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DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
1] The Kingdom of God is the family of
God ruling as the government of God. It is a future world ruling
government to be set up on earth by Christ at His return, with Jesus as
King and the resurrected spirit-composed saints in positions of
corulership with Him. The Kingdom of God referred to as a "mystery" in
the New Testament-was first preached and explained by Christ, then by
His Church; it shall be established on earth for a thousand years
following Christ's return; and shall be completely fulfilled when new
Jerusalem and God the Father come down out of heaven to dwell on the new
earth.
DOCTRINAL OVERVIEW
2]
The Kingdom of God is, in its most narrow
sense, the immediate family of God, composed now of only two
beings
(the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ). In a more general sense, it
includes every being and every thing which is under God's sovereignty,
governmental control and influence. Within this definition, the entire
universe can be considered under God's sovereignty and hence part of His
empirical Kingdom. But in a prophetic sense, the meaning of God's
Kingdom is much more specific. It is the world-ruling government of God
to be set up on earth at Jesus Christ's return. Christ, together with
the resurrected saints, shall rule over all nations and peoples. Even
more specifically, the strictly spiritual Kingdom of God shall comprise only the spiritual members of this world government-died, born
again, spirit-composed sons of God who rule with Christ as members of
His family over the physical earth during the thousand year period and
eventually over the entire universe. This spiritual Kingdom of God is
the goal of all true Christians.
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3]
The story of the Bible, in a very real sense, is the record of
God's working with man so that he might learn to understand and obey
and, as a result, qualify to enter God's Kingdom and family. The Old
Testament prophets spoke at great length concerning that Kingdom (Is. 2:
11; Mic.4; Zech. 14).
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4]
"It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of
the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the
mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all nations shall
flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: Come, let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: that He may
teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He
shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and
they beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning
hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they
learn war any more" (Is. 2:2-4).
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5]
Likewise, the patriarchs envisioned it and waited for it as
"strangers and pilgrims" (Heb. 11:13) on this earth, since they knew
God's government would replace man's. They sought this Kingdom just as
many men might seek a land-country or homeland-of promise (Heb, 11:
14-15).
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6]
"These all died in faith, not having received what was promised,
but having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged
that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak
thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been
thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had
opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that
is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for He has prepared for them a city" (Heb. 11:13-16).
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7]
Jesus Christ was a member of God's family, of the godhead, and
hence of God's Kingdom, from eternity. But He divested Himself of His
godhead and rulership to become human, in order that He might announce
the coming Kingdom of God and qualify as its chief executive officer, as
both King and Lord. Jesus-as the primary messenger of the coming Kingdom
and the heir to its throne-was in a sense the personification and
embodiment of that Kingdom on earth during His physical lifetime and
ministry. This is why He stated, "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom
of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:15).
The Kingdom of God was indeed "at hand" because Jesus Christ, as its
King and Lord, was right there. Jesus, in fact, spelled this out when He
told some that His being among them was equal to the Kingdom being in
their midst. "Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was
coming, He answered them, The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to
be observed; nor will they say, Lo, here it is! or there! for behold,
the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Lk. 17:20-21).
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8]
The message of "good news" or gospel which Jesus brought to this
world has, as its focal point, the announcement of the coming Kingdom of
God, the description of how it shall be established on earth and the
explanation of how mankind might enter it as sons of God. Christ through
His death and resurrection became the "firstborn" member of this
prophetic spiritual Kingdom.
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9]
Christians who follow in the footsteps of His life will likewise
follow in the reality of His resurrection. They shall be raised from
death to rule with Him in His Kingdom. Through this process God shall
increase or build His Divine family and spiritual Kingdom from the
present two members to multiple billions (and perhaps, ultimately, even
more).
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10]
In one sense, those begotten of God's Spirit are part of the
Kingdom of God already, since they actually have the essence of that
Kingdom, God's Holy Spirit, dwelling within them. Furthermore,
Christians today, like Jesus during His physical human life, are
representatives of that Kingdom since they, like Jesus, shall be kings
and priests. Paul wrote that God "has delivered us from the dominion of
darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col.
1:13), indicating that Christians are already considered part of God's
Kingdom. Obviously, no human being can really be a part of God's Kingdom
since "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God nor does the
perishable inherit the imperishable" (I Cor. 15:50); this must wait
until the resurrection when "the perishable puts on the imperishable and
the mortal puts on immortality" (v. 54). Paul is thus just reiterating
what Jesus Himself had told Nicodemus.
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11]
"Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How
can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his
mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom
of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit" (John. 3:3-7).
