THE BRIDE; THE PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF THE TRUTH. WRITTEN BY: OPALE FRANK. BY THE INSPIRATION OF: THE HOLY SPIRIT. WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO: APOSTLE GRACE LUBEGA.
There is beauty in Christ which cannot be found anywhere except in Him. The book of Acts 17:19-28 says, “They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you? For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.” Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing. Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: TO AN
UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you. The God Who made the world and all things in it, He, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn`t dwell in temples made with hands, neither is He served by men`s hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He Himself gives to all life and breath, and all things. He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and have
our being. As some of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.” In the above Scripture we see Paul address many aspects of Truth however our major focus will be concerning the statement he made saying that God does not dwell in temples made by human hands, which scripture is also emphasized in the book of Acts 7:47-50 which says, “But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. However, the Most High does not dwell in houses and temples made with hands; as the prophet says, Heaven [is] My throne, and the earth the footstool for My feet. What [kind of] house can you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place in which I can rest? Was it not My hand that made all these things?”
John 1:3 tells us that all things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being; from this we clearly see that by the Spirit [Word of God] everything was created, meaning it will take pride for a man to seek to build a building and suppose to bind the Person of God in it. We see that the temple is more of spiritual than what men think it to be in the physical. Conversations of the temple started way back in the Old Testament, however it is worth noting that our fore fathers lived a life of pitching altars before God, this however with time was lost due to many
reasons however we shall not go into that. Altars are places of open invitation and relationship with God, however conversations of the temple came into place, when the man of God David had a conviction within himself that he dwells in a good house and yet the Ark of the Covenant of God dwells in tents. We see that by God telling him that his hands are full of bloodstains and that his son Solomon will be the one to build it, this did not mean that Solomon had clean hands and that he had not killed anyone, because we see his father David clearly instruct him to take vengeance over those who let`s per say disturbed him [David] while he was still king. This I believe was because God could not explain to him
everything concerning the Christ at that time, for we realize that if David had built this temple [physical] it would mean a lot in the spiritual realm beyond what I could be able to explain at the moment; this is why everything is counted unto Solomon for building this temple, and for David, Christ came to establish his kingdom forever. To the man of God David, what he saw from the presence of God with the Ark of the Covenant [the blessing on ObedEdom`s house, the young boys who stretched-out their hands to support the Ark from falling], this is what moved him to seek to build God a temple although he proposed to build it with the reason that he dwelt in a better place, because we see
that what inspired him to go for the Ark was the blessing he heard on ObedEdom`s house, as we know that it is the presence of God that makes a temple, just as we are, due to His presence in us. We clearly later see the man of God Solomon build the temple as instructed by his father David who was directed by God to do the same. 1 Kings 6:19 tells us “And he prepared the Holy of Holies in the inner room in which to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord.” From this scripture we see that the Holy of Holies was set because of the presence of God with the Ark of the Covenant, however we see in the initial stages as revealed to us in 1 Kings 6:11-14, “Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,
Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes, execute My precepts, and keep all My commandments to walk in them, then I will fulfill to you My promises which I made to David your father. And I will dwell among the Israelites and will not forsake My people Israel. So Solomon built the house and finished it.” We see a conditional instruction given to the man of God Solomon as an individual for God to honor the house he was building, and after this condition, we see that after his acceptance, he was graced to finish it. This was the same scenario when the Law was set before the Israelites, and another time when the Israelites demanded for a king; the truth is that it is important to
listen, meditate, and understand the instructions of God because they are what preserve one in the course set for them, as we have seen in many portions of Scripture, Samson, Moses, the young Prophet and the old prophet in 1 Kings 13. We see in reality, that the man of God Solomon dishonored the initial instructions from God; meaning that certain things lost place, as we saw that God was even willing to fulfill the promises He promised David upon Solomon; this is not something small, I believe the man of God Solomon writing the book of Ecclesiastes whose major theme is vanity of vanities; this was because of the hollowness he felt, though
