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losing their jobs and probably being
executed as subversives. So they
opposed and denounced Jesus.
Traditional Christianity has real–
ly never understood this basic rea–
son for Pharisaical opposition and
persecution of J esus. The Pharisees
included unscrupulous politicians.
At the time of the first Passover
to occur during J esus' ministry, the
spring of A.o. 28 (almost exactly
100 time cycles- 1,900 years–
before I kept my first Passover),
Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the
Passover.
While there, a notable Pharisee
named Nicodemus carne to see
Jesus secretly by night. He feared
having fellow Pharisees know he
had talked personally with Jesus.
Nicodemus said, "Rabbi, we
cannot see the kingdom of God"
(verse 3).
But Nicodemus d id not under–
stand this. He knew that being
born was an actual birth- parturi–
tion from the womb of the mother.
Today's theologians do not know
even that! They deny a real second
birth as a spirit being. They spiri–
tualize away the real truth by
assuming that merely saying that
one accepts Christ as his Savior
constitutes being born again. In
this, Satan has deceived them and
in turn they have deceived millions
of others.
Nicodemus said, "How can a
man be born when he is old? can he
enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born?"
(verse 4).
he purpose of tbe
Church is not merely to
give salvation to those
called, but to
. ..
train those
J esus now made the
meaning plain- but Nic–
odemus did not receive
bis plainness of speech,
nor do theologians or reli–
gious leaders today.
"Verily, verily," re–
plied Jesus, " . .. Except a
man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of
God. That which is born
of the flesh
is .flesh;
and
that which is born of the
Spirit
is spirit"
(John
,
called . . . as instruments
God shaU use in bringing
the world to salvation.
3:5-6, emphasis mine).
know [we Pharisees know] that
thou art a teacher come from
God ..." (John 3:2).
The Pharisees KNEW Jesus WAS
THE MESSIAH! They were familiar
with lsaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9 :6-7,
Isaiah 53. The Pharisees knew
Jesus was the prophesied Messiah .
But they understood only one Mes–
sianic appearance. So they suppos–
ed he was planning to overthrow
the Roman Empire
then!
Of course Jesus knew what they
were thinking . So he launched
immediately into the fact that the
kingdom of God, ruling all nations,
could not be set up
until
the time
of the new spirit birth- the time of
the resurrection!
The "Born Again" Questlon
J esus answered immediate ly,
"Verily, verily,
1
say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he
May 1986
The P harisees knew
about water baptism.
They had used it for years in con–
verting gentile proselytes to J u–
daism. They knew of John the Bap–
tist's bapt ism- a baptism of repen–
tance ' 'for the remission of sins"
(Mark 1:4). J esus' meaning should
have been plain to Nicodemus–
that water baptism was an initiato–
ry rite preparatory to the start of
being born of the Spirit.
Jesus made it doubly plain when
he said, "That which is boro of the
flesh is flesh." That which is born of
humans IS mortal HUMAN- com–
posed of flesh and blood-composed
of MATTER from the ground. "That
which is born of the Spirit is SPIR–
n"-no longer human but com–
posed ofSPIRIT, immortal! No longer
composed of matter or flesh.
Jesus explained even further.
"Marvel not that
1
said unto
thee, Ye must be born again"
(verse 7). Then be compared one
born again to invisible wind- invis–
ible to human eyes. "The wind
blows where it wills, and you hear
the sound of it , but you do not
know whence it comes or whither it
goes; so it is with every one who is
born of the Spirit" (John 3:8,
Revised Standard Version).
But Nicodemus d id not under–
stand such plainness of speech, nor
do religious leaders today!
Our free booklet
What Do You
Mean- Born Again?
should be
read by every reader of this book.
To this representative of the
Pharisees, Jesus referred to the
"salvation" or "spiritual" phase of
the kingdom of God.
That king–
dom
will
NOT be composed of
mortal humans!
lt is not composed
of mortal flesh-and-blood persons
who have "accepted Christ" and
joined a church of their choice! Yet
millions of church members are
deceived about that today.
These millions of church mem–
bers do not understand wbat the
Church is, nor why-its pur–
pose-the reason for it!
Compare Jesus' explanation to
Nicodemus with the " resurrection
chapter" of the Bible, 1 Corin–
thians 15: "And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a
living [mortal] soul; the last Adam
was made a quickening spirit. How–
beit that was not first which is spi r–
itual, but that which is natural; and
afterward that which is spiritual.
The first man is of the earth,
earthy: the second man is the Lord
from heaven . As is the earthy, such
are they also that are earthy: and as
is the heavenly, such are they also
that are heavenly. And as we have
borne the image of the earthy, we
shall also bear the image of the
heavenly. Now this
1
say, brethren,
that flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God ..." (I Cor.
15:45-50).
1
repeat again and again, Goo IS
REPROOUCING HIMSELF!
The popular teaching in church–
es today is that the Church is the
kingdom of God. But "flesh and
blood [mortal humans] cannot
inherit the kingdom of God"
(1
Cor. 15:50).
Once Agaln: Why the Church?
But what, then, is the Church?
And why is the Church? Why
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