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12]
Much confusion has arisen about the Kingdom of God because of
human reluctance to take the term "kingdom" literally. The prophet
Daniel was very clear in his statements to Nebuchadnezzar that the
Kingdom which God would eventually set up would be an actual kingdom on
earth in the same sense as the previously world-ruling kingdoms had
been. "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a
Kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be
left to other people. It shall break in pieces these kingdoms and bring
them to an end, and it shall stand for ever" (Dan. 2:44).
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13]
Scripture reveals that God's Kingdom on earth is indeed to be a
kingdom in every sense-having territory, laws, subjects and rulers. At
Christ's return the saints shall be changed from physical flesh or be
resurrected from the dead to spirit bodies.
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14]
"But we would not have you ignorant brethren, concerning those
who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through
Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we
declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are
left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have
fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry
of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet
of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive,
who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord" (I
Thess. 4:13-17).
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15]
The resurrected saints shall sit with Christ on His throne (Rev.
3:21), and rule under Christ on earth with power over the physical
nations. "...and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they
shall reign on earth" (Rev. 5: 10). "He who conquers and
who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the
nations" (Rev. 2:26).
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16]
In another sense, God's Kingdom shall have two parts: the ruling
body of spirit beings and the physical nations under that government and
control. This combined physical-spiritual Kingdom shall replace man's
governments. It shall conform to God's laws and commands and over a
period of time introduce and establish His way of life in every nation
for every person. The entire fabric of society shall be eventually
changed and reformed to comply with the precepts and concepts of God
Almighty. It shall be a government under which all human beings can lead
a happy, healthy, prosperous life. All persons alive at that time shall
have an opportunity to be saved and to have God's Spirit living in them.
God shall make a new covenant with His people through which He shall
change mankind's very nature by writing His law in man's heart.
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17]
"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like
the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the
hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they
broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the
covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,
says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it
upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be
my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his
brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the
least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their
iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (Jer. 31:31-34).
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18]
In God's Kingdom, warfare shall finally be eradicated and the
implements of war shall be turned into farm tools because "the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea"
(Is. 11:9). back to
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19]
"It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of
the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the
mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills; and peoples shall
flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: Come, let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may
teach us His ways and we may walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge
between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations afar off; and
they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more; but they shall sit every man under
his vine and under his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid; for
the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken" (Mic. 4:1-4).
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20]
Christ shall judge with "righteousness" and
"decide with equity for the meek of the earth"-Indeed the whole earth
shall be dramatically altered by the rulership of Jesus Christ-even the
nature of wild animals shall be changed.
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21]
"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a
branch shall grow out of His roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what
His eyes see, or decide by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He
shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth,
and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the
breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the
girdle of His waist, and faithfulness the girdle of His loins. The wolf
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child
shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie
down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The sucking
child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall
put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all
my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse shall
stand as an ensign to the peoples; Him shall the nations seek, and His
dwellings shall be glorious" (Is.11:1-10).
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22]
Food and drink shall be in abundant supply (Is. 25:6), the lame
shall walk, and the nations who were previously staunch enemies shall
live at peace. Israel, Egypt and Assyria shall even set the example of
peace and godly harmony for others to follow (Is. 19:23-25). Throughout
this time, many humans shall be qualifying to enter God's spiritual
Kingdom and family. Using Israel as the example, God's spiritual laws
for worshipping Him shall be taught to, and followed by, all nations.
"From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall
come to worship before me, says the Lord" (Is. 66:23).
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23]
"And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all
the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to
year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of
tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the
families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of
hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go
not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague,
wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the
feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the
punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of
tabernacles" (Zech. 14:16-19).
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24]
Biblical revelation has very little description of daily life
during the thousand year period. Although Micah's description seems to
assign every man to sit under his own vine and his own fig tree (Mic.
4:4), we should not therefore conclude that the only food available will
be grapes and figs. Likewise, we should not conclude that the Kingdom of
God will be a primitive, wholly agrarian society devoid of education,
arts and sciences. Surely Micah's symbol should be understood as showing
human beings to be both free and fully at peace (though it may be highly
likely that the larger proportion of people shall be involved in
agriculture).
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25]
Based on our knowledge of God, who is the Creator of the human
mind, the Kingdom of God shall employ high technology, in its most
sophisticated expression, in every sphere of that society-including the
areas of manufacturing, energy, transportation, communication,
information processing, architecture, city planning, etc. Yet, this
technology, under God's direction, will not produce the debilitating
by-products characteristic of today's world-energy will be clean and
inexhaustible; waste products will be recycled; cities will be safe and
sane; the ecology will be respected and the environment protected.
