MYSTERY--TO SHUT THE MOUTH--A SECRET--(silence imposed--by implication--silence imposed by rite of initiation into a religious system)

Most of us, can remember chanting when we were young,Ive Go a Secret; Ive got a Secret; and as long as the mouth remained closed, the secret, remained a secret. But more than likely, the person couldnt hardly keep the mouth shut, most were just itching to tell, and most, soon did tell. But most would only tell it to one who was considered a friend, one who would believe them. So it has been with the Mysteries of God. God, His Being, His Person, and His purpose has been unknown to Mankind, from the time of Adam. The Apostle Paul exclaimed at one point in his writings, 1 Cor. 9: 16,For if I preach the gospel , I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

God has let it be known, that he wanted mankind to know Him, and also to know what His purpose for placing man here on this planet is. But it was His purpose to reveal Himself only to those who believed in Him for Who He really is. It was in the Spirit of Truth, that He sent Angles, then Prophets, and various other means through which He endeavored to reveal the Great Mystery of Himself. Finally He sent His Son, in Whom all of His fullness dwelt in bodily form, through whom to speak, to tell out to the world the Mystery of Himself. (Hebrews 1: 1-3,) Only a few hand picked men in any given generation, ever grasped even a minute insight into, His Being, after the revelation of Himself was complete, through the life, death, resurrection, His ascension, and His promised coming again. In the interval between His Ascension and His return He sent His Holy Spirit, through Whom He would share His life, and give understanding of the Great Mystery that had been hidden for ages, from the heart and eyes and mind of unbelieving mankind. But in these last days, all that had been told of Him in the Scriptures, through the prophets, was now made known, revealed to the Apostles. No longer was the secret to be kept behind closed lips, but the mouths of the witnesses He had chosen were wide open, just as His had been. The Holy Spirit gives us a little glimpse into the struggle that they went through to make plain all that the great mystery encompassed. 11Cor. 6: 11-13. our mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our heart is open wide. You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections,(tenderness, emotions, feelings, attachments), Now in like exchange--I speak as to children,--open wide to us. When understanding is given and received, our own inhibitions should no longer hinder us. The principle of freely given, freely received, should prevail. When you hear it and truly believe, then in like manner, speak it, but make it plain and clear for all. Jesus heard it plainly from His heavenly Father and spoke it freely. The Apostles heard it plainly from Him and then had it illuminated through the Abiding Holy Spirit, and in turn, freely spoke it. The Early Believers, heard it from the Apostles and had it illuminated by Faith through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and they too went about speaking it freely. The trouble is the intellectually minded, (not the Spiritually minded), have taken it and out of their natural, intellectual, understanding have turned the message of New Life in Christ, into a false governing principle, externally imposed rather then an internally motivated, Holy Spirit driven, power, in the resurrected life of Christ.

Perhaps you have heard or even wondered about the period of several hundred years of time between the First and Second or New testament, spoken of as the silent years. It is spoken of in this manner because there is no record of God speaking. The heavens were silent as far as any voice from God through Prophets or Angels. The visions of Daniel, are a complete composite of all that God had in store for this world and particularly for the people Israel, from the time of the decree issued by Cyrus King of Persia, for their release from captivity in order that their return to the land might be accomplished. Their return was in order that preparation might be made for Gods coming to this earth in the Person of His Son,to provide redemption and reconciliation for His people and the world. Daniel was told to seal up the vision and not to write the final analysis of it, and thus it all remained a mystery, and mankind has taken it and made a hodge podge of it and it still remains a mystery to the eyes and mind of most.Thus the Mystery of God and His Kingdom Rule in the universe and particularly on earth remained, just that, a Mystery. Gods Mouth remained closed. Thus mankind, didnt grasp, or through unbelief in the validity of Gods Word and revelation to them, had missed the real meaning in what it was God had for centuries been trying to Teach. Thus Gods Mouth had been closed, shut, and therefore mans mouth had been shut, do to ignorance. We Hear Him say many times through Jesus very own Words as well as the Prophets before Him, I have given them eyes to see and ears to hear not. Thus we hear Him teach in Parable's and we hear the Apostles question, Why do you teach the people in Parable's, why dont you speak plainly? His reply was that it was the Fathers purpose to do it this way, for only those who would be hand picked, on the basis of their FAITH, in Him and His Word, would be given understanding. Consequently the true way of life and the reality of Gods Heavenly Kingdom was a Mystery to all. They, the Jew as well as the Gentile, had all the forms and ceremonies, and rituals, that made for a show of religious piety, but the reality of a personal living relationship, with a personal living, loving God, whose purpose as He had revealed to Israel, was to have a people, in the midst of which He could dwell. and which would willingly do His will and glorify His Name.

