Revival/Reformation (4)
Reformation Reports
Table of Contents (Scroll down to view all)
1. The Continual Coming of Jesus (7)
2. The Continual Coming of Jesus (8)
3. The Continual Coming of Jesus (9)
4. The Kingdom Within vs the Kingdom Among
5. The Millennial Reign
The Continual Coming of Jesus (7)
By Lanny Swaim
And when he [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven: This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Acts 1:9-11
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21:27
My little children, for whom I am again in [the pains of] labor until Christ is [completely and permanently] formed within you.
Galatians 4:19 AMP
In our last teaching we looked at The Mount of Olives being split in half, determining that occurrence to be a historical event rather than a future event.
In this teaching we will focus on the cloud of Acts 1:9-11 and Luke 21:27.
In both these scripture references, the Greek word for cloud is nephele, which literally means a water vapor cloud, unlike the cloud spoken of in Hebrews 12:1. The Greek word there is nephos, indicating a metaphoric use of the word, cloud; a great cloud of witnesses.
However, there is the possibility and indication that even though the word for cloud in Acts 1:9 and Luke 21:27 was literally a water vapor cloud, it may have been used metaphorically there as well. I believe this is confirmed by the fact that several other places in the Bible use water vapor clouds metaphorically.
If that is in fact the case, at Jesus’ ascension He was received by the great cloud of witnesses spoken of in Hebrews 12:1, and His return will be in a great cloud of witnesses.
I believe this to be the case. And I believe this is what the apostle Paul had in mind when he spoke of Jesus being fully/completely and permanently formed in believers.
We all know that Jesus took up residence in us when we were initially born again. But Paul indicates there is a process of Jesus being fully formed in us; fully indwelling us with the fulness of His character and power.
This is how Jesus will return to rule the world as King of kings and Lord of lords. Think about what the terms King of kings and Lord of lords actually mean. These terms indicate that He will rule in and through a people He has completely indwelled with His character and power.
This is part of the continual coming of Jesus.
There is no second coming of Jesus. Only a continual coming.
Many, perhaps most believers are missing His coming today just as most of the Jews missed His coming as the Son of Man when He was born in Bethlehem.
But, glory to God, there is a remnant who is beginning to see and walk in the reality of His continual coming.
Surely we were born for such a time as this!
The Continual Coming of Jesus (8)
By Lanny Swaim
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.
Isaiah 28:9-10
And 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 these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Daniel 2:44-45 (emphasis added) (Daniel interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream)
The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:22-24
The coming of Jesus, which has been a continual reality since the foundation of the world (see Revelation 13:8) until the present time and on into the future, is about His superimposing Himself into creation, bringing all of creation to completion/perfection, not in the sense of bringing it to an end, but instead bringing it to an ongoing completion/perfection, being overwritten by eternity; this being made possible by The Kingdom of God coming in/on Earth as in Heaven.
Daniel 2:44-45 (above) is a picture of this.
While the iron, brass, clay, silver and gold in Daniel 2:45 represents specific kingdoms, the implication is that Jesus will set up a kingdom that will supersede not only these five kingdoms but all the nations of the earth.
I find it very interesting that Jesus’ kingdom will come into existence not after these kings, but in the days of these kings. This implies that the nations of the world aren’t going away, but instead will be overwritten by The Kingdom of God.
Revelation 11:15 is a prophetic scripture that confirms this reality.
The kingdoms [nations] of this world are become the kingdoms [Kingdom] of our Lord [Jesus], and of his Christ [the Body of Christ]; and he shall reign for ever and ever [in and through His people].
While much of the Church is looking for Jesus to come back in the flesh and rule the world from Jerusalem, Jesus is preparing a people to rule by revealing the workings of His Kingdom to them. These people, who at the present time are only a remnant within the Church, are taking their rightful positions in the politics and societies of the world, implementing The Kingdom of God precept by precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, until the stone that the builders rejected becomes the capstone.
Surely we were born for such a time as this!
The Continual Coming of Jesus (9)
By Lanny Swaim
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:8
The Book of Revelation is not the revelation of the end-times, as many have interpreted it to be. Verse one of chapter one clearly says it is The Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Actually, the term end-times, as we have already determined, cannot be found in the Bible. The Bible does speak of last days, but that must be put in the context of 2 Peter 3:8.
Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
There is a parallel between the seven days of creation and the seven thousand years the Bible focuses on.
On The Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit first descended on about 120 believers in an upper room in Jerusalem, Peter said they were in the last days (see Acts 2:17). Actually, they were in the fifth day, which is the latter part of the week.
Using the Gregorian calendar, which I believe God has made provision for, we are now in the seventh day (millennium), which is also the third day of the Church.
In Luke 13:32 Jesus said:
Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
He wasn’t talking about the third day after the crucifixion when He walked out of the tomb. His body was not perfected even though it had become immortal. He still had the scars of the crucifixion in His hands, feet and side.
So when will His body be perfected? In the third day of the Church.
As we have now crossed the threshold of the third day of the Church, which is the seventh day of/since creation, there is a remnant of believers who are getting a glimpse of the perfection that awaits us all. Many of us have been severely tested and tried, giving us a taste of that perfection as we have come through the tests and trails as overcomers.
We are a firstfruits company, trailblazers and pilgrims, paving the way for many more to follow until all of creation becomes God’s original intent, perfect and complete.
We are coming to an understanding that we will eventually be filled with all the fulness of the Godhead, mature and complete in Him, which is His continual coming in a people, ultimately filling all of creation with Himself.
