Message 9 - By
Jerry D. Green
A Place Prepared
Introduction
It seems the only hope most Christians have today is in a
beautiful, gleaming city. A place
out there somewhere in the great beyond; where they will be someday
soon. A place (or city) where building materials are of purest gold and the
most precious of stones. A place where
glistening mansions, which Jesus has suppos-edly gone
to prepare, await all those who believe in Him.
A place where Jesus, even now, is up there putting on the final
finishing touches. Well, I’m sorry I
have be, in this case, the bearer of bad news; but if that is what you think
about the place Jesus went to prepare, I’m afraid you are going to be terribly
disappointed. God only used the precious
things of this world as a metaphor (figurative language), to portray the
heavenly spiritual things of God to a carnal world; and all too often, a carnal
church. When we truly see the place
Jesus went to prepare for us, it will be within us, and it will be a spiritual
place which has been prepared and finished for almost two thousand years;
because it only took Him three days to prepare it. I pray this message will open the eyes of
your understanding to the reality of the wonderful and glorious place Jesus went to prepare for us, through the finished
work of Calvary; of which we can partake this very day. JDG
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A Place Prepared
I Corinthians
2:9-10 KJV
9. “But as it is written (is a quotation
from Isaiah 64:4; See trivia question at the end of the message), Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have (has it) entered into [the] heart of man, [the] (Strong’s #9999) *things which God hath PREPARED for them that (those who) love Him.
10. But God hath revealed them (Strong’s
#9999 ; that which He has prepared) unto us by His
Spirit….”
*The word THINGS (in the New Testament) is always a translator added word.
There was no Greek word for THINGS used in the New Testament. The reason there are so many different
Strong’s numbers listed under THINGS in Strong’s Greek Dictionary, is because
the definition which is given is always for the word that precedes. In
the two verses of scripture above, all ([bracketed]) words were added by the
translators, but as is often the case, some words which the translators chose
to use, whether added or otherwise, contribute to obscuring what is actually
being said. The words in (parentheses) are my choice of words which make what
is being said much more understandable.
For clarity, I will rewrite the
two verses retaining only the first [the],
which the translators added. These two
verses should read like this:
(I Corinthians 2:9-10)
9. “But
as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into
the heart of man, that which God has PREPARED for those who love Him. 10. But God has revealed that which He has prepared, unto
us, by His Spirit….”
God has indeed prepared
something very, very, wonderful for those who love Him. However, just as the scriptures say, the
carnal mind of man cannot fathom the depths nor the heights of it for it must be spiritually discerned (I Corinthians 2:14).
In the book of Daniel,
chapter 2, verses 34 and 35 there is a prophecy of “…a stone…cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet
that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.” This image
was the image King Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream. The 44th verse goes on to say, “…in the days of these kings 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 (of) these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Many think this
is referring to the millennial reign of Christ at His second coming, but that
is not the case. The setting up of
this kingdom took place at the first coming of Jesus. John the Baptist as well
as Jesus Himself declared at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the Kingdom of
Heaven (or, Kingdom of God) is at hand (Matthew
3:2, 4:17). “And when… (Jesus) …was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, He
answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither
shall… (you) …say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God
is WITHIN you” (Luke 17:20-21). The kingdom of
God would not be the literal kingdom
they were expecting, but it would, first,
be a spiritual kingdom; IN Himself (in Christ).
Shortly before the time for Jesus to be crucified, He tried to
prepare His disciples for the events which were about to take place. He spoke
words of comfort to them for He knew by the scriptures that they would be
devastated and scattered (Zechariah 13:7).
He said to them, “Let not your hearts be troubled: ye believe in God, believe
also in me. IN my Father’s house are many mansions (The translators
who translated the Greek word (Strong’s #3438)
in this particular place, did us a disservice in that mansions only
appeal to the carnal. No other translation I am aware of has this word
translated mansions, but rather, “a place of dwelling” or “an abode”;
i.e. a place where one “lives,” “stays,” or “resides.” Jesus was simply saying
to them, and to us, that in my Father’s house there will be plenty of room for
all who will to come.): if it were not
so, I would have told you, I go to PREPARE A PLACE for you. And if I go
and PREPARE A PLACE for you, I will come again and receive you unto
myself; that where I AM (another name for GOD) you may be also” (John 14:1-3). Please notice that He
did not say, where I am going to
be, but where I AM (where GOD is) you may be
also. And where was Jesus when He said these words? He established that
fact in John 3:13: “…No man hath
ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is IN heaven.” Jesus was standing right here on this earth, speaking to
His disciples, yet He says He is in
heaven. How can this possibly be?
