Originally posted by @galveston75
"And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess. 5:23)
Ok lets look at this first?
Sure.
Has Jesus come as you believe he will?
He has not returned physically so as to take up His physical seat in Jerusalem to reign over the earth. That is still a future coming.
But He has come into the innermost spiritual being of the believers as
"life giving Spirit" to impart Himself into His people.
I pointed out that
Romans 8:34 locates Christ at the right hand of God. And
Romans 8:11 locates Christ IN those who have believed in Him.
In that latter sense -
" Christ IN you the hope of glory (Col. 1:27)" He HAS come.
That is the salvation of my spirit and the process of saving my soul in sanctification.
If so, as you believe, where is he?
I just told you and will tell you again with other verses.
He is coming and He is within His believers.
1.) COMING at the end of the church age -
" ... Jesus, Whom heaven must indeed receive until the times of the restoration of all things, of which God spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from of old." (Acts 3:20c,21)
At the end of that [b]"UNTIL" God brings again His firstborn into the inhabited earth.
"And when He brings again the Firstborn into the inhabited earth, He says, And let all the angels of God worship Him." (Hebrews 1:6)
This is
"the Lord Jesus AT ... His coming".
"For what is out hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Are not even you?" (1 Thess. 5:19)
He COMES as to the future to be glorified in His saints.
"When He comes to be glorified in His saints and to be marveled at in all those who have believed ... in that day." (2 Thess. 1:10)
[b]2.) COMING at the beginning of the church age -
" ... the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you.
I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you." (John 14:17,18)
You see He comes at the end of the age to be
"glorified IN His saints" (2 Thes. 1:10) because He CAME to live IN them at the beginning of the church age.
From that time He comes to those who receive Him He lives in them and is Christ IN them the hope of glory.
"To whom God willed to make known what are the riches ofthe glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27)
He has come to those who receive Him to live in them.
"But if Christ is IN YOU, though the body is dead because of sin, the [regenerated human] spirit is life because of righteousness." (Rom. 8:10)
He has come not leaving those who believe in Him as orphans. He lives in them, compounding with their inner being.
"Test yourselves whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves, Or do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are disapproved? (2 Cor. 13:5)
Paul a pioneer in enjoying the Christ Who has COME at the beginning of and throughout the church age to His believers, had it exactly idle:
[b] "I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal. 2:20)
So Paul's very last written word was to remind Timothy that Jesus Christ has COME in the church age and is WITH his innermost kernel of his being - his spirit.
"The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." (2 Tim. 4:22)
I must suspend for a moment.
Jesus Said 'Beware of False Prophets'
05 Apr '18 22:32
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