Immortality..

Paul taught that believers will be caught out of their present condition which is subject to mortality and into a condition subject to immortality. They will be clothed with immortality. (1 Cor 15:53,54,) What did Paul mean by immortality? Immortality is not being subject to death; deathlessness. However, according to Vines Expository Dictionary immortality (athanasia) is more; it suggests the quality of life enjoyed by the believer when mortality is "swallowed up by life". The immortality Jesus offers is to be joined in him, the source of life and joy. It is to be fully released from the carnal principle that works in us producing death and to be joined in union with Him who is immortal. (2 Cor 5:1-8) Every believer already has that kind of life but the day will come when it will be experienced in its complete fullness. (Jn 8:51, 10:10)

After his resurrection Jesus displayed his immortality to his people. At his return he will release it into those who are his, who will then be able to live and function in a way no longer subject to the physical dimension just as Jesus was able to do in his earthly body. May I ask “Did the Lord have immortality in his earthly body when he lived on earth? Yes, he was free of sin and no curse of death operated in his life so he must have. He is the author of life and light; its very source. In him was the life of the Father so he must have been immortal. (John 1:4, 5:26, Acts 3:15, Col 1:16) In his earthly life he was not subject to the restrictions of his body. He was able to walk on water and could pass right through hostile crowds either by being invincible or invisible. (Luke 4:30, Jn 7:30, 8:59, 10:39) If Jesus had not died surely he could have just walked into heaven; otherwise he would still be alive on earth. The pre-flood Patriarchs lived for hundreds of years and they were sinful, Jesus was sinless. No one took his life from him for he voluntarily submitted to death. (John 10:15-18) At his transfiguration I believe that he could have stepped back into his glory but chose not to but to go to the cross and die for us. And when he died it was not possible for death to hold him. (Acts 2:24) So too believers will function in bodies that are powerful, glorious and spiritual, made like the man from heaven. It will be a worldwide replication of Christ’s life in his people. (1 Cor 15:35-48) At his "parousia" or "Presence" his people will experience a change that will release them from the present physical restrictions of this dimension and give them access to his power. Believers who have died will rise in resurrection and be able to function like angels (Luke 20:35) and believers who are alive will be changed so as to also enter and share in the life of Jesus. They will have newly empowered and changed bodies not subject to carnality or restrictions of this present dimension. They will be like Christ was on earth, not subject to death or disease and like Enoch will be able to walk through the veil into God's presence. We will consider Enoch later.

There are three groups of people on earth when Jesus returns. 1/ there are believers in Jesus who will be changed to become like him and then live and function with him. Through “harpazo” they will possess the power, life and glory of Jesus and enter the Kingdom of God which will grow and increase. 2/ There are the desperately wicked who will be destroyed at his coming. 3/ There is the remainder of mankind who will come under the authority of the Kingdom of God. The “Day of the Lord” is the time of Christ's reign on earth. It commences at his parousia and continues until "New Jerusalem" comes down to earth. This period is designated as a thousand years. We will consider this more fully later.

The emphasis through the Bible is that the Kingdom of God will come to earth and subdue the whole world. God will empower his people and will rule and reign through them. How will this happen if there are no people left on earth? Will they rule over one another? Who has ever heard of a Kingdom without a structure, without rulers and people who come under it? In his church the Lord has established a world wide net that will take control of the nations and gather in a vast harvest. The Lord Jesus will have complete dominion over all nations. It will be the righteous reign of God through the one and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords and those who rule with him. (1 Tim 6:15) When will this happen? – At his coming PRESENCE - “parousia”.

"CAUGHT UP"...