There was Gods will for the race of mankind, in which we all missed the mark, (sinned) which was a result of the sin of our father Adam, which was passed on to each of us. Man had been created to Glorify God, His Heavenly Father, both individually and collectively. Then there was Gods revealed Will for His Chosen people, Israel, which they missed for this same reason. It was Gods purpose to raise up a nation through them, that would be the head of all nations, through which he could Reestablish His Governmental Sovereignty over this Planet and the race of men that occupy it. As far as man is concerned, this Sovereignty had been lost when Adam surrendered it to the spirit of evil that entered the world through his one act of unbelief. But God performed His will for them in bringing His long promised and long awaited Messiah, the Anointed One, the Redeemer and reconciler of mans souls to a living relationship once again with the living God, for all who would believe Him for it. In this revelation of the Light of Life to the world through Jesus Christ,(John 1: 1-18) we are enlightened to Gods will for the Son, John 6: 35-40, Jesus said to them, I am the bread of Life; he who come to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you, that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. AND THIS IS THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME, THAT OF ALL THAT HE HAS GIVEN ME I LOSE NOTHING BUT RAISE IT UP ON THE LAST DAY. For this is the will of My father, that every one who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I myself will rise him up on the last day. Verse,43-48,Jesus answered and said to them, No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets,AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD, Every one who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One who is of God, He has seen the Father. Truly, Truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life, Verse 50-51, This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may (assimilate) (take up and make part of oneself), eat of it and not die. I Am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if any one (assimilates by faith), eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.

So we are illuminated in this discourse from the mouth of Jesus as recorded by John the Apostle, that there was a special will of His heavenly Father for Him, the Son. This will was to provide redemption through the sacrifice of Himself, the pouring out of His Lifes Blood, here on this earth in order that the Purchase Price of Redemption, which was required, for the Remittance of sin, for which the Penalty of Death, (which came down through the lineage of the race of men from Adam the first), was provided for. This was accomplished by the gift of Himself, in death, as a Substitute first and as a Representative second. It is finished, He exclaimedas He gave up His spirit, His human life, here on earth in death. 1 Cor. 6: 19-20, Or do you not know that your body is the Temple of The Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. Chap. 7: 23-,You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

In this same discourse of John, we are illuminated as to what Gods will for us is. Which Will, is to believe in Him and receive the Gift of Eternal Life,which comes to us from the Father when we are adopted as Gods children, and thereby are made, Joint Heirs, with His Son Jesus Christ, for that, (eternal life), is what He has bequeathed to all we who believe His Word for it. Thus the beginning of a new family, which is the beginning of a New Governing Body, the Church here on earth,. This Remnant of believers is the start of His establishing His Heavenly Kingdom, ( Spiritual Kingdom ), here on earth. It was out of His prescribed structure, under which this body was to function, that He meant for the rest of the world to be enlightened. Keep in mind, the Letters of the New Testament, were written by believers to gatherings of believers. They contain teaching, instruction, for the professing believer in order to keep their thinking straight in regards to the True Doctrine of The Faith, as it is all embodied in the Person of Jesus Christ. Then these letters prescribe the manner of conduct for the True Believer, as they are a New Creation, and have been Adopted into this New Body, of Which Jesus Christ is the Head, the source of its very life, from the state of death. Ephesians, 2: 1--3: 12, And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love, with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the Heavenlies, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called un-circumcision by the so called Circumcision, which is performed in the flesh by human hands--remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow-citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household, having been built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. For this reason I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles--if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of Gods grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the Mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit,.(to be specific), that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of Gods grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the Mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenlies This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

