COGR – Are there kings and kingdoms here now?
January 17, 2024
Good day! I am writing a series of short reviews of abbreviated COGR video clips. I am looking for input and comments. If it makes it easier I will be glad to supply a Word document so comments can be put in the document and we can communicate directly. My email address is lattema@icloud.com. I hope you find these reviews helpful.
Transcript:
Yes, brother, but he didn’t leave us without kings, he didn’t leave us without a Kingdom. He didn’t take the Kingdom back up with him for us, just to hope for it and look for it and think about it and picture in our minds. It wasn’t just gonna be an ethereal, intangible thing that we could read about in the Bible, but it was to be something we could touch, something we could experience, something we could feel, something we could know. Something we could press into….. But this judgment begins before the final day. This judgment begins with Thrones on the Earth. We might say. 12, by the way, you can in your Bible 12 Thrones right there. It’s the return of those 12 Thrones in the Earth. It’s the return of that First Dominion. And those Thrones bring a judgment that goes back and judges what this power has been doing. All the way through.
Commentary:
A claim is made that the end-time Apostles, like the first Apostles, have been given authority and power. Like Jesus and the original twelve who rule in heaven, the final 12 end-time Apostles will rule on the earth. They are kings and priests. They are Jesus in the flesh, and the Kingdom is not intangible but tangible. As Jesus was a king while on earth, they are also kings. God has selected this small group to sit on his earthly throne and rule over the nations until his return. Is this true?
This raises three questions:
- Did Jesus or the original (and only) Apostles rule as kings?
- Is the Kingdom of God physical or spiritual?
- Are we anticipating a “Second Dominion” before Jesus returns?
In response to the first question, neither Jesus nor the apostles acted as kings. They fulfilled their role as servants, humbly following God. They did not exalt themselves even though Jesus was king. This is demonstrated by the historical evidence that they worked cooperatively with the new Christian congregations. The Apostles had authority but never exalted themselves.
Jesus:
Mark 10:45 (NIV): “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Philippians 2:7 (NIV): “rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
The Apostles:
2 Corinthians 4:5 (NIV): “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
1 Corinthians 9:19 (NIV): “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”
Galatians 5:13 (NIV): “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
Regarding the second question, the Kingdom of God is not distant, ethereal, or nebulous but current, present, spiritual, and powerful. We currently live in the Kingdom of God. The following verses provide Jesus’ perspective on the Kingdom.
Luke 17:20-21 (NIV): “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.’”
Matthew 6:33 (NIV): “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Colossians 1:13 (NIV): “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”
Romans 14:17 (NIV): “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Regarding the third question, nowhere in the NT are we told to seek or follow kings. Nor is there any inkling that there are going to be 12 new thrones and a second dominion. I such things were important there would have been instructions and information about them.
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