this was not the first time as David also once expressed it saying “cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me [Psalms 51:11]”. Ladies and gentlemen God is all we need and without Him nothing in this world can satisfy us or even take His place, and from this we learn to never lose the wonder in Him, my spiritual father Apostle Grace Lubega always tells us to never get used of the presence of God, as we ought to always have reverence for Him. Let’s briefly talk about the Ark of the Covenant. We clearly see that many things that God revealed to the men of old were shadows of either those in heaven, or that yet to come. However
with emphasis just as Galatians 3:23-25 says, “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, confined for the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law has become our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Therefore when the reality is revealed, you are no longer subject to the dictates of the shadow but the reality. The Book of Hebrews 9:3-4 tells us, “After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot
holding the manna, Aaron`s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.” Let us briefly talk about these three subjects. It should be noted that these things were preserved under God`s instructions, why? Because He is the God Who keeps records or certain things for remembrance or testimony. Manna; from this manna we ought to ask ourselves a certain funny question, of how and which preservative kept it in good state, because we all know that the manna as instructed by God to the Israelites was to be kept for a day and not to be kept for another day; here we
clearly see that the Word of God is the best preservative ever. We see in the New Testament Jesus hint on this manna in John 6 as in verse 31 He was asked by the Pharisees to show them a sign just as their forefathers ate manna in the wilderness quoting the scripture, “He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.”, verse 32-33 tells us, “Jesus then said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Moses did not give you the Bread from heaven [what Moses gave you was not the Bread from heaven], but it is My Father Who gives you the true heavenly Bread. For the Bread of God is He Who comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” As seen above, Jesus` problem was not about the manna
the forefathers ate, but it was the indifference of calling it the Bread from heaven; this will be expounded on in line with the temple. Aaron`s rod that budded; this is elaborated in details in Numbers 17 as the Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, and instructed Moses to place rods of twelve tribes of Israel before the Lord in the tent of Testimony, however it should be noted that Aaron`s name was written on the rod of Levi, the priestly nation as the essence of all this was to prove to the Israelites that the appointments of God are unquestionable. This is where Aaron`s rod not only budded but also produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. Hallelujah. In the
New Testament Christ comes as a High Priest but not according to the order of the Levites but that of Melchizedek. The tablets of the covenant; in simple terms this refers to the ten commandments which Moses wrote as a replica of those he broke in anger which were written by God`s own hands. The reason to as to why it is called the Ark of the covenant is because it bore the covenant upon which God made with the Israelites His people, however with emphasis, what failed the men of old to fulfill as all covenants bind both parties as it is just like a contract, however the difference with this one is that Our Father did not discharge it because we breached it, but chose novation, as we see Christ
clearly tell us in Matthew 5:17-18 “Don`t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn`t come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished”. What catches my attention is the place where Christ speaks of firstly the fulfillment of the Law which He did therefore implying that it is now vanishing, as we see that scripture tells us that there is no way a New covenant can be effected while the Old still stands as there must firstly be the discharge of the old before the new is entered into; this was done by Jesus for our sake when indeed no fault was found
in Him as Scripture reveals Him as One Who knew no sin. We see that in Scripture, there is no day God spoke from the Ark of the covenant, for its role was to keep the Israelites in remembrance of the past [Numbers 17:10], and also to prove to them that these were shadows of the original. We see this truly depicts to us that God honors obedience rather than sacrifice, as He honored the works of these men who firstly honored His instructions of the same. Furthermore, Hebrews 9:1 tells us, “NOW EVEN the first covenant had its own rules and regulations for divine worship, and it had a sanctuary [but one]
of this world.” Here we are told that the first covenant had its own rules of worship, and its sanctuary which is of this world. We realize here that an altar [singular] was defined and erected to handle multitudes [plural]; meaning that peoples relationship with God were to depend on single individuals [the priests who had access to the so called temple with the Holy of Holies]; this I believe is why these men could restrict the relationship of God with His people to sin and yet twice in scripture we are revealed to that God wanted to deal with His people beyond sin, as Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool”, and Hosea 4:6 which says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge”. We see that when scripture talks of something being earthly it implies that it was made by the inspiration of man, however there is need to distinguish between Revelation 11:19 and 21:22, in Revelation 11:19 the Bible says, “Then the sanctuary of God in heaven was thrown open, and the ark of His covenant was seen standing inside in His sanctuary; and there were flashes of lightning, loud rumblings (blasts, mutterings), pearls of thunder, an earthquake, and a terrific hailstorm”.