This Living Word of Life, which Jesus the Messiah, The Christ, came and displayed in living reality, and left the record for all posterity to learn from, is the full and complete Mystery Told out in Living Flesh and Blood. John 1: 1-5 & 14 & 16-18; Col. 1: 21-2: 3; To the majority of mankind in and out of the visible church in the world of our day and since the dark ages, this reality of the indwelling ever present Lord of Life, through His Holy Spirit, remains one of the Greatest Mysteries of all times. The New Governmental structure of the Body, The Building, The New Subjects, that comprise the nucleus of the Spiritual Kingdom, is primarily lost to the Organized church of our day. There is no oneness, its fractured body, is disjointed, disconnected, controlled and administered by men and women ignorant of the Unity of The Spirit, of which Paul goes on to speak in Ephesians Chap.4: 1-7, I, Therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all, (Believers that is). But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christs gift. (or the gift of Christ).

A common questioning refrain that runs throughout the Apostles writings, when they are right at the very heart of the matter is, Do you not know? or Are you not aware? And the terrible thought is, they to whom they were writing and we today, all to often really dont know, but present a false face to the generation in which we live, as though we really do know. And the masses dont put out the effort to find out for themselves and go right on through their lives being deceived, oblivious to the fact that there is coming as promised, a day of wrath when all will be judged, according to the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad. This too is a promise of God, and comprises part of the Mystery of His Governmental Sovereignty.

A good exercise at this point would be to read Hebrews, 9: 24--10: 29. Also John 16: 33--17: 26. And 1John 5: 7--15. Here is the illumination of the heavenly, Spiritual kingdom, brought down to earth to become the prevailing life principle for individuals, and for individuals to make up a new body, the Church, through which the manifestation of Gods Heavenly Kingdom could be seen by Angles, principalities, and world governments. But because of the weakness of the sinful flesh of mankind, the church in the main has failed, just as Israel, after the time of David failed. But God never fails, The power of sin and death has been broken, and thereby the powers of this world has been broken and defeated, and the power to defeat them has been offered and is being offered by God through Jesus Christ, to any and all who will choose to believe and receive this power of a New Life in Jesus Christ. Salvation is the gift of a New Life, by which the recipient is delivered from the power, and bondage, to all of the ungodly desires and habits and ungodly acts of the flesh, and yet we see people in places of leadership, in and out of the church, professing to be believers and exhibiting some the most contradictory conduct, any age has ever been subjected to.

For centuries man has been obsessed with his ideas of the kingdoms that mankind at different intervals, (through acts of force and violence) established, by which men have their manner of life ruled and controlled, or by which they rule and control others. When we study history as compiled by historians, we are led through a succession of ruling Monarchs and their Kingdoms, but none ever ruled the entire world at one time, though many have tried, even as some of us living today have experienced , and have taken time out of our normal Educational and Workaday lives to keep this from happening. Consider the Wars that have been fought, to keep one despot or another from accomplishing this, and then consider the Wars that have been fought by one Despot of another to try and bring this rule under him, come to pass. All have failed to this point, but the Bible tells us that God is going to allow this to come about at some point in time, for the simple reason, that mankind has rejected His Kingdom on every occasion up until now and there seems to be no other way for him to learn or to be taught, except by letting him face the terrible prospect of being under such rule as this. It is then, we are told, that mankind, not all,( but Gods Elect, in Israel aand the rest of the gentile world), will Cry out to Him, Lord Weve had enough, come quickly. And He is Faithful.

