The second-coming of Jesus will be insignificant, as compared with His first-coming. Many Christians, eagerly wait for the second-coming. Yet that event is insignificant, when compared with the first century developments. To put everything into perspective, let us analyze Jesus’ dramatization with the Jews at the Temple. As He declared:
“Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of merchandise!” (John 2:16).
In religious terms, a Temple is God’s House. Jesus’ Temple cleansing drama cannot be limited to the context that those religious people understood. Of course, corruption had permeated into their worship system. The temple had lost its original grandeur, due to corruptible activities by Levites of that time.
But Jesus’ behavior obviously signified greater reality, though not understood at that time, possibly, even today. The hidden reality is in John 2:19: “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up’”. In verse 21 John says “But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”
This brings clarity in that the real temple of the Lord is the human body. When God created Man in His image, he later formed him of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). Adam’s physical body was the temple of the Lord. The entire offspring of Adam, including Jesus, would carry the symbolic temple that no-longer fulfilled its purpose of being God’s Temple. However, as our representative, Jesus’ allowed His own temple (His physical body) to be destroyed, but resurrected in three days.
While Jesus is projected as a member of the Trinity, this satisfies the inquisitive minds, calming the logic nerves, gripping humanity. Jesus, the man, should be looked at on equal terms with humanity, except His office of being the Christ. Another name of Jesus is Emanuel, translated to mean “God with us.” The ‘God’, described in the translation of “Emanuel” is the same as mentioned in Deuteronomy 6:4. (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”)
Admittedly, scholars struggle with the logic of Jesus being man and God at the same time. But God cannot be likened to anything created. He is outside everything created, which means that He can be one thing at any given time and be another, at the same time. That is what makes Him to be God.
The uni-plural description of God, used at creation, is not necessarily multilateral, but as clearly stated in Deuteronomy 6:4. God, also, cannot be limited to three (Trinity), in view of the apparent citations in the New Testament scriptures. God is none of the considerations assumed by humanity, with limited minds.
When Jesus talks about His Father being in Heaven, He says this in His capacity as human, as all of us are. Jesus was not different from us, when we similarly declare that our Father is in Heaven. Jesus came to correct the error of all ages, being our lost identity. Humans lost their identity with their Father at the Garden of Eden. The term “Father” implies ‘source’. Jesus came to draw us into appreciating that our Father who is in Heaven is our source, as He created us.
Those insisting of Jesus being a member of the Trinity, trip themselves, as when claiming God to be His Father, Jesus would then be viewed as one created, like all of us. But that would be inaccurate. What was created was the human aspect of Jesus, being just like any of us.
The temple that Jesus allowed to be destroyed is similar to the temples (our human bodies) that each of us occupies. Bear in mind that a human being is spirit, occupying the dirt, or dust, to be relinquished at the point of death. The actual identity of an individual is spiritual, just as God is Spirit. The occupied structure of dust or dirt is not a being, just as the physical Jesus could not have been the Christ. The physical part of Jesus was the temple.
The only difference is that Jesus was representing the entire humanity, just as Adam represented us in his sinful experience. Jesus’ temple carried no difference, in terms of physical structure. As a human being, Jesus was the child of Mary, but also being the Christ. Jesus’ Messianic role accomplished the deliverance of the lost humanity.
Through Christ we are redeemed to be God’s children, as originally designed. For our sake, Jesus was born by a human being called Mary. Also, for purposes of His identity with us, He was to be the Son of God. Through His identity with us, we can now appreciate being God’s children. In reality, Jesus is our brother and Lord. Christians are children of Man and God’s children, just as Jesus is the Son of Man and the Son of God at the same time.
The significance of the current civilization is sustained by the capitalistic world economies. After the demise of communism, capitalism got accepted as the only modern method of commercial practices. All of us, not being aware of our bodies being the temple of the Lord, have capitalistic tendencies that need cleansing. This is what temple-cleansing by Jesus Christ signified.
Each human being ought to know that their bodies represent God’s temple. Repentance means allowing Jesus to overturn the tables of Godlessness in one’s life. The same radical approach in Temple cleansing, as applied by Jesus, ought to be used by a person rediscovering his/her life in Jesus.
The Lord’s Prayer enables Godly function in one’s body, if properly utilized. Jesus becomes King, who, through one’s body, establishes the new civilization. If that prayer model is applied accordingly, the new civilization becomes a reality, to replace what prevails in the world today.
In one of His parables, Jesus likened the Kingdom to a little leaven that transforms the whole dough (Matthew 13:33). What this means is that one needs not wait for everyone to apply the principles of God’s Kingdom. As an individual, one starts applying Kingdom principles, to eventually influence others to do likewise. One’s behavior can lead towards full realization of God’s Kingdom, as long as applying the Lord’s Prayer principles.
The only key in establishing God’s Kingdom is Jesus. While most people wait for His second-coming, they fail to appreciate that His first-coming fulfilled what is necessary for salvation. Christ’s second-coming is only dependent upon the required number of those applying Kingdom principles, being achieved (Revelation 7:3). This is why it’s necessary to herald the gospel across the world (Matthew 24:14). My desire and prayer is that those reading this become part of the mission.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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