new covenant upon His resurrection.
While it is true the commandments of the old covenant needed to be kept under its authority in order to open the windows of heaven, those who are delivered from its authority today, through faith in the Christ, are obligated to keep the commandments of the new covenant. Deliverance from the old covenant does not mean you automatically receive entrance to the new covenant. The kingdom of heaven did not exist until Jesus established it nor could it until He had fulfilled His Father’s covenant. It therefore requires a second act of faith.
In order to receive the benefits of the cross, mankind must reach back in time to the point that Jesus died and place themselves on that cross by faith, thereby receiving the benefits of Jesus’ death under penalty of sin but the new covenant had not yet been established. Jesus could not establish a new covenant until He had completely fulfilled the old covenant. Jesus could not usurp authority from His Father’s kingdom and still fulfill His Father’s covenant.
In that Jesus has said, “If you love me, keep my commandments,” we can be assured that Jesus issued commandments that were unique to Him, commandments issued in conjunction with the establishment of the new covenant and the kingdom of heaven. Notice the personal pronoun, “my.” In that Jesus could not issue any commandments that were unique to Him before he had fulfilled His Father’s covenant, Jesus’ commandments could only be found post resurrection. The first commandment we find post resurrection is a commandment to saturate one’s self with the Spirit of God. This commandment is found in Acts 1:4-5. The word, baptize, means, to saturate.
Now, it should be clear Jesus established a new covenant, which established a new kingdom, which has new commandments. The first was deemed by the early Church to have been fulfilled by the apostles of the Lord, who obeyed it perfectly (or so they say). Since this commandment was perfectly kept by those it was issued to, it was decided that no other Christian need bother with obedience. To which I’d like to ask this question, “Just when did another man’s obedience negate my personal responsibility to obey?” “Why is this commandment deemed a personal commandment to eleven men when most every other commandment is deemed to be to all Christians?”
Jesus, at this very moment, is attempting to put all things under the Father’s feet, according to Acts 2:34-35 and 1Corinthians 15:24. Just how is He doing this? Jesus is attempting to get the Church to keep His commandments. If the Church were to do so, windows in heaven would be opened, and blessings would be poured out on the Church the Church would not be able to contain and almost every lost soul would want to be a part of what was happening. Almost all of the world would be under the Father’s feet and there would just be a remnant of rebellious souls to be subjected.
The scriptures tell us every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. This happens in a small degree each and every time any Christian opens their mouth to allow the gift of tongues to flow out. This is the only means Christians have of saturating themselves with the Holy Spirit. If, however, thousands of Christians obeyed this commandment daily, the world would slowly come under the Father’s feet.
In Revelation 11:15, an angel goes forth proclaiming, “The kingdom(s) of this world have become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ.” There is a lot of truth in this simple statement. First, we find the kingdoms of this world are not presently the kingdoms of the Lord, but they will be in the future.
We also learn there is more than one kingdom in this world. The word, kingdom, means, a territory ruled. We know Satan is the God of this world and has his kingdom set up here but we also know that Jesus gave authority to the Church to bless mankind with blessings from the kingdom of heaven, so the Church also has a kingdom on the earth. We could add in the kingdom of God. Even though the kingdom of God is a defunct kingdom, having been fulfilled by Jesus, thousands of souls still keep its commandments and abide by its rules and therefore enforce its authority. Then there is the kingdom of heaven, which is based on the earth through obedience of the Lord’s commandments. The Church, by and large, does not keep Jesus’ commandments so the kingdom of the Church and the kingdom of heaven are different kingdoms.
Another point to be made from the angel’s proclamation is the separation between the Lord and the Christ. Although Jesus died on the cross as the Christ, the Christ was not raised from the dead. Jesus was raised from the dead as Lord and serves in the capacity of Lord today. Therefore, the Lord has the Christ because the Lord is the current title and authority of Jesus but He served as Christ in order to deliver mankind from its sin.
