The devil has always given reasons to many who are involved in masturbation, and frolicking with sin, that it doesn’t matter; “you have flesh and blood,” “a fish cannot live out of water,” “even God who created you understands” and much more. All these are brutal lies from the pit of hell and we must resist him by the Word of God.
Masturbation is an abnormal part of sexual expression and has many ways of interfering negatively with a person’s life. Masturbation can lead to negative emotions or interfere with certain aspects of one’s creativity. Why give momentary pleasure room to destroy what God has for you?
Some will ask, “Why am I sexually aroused?”
Note: Sex is not a sin for God created sex for men and women to experience sexual fulfillment on a much higher level—within the context of a marital relationship; not outside of marriage. Masturbation is not a topic to ignore as Christians. Our churches and community circles are filled with people who silently struggle with this sin, too embarrassed to seek the help they wish they could find, fearing what people will say if they found out.
The first thing you have to know is that God loves you; cling to that truth. He’s promised never to leave you nor forsake you as long as you put your trust in Him.
Secondly, we know that it is humanly impossible for us to change without God’s divine help. Leaving a bad habit is always hard whenever we want to use our head knowledge. No wonder Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
In overcoming masturbation, here are practical steps you can take to live out His truth in your life:
1. Avoid the triggers
First of all, avoid pornography. Avoid websites that advertise sexy images. ‘Unfollow’ or unfriend friends that occasionally post the sexy images. Don’t watch TV shows that have highly sexualized themes. It sounds hard, but really, avoiding the triggers is great. Did you know that the law of cause and effect applies to your thoughts, feelings, and sexual acts? What you do in your imagination has profound effects on you, therefore you have to guard your spiritual gates {your eyes and your ears} from what they see and what they hear.
2. Talk with someone
Is better to speak up than to die in silence. Talk to a spirit-filled pastor, a professional counselor, or a trusted Christian friend. If you hide your sin, the stronger and more powerful the struggle to be free becomes. Confession is always the first step toward healing and change.
3. Let your mind not be idle
Be creative. In the Living Bible, Proverbs 16:27 says idle hands are the devil’s workshop. There is no vacuum in the spirit. If your spirit is idle the devil will bring up an idea that will be destructive to your destiny. Occupy yourself with interesting activities that can engage you. The excitement of doing something interesting can easily replace the urge to masturbate. You can also turn sexual urges into creative output. Start up something new; it could be writing, exercise, learning a new skill. Just channel that energy to things that are beneficial to your life.
4. Study the word of God and pray continuously
We all know that prayer is the key to every issue. Pray to God for help and also enter a deep meditative state. The prayer to God will help you fix it and the deep, meditative state can transfer your sexual energy into something else. Yes is quite possible because when your spirit man is filled with the things of the Spirit, your body desires things of the Spirit. Galatians 5:16: “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The basis of spirituality is knowledge of how to behave not only physically, but psychologically and spiritually. If you want to develop spiritually, then you must examine how you use your body, mind, and imagination: especially sexually. Whatever input your mind receives is the exact output you will get.
Inclusively, the battle against masturbation is fought in the mind. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Let your mind be renewed daily with the word of God. No one says this is going to be easy but, if you are determined to stop it and lay it at the feet of Jesus, then know the victory which has already been worn is yours.
Winning the battle of the mind is the 99.9 percent sign that you have conquered your world and for that to take place your mind has to be renewed daily with the word of God. Dmind is all about the gospel, good morals, and motivational inciting to the world.
According to Wikipedia, “shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion typically associated with a negative evaluation of the self; withdrawal motivations; and feelings of distress, exposure, mistrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness”. It is different from guilt in that guilt involves a feeling of responsibility for some action (real or imagined) while shame is derived from the consciousness of something dishonorable or improper that is done by oneself or another. Since shame can be either deserved or undeserved, it is therefore used mightily by the enemy to destroy people from within.