When Jesus the only begotten Son of the God of Heaven and Earth, arrived here on earth, one of the first things He did was to introduce the world of mankind of that day to the Kingdom of Heaven. Although the people of His day didnt grasp the full import of it, His revelation to them, is that in reality, it was the God of Heaven, and His Heavenly Kingdom that had been sovereign over all other kingdoms, (throughout all of time), whether man realized it or not, Acts.17: 24-31. It had been the Heavenly Fathers intention that the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven be recognized and prevail here on earth, right from the beginning. We all know this has, not, been the case however, but never the less, the God of Heaven hasnt changed His intentions and at the outset of His ministry here on earth, Jesus the Christ, when asked by his disciples to teach them to pray, He, directed them first of all, to Eulogize The Father in Heaven, to glorify His name, and to ask that His Kingdom come and prevail, as well as His Will be done here on earth, just as it does in heaven. Since He and His Kingdom was rejected at the first when man, (Adam), abdicated his position as the administrator of Gods affairs here on earth and Jesus was rejected when He came as His Fathers Envoy, man has gone on his own, under the dominion of the god of this world, (the devil), establishing one failed kingdom after another, never understanding the true God given meaning to His Sovereign Rule in the Universe. The intellectual reaction to any mention of God, and His Sovereign Will, is, dont mention God, we dont want to hear about Him, we dont want you preaching to us, we have a way that seems right to us.

It is no less so today, mankind is in the process, endeavoring to make one organization after another work, as the guiding and directing authority over the affairs of men and nations in our world today. And the myriads of religious organization, and denominations, sects and cults each endeavoring to exert influence over any and all that will embrace their forms of teaching, and we have observed in our generation the numbers that have been led falsely on to their own destruction.

Jesus re-established the True rule, for mankind in behalf of His Father God, and gave the revelation of it to the Apostles, to proclaim to the then known world around them. He also gave the authority to go forth and proclaim it, in His Name. God the Father had previously endeavored to teach the truth of His kingdom here on earth when He established the nation of Israel in the land of Promise, and seated a king upon the Throne of that first Monarchy under Gods directive here on earth. He seated Saul, as king, but he was mans choice,(the peoples choice),but it was Gods intention to teach the race of men that it was His purpose for a Man to occupy that throne, a man of His choice, and David was the Symbol of which the Messiah, Jesus the Christ is the Reality. He, Jesus, was rejected the first time, because the work of redemption must be completed first, which work He did, through His Death Burial and Resurrection from the dead. Almost the last Word he left His Chosen Ones was,All Authority in heaven and on earth is given unto Me; go you therefore. This the early church leaders did, they went forth on the basis of the authority invested in Him. Today and for several hundreds of years, man has been going forth under a myriad of authorities, other than His authority.

To the end that we might gain better understanding of Gods overall, entire, complete purpose and the plan that has been such a mystery from the beginning to the mind of natural man, and which The Apostle Paul teaches had been hidden to man for all the Ages Past. But it now had been revealed to His Apostles and Prophets, of which he the Special Apostle to the Gentiles, had received the revelation first hand from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Romans, 16: 25-27, Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, (or the gospel that I preach), and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to the obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen. There was an initial awakening, but mankind, closed his eyes to it and went right back to the old natural, intellectual way of reasoning, and so the world as a whole has been in the state of darkness ever since.

Let us pursue the Teaching from the time that Jesus came, Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven , until the Apostle John closes the revelation, and the mysteries concerning the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of Heaven, are all fulfilled and complete.
God, Who is faithful, knowing the hardness, the darkness of the heart of the human race of men and knowing the blindness of His people Israel, while Passing Over it throughout time and events, nevertheless took the initiative, once again and sent John the Baptist, just as He had promised through the Prophets, years before. He is always making provision for mans failure to grasp the knowledge of Him and His Will. There really never should be any real reason, only lame excuses for anyone not knowing, and thereby be brought to a point of repentance. All He asks is, By Faith, a turning from ones own pre-conceived notions, and do an about face, (from having ones back turned toward God ), so that He can be seen as He revealed Himself in the Person of His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be reminded, unless of course you deny Jesus as being the Christ, (Messiah) of God. John 14: 6--Jesus said to him, (Peter),I AM the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

If, ( actually, not, Hypothetically speaking), a person professes to believe in God, and to believe the Bible to be the Inspired word of God, You cannot deny this statement of Jesus to be true.