Growth will not be wildly uncontrolled and encouraged for its own sake,
but rather organized and ordered in accord with God's master plan for
the entire earth.
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26]
Increasing levels of scientific knowledge, technological
application and consumer consumption shall, no doubt, take place. Yet
the fundamental spiritual values of life shall always predominate.
Growth shall never eclipse the importance of individual human beings and
human families. Indeed, more people will probably find their occupations
in or near the home environment. Education at all levels and in all
areas shall be a primary activity for all people.
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27]
The Millennium shall be a time of the greatest advances
in every field of
human creativity, fields such as the arts and in every sciences. The
human mind shall be freed from the inhibitions of evil-no longer shall
warfare and competition dominate the enormous developmental time, energy
and financial resources of countries and individuals. All efforts shall
be devoted to the peaceful edification of society. The most artistic and
dynamic works of human history, the most magnificent musical
compositions and performances, the most beautiful paintings, the most
expressive literature, etc.-shall be created under God's laws.
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28]
Although the administration of the Kingdom of God shall enforce a
uniform law for all nations and peoples, and there are indications that
there shall be a universal language (Zeph. 3:9), this does not mean that
cultural differences between people shall be eliminated. On the
contrary, the diverse and unique personality, culture, music, art, dress
and habits of each nation shall be preserved and encouraged. God's laws
are universal in scope and shall be applied to, and shall strengthen,
all peoples in all cultures in all environments. Travel and cultural
exchange shall exist, with the primary intent-at least initially-of
teaching all nations to follow the example of God's people, Israel. To
accomplish this, all nations shall send representatives to Israel to
learn of God's ways and laws (Is.66:18-21, 23; Zech. 14:16-19), and
Israel shall send teachers to all countries to help them apply these new
concepts and put them into practice in their daily lives.
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29]
All through the thousand-year rule of Christ, God shall continue
to add to the number of those eventually to be in His kingdom. At the
end of the Millennium all who have ever lived and died without having a
full, first chance for salvation shall be resurrected as physical beings
to live in God's perfect society (Rev. 20:12). Those who qualify for
salvation shall be inducted into God's spiritual Kingdom while those of
this and previous eras who have not followed God's way shall burn in the
lake of fire. Immediately thereafter, the physical aspect of God's
Kingdom on earth shall disappear and be entirely replaced by the
spiritual Kingdom whose population shall have increased into the
billions by this time. Thus, we find God's Kingdom expanding in steps
and growing dramatically from only two beings to an innumerable
multitude through the process begun and made possible by and through
Jesus Christ and His resurrection.
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30]
Ultimately, following the thousand-year rule of Christ and the
Great White Throne Judgment, God shall replace the old earth with a "new
heaven and new earth" (Rev. 21:1). This reformation of heaven and earth
is part of the "restitution of all things" spoken of by Peter (Acts
3:21). The Father shall come to this earth to rule with Christ who shall
then be second in command at His Father's side (I Cor. 15:27-28), and
God's entire family shall rule the entire universe. (Christ shall
deliver the Kingdom to His Father, I Cor. 15:24.)
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31]
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will
dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be
with them; He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall
be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any
more, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat upon the
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Also He said, Write this,
for these words are trustworthy and true. And He said to me, It is done!
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty
I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He
who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he
shall be my son" (Rev. 21:1-7).
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32]
"And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God
the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to
shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the
Lamb. By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth
shall bring their glory into it, and its gates shall never be shut by
day and there shall be no night there; they shall bring into it the
glory and the honor of the nations" (Rev. 21:22-26)
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33]
"Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as
crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the
middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the
tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each
month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of
the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall worship Him; they shall
see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. And night shall
be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be
their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 22:1-5).
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34]
Revelation 21 and 22 are surely a complex amalgam of literal
description, awesome imagery and representative symbolism. Yet with all
of this, the Bible only gives us a hint of what God shall do after His
plan for mankind has been completed and He has added so dramatically to
expand His family and Kingdom. But indications are that God shall in one
way or another continue to expand His family forever.
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35]
"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the
government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end... "
(Is. 9:6-7).
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36]
The scope of God's family shall literally be "all things"-that
includes the whole universe. "Thou hast put all things in subjection
under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left
nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put
under Him" (Heb. 2:8).