God uses shame as a means of challenging actions such as idolatry and lawlessness. In Isaiah 44:9, “Those who fashion a graven image are all of them futile, and their precious things are of no profit; even their own witnesses fail to see or know, so that they will be put to shame.” Since God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5), to broker graven images raises His ire against those who entertain any rival. God says in this chapter that all those associated with the idols’ creation, including the craftsmen will be put to shame as well. God wants all to recognize how much of an abomination are these activities.
Jerusalem’s two sisters
Ezekiel 16 is another place where God deals with Jerusalem’s idolatry, but this time he goes further. In verse 46, He identifies Jerusalem’s two sisters, Samaria to the north and Sodom to the south. Verse 47 has God speaking to Jerusalem, “Yet you have not merely walked in their ways or done according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they”. The Lord was trying to expose Jerusalem’s idolatry as worse than two of her idolatrous neighbors. Sodom and her daughters had “arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus, they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore, I removed them when I saw it” (verses 49-50).
In Samaria’s case, He says they, “did not commit half of your [Jerusalem’s] sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. Thus, you have made your sisters appear righteous by all your abominations which you have committed” (verse 51). God tells Jerusalem to “be also ashamed andbear your disgrace” because you have made your sisters appear righteous. Their other neighbors, including Edom and Philistine were watching. This was a matter of an oath, that “’You have borne the penalty of your lewdness and abominations,’ the Lord declares. For thus says the Lord God, ‘I will also do with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath by breaking the covenant’” (verses 58-59). Jerusalem’s shame and disgrace were God’s reminder of the covenant with her and her idolatries’ impact on other nations.
Shekinah glory returns
In Ezekiel 43, God introduces the new temple, to be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom. In earlier chapters, Ezekiel saw the (shekinah) glory of God depart, but in this chapter, it returns to the new temple. The angel instructs the son of man to describe the temple to “the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities”. In verse 11, “If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the house, its structure, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws”. These iniquities were behind the destruction of the old temple; He is reminding His people of the cause of their 70 years in captivity. Shame is the supreme reminder.
There are many other examples of God bringing shame on His people for their wickedness. In Proverbs 13:18, “Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored.” In Hosea 4:7, “I will change their glory into shame”. God will never give up on His people in spite of their unfaithfulness.
No shame in the Gospel
In the new covenant, there is no shame. In Romans 1:16, Paul testifies that he is not ashamed of the gospel since it is the power of God unto salvation. Adam and Eve were not ashamed of their nakedness in the Garden of Eden before the fall. When man changes his focus from his own nakedness to the greatness of God and His work, he cannot be ashamed. This covenant is based on God’s grace and mercy, so “we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:1-2). Paul was separating himself from false teachers who were distorting the Word of God while Paul stood on the truth.
In 2 Timothy 1:8, “Thereforedo not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” For the truly committed new covenant believer, suffering for the gospel will happen. Paul gives us a list of much of his suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, so he was very familiar with suffering for the gospel’s sake. In 1 Timothy 8:12, he says, “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day”. Paul was encouraging Timothy that suffering would strengthen him so that he could stand up against any opposition.
Obeying the Gospel
Peter also has something to say about shame and suffering in 1 Peter 4:16-17, “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” Christians who walk as Christians, obeying the gospel are the testimony of that gospel and never have to feel shame.
We have been celebrating the life of Martin Luther King on a national level since Congress passed a bill recognizing his birthday, January 15th, as a national holiday in 1983. It is appropriate that America recognize and remember the man and his accomplishments, especially as they relate to civil rights. From this celebration, Americans have come to know some of his most famous speeches, many of which are referenced on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington DC. Since MLK was also a Baptist minister, many of his sermons have also been memorialized. One of these messages was preached in Atlanta at Ebenezer Baptist Church on February 4, 1968, two months to the day before his death.
