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LIFE AFTER DEATH?
(Continued fi·onl page
3)
Thesc J ewish rulcrs lcarcJ that
message. Jesus was of the ir racc - a
Jew. If they did not opposc Him.
they feared being horn of their
power and perhaps put to death as
subversives threatening the over–
thro"" of the Roman government.
And the Pharisccs thought Jesus
proclaimed the
immediate~
takcovcr
of tha t rule!
Not of This Age
Thercfore J esu did not waste
words. He struck straight through to
the crux point - the kingúom of
God is
not
of
this
world - this time,
thi age- but of the WORLD TOMOR–
ROW - a d ifferen t and a following
AGE. Not composed of humans, but
of immortals - the Goo FAM ILY!
So Jesus said, ·'Except a man be
born again. he cannot see the king–
dom ofGod' ' (John 3:3).
otice ca refully that being "born
again" has a vital connection with
thc kingdom of God - with THE
FACT lhat il is not of this time- this
age.
Bul Jesus' abrupt opening state–
ment lefl icodemus confused. The
religious leaders and thc hundred
of denominations and ects profes–
sing Chris tianity today are confused
and deceived ! Today' rel igionists
put a different twist on il than did
icouemus. however.
icodemus
did
undenand clearly
what is meant by being
born.
He
knew il meant being delivered from
hi mother's womb. It meant being
delivered into the WORLD! Today's
religious leaders read into it a differ–
ent mcaning! What Nicodemus
could not understand wa
how-
in
what manner - anyone could be
born AGAIN! And of course. being
carnal-minded. he couiJ only con–
ceive of a second
physica/
birth. But
he
kne11·
what being
bom
meant!
Born Human a Second Time?
Puzzled . he asked . '· How can a man
be born when he is olú? Can he
enter the second time into his
mother's womb. and be bornT' He
was not confused about what is
meant by being BORN. What ico–
demus could not understa nd was a
The
PLAIN TRUTH August 1976
second
birth. He thought Jesus was
talking about a
second.._human
birth.
He
\\' éiS
unable to conceive of any
bula 5econd
physica/
birth. His mind
cou ld no t
grasp
spirit ua l thi ngs.
Now J csus had made clear tha t
the kingdom of God is something
that can be seen - but not until or
UNLESS one is "born again." ot
during his physical
lifetime!
Also.
verse
5.
the kingdom of God is
something a man may
enter into
-
bu l not unti l afte r he is born AGA tN
- another and enti rely differen t
birth.
Here is the crux point that ex–
plains it all: Je us said. "That which
is born of the ftesh IS ftesh: and that
which
i~
born ofthe Spirit tS
spirit.
·•
Man is now ftesh - human. He is
MA fERIAL SUBSTANCE. "Dust thou
a rt," said God to Adam. "and unto
dusl shalt thou relurn." Again.
"And the Lord God formed man of
the dusl of the ground. and
breathed into his noslrils the brealh
of life: and man became a living
soul" (Gen. 3:
19;
2:7).
Those Born Again to BE Spirit
But. said Jesus plainly. when one is
born of the spi ri t HE WILL
BE
SPtRIT! Look at il! Read it in your
own Bible.
The kingdom of God will be com–
posed of SP tRIT BE!NGS - not of
humans!
Al birth of human ftesh. one is
delivered from his mother's womb
into
this
world. When born of the
spiril, one will be delivered from lhe
CHURCH of God (physical) into the
Kl GDOM of God (a kingdom of
SPIRIT BEI GS).
Man is now COMPOSED of ftesh -
material substa nce- matter. When
BORN AGAIN he wi l]
BE
spirit - a
SPIRIT BEING. no longer human . He
will be COMPOSED of spiril - of
spiril composition- with life inher–
en t - with self-containing life - not
then existing by the breath of air
and the circulation of blood.
or the next age wben the king–
dom of God will ru le thc wor ld -
the life after death - lhe ncx l LIFE
- Jesus said. "'They neither ma rry.
nor are given in marriage. but are
as
the angels of God .. .' ' (Matt.
22:30). Marriage is a physica l.
fteshly union. In the age of God's
kingdom. when "born again" we
shall
Bl:
sp1nt. not flesh. Born of
God as SP IRIT BEINGS. no longer
human. Angcls are spirilS
com–
posed ol' spirit (Heb.
1
:7). Jcsus did
not say we hall then
be
angels
bulAS thc angels - sexle.
~
and com–
posed oi' SPJRIT. Angels are spirit
beings - created as such - but nol
begotten and BORl' of God as God's
own born children. We therefore
shall be greater than angels 1
Jesu explai ned this further to
N icodemus : '·The wind bloweth
whcre it lis teth, and lhou hea restthe
sound thcreof, bu t canst no t tell
whence it come th. and whither it
goeth: o is everyone that is born of
the Spirit" (John 3:8).
You cannot see wind. Wind i
compared lO spirit. !t ÍS INVISIBLE.
Thal's why mortal FLESH. as wc now
are. cannot SEE the kingdom of God.
Those who inherit it
~~~
be
spirit -
normally invisible to eyes still
human.
Not While Flesh and Blood
The apo tle Paul made clear lhat
the kingdom ol' God is something a
human may INHERIT. but nol in THIS
AGE - not while he is composed of
material flesh.
·'The first man is of the earth.
earthy [human]: the second man is
lhe Lord from heaven (a di\·ine God
being]"
(1
Cor.
15:47).
This is what Jesus was saying to
Nicodemus. He was of the earth,
earthy - human . He was flesh. not
sp irit. He was born of lhe flesh. so
lhat's what he· was - FLESJI. When
one is born of lhe spirit. he will BE
spirit. Paul is here explaining the
same truth.
But we cannot BE spirit in this
present age .
THERE !S A TIME ELEMENT CON–
CERNED WITH BE!NG BORN AGA!
tNTO Goo's KINGDOM.
Continue. now. in
1
Corinthians
15:49:
"And as we have borne the
image or the earthy. we shall [future
- rcsurrection] also bear thc image
of the heavenly" (verse
49).
As vve
are now tlcsh, we shall be SPIRIT –
at lhe resurrection . that is. when wc
shall be "BORN AGAtN" - when we
shall
see.
enter into. the kingdom of
God - when we
are
spirit - at the
resurrection!
•• O\\'
th is
1
say. brethren. lhat
tlesh and blood cannot inherit the
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