Matthew 3: 1-2,Now in those days John the Baptist came,(arrived), preaching , (proclaiming), in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand. The record tells us, when John had fulfilled his purpose, he was silenced by the evil spirit of this world, just as the world tries to silence every true voice that speaks.

In the narrative, the time is now ready for Jesus to begin His work of teaching, which leads the whole world for all time to that locality, where on this earth God chose to pay the ultimate price for redemption, that mankind might be purchased out of the slave market,of sin and death.

All the worlds attention has been drawn to the first confrontation of the Creator dwelling in a flesh and bones and blood, body, here on earth, coming face to face with the god of this world, the one who had usurped dominion of this earth from man (Adam) centuries before. When he has handed Satan his first defeat, Jesus, Luke 4: 13--14a, And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him, (Jesus), until an opportune time. He is plagued by the spirit of evil that rules through the religious leaders of that day, plus unbelieving hearts of the masses, and the ruling power of the Roman Empire, under whose subjection they had secumbed at that time. But the next real opportune time, is when he,(the devil,the spirit of evil that rules in the affairs of mankind ), has whipped the hatred for Him to a fever pitch and the cry goes up,:Crucify Him. Just as Satan was defeated the first time, so he was defeated the second time, for Jesus Arose From the Dead, conquering the greatest power that Satan,(through sin and death), has over mankind. Ver.16, And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; Ver. 16, And He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. After finishing reading the portion which He had chosen, that described fully,(exactly), what His task here on earth was to entail, He proclaimed. Ver. 21, And He began to say to them Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Before it ever began it was and still is an accomplished fact. Rom. 1: 16-, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God, for, (or resulting in), Salvation to everyone who believes,

Throughout the centuries, there has been a succession of Governments, of one size or another and a succession of rulers of these Government, paraded across the stages of history. Some have been well meaning and benevolent to a point. Some have been truly evil and despotic to a degree that there is no question of their being ruled by an evil spirit that could only originate from the devil himself. But whether they have been the former or the latter, as far back as the writings of the Apostle John, it is said of them, 1John 5: 19-b-and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. The reason for this being, that since the time of David the King, chosen of God to be a type and also the dynasty out of which the long Promised Messiah, would be brought into the world; even this kingdom lost its way because it developed a mentality just like the other kingdoms of this world. It became corrupted by its own splendor and prestige, and position in the world among other nations, which splendor, prestige, and position had all come at the hands of a benevolent God.

So it was and is with all nations of this world, they misconstrue their purpose as being to advance humanity in its quest for a better life. Their thrust becomes strictly a physical, material one. Oh they all claim to be religious in one way or another, but all rule God out of their own consciousness, and therefore His purpose for the race of mankind is never considered, because they have convinced themselves, that they know what is best for them, and also they think they know the best way to bring it about. All of which is completely contradictory to what God says is the way. The prevailing thought is that Christian principles can be legislated, and nothing is farther from the Truth. A vivid example is, the declaration that we are one nation under God, and yet the hue and cry goes forth in the insistence of the separation of Church and State. How can you have one nation under God and at the same time rule God out of its administrative affairs? They have all refused to acknowledge that John the Apostle is right even today, that the spirit that motivates the natural intellectual, knowledge seeking, material seeking, structures of government, (secular and religious) designed by mankind are all driven by an evil spirit. Evil, because it doesnt originate with God, but rather originates in the hearts and minds of mortal men. Never has this been more evident or more prevalent, then in the world systems of our modern day endeavor. Just consider the degraded image of debauchery that has been paraded before the world by the leaders of our governmental structure here in the United States. This indictment encompasses both secular, and religious. If this is not true, why is there so much divisiveness among the many factions, in either arena ? Oh, I hear the lame excuses, and the poor reasoning that says But were all just human, and we all make mistakes. Its not that mankind as a whole cant accept the Truth of God and His sovereignty over His created universe, its just that they wont. Mankind as a whole is too self important in his own eyes. He insists on what he calls his rights, but is slave to his own desires and the authority of the world powers under whose authority he is forced to live. He doesnt have any rights that are his own. This was true in the case of Israel, who had been set free centuries earlier, but were now in subjection to Rome, and had been in subjection to other governing powers at intervals throughout their history, because of their disobedience to their God, but still claimed to be a free people in the time of Jesus and His confrontation with them. The same holds true today; we as a nation have sold ourselves into bondage also, for the vary same reason. Man it seems would rather have a lot of things for his own pleasure, than have true freedom. He believes he can handle the things, but is well aware of the fact that he cant handle absolute freedom. He feels he must be ruled by some external structure, or else he feels absolute lawlessness will abound. In his natural state this is true, that is why God had to bring about the means where-by a New Creation could be brought into being, that would be ruled by a New Inner Dynamic, of a higher quality then the old natural one. Its all a matter of who do you believe the most, the God of Heaven, or the god of this world ?