King’s sermon was an adaptation of the 1952 homily “Drum-Major Instincts” by J. Wallace Hamilton, a well-known, liberal, white Methodist preacher. Both men tell the biblical story of James and John, who ask Jesus for the most prominent seats in heaven in Mark 10:35-45:
James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. “But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with James and John. Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
At the core of their desire was a “drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade”. King warns his congregation that this desire for importance can lead to “snobbish exclusivism” and “tragic race prejudice”: “Do you know that a lot of the race problem grows out of the drum major instinct? A need that some people have to feel superior … and to feel that their white skin ordained them to be first”. Conversely, King preached that when Jesus responded to the request by James and John, he did not rebuke them for their ambition, but taught that greatness comes from humble servitude. As King put it, Jesus “reordered priorities,” and told his disciples to “Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be first in love”.
This message can appropriately apply to each one of us. There is a natural tendency for man to pursue some kind of recognition or fame as a means of finding significance. Man needs to recognize that this force exists and that he should not allow it to take control. According to his message:
And so, before we condemn them, let us see that we all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. Alfred Adler, the great psychoanalyst, contends that this is the dominant impulse. Sigmund Freud used to contend that sex was the dominant impulse, and Adler came with a new argument saying that this quest for recognition, this desire for attention…
This problem is tied to our human nature and is confirmed by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1-6 when he states that there is an energy behind it, tied to “the prince of the power of the air” who exercises great influence over the unregenerate man:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, 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 heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
According to MLK:
There comes a time that the drum major instinct can become destructive. And that’s where I want to move now. I want to move to the point of saying that if this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn’t harnessed, it causes one’s personality to become distorted. I guess that’s the most damaging aspect of it: what it does to the personality. If it isn’t harnessed, you will end up day in and day out trying to deal with your ego problem by boasting. Have you ever heard people that—you know, and I’m sure you’ve met them—that really become sickening because they just sit up all the time talking about themselves. And they just boast and boast and boast, and that’s the person who has not harnessed the drum major instinct.
The solution is found in the life of Jesus Christ and man’s relationship to Him. Paul tells us that the only permanent victory over this power is a living faith in what Jesus accomplished 2,000 years ago. In Ephesians 2:8, “for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”. But this problem is not solved by any membership in church. The religious man can learn to talk the talk, but walking the walk is a different matter. MLK says:
And you know, that can happen with the church; I know churches get in that bind sometimes. I’ve been to churches, you know, and they say, “We have so many doctors, and so many schoolteachers, and so many lawyers, and so many businessmen in our church.” And that’s fine, because doctors need to go to church, and lawyers, and businessmen, teachers—they ought to be in church. But they say that—even the preacher sometimes will go all through that—they say that as if the other people don’t count.
And the church is the one place where a doctor ought to forget that he’s a doctor. The church is the one place where a Ph.D. ought to forget that he’s a Ph.D. The church is the one place that the schoolteacher ought to forget the degree she has behind her name. The church is the one place where the lawyer ought to forget that he’s a lawyer. And any church that violates the “whosoever will, let him come” doctrine is a dead, cold church, and nothing but a little social club with a thin veneer of religiosity.
King recognizes this syndrome not only in the church, but also prevalent in America in his day.
But God has a way of even putting nations in their place. The God that I worship has a way of saying, “Don’t play with me.” He has a way of saying, as the God of the Old Testament used to say to the Hebrews, “Don’t play with me, Israel. Don’t play with me, Babylon. Be still and know that I’m God. And if you don’t stop your reckless course, I’ll rise up and break the backbone of your power.” And that can happen to America. Every now and then I go back and read Gibbons’ Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. And when I come and look at America, I say to myself, the parallels are frightening. And we have perverted the drum major instinct.
This condition of religiosity can only be properly addressed in man’s acceptance that the Law cannot bring one to intimacy with Christ since, apart from Christ, it only produces self-righteousness. In Galatians 3:23-29,
But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
Jesus taught in the original passage that the key to our victory in Christ is found in our willingness to become a servant. He was teaching a new definition of greatness according to Dr. King:
And so, Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new definition of greatness.
MLK ends his message with a reference to his funeral and how he wished to be remembered. How prophetic were his words:
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.
In 1 Corinthians 9:19, Paul says, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more”. Dr. King closes his message with these words:
Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.