This is the same point Peter made on the day of Pentecost way back at the beginning. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made this same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ,” Acts2:36. Jesus is not the Christ Lord. The two titles and authorities are separated and the current title is placed first. Jesus is Lord, and, Christ.
The only way for the kingdoms of the world to become the kingdoms of the Lord is for them to be subjected to Jesus’ Lordship. That takes obedience. It is the same way anyone is subjected to any lordship or kingdom. It can be done willingly or by force but eventually the whole world will take up obedience of Jesus’ commandments or feel the Lord’s wrath as He executes judgment. We have the option of obeying willingly now.
I say it is tragic that the Church has not understood the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven because by trying to keep the commandments of the old covenant, Christians have locked up the promises of the new covenant so nobody can enjoy them. Again, Jesus told the disciples, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.” Well, the keys are obedience and disobedience. Christians have the authority to loose the blessings of the new covenant by obedience to its commandments and it has the authority to bind these same blessings up by disobedience.
The old covenant was fulfilled by Jesus. A covenant that is fulfilled goes out of force; it loses its authority. Moreover, the old covenant was made with the Jews; not with Christians. While it is true lost souls can accept the Father’s definition of righteousness as true and submit themselves to the law in order to be delivered from the law through faith in Jesus Christ, the law can do no more than that. Notice Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law; I came not to destroy but to fulfill.”
Now you might think this is a distinction without a difference but by fulfilling the law yet leaving it intact, Jesus made it possible for the whole world to receive His righteousness. The problem is: righteousness is not eternal life. Again, look at Romans 10:10: “For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The word, and, indicates there is more than a belief of the heart necessary to salvation.
It is the same concept we see with Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are you saved through faith,” and Hebrews 5:9: “He gives eternal life to all who obey Him.” Obviously we are talking about two different things. By missing these two simple truths, the Church has bound up the blessings that should be falling on the Church and bound the Lord’s hands to help His people.
Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Have you ever wondered why Christians suffer with sickness and disease when the scriptures tell us Jesus took all that in his own body? Moreover, Jesus said those who believe on Him would do the works He had done and greater works. Tell me, “When was the last time you saw someone feed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fish?” Christians can’t duplicate the works of Jesus, much less any greater works.
Again, Jesus told the disciples they would receive power to witness of Jesus’ resurrection after the Holy Spirit had come upon them but nobody has power to witness of the resurrection today and how many people recognize the commandments Jesus issued after the cross as valid commandments today? I am just one speck of dust in a great wide world but I don’t know or hear of anyone who believes the commandment of Acts 1:4 should be obeyed and kept. Yet this may very well be the strongest worded commandment Jesus ever issued. There are several words in the Greek language that when translated mean, to command, but Jesus primarily used words that carried less authority than the one He used here. This all makes perfect sense if this is the most important commandment for Christians to keep.
If Jesus was in control of all things, He would have never instructed Christians to pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” If Jesus was in control, Christians would not suffer with sickness and disease. In fact it is a travesty of justice for Christians to suffer with maladies Jesus already suffered with explicitly for us. If Jesus were in control, Christians would be duplicating Jesus’ works and doing greater works, but they are not.
Now, Jesus did say, “He that believes on me will have rivers of the Holy Spirit flowing out of his belly,” John 7:38. Verse 39 identifies Living Water as the Holy Spirit. There is but one way for believers to have the Holy Spirit flowing out of the belly and that is through the Father’s gift to the Church, the gift of tongues. Most Christians, however, do not have rivers of the Holy Spirit flowing out of the belly because they do not believe on Jesus.
We are talking about a different faith from belief in the Christ. Jesus died under the old covenant as the Christ to redeem mankind from its sin but He was raised as Lord, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Faith on the King is much different than faith in the Christ. Faith in the Christ demands no works because Jesus did what mankind could not: live up to God’s standard for righteousness. Faith on the Lord does require works because if Jesus is not obeyed; He is not Lord.
