Kingdom Disciples

Sin is the Great Leveler that places everyone in the same predicament: Bondage now, death and “ wrath ” later. No one is exempt from the penalty of sin, and no one has a legitimate excuse for trespassing the commandment of God who will “ render to each according to his works .” But what, precisely, did the Apostle Paul mean when he brought “ works ” into the discussion? Good deeds and human efforts in general, or something more specific?

Paul chided the Galatians over their desire “ to return to bondage under the weak and beggarly rudiments ” of the world, including calendrical observations and circumcision. Since they were no longer “minors” but full heirs who lived in the age of fulfillment and had the Gift of the Spirit, resorting to outmoded rituals was tantamount to returning to a state of slavery.

The Law of Moses specified what foods the people of Israel could eat by distinguishing between the “clean” and the “unclean.” The consumption of the latter was strictly forbidden. Israel was summoned to be “holy” since Yahweh was holy. It was inappropriate, therefore, for members of the covenant people to eat anything that was ritually “unclean.”

The period known as the last days began following the Death and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth . The  Book of Revelation  begins with the phrase, “ Revelation of Jesus Christ .” It is a message for his “ servants ,” the “ Seven Assemblies of Asia ,” and it concerns “ what things must come to pass soon. ” This information is needed since the “ season is at hand .” Therefore, the Book pronounces the man who “ reads it, and they who heed the words of the prophecy, blessed ” – (Revelation 1:1-3).

The death of Jesus inaugurated the messianic age with consequent changes in the status of God’s people .  In his epistle to the Assembly in Galatia, Paul declares that his apostleship originated from the same God who raised Jesus from the dead, the Messiah of Israel who gave his life to “ deliver us from this evil age .” His declaration anticipates his proposition in the body of the Letter that the arrival of Jesus changed the status of the Law for the people of God, the “ children of Abraham .”

The Assembly of God is the battlefield where the final war is being waged between the Lamb and the Ancient Serpent, the Devil . The  Book of Revelation  is addressed to seven first-century congregations in the Roman province of Asia. It deals with their real-life situations and trials. In the process, it presents messages relevant to all the assemblies of God throughout the present age, the period known as the “ Last Days ” which began following Calvary. The daily struggles of the Asian churches provide a microcosm of the great cosmic battle that is being waged between Jesus and the Devil.