Is it true that Jesus will establish the kingdom of God on the earth when He returns? Did Jesus somehow fail to bring about the kingdom of God during his first earthly ministry? Did fallen humanity confound His first attempt? Is Jesus just waiting around in heaven for His big chance to try it again?
TAKE-AWAYS FROM THIS LESSON
What does it mean to “sit at the right hand of God”?
Is Jesus reigning currently?
Is Jesus’ kingdom an earthly kingdom? What do we know about the kingdom of God?
Did Jesus fail to inaugurate the kingdom of God during His first earthly ministry?
BACKGROUND
There is a notion in Christendom that says the inauguration and advancement of the kingdom of God (also known as the kingdom of heaven by Matthew) was put on hold due to the Jewish rejection of Jesus as the Messiah in the early AD 30’s. “Mitchell C” wrote in the following:
The gospel is the gospel of the kingdom! Jesus is going to return and set up the kingdom of God ON THE EARTH! God’s government ON THE EARTH! Believers will rule the nations with Jesus! The Messiah died for his people! God resurrected the Messiah! The Messiah will resurrect his people at his coming! They will rule the nations! The destiny of the Messiah and his people is to be ON THE EARTH! The renewed restored earth! God also dwelling with them! Rev 21
Theologically, I agree with almost 100% of what Mitchell wrote. I can agree the gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed the gospel of the kingdom of God. I can agree God’s government for humanity occurs on the earth. I too believe we rule the nations with Jesus. I agree the Messiah died for His people, that He was resurrected, and I would actually argue that all will be resurrected at His return (John 5:28-29), some to eternal life and some to condemnation. And yes, I believe we will rule the restored Earth and God will dwell among us.
But the notion that Jesus will return and only then set up the kingdom of God on the earth?
I believe this is a mistake.
This idea of a delayed kingdom insinuates Jesus somehow failed to bring the kingdom of God to the earth the first time; that broken humanity and the demonic realm confounded His first attempt. It conveys He’s just waiting around in heaven for His big chance to try it all again.
So, while I largely agree with Mitchell theologically, I strongly disagree with him eschatologically.
I think there are some important questions we need to get clear on.
What does it even mean to be “sitting at the right hand of God”?
Is Jesus reigning on His throne right now?
What is the nature of the kingdom of God? How will we recognize it?
Did Jesus fail to usher in the kingdom of God during His first earthly ministry?
When I asked Mitchell if Jesus was reigning on His throne right now, Mitchell responded, “Jesus is at the right hand of God waiting for his enemies to be put under his feet. Nations are not submitted to him now. [They] will be when he comes back.”
What does it mean to be seated at the right hand of God?
A couple things regarding Mitchell’s response about a delayed kingdom. First, it appears we as a Church don’t know what it means to be “seated at the right hand of God.” There are several places in Scripture where we’re assured Jesus is at God’s right hand. Here are two examples from Hebrews:
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: (Hebrews 1:3)
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (Hebrews 8:1)
So, we can be sure Jesus is seated with the Father. This was a fulfillment of Daniel’s prophetic dream in Daniel 7:13-14:
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
“And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
We have even further confirmation of this in that the Holy Spirit has been poured out into the world:
“Being, therefore, exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” (Acts 2:33)
But what does “being seated at the right hand of God” mean? It means all creation is under Jesus, as He is seated at the same level as the Father. If all creation—even the angelic hosts—are under the Father (and they are, of course)—and if Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father—that means all creation has been subjected to Jesus.
This means He reigns over all.
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. (1 Peter 3:22)
Was the gospel proclaimed to all nations?
Another thing we need to get clear on is the idea of “nations”. These days, we look at maps riddled with lines and we call those segmented swaths of land “nations”. In Jesus’ time, nations had a broader meaning. Nations [ethnesin, Strong’s Greek 1484: Probably from etho; a race, i.e. a tribe; especially, a foreign one] meant people groups, tribes and kingdoms; not just countries. Matthew 24:14 declares, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world [oikoumen, “land”] for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew isn’t talking about all nations listed on maps 2,000+ years later. He’s talking about the known lands, which were largely under the domain of the Roman Empire.