"CAUGHT UP" - HARPAZO - 1 Thes 4:17
The term "caught up" depicts a powerful event. The Greek word "harpazo" (Strongs 726) conveys the idea of force suddenly exercised (Vines) and is used to describe a powerful release of God's energy. It means to be taken hold of, to be seized by a power beyond our own. For those who would say “caught up” means to be removed from the earth let us consider the following. Paul was “caught up” to the third heaven and whether in or out of his body but he did not leave the earth; he had access to spiritual realms and heard words which could not be expressed in human language. Philip was “caught away” by the Lord from one place to another but neither did he leave the earth. It seems Ezekiel also had a similar experience. Each received a powerful intervention of God's power which released them from the restrictions of this physical dimension but they were not taken away. (2 Cor 12:2-4, Acts 8:39, Ezk 8:3, 11:24)
The use of this word by the Lord himself reveals its meaning. Jesus used the same word but never said that people are taken out of the world. He said that "harpazo" empowers “men of force” to enter the Kingdom of God. (Matt 11:12) The NIV says, "the Kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it". Men enter into it by the “harpazo” power of God. It conveys the idea of pressing into and possessing the Kingdom. (Luke 16:16) Every time Christ did a miracle he reached into a “future age”, the Kingdom age, took hold of it and released its power into the present situation. Through "harpazo" believers were able to take hold of and enter into the Kingdom. Jesus did not use the word to mean being taken to heaven but to mean entering the Kingdom of God here on earth. They were not taken out of the world but experienced the power of God coming in to them to change them in the world. “Harpazo” is the forceful dynamics of God to catch someone into His power. It is God seizing control.
Paul experienced “harpazo” and used the same word to describe what will happen to living believers at the parousia. It is the release of God's power into believers, not to take them away but to enter His Presence when He comes. It is not a removal from a place but a transformation from a state. The "harpazo" is the dynamic power of God to catch believers out of their fallen condition of corruption and transform them into the incorruptible life of Christ. It means first and foremost a catching out of a state, that of carnality and death, into that of spiritual power. (See page 28, Romans 8) The “harpazo” releases one from the restrictions of this present mortal life to fully transform one into the freedom of Christ's life right here and now. The “harpazo” will happen as it did with Jesus. The “man child” was “caught up” to God. (Rev. 12:5) In the same way he had come and gone during the 40 days he just stepped through the veil into the cloud. When He returns the “harpazo” will happen in the same way. He will step out and they will meet him not up in the stratosphere but right here in the Cloud of his Presence. But some may say “The Lord must first descend”. To descend (Strongs 2597) means to “step down”. (Jn5:7) He will just step down from the cloud.
"A MEETING IN THE AIR"
If the clouds at Christ's return are not weather clouds but clouds of God's Glory and Presence, then the term "in the air" must also convey a spiritual reality. Once again, if I said “I am walking on air” would you take that to mean I am floating around in clouds? Paul did not mean that believers will go up to the atmospheric clouds but that they will enter the Presence or realm of Christ's Power and Glory in the mighty Clouds of His Holy Spirit. The place God met His people in the OT was in the Cloud of His Presence in the “Tabernacle of Meeting”. (Num 12:4) This is where He will return, to his Living Tabernacle, in the Cloud of His Mighty Spirit.
The “air” is a word Paul used to describe a dimension in our immediate vicinity. This is not a frequently used word and the apostle Paul used it to mean the air in the sense of it being nearby, surrounding us, not far away. (Strong’s Dictionary, no.109 - circumambient.) This is how he described the reality of the invisible spiritual dimension very near to us, all around us, right here “in the air”.
The word "air" is used in the New Testament for both natural air and the realm of spiritual powers working in the earth. In the book of Revelation it is used in the context of angelic activity on earth and in Ephesians 2:2 it describes the realm and work of "the prince of the power of the air" working in this present earth. It is a spiritual dimension right here within the natural air. To understand this one must understand the realities of different dimensions so close to each other that they superimpose upon each other. Paul linked the air with the realm where spiritual battle takes place and the Lord rules. The realm of the air is the realm over which Jesus has ultimate rule. This dimension will open for believers.
When Jesus returns he descends from heaven. (1 Thes 4:16) He will then “catch his people into the air”, a different word from heaven. He does not ascend back into heaven with them but he takes them into His immediate Presence in the Holy Spirit, the Cloud of Shekinah Glory, His Holy Presence, “in the air”.
The word "air" is used in a similar way as the word “wind” which also denotes both natural and spiritual realities. (Eph 2:2) In the New Testament the word "wind" almost always conveys the meaning of "spirit". In the same way, when the apostle Paul spoke of "air" he certainly did NOT mean what we breathe, made of nitrogen and oxygen but was referring to an invisible spirit dimension. Air is the nearest Paul could get to describe this invisible realm. Just as air is real but invisible so Paul used it to describe the very real but invisible realm which is very close to us. It is a spirit dimension which is not far off, just invisible, nearby "in the air" all around us. Paul did not mean that believers will be caught up to the cloudy sky but that believers will have access to spirit dimensions. The "air" is the Spirit realm that Jesus rules over and which will open for believers. At his "parousia" believers are not going up into the weather clouds but are going into the "Presence" of Christ in the Clouds of the Holy Spirit and Shekina Glory.
As believers we are “seated with him” and have access to the realm of His Presence even though we may not see Him. When he returns we will be able to fully enter and see him “Face to Face” in Glory.

THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF GOD

The visible manifestation of the "Presence" of God among his people became known as the "Shekinah Glory". Nelson's Bible Dictionary describes it as the visible manifestation of the presence of God. Although the word is not found in the Bible it occurs frequently in later Jewish writings. It refers to the instances when God showed himself visibly, as for example on Mt. Sinai and in the Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple. The Shekinah was a luminous cloud which rested above the Ark within the place of worship, the Holy of Holies, and lit up the room.
The New Bible Dictionary describes it as "the radiance, glory, or presence of God, "dwelling" in the midst of His people". The Shekinah, the nearest Jewish equivalent to the Holy Spirit, became, with other Old Testament ideas and derivatives, Word, Wisdom, etc, a bridge between man's corporeality and God's transcendence. It is used by the Rabbi to signify God Himself. It underlies the concept of God dwelling among His people. The glory of God, "kabod" in Hebrew and "doxa" in Greek, is another name for the Shekinah. It is the cloud of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, therefore, the Cloud represented the VISIBLE PRESENCE of God dwelling with his people. It is the environment of God, the place in which he dwells and functions and meets with his people. The Cloud rested in the Holy of Holies and was closely associated with the Ark of God. Once a year the high priest went into the sanctuary and met with God. The "Cloud" was God's special VISIBLE PRESENCE and GLORY abiding with His people. Jesus said he will return on the "clouds of glory". He was using Biblical terms to convey something real. Although the Cloud may not be visible any longer, it is still real in that the presence of God can at times still be felt and sensed. I know people who have seen it during times of deep worship. At least twice in my own ministry people have seen a beautiful light in the gathering of God’s people. During one ministry people saw behind and to one side of me a glowing light like a cloud. It remained there for the entire hour of my ministry only leaving when I closed the teaching. On other occasions there have been tangible manifestations of His Presence.
His presence is especially real in times of deep worship when believers have entered within the spiritual "veil of his presence". At his return, or parousia, he will appear to his people. Those who enter through the veil of the "cloud of his presence", the realm of the Holy of Holies, will see him in the cloud of GLORY. He will appear “face to face”.
THE NEW TESTAMENT CLOUD - Matt 16:27 - 17:7
When Jesus went to the mount of transfiguration he was transformed in glory. Some days before this he told his disciples they would see him “coming in glory” and then he gave them a preview of that glory on the mount of transfiguration. He met with Moses and Elijah in the bright cloud of God's presence. This event was later described by Peter as the "parousia" or “coming” of Christ and he used the same words to describe Christ's future return. Although the two events are separated by thousands of years there is a similarity in terms. Peter first described the "parousia" at the transfiguration (2 Pet 1:16-19) and then described the "parousia" at Christ's return (2 Pet 3:4,12). He looked back to the display of Christ's glory on the mount and looked forward to the promise of his future return. In Peter's mind what he saw on the mount was a preview and illustration of what will happen at the future “parousia” or “coming of Christ”. He said he was not telling stories about Christ's Glorious Coming because he was already eyewitness of it. When did he see it? - at the transfiguration.
Christ and the disciples did not leave the vicinity of earth to be in the realm of transfiguration and glory in the Cloud of God's Presence; it all took place with their feet firmly on earth. Jesus was present in glory and the past and living saints met together, "in the cloud" of God's Presence. Not all the disciples saw it at that time, only Peter, James and John. These were the closest to Jesus, they saw it others did not.