Here we see that as in the Old Testament where it was only the high priest who had access to the holy of holies which was a shadow of the great original, here we see that when heaven was thrown open, John the revelator was thrown back into time past where he saw the ark of covenant in the sanctuary. Hebrews 9:7-8 says, “but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself, and for the errors of the people. By this the Holy Spirit points out that the way into the [true Holy of] Holies is not yet thrown open as long as the former [the outer portion of the] tabernacle remains a recognized institution and is still standing.” When we talk about the outer portion, it is revealed
to us in verse 2, however beyond that, it is the physical temple that these men recognized it to be yet in reality was no more than a tradition, for example in it was a lampstand and a table with showbread set forth, of which Jesus tried to reecho this point to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:3-6 which says, “He said to them, Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, and those who accompanied him—How he went into the house of God and ate loaves of the showbread—which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for the men who accompanied him, but for the priests only? Or have you never read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the sanctity of the Sabbath
[breaking it] and yet are guiltless? But I tell you, Something greater and more exalted and more majestic than the temple is here!” As seen above, Christ wanted to open these people to certain truths however their hearts were not ready to learn, as to be sincere, this was a great provocation of the highest order if the realty of this sanctuary was true; this is why God did not pay attention to David and his companions eating the showbread, however to us it was for our learning, no wonder it is the same reason why men in the law are the advocates of the Law which has outlived its usefulness as faith has been revealed. We also see Christ tell us that greater, more exalted and more majestic than the
temple is here, this would sound as a controversy but it was the real Truth, which we shall discuss later. From Hebrews 9:8 which says “By this the Holy Spirit points out that the way into the [true Holy of] Holies is not yet thrown open as long as the former [the outer portion of the] tabernacle remains a recognized institution and is still standing.” We see that by the fact that these Jews and their leaders were not willing to let go of this thinking of the physical existence of the Jerusalem temple, then there was a necessity to destroy it [physical] so that Christ may access the True Holy of Holies in heaven; this is the reason why Matthew 27:51 says, “And at once the curtain of the
sanctuary of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split”. Furthermore, Hebrews 9:11,12,23,24 say, “But [that appointed time came] when Christ (the Messiah) appeared as a High Priest of the better things that have come and are to come. [Then] through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with [human] hands, that is, not a part of this material creation, He went once for all into the [Holy of] Holies [of heaven], not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves [by which to make reconciliation between God and man], but His own blood, having found and secured a complete redemption (an everlasting release for us). By such means, therefore,
it was necessary for the [earthly] copies of the heavenly things to be purified, but the actual heavenly things themselves [required far] better and nobler sacrifices than these. For Christ (the Messiah) has not entered into a sanctuary made with [human] hands, only a copy and pattern and type of the true one, but [He has entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the [very] presence of God on our behalf.” Here we see that just as the earthly tabernacle was, there was also a heavenly one, and when Christ our High Priest offered Himself as a Living Sacrifice, He entered into the heavenly [the True] Holy of Holies [the true sanctuary] with a perfect sacrifice which was enough to cleanse our sins once and
for all, and for this being accomplished, there was no more need of the temple in heaven, as we see that the earthly copy of the original destroyed when the curtain in the temple tore into two; meaning that the heavenly temple was also dealt away with as its usefulness is no more after the offering of the most excellent sacrifice. This is why in the book of Revelations 21:22 says, “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Omnipotent [Himself] and the Lamb [Himself] are its temple.” In addition to the above, we see a similar conversation in John 2:14-22 which says, “There He found in the temple [enclosure] those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money
changers sitting there [also at their stands]. And having made a lash (a whip) of cords, He drove them all out of the temple [enclosure]—both the sheep and the oxen—spilling and scattering the brokers` money and upsetting and tossing around their trays (their stands). Then to those who sold the doves He said, Take these things away (out of here)! Make not My Father`s house a house of merchandise (a marketplace, a sales shop)! And His disciples remembered that it is written [in the Holy Scriptures], Zeal (the fervor of love) for Your house will eat Me up. [I will be consumed with jealousy for the honor of Your house.] Then the Jews retorted, What sign can You show us, seeing You do these
things? [What sign, miracle, token, indication can You give us as evidence that You have authority and are commissioned to act in this way?] Jesus answered them, Destroy (undo) this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again. Then the Jews replied, it took forty-six years to build this temple (sanctuary) and will You raise it up in three days? But He had spoken of the temple which was His body.” As seen above we see Jesus distinguish to us these two things, as what men called the temple, to Him it was His Father`s house as He honors places of communion or where men gather to worship Him, and we further see that when He talked about the temple, He meant His body, for He