There is only one
explanation. He is living and walking in
the very presence of His Father. He is in
the Father and the Father is in Him
(John 14:10-11). Being in the presence of God is what
constitutes heaven; whether up yonder somewhere, or on this earth. That was the
reason He could say this. And now He is saying, “…I go… (to) …PREPARE a PLACE
for you… , that where I AM… (‘…IN my Father…;
…IN
heavenly places…;’ John 14:20; Ephesians 2:6) …you may be also;” for, before
Calvary no one but Jesus could be in
that PLACE (John 14:1-3). What a
wonderful promise, yet the carnal mind cannot comprehend the glory of this
promise for it must be “…revealed unto us by His Spirit…”; that is to say, “…spiritually discerned…” (I
Corinthians 2:10 and 14; Isaiah 64:4).
Carnal minds sees Jesus in some far corner of outer space, building a city of
gold with gates of pearl and foundations garnished with all manner of precious
stones, etc., etc. But the PLACE
Jesus went to prepare for us is
ready and waiting and has been for almost 2000 years. It took Him only three
(3) days to PREPARE that PLACE, and He did it through His death,
burial, resurrection, and ascension. That PLACE
does NOT consist of precious metals and/or precious stones; neither meat nor
drink or anything else the carnal mind might consider precious, or even
essential, to the satisfying of the “…fleshly lusts…” of carnal man (I Peter 2:11); but it consist of
something ever so much more precious and important than any of these. “For the kingdom of God is NOT meat and drink; but (is) righteousness, and peace, and joy IN
the Holy Ghost (IN God; Romans 14:17).”
Where is this kingdom Jesus prepared for us? If, you have truly been born
again of God. “…The kingdom of God is WITHIN you…” (Luke 17:21). The reason you are in the kingdom of God is that you are in Jesus Christ who is the kingdom of God; and He, is within you. “At THAT DAY… (after the PLACE is PREPARED, you) …shall know that I am IN my Father, and… (you) …IN me, and I IN
you” (John 14:20). When did that day first come? It was on the first
Pentecost (fifty days) after the resurrection of Jesus; and since then it has
come again, untold numbers of times, for
all who have truly hungered and thirsted
after the kingdom of heaven and His righteousness. The question we should
be asking is this, when will that day
come again? The answer is, when we truly hunger and thirst after His
righteousness, then we shall be filled. For the promise is: “Blessed are they
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
You “ …are dead (being crucified with Christ; Romans
6:6), and your (new) life (being raised again ‘…in NEWness
of life…’ IN HIM; Romans 6:4) is hid with Christ IN
GOD” (Colossians
3:3). The first 13 verses of Ephesians use the terms, in Christ, in Him, in the beloved, in Himself, in whom, and
in one; some more than once. “But seek ye FIRST
the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness, and all these… (essentials of
the natural life) …shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:24-33). Whose righteousness shall
we first seek? The kingdom of God’s righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus
Christ, for Jesus Christ IS the
kingdom of God.
“If
a man love me, he WILL keep my words: and my Father WILL love him, and we
WILL come unto him, and make our *ABODE with
him” (John 14:23; Ephesians 2:20-22; Revelation 21:3). We could never thank God enough for such a wonderful
promise!
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*Strong’s #3438 (which
is from #3306) means “a staying,
i.e. residence (the act or the place).” For the remainder of this message, all asterisks
(*) will indicate other English words which were also translated from
the Greek word #3306, which means
(“…to stay [in a given place, state,
relation…”), etc. That is to say: live,
dwell, stay, reside or abide somewhere (in some place).
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So how do we get into
this kingdom? “But of Him (of God) are… (we) …IN Christ Jesus, who OF God is made
unto us wisdom, …righteousness, …sanctification, and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30).” It is God “who hath delivered us FROM the power (the kingdom) of darkness, and hath translated us INTO the KINGDOM of His dear Son” (Jesus Christ,
who is the kingdom of God, is also the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of light; Colossians 1:13). God’s Dear Son, Jesus, the Christ, is the kingdom of God (the kingdom of heaven)
but, if God doesn’t put us IN Jesus, the Christ, the kingdom of God, we will
never be in that kingdom, where
there is “…righteousness, peace, and joy (in Christ, who is in God; Colossians 3:3) in the Holy Ghost” (Romans
14:17). This is God’s work, and it is already finished, completed,
accomplished by His Son Jesus at Calvary (John
19:30; II Corinthians 5:19). God
has put Jesus in Himself, and God
puts us in Jesus, and God puts Jesus in us (John 14:20; Colossians 3:3).
All of these are God’s doings, but it is only
by and through the finished work of Jesus
at Calvary that we can come unto the Father. For “…no man cometh unto the Father but by…” and through and in Him (John 14:6). This almost sounds contradictory. Nevertheless, it is
only BY, THROUGH, and IN Jesus that we
come “…UNTO
the Father…,” and it is only through the will, and workings of the Father
that we are in Jesus, the kingdom of
God, who is in God. This must be
spiritually discerned.