When the apostle Paul saw the Lord on the Damascus road he described it in similar terms as the transfiguration. God's glory was revealed at the birth of Jesus and at other times. All these displays of glory were NOT far up in the atmosphere but in immediate vicinity of earth. (Acts 22:6,14, 1 Cor 9:1, 15:8, Luke 2:9) It is this glory that the church will again witness when Jesus comes in the Clouds. No one will see him except in the Cloud of His Presence. Just as Moses entered the Cloud and saw God face to face so too believers will see Jesus in His Cloud. The “Clouds” are plural because wherever believers will be the Cloud of his Presence will be there too. The Glory of God is described in 1 Tim 6:14-16. No one can on their own initiative or through their own ability see that glory, but Jesus will himself appear and reveal it to those who are his. He will come back "in clouds of glory". The Clouds of God's glory were never somewhere up in the atmosphere but were always on earth in the immediate vicinity of his people.
To put it simply when Jesus comes the church is not going up into the sky but will meet the Lord in the Cloud of the Holy Spirit where He will be unveiled and visible right here in the presence of his believers.
THE "RAPTURE" - NOT A DEPARTURE BUT A CHANGING.
“CAUGHT UP IN THE CLOUDS” - 1 Thes 4:13-18
Paul wrote that we shall be changed. What did he mean "caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air"? Just as the Lord spoke in Hebrew Biblical figurative terms so Paul also used these same terms to describe the mystery of what will happen at his return. If you rely on your Gentile mind you may like to think he is talking about flying up to the clouds in departure. However, if you were a Jewish believer you would certainly not think that.
Let us establish the order. When Jesus returns he will bring back his believers who have died. They are with him and when he comes they will come with him. When Jesus was transfigured in the cloud of glory both Elijah and Moses were also there. They came from a previous time and appeared with Jesus and talked with him. Remember, when he arose and appeared to living believers many past saints also appeared. (Matt 27:51-53) They ascended with him and ever since then believers at death immediately enter His Presence. Jesus is raised in heavenly places and the church is also seated with him in that realm. (Eph 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12)
When he returns he will bring them back with him. AFTER that, living believers will be "changed" (1 Cor 15:52) and will be able to enter "the cloud of glory", his Presence. Like Moses and Elijah, Peter, James and John we will be able to enter the Cloud and see him Face to Face. This will take place at his parousia - or "Presence". The term "in the clouds" does not refer to natural clouds in the atmosphere but, as we have seen, is a spiritual term to describe Christ's power and Shekinah Glory of the Holy Spirit in His temple. Why would Jesus bring back heavenly believers to immediately turn around and take them away again? He brings them back for a reason; to give them new bodies. Why do they need new earthly bodies? It is clear that believers who have died and gone to heaven already have their heavenly bodies. (2Cor 5:1-8, 1Cor 15:40-54, 2Pet 1:13,14) We do not need resurrected bodies to go to heaven but we need them to function here on earth. The Lord will come back to earth and bring believers with him who will then be resurrected so as to function on earth. Note the order: FIRST believers in heaven come back with Jesus and receive resurrected bodies, AFTER that, living believers are changed. Together they join the glorious Presence of Christ in "clouds of glory". He comes in Clouds, plural, because it will happen throughout the world in every place there are true believers. Let me reiterate; the clouds are not up in the sky but right here in the midst of his people. Note that this is a sequence and not simultaneous. It is the individual believer's change that happens in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. When some believers insist the rapture means being taken away they are interpreting scripture from a Western mindset. A Jewish believer sees it with a Hebrew mind and understands what Paul says by the Biblical symbols he uses. The rapture is not up in the sky but right here in His Presence; it is not going up to the clouds but going through the veil.