Was the gospel proclaimed to all nations? Yes, according to Paul:
For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which has come to you, as it is in all the world; and brings forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth: (Colossians 1:5-6)
If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I, Paul, am made a minister; (Colossians 1:23)
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias said, Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. (Romans 10:16-18)
Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: (Romans 16:25-26)
So, if 1) Jesus is currently reigning with God the Father and 2) the gospel of the kingdom has been shared with all nations (“all the earth”), we still have to consider the idea that all current-day, lines-on-the-map nations are not under His rule, don’t we?
Again, it’s not about the lines on the map. This is about the tribes, nations and tongues we see represented in Revelation 7:9:
“After this I beheld a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”
In no way do I believe this vision indicates an earthly kingdom, though many of its current inhabitants do walk the earth. This prophetic vision is heavenly; ethereal. It speaks to the creation of a unified spiritual kingdom, made up of souls from many earthly nations, tribes and languages. Like faithful Israel in its days under Assyrian, Babylonian or Roman rule, the wheat grows up among the tares. This sanctified kingdom of God grows up—generation after generation—among the fallen, pagan empires of this world, with each generation of believers being added to the previous.
What does the Bible tell us about the kingdom of God?
The Bible has several explanations regarding the kingdom of God and you’ll notice none of them include brick-and-mortar estates or land promises. Through Daniel, we know when the kingdom was to be established.
When will the kingdom of God be established?
Daniel foretold the coming of a kingdom that would begin during the days of the Roman Empire:
And in the days of these kings [the Roman Empire] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Daniel 2:44)
“…His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3)
Indeed, Christianity—though persecuted—grew and spread all across the Mediterranean, the near East and western Europe until it “consumed all these kingdoms.” Christianity was legalized by Constantine in 313 AD and, within the decade following, had become the official religion of the “Holy Roman Empire”.
Another time marker indicating the kingdom of God has been established is in Revelation 12:10, following the Messiah being “snapped up to God and to His throne”:
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”
How will we recognize the kingdom of God?
Jesus teaches us about the spiritual nature of the kingdom:
“Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
“Marvel not that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear the sound, but cannot tell from where it comes and where it goes. So is every one that is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8)
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, “The kingdom of God comes not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20–21)
Finally, Paul speaks of the kingdom of God being in terms of the regenerative heart in a Christian:
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 14:17)
How long will Jesus’ reign last?
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:25-26. Also Psalm 8:6, Psalm 110:1.)
Was the kingdom of God inaugurated when Jesus walked the earth?
My next questions to Mitchell were, “So do you believe the kingdom of God was inaugurated when Jesus walked the earth? What do you believe about the kingdom of God?” I wanted to zero in on what he believed about the kingdom of God because the very nature of his position has to deny Jesus’ success at His first incarnation and looks forward to a carnal, earthly kingdom. This tells us we don’t understand the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God; we still insist on a physical, earthly kingdom before the renewed heavens and earth of Revelation 21-22. This comes out of misunderstanding Revelation 20 (but that’s a different talk.)
In response, Mitchell writes: “No. That was a taste of it. And there is a taste of it now with believers. It will be inaugurated when he comes back. See Luke 19 parable of the nobleman. He goes away to receive a kingdom. Then comes back to rule. We are waiting for him to get back.”
Is the Parable of the Ten Minas (the Parable of the Nobleman) about the end times?
Luke 19:11-27 is the Parable of the Ten Minas—sometimes called the Parable of the Nobleman. In this parable, a nobleman goes to a distant country to be appointed king and then returns to mete out reward (or punishment) to their fruitful (or unfruitful) servants. Notice a couple things about this story:
The nobleman who goes to a distant country to be made king and then returns is obviously Jesus Himself. (Most Bible scholars agree on this point.)
The servants are Israel. The subjects who hate Him represent the Jewish religious order. Some faithful servants do bear fruit, while some do nothing with the revelation they have received.