Jesus’ words to Nicodemus (and to all mankind) were this, “…Ye MUST be born
again” (John 3:7), born from above, born of the Spirit, born anew,
born of the same “…incorruptible seed…,” as the eternal, LIVING, “…WORD of God which LIVETH and *ABIDETH (lives, dwells, stays, remains) FOREVER…” (I Peter 1:23): even Jesus Christ and “…the EVERLASTING gospel…” of Him (Revelation 14:6). “And… (John says, you) …know that He (Jesus) was manifested to take away our sins;
and IN Him is no sin. Whosoever *abideth (lives, dwells, stays, remains [forever]) IN Him (John
14:1-3; Psalm 91) sinneth NOT: (For) whosoever SINNETH
hath NOT seen Him, NEITHER known Him. (For) he that COMMITTETH SIN is OF THE DEVIL; … (but) Whosoever is BORN of God DOTH NOT commit sin.” Why? Because “…HIS (God’s) seed
(God’s children, or offspring) *REMAINETH (live, dwell, stay, abide) IN Him (IN Christ Jesus, who is IN God, Colossians 3:3): and he (God’s seed, children, or offspring) CANNOT sin, because
he is (or she is or they are) BORN of God” (I John 3:5-6, 8-9). The new birth is
what constitutes the translation of kingdoms. We are born OF Him and INTO
Him. The moment we are (truly) born
again (really saved) this translation of kingdoms takes place, but it’s not our
work, it’s God’s work. Remember, “…OF Him (God) are… (we) …IN Christ…” (Christ Jesus,
the kingdom), and as long as we ABIDE
(LIVE, DWELL, STAY, REMAIN, make our ABODE) IN Him, IN the Kingdom
of God, we cannot sin because there
is no sin IN Him (I John 3:5). This is the reason Jesus
tells us in John 15:4-5, to “*ABIDE IN me, and I IN you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it *ABIDE IN the vine; no more can
ye (bear fruit), except ye *ABIDE IN me. I am the (‘…true…’) vine, (and) ye are the
branches: He that *ABIDETH IN me, and I IN him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: … (for) …without (outside of, or
apart from) me… (you) …can do nothing.” All praise is to God!
This glorious kingdom is beyond the realm of the carnal mind to
grasp, but there is a way you can
know it. It is the “…Father’s good pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). There are however some
stipulations which must be met. For, “…Except ye be converted (turn around and
draw nigh, not back; Hebrews 10:22, 38-39), and become as little children (and come in
faith, believing the gospel, for
this ‘…GOSPEL of CHRIST is the power of God unto salvation to
EVERYONE that…’ believes IT; Romans 1:16), ye shall NOT enter INTO the kingdom of
heaven” (Matthew 18:3). And
again,“…except…” you “…repent…” (think
differently; reconsider what you think about Jesus as The Christ), you “…shall all
likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
I know that some will think I’m saying there is no heaven after our
physical bodies die; but that is not at all what I am saying. For “…blessed are the
dead that die IN THE LORD from henceforth…” (Revelation 14:13).
Where are the dead who die in
Him? It doesn’t matter the location and
it doesn’t matter if it’s a physical place or a spiritual place. For “them also that
sleep IN Jesus will God (The FATHER) bring with Him” (Jesus, the Son) when He returns to this earth (I Thessalonians 4:13-14 through 18). Wherever we are, we can be in the Lord. Wherever we are, we can be in heaven. Wherever we are, we can be in Christ, and He can be in us; and He is in God. Being in God’s presence is what constitutes
heaven, whether it’s here on this earth, or wherever we are. As long as we’re in His presence, there’s “…righteousness,
…peace, and joy, IN the Holy Ghost” (in God). For in
(God’s) “…presence is fulness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11).
This is THE “…PLACE…” (John 14:3), or, THAT “…WHICH (I Corinthians 2:9), God hath PREPARED for them that love Him.” It was PREPARED BY His Son and it is IN His Son. Jesus Christ IS the kingdom of God (which is also the kingdom of Heaven). Whosoever that earnestly wills, repents
(changes his thinking, concerning God, and His Son, Jesus, the Christ), and
believes the true gospel of Christ, can be IN
God’s kingdom. Just humble yourself
before GOD in
Godly sorrow for sin (II Corinthians 7:10), and believe the glorious gospel of Jesus, the Christ (Romans 1:16).
He will make you partaker of the righteousness, peace, joy, and power of His endless, sinless, life (John 10:10; Hebrews 7:16;
John 1:12; I John 3:5).
Message 9 - A Place Prepared
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Trivia Question! The phrase, “as it is written,” I
Corinthians, chapter 2, verse 9, is a reference to Isaiah
64:4). This phrase, “as it is written,” is used many
times throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The phrase, “in a certain place,” is used twice in the New Testament;
once in Hebrews 2:6 (a reference to Psalm 8:4) and in Hebrews 4:4 (a reference
to Genesis 2:2). Question! Why would the writers use these “phrases”
instead of chapter and verse numbers?
Answer! There were no chapter
numbers until the early 13th century A.D., and no verse numbers until the mid 16th
century A.D. JDG
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