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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jack Zahran who wrote (9085)	10/25/1997 5:00:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 39621

Greetings Jack--I pray that our discussion about the Kingsom of God will bear fruit within our own hearts as well as in the hearts of those who read these lines. Before I complete Parts III and IV of my writings on the Kingdom of God, I would like to return to some of your letters and correct some obvious errors. I am not offended at all when you correct or disagree with the things I write. We are searching for the truth that will glorify God and edify believers, and besides, if the things we write are not of God, they will fall. If the things we write are of God, they will stand despite the best efforts of man to destroy them. In that spirit, I would like to return to a discusion of certain points in your writing before I complete my teaching on the Kingdom of God. Jack, you said: "The fact is that your belief in the kingdom of God being within you is founded in ancient platonic teachings and not the Bible." This belief was put forth in among the generas Protestant religions by the "higher critics" of the 18th and 19th century who felt their opinion was greater than the teachings of the bible." This is a false statement . It is very serious business to distort a persons belief in order to exalt your own doctrine. Could you tell me what caused you to assume that my beliefs about the Kingdom of God were based on Platonic teachings. Was it just wild specualtion? My belief about the Kingdom of God being within me comes from the mouth of Jesus Christ in Luke 17:20-21, many other Scriptures and also from personal experience of having the Kingdom within me. Because the clear Word of Jesus about the Kingdom of God being within men contradicted your own doctrine, you went about trying to manipulate the clear language of the Bible and using margin notes and convenient translations that would agree with your interpretation. Since I happen to be familiar with the Greek language I would like to give you a word for word literal translation of the Greek version--the language St. Luke used to write the orginal Gospel. This type of translation is a little awkward, but it captures the original meaning. Luke 17:20-21. Now, being inquired of by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God is coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming" with scrutiny(observation). Neither shall they be declaring Lo! here! or Lo! there! for lo! the kingdom of God is inside of you." The literal meaning in the Greek is unamigious and clear. Those who have never experienced the Kingdom of God within them will obviously not understand the verse and will seek other explanations. Jus as cultural Christians who have not been born again in their spirit will search for symbolic meanings in thE pharse 'unless you are born again you will not see the Kingdom of God.' Jesus was not saying the Kingdom of God is found inside these specific Pharisees but simply making a general statement that the Kingdom of God was not found by physical observation but rather found inside of men. Changing the meaning and intent of the Word of God is very serious business. As you said in another of your posts: please do not be offended by clear and unambigious speech. It is not intended to offend but to edify. Now, as to your statments about Platonic teachings being the origin of the Kingdom of God within us, it is simply wrong. Also, your claims that the early Church Fathers were also waiting for a worldly kingdom is untrue. The Scriptures tell us that some Christians were waiting for the second coming of Christ, but the Scriptures say nothing about the establishement of a worldly Kingdom or government. It talks only about the supernational Kingdom that Christ established in the hearts of His people. People with worldly and carnal minds assume that it will be a carnal kingdom because of their carnality. Also,I frequently read the early Church Fathers of the first three centuries and found your statement that the early christians waiting for a worldly Kingdom to be completely untrue. I searched the entire index of the Early Church Father and their is no such reference. You are obviously speaking hearsay as fact.

To: Jack Zahran who wrote (9085)	10/25/1997 5:19:00 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

"Emile, please look deep into the teaching of *the Kingdom being a mere* condition of the heart for what it is. It is a veil intended to conceal the fact that Christ now rules in the heaven" You implication of the Kingdom of God withing men as being a mere condition of the hear and a veil inteded to conceal reveals that you do not understand the substance of the New Covenant in which the Laws of God are concretely written in our hearts by God himself and put into our minds by God himself. It is not a veil my dear friend but the substance of God in man** that we may be called the sons of God. That is the Kingdom of God--God putting His nature in man and thereby transforming creation into the image and likenes of God. He rules not by imposing laws, statutes and ordinances from the outside but He rules internally by untity, harmony and consent of the heart. This is the little mustard seed Kingdom that grows unseen by human eyes to transform and throw down all the kingdom of men. May Christ open your heart to the reality of these Words and the Kingdom of God. "The Kingdom of God is not meant and drink but righteousness, peace and joy."---It comes not by observation.