The "Presence" ...

The "Presence" is by no means only a New Testament concept but is at the heart of the Old Testament. The Lord promised Moses that “His Presence” will be with him. (Ex 33:14) It was "His Presence" dwelling with his people in the Tabernacle that was central in the OT covenant and became the all sufficiency of God to his people. The Hebrew word Presence is the exact same word for Face (Strongs 6440 paneh). When Moses entered the Cloud he saw the Lord “Face to Face”. The Cloud held the Presence of the Lord and He was visible. In the New Testament this took a further development when for believers "his presence" becomes a living reality experienced by the indwelling of the Lord through his Spirit. Every individual believer becomes the Tabernacle for God. However, when Jesus returns at his "parousia" his Presence will be in his corporate body of people in a new way. It is in his Presence that we will see him “Face to Face”.
In a very real way Christ’s Presence has been with the church for the last 2000 years. Just because he has not been visible does not diminish his Presence. His Presence with and in His people is at times so powerful and real that it is unmistakable and overpowering. However, to fulfil the real meaning of this word there must come the time when this Presence becomes visible and tangible. The parousia is the return of the Lord Jesus to be with his people. It is not just an invisible manifestation of Christ when there is his spiritual "presence", or even an outpouring of his Spirit, but it is his VISIBLE appearance to his people. The apostle John made this clear when he wrote that believers should abide in him so as not to be ashamed when he "appears" at his parousia. (1 John 2:28) This word "Appear" is defined in Strongs Concordance 5319 (phaneroo); "to render apparent, to manifestly declare and show oneself". Vines Expository Dictionary says that the word means more than to appear; it is to be revealed in one's true character. It was used of Christ's appearances immediately after his resurrection, and I will show that those "appearances" are significant in understanding his return. (Mk 16:12,14, John 21:1,14). After his resurrection God granted that he was made visible to believers. (Acts 10:40,41 NAS) This was a preview of what will happen at his return when he will APPEAR to his people who will then enter his PRESENCE and see him Face to Face.
Another word used for Christ's appearance at his parousia is "epiphaneia" (2015) and it carries with it the idea of brightness and splendour. (2 Thes 2:8, Titus 2:13,14) The people of that time used to refer to the visit of an emperor or dignitary as his “coming (parousia) in splendour", for this was how they used the word. So it has been defined as "a visible manifestation in splendour of a hidden deity by personal appearance and deed of power".
Yet another word used is "apokalupsis" (Strongs 601) which means revealing or unveiling. It assures us that a day is coming when the veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will see God's glory in Christ unveiled. (2 Thes 1:7, 1 Pet 1:13, 4:13) We will consider deeper aspects of these words later for they describe the day when Christ will be present with his people, unveiled in visible appearance and splendour.
He will then usher in the Day of his Reign as King and will rule with his people and through them subdue the whole world to the Kingdom of God. Throughout the Bible the emphasis is on the Kingdom of God ON EARTH. Through the centuries the focus has been on "going to heaven" but that does not change the promise that Christ will return to earth.
If we examine the prophecies, and especially the shadows and types of both the Old and New Testaments, we will find that there is a great weight of support for this; and that it is far more Biblical than what is often taught. We need to see the whole pattern and strategy of God as he reveals his plan through progressive events which bring his Kingdom ever closer. We need to consider the manner in which previous events took place so as to understand how future events will come to pass.
COMING IN THE CLOUDS - Luke 21:27
What does it mean, "He is coming on clouds"? What would you think if I said to you “My head is in the clouds” or “I am walking on clouds”? Would you think that I am suddenly flying up in the sky? No, I am using common English idioms. So too when Jesus said he was coming “in the clouds” he was using a term that every Jew was familiar with.
When Jesus spoke to the high priest he confirmed that he would “come on the clouds of heaven in power and glory”. (Matt 26:64, Dan 7:13) He taught in parables and figures of speech. He was the master of metaphor. Many things that he taught were not openly revealed but had to be received and understood by the Spirit of God and the Biblical definition of the terms he used. When we consider his teaching about his return we must not try to understand it in a natural way, but must interpret it from a Biblical perspective. He was NOT referring to the clouds of vapour that bring the weather, but to clouds of "power and glory". In this way he gives us the clue. We therefore need to look at Biblical clouds of God's power and glory to understand what He meant.
THE OLD TESTAMENT CLOUD
Throughout the Old Testament God revealed his power and glory in a CLOUD. The cloud represented the supernatural "Presence" of God with His people; in crossing the Red Sea, in the wilderness, indwelling the Tabernacle, filling the temple, and so on. The cloud was the VISIBLE PRESENCE of God dwelling with his people. The cloud was visible but could not be approached by everyone. In fact God warned the people not to come too close; but Moses approached it and even entered it. When he went into the cloud he met with God, FACE TO FACE. The cloud was the visible manifestation of the "Presence" of God and those who were able to enter the cloud saw God! The Cloud is a portal into the Lord’s Presence. It is not up in the sky, it is the Cloud of His Presence when He comes to his people.
The prophet Ezekiel saw God in a cloud and described His majesty and power. When Isaiah went into the temple he saw the Lord high and lifted up and the glory of God filling the temple like smoke. This was the cloud of God's glory. The CLOUD displayed the visible PRESENCE of God, the place where God functioned, where God's Glory was revealed and where God met with his people. Please take time to read and think on these scriptures.
Ex 13:21,22, 14:19-24, 16:10, 19:9,16-21, 24:15-18, 33:9-11, 34:5, 40:34; Lev 9:23,24, 16:2; Num 9:15-22, 12:5-8,14:10, 16:19, 42; 20:6; Deut 31:15; 1 Kings 8:10-12; 2 Chr 5:13, 14, 7:2; Ezk 1:4-28, 10:3,4, 43:1-5. Isa 6:4.
The Tabernacle, or Tent of Meeting, became closely identified with the Presence of God. The cloud came to rest in the Holy of Holies and there God dwelt with His people. (Ex 25:8,30, 33:9-14)