was true and serious about it, as we know temples are defined by the presence of God and nothing less of that, for we see scripture prophecy in Jeremiah 3:16 saying, “And it shall be that when you have multiplied and increased in the land in those days, says the Lord, they shall no more say, The ark of the covenant of the Lord. It shall not come to mind, nor shall they [seriously] remember it, nor shall they miss or visit it, nor shall it be repaired or made again [for instead of the ark, which represented God`s presence, He will show Himself to be present throughout the city].” We see that Jesus spoke of these men destroying His body for Him to rebuild it in three days, which is so powerful, for John 12:23-24 says,
“Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit””, this was all manifested after the death of Jesus Christ which brought many sons to glory who define the glory of the later church being greater than the former. In addition to the above, 1 Corinthians 15:35-44 further tells us, “But someone will say, How can the dead be raised? With what [kind of] body will they come forth? You foolish man! Every time you plant seed, you sow something that does not come to life [germinating, springing up, and growing] unless it dies first. Nor is the seed you
sow then the body which it is going to have [later], but it is a naked kernel, perhaps of wheat or some of the rest of the grains. But God gives to it the body that He plans and sees fit, and to each kind of seed a body of its own. For all flesh is not the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for beasts, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies (sun, moon, and stars) and there are earthly bodies (men, animals, and plants), but the beauty and glory of the heavenly bodies is of one kind, and while the beauty and glory of the earthly bodies is a different kind. The sun is glorious in one way, and the moon is glorious in another way, and the stars are glorious in their own [distinctive]
way; for one star differs from and surpasses another in its beauty and brilliance. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. [The body] that is sown is perishable and decays, but [the body] that is resurrected is imperishable (immune to decay, immortal). It is sown in dishonor and humiliation; it is raised in honor and glory. It is sown in infirmity and weakness; it is resurrected in strength and endued with power. It is sown a natural (physical) body; it is raised a supernatural (a spiritual) body. [As surely as] there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.” We shall launch into details concerning the spiritual body shortly. In Scripture Jesus asked Nicodemus a fundamental question in John 3:10-13,
“Jesus replied, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet do not know nor understand these things? [Are they strange to you?] I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, We speak only of what we know [we know absolutely what we are talking about]; we have actually seen what we are testifying to [we were eyewitnesses of it]. And still you do not receive our testimony [you reject and refuse our evidence—that of Myself and of all those who are born of the Spirit]. If I have told you of things that happen right here on the earth and yet none of you believes Me, how can you believe (trust Me, adhere to Me, rely on Me) if I tell you of heavenly things? And yet no one has ever gone up to heaven, but there is
One Who has come down from heaven— the Son of Man [Himself], Who is (dwells, has His home) in heaven.” From this portion of scripture the next question would be, what are the heavenly things Lord? Briefly taking about them, John 4:19-26 tells us, “The woman said to Him, Sir, I see and understand that You are a prophet. Our forefathers worshiped on this mountain, but you [Jews] say that Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary and proper to worship. Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither [merely] in this mountain nor [merely] in Jerusalem. You [Samaritans] do not know what you are worshiping [you worship what you do not
comprehend]. We do know what we are worshiping [we worship what we have knowledge and understand], for [after all] salvation comes from [among] the Jews. A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as His worshipers. God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, He Who is called the Christ (the Anointed One); and when He arrives, He will tell us everything we need to know and make it clear to us. Jesus said to her, I Who now speak with
you am He.” As seen above we are defined to who a worshiper is as it is they who firstly are born of the Spirit of God [born again – as Christ explained to Nicodemus in John 3], and secondly, are submitted to truth [knowledge of Christ]; this means that what we see certain people take as worship now is deception of the highest order, as many think to define worship to be in the voices. Time immemorial we saw Abel, Abraham, Isaac and Israel define worship in their relationship with God, my spiritual father Apostle Grace Lubega always emphasizes that in Phaneroo “we are all ministers unto God” as there are no specialists and amateurs, remember God made us able ministers as 2 Corinthians
3:5-6 tells us, “Not that we are fit (qualified and sufficient in ability) of ourselves to form personal judgments or to claim or count anything as coming from us, but our power and ability and sufficiency are from God. [It is He] Who has qualified us [making us to be fit and worthy and sufficient] as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant [of salvation through Christ], not [ministers] of the letter (of legally written code) but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive.” The Bride [The Church of Jesus Christ]. My spiritual father Apostle Grace Lubega always tells us that creation is spiritual whereas formation is physical,
and that nothing can be manifested physically without it firstly being created in the spirit. Now I realize why scripture tells us that weapons of our warfare are not carnal, meaning that they are spiritual. Another may ask which weapons are these we have. Ephesians 6:11-17 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world`s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in
the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” From the story of Adam and Eve there is too much to learn from that may not even be exhausted. Genesis 1:26-27 says, “God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make
mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 2:7 tells us, “Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.” Who is Adam?