The punishment for their rejection is death. Notice when the chief priests renounced Jesus at Pilate’s trial, they declared, “We have no king but Caesar.” (John 19:15) This parable prophesies their end:
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
In the very next verses (v28-44), we see Jesus entering Jerusalem as king, riding a colt to the song of Psalm 118 as a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 (Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.) As Jesus approaches, he weeps over the city and says:
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” (Luke 19:41-44)
This was obviously a prediction of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Jesus Himself decrees the judgment here, and again when He later gives the Olivet Discourse.
There is no future fulfillment awaiting the Parable of the Nobleman in Luke 19; its predictive warning was fulfilled, just as Jesus’ prophecy during the Triumphal Entry was fulfilled.
The kingdom of God is spiritual and it is now
The kingdom of God is a present spiritual reality:
“From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
“But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” (Matthew 12:28)
“Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the gospel.’” (Mark 1:14-15)
So, what do we say to these scriptures that seem to indicate Jesus successfully inaugurated His kingdom?
Remember His words to Pilate; it is a kingdom not of this earth. (John 18:36: Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from here.)
I believe the kingdom of God—as prophesied in Daniel—arrived as predicted, heralded by John the Baptist and inaugurated during the ministry of Jesus Christ. I believe Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and is reigning as King currently; He is not waiting for some future date. When He returns, He will judge the living and the dead.
“And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father has appointed unto me; That you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:29-30)
If the resurrection of the Son of God wasn’t enough to inaugurate the kingdom, what would be?
FOOTNOTE
“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
So we all know the famous VeggieTales, right? “If you like to talk to tomatoes…” and all that. Well, in their more recent videos (VeggieTales in the house/city), we’ve noticed some weird details we thought we should tell you about. By the way, this is nothing against VeggieTales (we watch it all the time); these are just some things we’ve found.
The Characters Aren’t Actually Vegetables
First up, we have the fact that most of the characters aren’t vegetables. Bob and Larry are actually both fruits and most of all the other characters aren’t vegetables either. Especially Bacon Bill. Bacon Bill is a big strip of bacon that comes in on the episode: “Bacon and Ice Cream”. And as the name says, he’s made of bacon.
Bacon Bill’s Life Story
Now that we brought him up, we might as well continue talking about Bacon Bill. In the episode “Bringing Home the Bacon”, Bacon Bill moves to a new house. Well, we noticed something on his wall that tells his backstory. He has a picture of a pig on the wall next to a picture of a frying pan, next to a couple of pictures of his relatives. So now we all know how Bacon Bill became, well, bacon.
So this one isn’t exactly real, but we like to think it is, just for fun. In some episodes, the screen will zoom out to show the outside of the house. But to the right, there is another red house. We decided, maybe if the big yellow one has all the fruits and vegetables, the red house is where all the meat live. It did say Bacon Bill moved to the yellow house after all. Maybe he was originally in the meat house! Of course, it’s just an idea, so we can’t prove anything. It’s just a fun theory. :)
About That Lawn
If you’ve watched the series, you know where the saying, “Get off my lawn!!!” comes from. But have you ever wondered why random people decide to go on some random zucchini’s lawn? I mean there’s a house in front of it, and it’s clearly fenced in, but random people will go on in and do the most random things! Isn’t it private property?
Vegetable Cannibalism
This one has happened several times throughout both series because you don’t really need to look closely for this one. These vegetables, they eat vegetables. If you look at the contents of the things they eat, tomatoes and lettuce are often found in their food. Sometimes we even find them eating meat! It’s weird for food to be eating food, but then what are they supposed to eat?
Invisible Frog Legs?
Ok, this one can get really weird when you think about it too much because it’s probably one of the ones that make the least sense. Whenever any of the vegetables go on bike rides, the pedals always turn. This is proof that they do have invisible legs. So if they have these invisible legs, why don’t they use them? If they have legs then how come they always bounce instead of looking like they’re floating? Do they hop around like frogs? Sure it would look weird, but not using their legs is pretty weird too.