Don't take as example, the physical, visible professing church of the day, nor of the world structure of government, in the world in which we live, but rather take your image structure from the Lord Jesus, and the Character He exemplified, and passed on to the first followers, the Apostles, and the obedient ones of the early church. They didnt just mimick Him, in a copy cat manner, they actually entered, By Faith, into the death, burial, resurrection, of the Lord Jesus, to sin and its power over them and into Newness of Life, unto God, in oneness with Him. Their New Life became Experiential Knowledge, to them by FAITH. God had declared it and they accepted it.

Matthew 4: 10: Then Jesus said to him,Be gone, Satan!! For it is written,You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Now when he heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; This action of His was so that everything written of Him in the Law and the Prophets, would be fulfilled. Ver. 17,From that time Jesus began to preach and say, REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND.

Many great and earth shaking events have taken place upon this planet since the beginning of its recorded time span, but the greatest event to ever take place was the introduction of the Kingdom of Heaven into this world. A Regal Monarch, walked about among men, displaying complete control and absolute composure of His Person, over every circumstance and condition that He encountered, from the time of His birth till the time of His death and beyond it, through resurrection. He had exclaimed at the outset as a youth, I must be about My Fathers business. Later He exclaimed, John 5: 17-,But He answered them, MY FATHER IS WORKING UNTIL NOW, AND I MY AM WORKING. He, early in revealing the Light of Life to the world, illuminates us to the oneness, the unity of purpose between the Father and the Son. In this statement of His we are shown the Architect, (The Father), and the Builder, the Creator, (The Son), working in Concert to bring about the establishment of Gods Heavenly Kingdom here on this earth, made up of a redeemed multitude of subjects, all of which willingly have accepted Gods invitation to come and let Him make them a part of it, all through the acts of death burial and resurrection. He preformed the work necessary for the accomplishment of it the first time he came here to earth. His offer however was rejected, except by a few, who formed the nucleus, and the next great event to take place here on this planet is the fulfillment or completion of the Plan. This is what all True Believers have been waiting for these two thousand years.

Satan has kept the veil over the eyes of natural man and so they have gone on trying to bring about their own deliverance, through one counterfeit earthly government, or religious structure after another. Always struggling to correct the ills of each, but always failing, even to the point that man has now brought the conditions to such a low ebb, that he is afraid, he is now in danger of blowing it all to Atomic dust. And in the face of it all, in the main, he still refuses to acknowledge the one and only true and living God of Creation and of the Universe, and His purpose for it. The One Who upholds all things through the Word of His Power, (or the power of His Word).
His first effort was to endeavor to bring about what God had started to do with Israel. That was to cause them to be the leader of all nations in establishing Gods Sovereign Governmental Will here on this earth , in the midst of all nations. Matthew 10: 5, These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

The Mystery however was still a Mystery to all except those chosen ones whom the Father had given into His hands, in order that it might be revealed to them. His mouth was open wide to them and He spoke, but He spoke in Parable's, and what they called dark phrases. Matthew 13:9-17, He who has ears to hear let him hear/ And the disciples came and said to Him,Why do you speak to them in parable's? And He answered them and said,To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parable's, because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear nor do they understand. (revealing the condition of unbelief that prevailed in their hearts). And in their case, the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn again and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews very profoundly explains this Truth in Heb. 11: 39-40, And all of these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us so that apart from us they should be made perfect. Said perfection, (completeness) was brought about in the coming of the Messiah, and His accomplishments in our behalf. Co. 2: 9--14,For in Him all the fullness of Diety dwells in bodily form and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, (His being cut off from His fleshly life here on earth, as an offering in our behalf), having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which is hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed to to the cross.