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37]
The incredible majesty of God's Kingdom-the fact that man is to
become part of God's family and rule the entire universe-is called a
mystery in the New Testament. Jesus called it the "mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven" in Matthew 13:11, and "the mystery of the kingdom of
God" in Mark 4:11. This mystery includes several concepts "which [have
been] kept secret since the world began" (Rom. 16:25) and "hidden for
ages and generations but now made manifest to His saints" (Col.
1:26)-for example, the opportunity for gentiles to participate in the
Kingdom of God (Rom. 11:25) and become fellow heirs of the promise of
Christ (Eph. 3:6); the uniting of all things in heaven and earth in
Christ according to God's plan and purpose (Eph. 1:9); the relationship
of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:32). But the most important aspect of
the mystery of the Kingdom of God is the fact that man has
literally become God (I Cor. 15:51 ff). This mystery, "which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27), is ordained for "our
glorification" (I Cor. 2:7) and shall be fulfilled at the resurrection
when the seventh trumpet, sounds (Rev. 10:7).
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38]
The Bible states that the purpose of human life-the ultimate goal
for all human beings-Is to eventually be born into the God family, to
eventually become equal with the Creator of the universe. This
remarkable fact is surprisingly easy to prove. There is no difficult
exegesis involved. In one sense, all that is required is a four-step
process:
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1) The Creator of the Universe is the one who became
Jesus Christ (John. 1:3, 10; Col. 1:16; Eph. 3:9; Heb. 1:2).
2) Jesus Christ is equal with God (John. 5:18; Phil.
2:6).
3) We are joint-heirs with Christ, and as a sure
result, we shall all be glorified together with Him (Rom. 8:17).
4) Whatever glory God the Father has given Christ-the
position of Creator-Christ shall eventually give to us (John. 17:11 and
22). In other words, every converted individual shall eventually enjoy
the same relationship to Christ-God the Creator-as Christ presently
enjoys with God the Father.
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39]
In another sense, all that is required is a word-by-word
reading-without interpretation-of Genesis 1:26. Here God succinctly
gives the purpose of human life: Whereas animals reproduce after the
animal kind, man reproduces after the God kind! Or, more properly
phrased, human beings are the instruments through which God is
reproducing Himself.
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40]
Human beings shall always retain their individually distinct
minds-they shall become individual personalities in the Father's God
family. Man shall do what God does. Man will feel, act, enjoy and
experience at precisely the same presently incomprehensible level of
awareness at which God feels, acts, enjoys and experiences. And man
shall not lose his unique awareness and his individual personality.
"Man
will not be diffused into the cosmic consciousness," man will not be
absorbed by the "infinite intelligence," and man will not be swallowed
up by "universal love."
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41]
As a matter of fact, just the opposite is true: The members of
God's family in tomorrow's world shall be more distinct from one another
than members of the human family are distinct from one another in
today's world. All shall have their own individually specific memories,
abilities, personality traits, jobs, responsibilities, preferences and
ideas. But there won't be any competition or conflict. Because the old
culprit-self-centered human nature-shall have long since been
eliminated.
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42]
When mankind is promised to be made "equal with God," that of
course means that individual human beings shall eventually become
qualitatively equal with God-and obviously does not mean that
individual human beings shall eventually become quantitatively
equal with either God the Father or Jesus Christ. Being "equal with God"
only means that we shall be in the same God family as the Father and
Christ are in, and has nothing to do with an equality of power,
authority, intelligence, etc., within the family.
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43]
In other words, those people who shall be resurrected or changed
"in the twinkling of an eye" (I Cor. 15:52), shall share the exact
qualities of life which today are only possessed by God the Father and
Jesus Christ. back
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44]
For example, one of God's qualities is that He has inherent
life-He generates eternal life intrinsically within Himself, because God
is life. "For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to
the Son to have life in Himself" (John. 5:26). Consequently, since the two
original beings in the God family created all mankind to grow to become
qualitatively like themselves, when individual human beings are changed
into new, individual God-beings, each of them shall generate eternal
life intrinsically within himself (John. 3:16, 36; 4:14; 6:47; 7:38;
10:28; 17:2, etc.).
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45]
Every individual person has been created to grow toward divine
sonship (Rom. 8:1-15)-to become a literal son of God- a son who is in
every way qualitatively equal to his Father, yet a son who is always in
thankful and gracious submission to his Creator Father.
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46]
But quantitatively, man shall never equal God the Creator, just
as surely as God the Creator (Jesus Christ) shall Himself never
quantitatively equal God the Father (John. 14:28).
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47]
These two original beings in the God family shall always remain
in overall command. Their absolute authority will never be
questioned-although they will delight in sharing progressively more of
their responsibilities with their offspring as the God family continues
to expand throughout space and time.
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