Disturbing Decorations
If you look around the veggie world, you’ll notice a lot of things are shaped like vegetables. The bike wheels and handles, pillows, and even Laura Carrot’s house! You might be thinking, “What’s wrong with that?” and the answer is simple. If you convert all those vegetable items to people, it’s kind of disturbing. Especially that one of their most common designs is a cut-open cucumber. Yeah, maybe they need to rethink their decorating…
Not-So-Secret Identities
In the new episodes, LarryBoy is back along with some newer heroes like Junior Jetpack, Night Pony, JimmyBoy, and SuperMato. I think it’s pretty clear who most of them are, seeing that their names are in most of their titles, but if you don’t already know LarryBoy is Larry, Junior Jetpack is Junior, Night Pony is Laura, JimmyBoy is Jimmy, and SuperMato is Bob. Why do all these heroes put their real names in their superhero names? And how have the townspeople not have figured it out yet? All of their costumes show most of their face, and they don’t do anything to change their voice. Sure the producers probably did that on purpose, but we like to think about what it would be like if it were real life.
Olive Dog Nose Jobs
Ichabeezer the zucchini lives in his sofa mansion with his little pet olive dog, Rooney. Rooney’s nose is the little red part of the olive that gets added in there for extra flavor. So if that part doesn’t originally grow on an olive, how exactly did Rooney get his nose? He would’ve had to have part of his face taken out and then replaced with the reddy-orange part. That just sounds painful! And it’s not just with Rooney. In the episode, “The Puppy”, Ichabeezer finds a puppy on the street and Rooney gets jealous that it’s getting all the attention. However, the olive puppy also has the salty red part for a nose. We’re not the only ones who think that’s weird, right?
Missing Cat Bells
In the episode, “Save the Cherry Cat” Granny goes away while Larry has to take care of her pet cat. And if he does, she’ll bake him cookies. She says that if she ever gets outside, jingle a little red bell. It’s her favorite toy so she’ll come back if she hears it. Larry let out the cat and couldn’t bring her back for the whole day. Eventually, he fell asleep under a tree that the cat was hanging out in, and woke up to find Granny just staring at him in the middle of the night. She said he was so focused on the cookies that he forgot how to bring the cat back. Then she pulled the red bell from behind her back! No wonder Larry couldn’t get the cat; she had the bell the whole time!
Sin to Win
Every episode tells a lesson about God and the commandments you should follow. But in some episodes, they do the wrong thing to solve a problem. For example, in the episode “The Camp Out”, Bob goes on a camping trip alone and doesn’t want to share his s’mores with anyone. Then he gets ambushed by a group of pirates that steal his s’mores. (Why doesn’t he just make more?) Then his friends find him and they help him get his s’mores back by pretending to be pirates and by lying about how they live on an island full of s’mores. They get the s’mores back, but they lied to get them. This isn’t the only episode where this has happened, but this is one of the ones it has been most clear in. Do the producers know about this?
Check It Out
As you can see, there are plenty of strange things in the new VeggieTales series. But again, we still love watching their shows and this isn’t anything against them. It teaches great lessons and morals (usually) and is definitely something you should check out when you get the chance.
At twelve years old (almost 13), Natalia Schoenherr is an aspiring author and artist. She loves Jesus and her cats, Shade and Eloise. This article was a Christmas gift to her dad.
“Once there was a boy. . . who listened to an old man. And, thus, began to learn about The Precious Present.
‘It is a present because it is a gift,’ the contented man explained. And it is called The Precious Present, because it is the best present of all. When the boy asked why, the old man explained. ‘It is the best present a person can receive because anyone who receives such a gift is happy forever.’ ‘Wow!’ the little boy exclaimed. ‘I hope someone gives me The Precious Present. Maybe I’ll get it for Christmas.’”
These are the first few sentences of a book written by Spencer Johnson entitled “The Precious Present”. It is the story about a boy’s enlightenment that such a gift exists and then his pursuit of it, without knowing what it was. It is a good read and I will not expose the entire venture, but I will tell you that in the end, the boy found out that The Precious Present is not a thing, but a reality. Between the past and the future resides the present, the immediate moment we are living in. The boy spent each present moment trying to find this precious present that was staring him in the face. Do we do the same thing, chasing after something we already have?