So plain and simple; its all a matter of Gods timing and the difference between those who according to Gods foreknowledge, would really believe Him for Who He really is when He came into this world. The principle still applies, Its just a matter of Truly Believing, in Him, or only believing in an abstract manner. To one, Hes Truly real and to another Hes only a superficial person in their belief structure. The Apostle Paul once again expounds this so plainly, 11 Cor. 3: 15-18, & 4; 3- 7, But to this day whenever Moses is red, a vail lies over their heart; But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all. with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 4: 3-7, And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus sake. For God who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, (or let light shine out of darkness), is the one who has shone in our hearts to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves:

But primarily their belief is in themselves and their own accomplishments and the accomplishments of the world structure around them. This is why we see so many professing believers involving themselves in political and social endeavors. Its what weve heard the professing body of nominal believers professing for years. They are in the work ethics mentality of helping God usher in the Kingdom of Heaven. Only God, however, has brought it to pass, and only God can administer it, and it must be received by faith. In order for this to become a reality for the individual, of whom the body is made up, The New Birth of the Spiritual Person in Christ Jesus must take place. His Kingdom is not made up of earthly being, but only of those who have been translated out of the kingdom of darkness, into the Kingdom of His Beloved Son. Hes the king, and His kingdom is Spiritual, Heavenly not earthly. Colossians 1:13--14*For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, (past tense for true believers), and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This then is the record, of the sequence of event surrounding His action, as He leads them through the transition of thought, up until He ushers in this New Spiritual Kingdom, which comes into being through the resurrection from the dead, He being the first born from the dead, the beginning of the New Race of People to occupy His Kingdom. Mark 1: 14--15, & 4: 11, Luke 8:10, Etc.

The King of Heaven entered into this realm of darkness, but only sojourned for thirty three and a half years. He took upon Himself a flesh and blood and bones body, and dwelt ,(taber-nacled), among us, but was always separate, never partook of the nature of sin. John 1: 14-, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Apostle Paul years later expressed it like this in his letter to the Galatians, Gal. 4: 4-7, But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son born of a woman, born under the law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying Abba! father! Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. And so this Regal Monarch, came into this world, invested with all the Power, (Authority), of heaven and revealed in a greater measure than Moses or the Prophets or all the power that God had manifested through Caleb or Joshua, or Gideon or all of the rest of His hand picked vessels through which he endeavored to reveal to the world of those days, that He God, was and is in control of His own Creation.

The Redeemer, The Christ, Gods anointed, The Messiah, having come and declared His work of redemption finished, ascended into Heaven from whence He had come, and sent His Holy Spirit back, as he had promised, to make alive, in the reality of life to His hand picked apostles, and then to Paul, as one of His Chosen out of the lineage of Abraham. To these He gave, through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, the True Knowledge, and Wisdom of the Great Mystery surrounding God, and His purpose, for the race of Mankind. With only the Gospel account up until His ascension, the account is incomplete without the letters to the Churchs from the Book of Acts on. And since Paul was especially hand picked by the Lord Jesus Himself to receive the clearest revelation of the Mystery, we must pay the closer attention to his instruction to the Churchs. The Lord gave us the account of the Church being born and its formation in the Book of Acts. He also reveals to us just as He did through Israel, how man in his weakness corrupted both on one hand, but how He protected and directed each in their own unique way, to be His revelation to the world, both of His Grace and Mercy, but also of His judgment. That which is born of God in Jesus Christ, is Spiritual, and always prospers Spiritually, but that which is born of man, is physical, and therefore deteriorates, as all physical things do. (2 Cor. 4: !8). But this man Paul, called an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, is Gods special minister, (Steward), in whose hands God entrusted the Enlightenment of the Great Mystery of the Gospel.