Before we delve into this discussion, it is worth noting that the term “Adam” relates or means “nature”. 1 Corinthians 15:45-48 tells us, “Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a lifegiving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]. But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual. The first man [was] from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man [is] the Lord from out of heaven. Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was made of the dust (earthly-minded); and as is [the Man] from heaven, so also [are those] Who are of heaven (heavenly-minded).”
The above scripture elaborates more concerning the first Adam and the second Adam. One may ask, was it necessary for the manifestation of the physical first then the spiritual last? Romans 8:29 [Msg] says, “God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity He restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him.” We see that although God formed the first Adam who was a living soul, He knew what He was doing just as we saw that this Adam disobeyed God at one point, and then the second Adam Who is the Lord of Glory;
the Perfect One; God`s original plan was manifested. We see that with this Adam being the intended plan of God, there were no restrictions put on Him such as “do not eat from the tree of life”; no wonder when He comes, He told us that He is Life and its giver, meaning that He was that tree in Eden, as Genesis 3:24 tells us, “So [God] drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep and guard the way to the tree of life.” And when He came He told us that He is the Way, He is the Truth and He is the Life, and that no man can come to the Father except through Him, in other words the Tree of
life itself has been manifested, in that no more can Adam [first] access the spirit realm in the physical for that life as it was before when he had an opportunity to before the expulsion from Eden. In simple terms, when God spoke in Genesis 1:26-27, Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness, He created man in His Own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. From this portion of Scripture, it is worth noting that when God is creating someone in His own image and likeness; the reality is that because He is Spirit there is no way He will relate what He
creates to the physical, but it will also become spirit. Furthermore, with emphasis the Bible firstly speaks of creating man; singular, then still from the definition of this man, a female is created, although we see the Bible talking about male and female; and because we see that creation determines the formation, we therefore see the formation of Adam first, then from that man Adam`s rib a woman finds her definition, this is why when Scripture is talking about this subject 1 Corinthians 15:45 says, “Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life].” As seen
above, the Bible does not include woman in the conversation of the first and the last [we shall soon explain the Last Adam]; this is because as earlier expounded, woman found her definition in man, as soil was not over yet for God to form her from it, but it was necessary to create her from a man. With that mind, now we see that the second man Adam [Christ] comes as a Perfect definition of God`s nature and likeness; this is why He is the Firstborn in all aspects in the Spirit, as Colossians 1:15-20 [Amp] says, “[Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. For it was in Him that all things were created, in
heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently. And God
purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.” The above portion of Scripture explains to us about the Christ, as we know that He existed before creation and that all things were made through Him and that He is the Firstborn in all things. What catches my attention is verse 19 which says, “For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently” and verse 15 which says, ““[Now] He is the exact likeness of the
unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation”, meaning that when God in Genesis 1:26 says, “God said, Let Us make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness”; something happened in that conversation which John 3:16 and 17 tells us that, “God sent His Only begotten Son”, meaning it pleased God that Jesus Christ should come, or even that Jesus Christ accepted and said “Let me go instead of us making another after Our Own nature and Likeness”; this is the conversation Prophet Isaiah fell into in Isaiah 6:8, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” This, he was taken in time
past and whose decision was already made, as we see Scripture tell us that Christ [the Lamb] was slain before the foundations of the earth. We see that Christ responded to this question by accepting to come, as it is His nature to do things Himself, as many times in Scripture He has done things where questions arose, for instance in Revelations 5:1-7 which says, “AND I saw lying on the open hand of Him Who was seated on the throne a scroll (book) written within and on the back, closed and sealed with seven seals; and I saw a strong angel announcing in a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll? And [who is entitled and deserves and is morally fit] to break its seals? And no one
in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in the realm of the dead, Hades] was able to open the scroll or to take a [single] look at its contents. And I wept audibly and bitterly because no one was found fit to open the scroll or to inspect it. Then one of the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said to me, Stop weeping! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root (Source) of David, has won (has overcome and conquered)! He can open the scroll and break its seven seals! And there between the throne and the four living creatures (beings) and among the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] I saw a Lamb standing, as though it has been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God