The Greatness of the Cross
The greatness of what Jesus Christ accomplished for each one who believes cannot be overstated! In our acceptance and understanding of what it really means, we join the journey of this boy in finding out that the reality of our faith in what Jesus did gives greatness to our present moments. His accomplishment means that the present moments need not to be preoccupied with the pursuit of something already provided. When Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross, He was confirming that His sacrifice, His blood was sufficient to satisfy the Father’s justice. As a result, the believer no longer needs to perform for God’s acceptance; it has already been received on the basis of faith.
Just as Jesus died on a cross between two thieves, in the same way the present sits between two thieves, the past and the future. The past is trying to steal our present by the things done in the past and the unknown of the future can keep us in fear or bondage. Since the finished work of Christ has addressed both the past and the future, the present has no remorse.
The Great I Am
When Moses asked God His name in Exodus 3:13-14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” The Hebrew word “hayah” translated “I Am” is hard to translate since the ancient Hebrew has no present tense, but some scholars suggest a good translation may be “the Lord [Yah – short for Yahweh] is the Lord”. Hebrews 11:6 may give us insight when it says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him”. Another clue can be found in John 8:58 when Jesus says, “before Abraham was, I am”. In each case, the Scripture was referring to the Lord in the present tense, the God of the present moment, as He has always been and will always be. In Revelation 1:8, Jesus says, “’I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty’.” Before Jesus was, He is.
Be Muzzled
“35 On that day, when evening came, He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ 36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still [be muzzled].’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’” (Mark 4:35-41)
In the above passage, Jesus is asleep in the boat with the disciples in the midst of a major storm. It had to be major since these Galilean fishermen were used to these storms and yet they were afraid of perishing. Upon the realization that the situation was serious, the disciples woke Jesus up and accused Him of not caring that they might die; they only took notice of Jesus when the crisis was at hand. It’s kind of like us. Jesus is in our boat, but we only wake Him up when the serious storm arrives. After solving the immediate need with a miracle, Jesus identified His disciples’ problem as a lack of faith. He demonstrated His deity by getting the weather to obey Him. Jesus was teaching the twelve that He had the ability to do the impossible. The fact is, once we believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him, we can believe that nothing is impossible with God. Jesus is Lord of all and becomes our Lord in the present moment through our faith in His Lordship.
Joined to the Lord
Paul teaches us that one’s relationship to the Law of Moses can undermine his relationship to Jesus as Lord. In Romans 7:1-6, Paul uses the legal relationship of husband and wife to illustrate that the one married to the Law of Moses must die to that Law in order to be joined to Christ. In verse 4-6, “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.” It means that allowing the requirements of the Law to dictate one’s relationship with God will “bear fruit for death”. When the believer dies to the letter of the law defined by the Torah and recognizes Jesus as the fulfillment of that law (Matthew 5:17), he enters into a spiritual relationship to Jesus as Lord, defined by “newness of the [Holy] Spirit”.
In John’s Gospel, seven statements that Jesus made help define His Lordship. He said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12), “I am the door” (John 10:9), “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and “I am the vine” (John 15:1). These seven “I am” statements speak about the different ways that He becomes Lord in a believer’s life. They are eternal truths experienced in the present.
Crucified with Christ
The apostle summarizes this new relationship with the Lord in Galatians 2:19-21 when he says, “For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified [perfect passive indicative] with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” The Lordship of Christ is experienced by each believer when he lives “by faith in the Son of God”, by acknowledging the reality that he has been “crucified with Christ”. The perfect tense means that it is a divine reality that has future results and the passive voice indicates that the believer is receiving the action of being crucified, along with Christ.
“In that day, ‘A vineyard of wine, sing of it! ‘I, the Lord, am its keeper; I water it every moment, so that no one will damage it, I guard it night and day.’” (Isaiah 27:2-3). The reference here is to Israel, but it speaks to every new covenant believer as well. The Lord is not only our sustainer, but also our protector, every precious moment.