The rivers of Living Water flow out of the belly of Christians when they believe Jesus was raised from the dead with all power in heaven and on earth. Rivers of the gift of tongues flow because Christians realize the keys to death and hell are in the hands of the Lord; eternal life is the purview of the Lord. It is the Christ who delivers from sin, therefore it is by grace that it might be through love, but the Lord gives eternal life to those who obey Him.
It is tragic the Church has not understood that there are two covenants. It is heartbreaking the Church has not understood it takes a separate faith to believe on the Lord. It is disastrous the Church has not realized that redemption from sin is by grace but eternal life is by obedience. It is painful to realize the Church has not realized the importance of the gift of tongues and to realize the Church did this to itself by interpreting the first commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ didn’t need to be obeyed by Christians is horrendous.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.” This whole prayer is dependent on obedience. It is the Church that was given authority to bind up heaven and to loose heaven. In order for the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ to come to earth, the Church must keep Jesus’ commandments. In order for the Lord’s will to be done on earth, the Church must keep Jesus’ commandments. In order for us to receive the bread, we must keep Jesus’ commandments.
Just before he went to the cross, Jesus said, “This is the new covenant in my blood.” The sacrament is called the Lord’s Supper by Paul, even though Jesus died on the cross as the Christ and did not become Lord until days later. Christians are redeemed from the old covenant through faith in the death of the Christ but their sins are not washed away, they are covered over by Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to believers; it is credited to their account.
The sins spoken of in the Lord’s Prayer is disobedience of the commandments of the new covenant, Jesus’ commandments, and those who sin against you are those who disobey the Lord’s commandments because they bind up heaven thereby. They are the enemies of God, binding His hands. It is a remarkable thing that those clothed with the righteousness of the Christ can become enemies of the Lord.
Jesus’ blood was not poured out at the cross; it was poured out in heaven before the new covenant tabernacle and sprinkled over the new covenant tabernacle to ratify the covenant, Hebrews 9:12. Jesus’ blood washes away all sins as Christians enter the new covenant through faith on the Lord and any failure to keep the commandments of Jesus is further washed away through repentance. You see, there are two paths to obedience. Under the new covenant, you can purpose to allow the gift of tongues to pour out of your heart daily or you can repent for a failure to do so. By your repentance you acknowledge that obedience is the right and true path and your repentance is counted as obedience.
There are two kinds of righteousness spoken of in the New Testament. There is the righteousness you wear as a cloak, the righteousness that is imputed to you through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross for sin, and there is the righteousness you earn through obedience. The old covenant was impossible for mankind to keep but the new covenant is its exact opposite, with laws that are easily obeyed by those who love the Lord.
And finally, the way to glorify God, hallow the name of God, is by obedience of Jesus’ commandments. The commandments are these: To saturate yourself daily with the Spirit of God, which is done by allowing rivers of Living Water to pass over your lips; preach this gospel, the gospel of the kingdom of heaven; and disciple the converts in the good news of the new covenant.
Ask yourself this question, “Why did Jesus say, If you do not keep my commandments you cannot abide in my love,” if keeping commandments has nothing to do with salvation? Why did Jesus say, “If you love me, keep my commandments” if we are saved by grace through faith without works? Who is it that should love Jesus? Is it not those who wear the righteousness of the Christ? But Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Obviously, Jesus knew not all those who professed love, would bother with His commandments.
Jesus did not ask us to keep His Father’s commandments even though He said “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” He did not ask us to keep “our” commandments though He said, “I and the Father are one.” He asks us to, “keep my commandments” though if He had issued commandments before He had fulfilled His Father’s covenant He would have been in insubordination against His Father and sinning against His Father He would have been unable to fulfill the old covenant, much less pay the price for our sin.
Jesus’ instructions were explicit and specific. The question is, “What is the effect of not keeping Jesus’ commandments?” Why did Jesus emphasize their obedience? We know we cannot abide in Jesus’ love if we do not keep Jesus’ commandments, so what good is grace without obedience? Ephesians 2:8 cannot cancel out Hebrews 5:9. We enter God’s love by grace but we abide in His love by obedience.