[the sevenfold Holy Spirit] Who have been sent [on duty far and wide] into all the earth. He then went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne.” As we have seen, even here Christ took on the responsibility to do that. Briefly, we see John the Revelator still speak about creatures; meaning, even now certain things in heaven cannot find a suitable word to describe them including the Lamb [Christ our Lord]; this is why Apostle Paul still saw things unlawful to utter, or which cannot be put in human language. Now I see why Scripture says that one who see`s God has to die, in other words there is no way one can see God unless they are dead to the first Adamic nature and alive in the
Spirit. This is why God is specific about His sons and daughters to be only those who have believed in His Son Jesus Christ and nothing else. Just as we saw Eve created out of man [Adam], it therefore calls upon us to discuss something about the Christ. The Bible in Genesis 3:20 tells us, “The man called his wife`s name Eve [life spring], because she was the mother of all the living.” When we read the above statement we realize that woman lost something big, and that man naming her Eve was an emotional experience because of what she had lost; for though man had lost his place with God, what woman had lost was too big for even him to bear
though both lost much. As we see that man named woman Eve because she was the mother of all the living, for now she is not as we see that the text is in a past experience; meaning that presently she is the mother of all the dead; this is why Christ came to reconcile the dead back to life. The next question is, who then took the place of mother of all the living? It should be noted that Sarah is the mother of all nations [Genesis 17:16], just as Abraham is the father of many nations [Genesis 17:4], which word nations as revealed in us in Galatians 3:16 referred to One Man the Christ Who is the Seed of Abraham; meaning that Abraham is the
father of all believers [faithful] in Christ Jesus. In scripture, we see Jesus Christ return the conversation of “mother” which carried a spiritual bearing. Matthew 12:46-50 says, “Jesus was still speaking to the people when behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, Listen! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You. But He replied to the man who told Him, who is My mother, and who are My brothers? And stretching out His hand toward [not only the twelve disciples but all] His adherents, He said, Here are My mother and My brothers.
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!” This same account is given in Mark 3:31-35. We see in this portion of scripture Jesus signify something hidden, because, He would say “here are My mothers, brothers, and sisters” or “here is My mother, brother and sister”, however He said, “here are My mother”, we see that just as Adam had one wife who would make many replicas of him, so is Christ, He has only one mother [the church] who makes Replicas of Him, remember His instructions at the end, “go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Furthermore, we see that just as woman was made out of man, and later became husband and wife [one flesh], so it is with Jesus Christ that woman [the Church] was made from Him and of which the marriage of the Lamb is at hand though we are already one Spirit with Him. Lastly, Ephesians 5:25-32 tells us, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless]. Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own
bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man even hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members (parts) of His body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church.” We see that Apostle Paul narrates the marriage relationship with the way Christ loved the church, for He begot the church [saints] when He died and was resurrected, and He in this marriage relationship with it came and resides in us making us the temple of God. For 2 Corinthians 6:16
tells us “For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Child of God you are the true definition of the temple, for God dwells in you. Halleluiah.
In case you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, and you want to do that today, Romans 10:10 with a heart one believes and so is justified, and with the mouth he confesses and confirms their salvation. Therefore having believed in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, proclaim it saying; Dear Lord Jesus, I have heard Your Word, I have believed it, today I receive You as my Lord and Savior, I am Born Again. Amen.
Other books written; 1. Grace found you, you believed it and preached it to others. [Born again, the new birth, the new you]. 2. Beyond mastery in the life above weakness. 3. The spirit of err. 4. Resurrection. 5. The Jesus Gene. 6. You are the Light of your family. 7. The Bridegroom`s Return is at hand. 8. The Revival and great awakening of IUIU.
About the Author. Opale Frank is a spiritual son of Apostle Grace Lubega. One of the best things in life is to know God and His Son Jesus Christ. About this book. It talks more about the temple of God, the Church of Jesus Christ and many aspects, however just know that it is one of the books you not only read but the Holy Spirit will be guiding and communicating more to you. It helps us understand the importance of having a relationship with God, and many more you will enjoy as you read just as a man who falls on the spoils of the war. Alleluia.
1 Publizr