Paul Defeats Jesus’ Physical Kingdom By Spiritualizing It Away
11 Instances of Paul’s Hijacking
Paul’s Hijacking of Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom would not be complete without his hijacking of the covenant system. He accomplished this by converting all of the literal aspects if Jesus’ teachings, and turning them into “SPIRITUAL” pufferies of a kingdom that would no longer be considered literal, but spiritual. A kingdom in your mind only. This is all part and parcel of his rehabilitation of Jesus from a failed apocalyptic preacher to that of a mediatorial sacrifice who was never meant to establish a literal kingdom but whose kingdom would be spiritual.
Are you on board with Paul’s spiritualization, or do you hold out for a literal physical kingdom fulfillment to Jesus’ kingdom in the future? Do you think dispensational premillennialism has the answer that for now the kingdom is spiritual during the church age, but that it will be fulfilled in the future literally to Israel during the millennium?
(1). A first spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that of “spiritual sacrifices.” Romans 12:1 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
(2). A second spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that the kingdom is itself spiritual. Colossians 1:13 – Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
(3). A third spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that the throne has been transferred into heavens. Ephesians 2:6 – And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
(4). A fourth spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that the leaven is now spiritual. 1 Corinthians 5:7 – Purge out therefore the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
(5). A fifth spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that circumcision is spiritual. Romans 2:29 – But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Colossians 2:11 – In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
(6). A sixth spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that the temple and tabernacle are now spiritual. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
(7). A seventh spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that warfare and armor of God are now spiritual. Ephesians 6:11-12 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
(8). An eighth spiritualization of the literal aspects of the kingdom is that the various ordinances have been spiritualized due to the work of Christ in that the body and shadow of the old system are now transferred to Jesus as the spiritual fulness of the Godhead. So many areas covered here. We have spiritual warfare. We have circumcision being replaced by baptism. We have various aspects of the legal system including the Levitical dietary laws, sacred days, and fasting. All of these literal aspects are now taken care by Jesus’s person and work and are not to be followed literally as they were in the Old Testament, but are now transferred as shadows to spiritual body or reality of Christ
Col 2:9-23 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
(9). A ninth spiritualization is that the land is now spiritual. Hebrews 12:22 – But you have come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.
(10). A tenth spiritualization is that the literal seed is now a spiritual seed. Galatians 3:29 –
And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. We know that we are “born again not of perishable seed, but imperishable seed”, alive fresh from the body of Jesus.
More on the seed of Jesus here.
(11). The subject that Jesus spoke about, perhaps more than any other, is that if you follow His words, you will never taste death, and become an immortal, like He was. John 8:51 “Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
Orthodoxy chimes right in with a big, wet blanket on those words. “Oh no, He REALLY MEANT Spiritual Death, because once I have my “born again” ticket punched, it’s smooth sailing to my mansion in heaven that Jesus went to prepare for me.”
I can only ask if we can allow Jesus to say what He means and mean what He says? Or do you Pharisees need to ALWAYS correct The Author of Life? There is probably no subject that He spoke more often often about than immortality in human flesh, here and now. On this subject whether we must die or if there is an option for immortality, here is the verse that almost every Christian can quote, and does so regularly:
Hebrews 9:27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.
But I don’t know of any Christians who would quote one of these following verses, where in all 4 gospels Jesus directly contradicted the quote above.
ALL 4 GOSPELS AGREE:
John 11:26 whoever lives by believing in me will never die
John 8:51 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death
Matthew 16:28 Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
Mark 9:1, Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.
Luke 9:27 Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.
John 21:22 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you“?
Paul taught a very different gospel than Jesus did. Jesus delivered to us words of spirit and life. Paul gives us the deceit of demons.
Russell Dibird
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