My little children, for whom I am again in [the pains of] labor until Christ is [completely and permanently] formed within you.
Galatians 4:19 AMP
This is our destiny, fully mature and complete, with His character fully formed in us.
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.
Jude 14
As we have previously studied, the Greek word translated as with is en, and should have been translated in.
He is and will be fully formed in a people in this seventh day (millennium) of/since creation, which is the third day (millennium) of the Church, enabling the Church to become experientially holy and without blemish, not having spot, wrinkle or any such thing, a glorious, unified Church, taking her place as the Lord’s Ekklesia (Greek for Church meaning a governing/legislative body), literally bringing the Kingdom of God in/on Earth as in Heaven.
This is the ultimate purpose of the Lord’s continual coming, and why we must understand His coming is continual.
Surely, without a doubt, we were born for such a time as this.
All glory to God!
The Kingdom Within vs The Kingdom Among
By Lanny Swaim
And when he 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 they say, Lo here! Or, low there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Luke 17:20-21 (emphasis added)
The Greek word for within is entos, and can be also translated as among or in the midst of. The Amplified Bible makes the above scripture reference much clearer.
Now having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed or with a visible display: nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ Or, ‘There it is.’ For the kingdom of God is among you [because of My presence].”
We must remember that Jesus was speaking to Pharisees in this scripture reference. Because of the Pharisees’ ritualistic, religious stance, obviously the Kingdom of God did not reside in them. So Jesus wouldn’t have been saying to them that the Kingdom resided in them. Instead, He was saying that the Kingdom was among them or in the midst of them, without their recognizing its presence.
It has been thought that within is the correct translation, giving the assumption that the Kingdom is completely spiritual and in no way visible and certainly not political. But if the correct translation is among or in the midst of instead of within, that changes the way we recognize and understand the Kingdom, and it’s manifestation in the earth.
After all, Jesus did teach His disciples to pray that His Kingdom would come in earth as in Heaven (see Matthew 6:10 & Luke 11:2).
The apostle Paul informs us in Ephesians 2:22 that we, The Body of Christ, are corporately a habitation of God through the Spirit. We are indwelled by the Godhead. Therefore, I suppose you could say that The Kingdom of God lives within us. But God doesn’t just live in us, He lives in and through us, establishing the Kingdom in Earth as in Heaven.
We are the vehicle through which the Kingdom is manifesting throughout the earth, in every aspect of mankind’s involvement in the earth. Because of us, the Kingdom is among all the inhabitants of the earth, in the midst of all the goings on of the earth.
And as we step up to the plate, so to speak, more and more becoming the Lord’s Ekklesia (Greek for Church, meaning a governing/legislative body), the presence of the Kingdom in the world will literally change the world, bringing about the ultimate and complete fulfillment of Revelation 11:15:
The kingdoms [nations] of this world are become the kingdoms [Kingdom] of our Lord [Jesus], and of his Christ [the Body of Christ]. And he [we] shall reign for ever and ever.
Surely we were born for such a time as this!
The Millennial Reign
By Lanny Swaim
I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:1-2, 6
John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ is not a chronological order of events nor is it the revelation of so called end-times, a term we have already established cannot be found in the Bible.
Revelation 19:10 informs us that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
A few years ago I was in an incredible meeting in York, Pennsylvania and it was prophesied in that meeting that prophecy was no longer going be perceived as someone standing up and saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” but that we are going to become prophecy.
As Christ is fully formed in us (see Galatians 4:19 AMP), our lives will become a testimony of who Jesus is, revealing His character, authority and power, as He lives His life in us and through us; the result being His testimony will become our testimony, one and the same as we will experientially become one and the same with Him.
When people see us, they will see Him.
This is not something we accomplish by changing our behavior, it is who we are because He indwells us and that is changing our behavior.
As His testimony becomes our testimony, with His testimony being the spirit of prophecy, we will literally become the spirit of prophecy.
While prophecy does sometimes reveal future events, that only happens in the context of prophecy revealing Jesus.
Positionally we are already there, but as we experientially walk this out, Satan is finished. Actually, when Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished,” the devil lost all the power and authority he may have appeared to have.
The only reason he appears to have any power and authority on Earth is because Christians don’t realize he was completely defeated two thousand years ago.
But the time will come when the Lord’s Ekklesia (Greek for Church meaning a governing/legislative body) will walk in this revelation and reality, diminishing the devil's power and influence on Earth.
Will this be a literal thousand years, as Revelation 20:2 states? I don’t know.
But this I do know: If Christians had been walking in the knowledge of who we are in Christ and who He is in us, the devil would have been locked away for the past two thousand years.
Perhaps the reason Revelation 20:2&6 speaks of a thousand years is because it has to do with revelation coming forth during this seventh day/millennium since creation, which is the third day/millennium of the Ekklesia.
Maybe the thousand years of Revelation 20:2&6 is not a literal thousand years but takes place during a literal thousand years. I’m not ready to say that is revelation to me. It could simply be speculation on my part. But in any case, I think it is worth considering.
Regardless, there is coming a time when our realization of who we are in Christ and who He is in us will literally change the world.
And that, saints of God, is our destiny.
The term Millennial Reign or Kingdom Reign as it is sometimes called, is not in the Bible, but is probably taken from the thousand years of Revelation 20:2&6.
But the important thing is that we understand what is occurring, rather than exactly when it will occur.
Having said that, I must say again, surely we were born for such a time as this!