Parousia

The Greek word "parousia", translated as "coming", is listed in Strong’s Concordance 3952 as "a being near". It conveys the meaning of not just an arrival but the subsequent "being present with" or "being alongside". In Vines Expository Dictionary it is defined as "PRESENCE", para, with, and ousia, being - and denotes both an arrival and a consequent PRESENCE WITH. Wherever the word "coming" (parousia) is found in scripture it must be understood as "presence". It is significant that it is used of a bodily as well as a spiritual presence. The word was applied to Paul in 2 Cor 10:10 to denote his personal presence with the Corinthian church and of Christ on the mount of transfiguration. (2 Pet 1:16-18) If we use this definition the scriptures reflect a better concept of what the "coming" of Jesus Christ really means. Instead of him coming to rapture his people away from the world it has the meaning of him coming to be present with and alongside his people in a period during which his PRESENCE will be felt in a new and powerful way. To say he is coming and going away again violates the very meaning of the word. He is coming and remaining, abiding alongside us. Throughout these notes when the word "parousia" is referred to it will be considered as Christ's "presence" and subsequent "being alongside" and remaining with his people. The word “coming” should be understood as his abiding “Presence”.

His Return

I believe when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will simply step out of the invisible realm, and appear to believers, wherever they may be. They may be in their homes, or in a place of prayer, or worshiping together. He will come to each individual believer, or group of believers, who are looking for His return. He will appear in His glorified body, and be real and tangible to all who love Him. He will be visible, and function in a real body, in the same way that He did during the forty days after His resurrection. When He comes, He will establish God’s Kingdom in the world, and will empower His people to rule with Him.
When Jesus comes, His people will be able to see Him, and He will be able to touch them. When He reveals Himself to believers, they will be changed, as He releases His power and glory into them. Then, as they walk in this new power, they will rise up and witness Christ to all nations with great liberty and mighty miracles. His Kingdom will grow and fill the whole earth.
For forty days after His resurrection, Jesus lived on earth with His people. He taught them, instructed them, ate with them, and did many other marvelous things. He was real and could be seen and touched. Satan could not attack Him, neither could His enemies. His disciples met with Him, and He appeared wherever He wished, with no restrictions: in a garden, in private homes, by the seaside, on the road. He appeared to individuals, and groups, and then a crowd of 500 saw Him. Multitudes of deceased saints also rose and appeared to many people. But only believers saw Jesus, as there is no record of any unbelievers seeing Him. His resurrection presence transformed the disciples.
This was a preview, or foretaste of what will happen at His return. When Jesus went away, He promised to come back to earth and establish His Kingdom. The angels said that He would come in “LIKE MANNER.” As I will show, this referred not only to the way in which He departed, but also to the manner in which He had been with them for the forty days. The SAME Jesus will return in the SAME way (Acts 1:11 NIV Bible). We are told quite clearly that the state in which Jesus was taken into heaven, is the same state as that in which He will return to earth. In other words, the same Jesus who was crucified, and then rose again, and walked with them in resurrection, will appear, as He was while with them during the forty days.
Just as Jesus came to believers at that time, so He will return to His people wherever they are. Believers will then see the Lord, for He will be visible, as, and when He desires. He will reveal Himself wherever He wishes, whether to individuals, small groups, or large congregations.
Nowhere in the entire world will be out of His reach, although not everyone will be able to enter His presence. However, those who love Jesus will see Him. He will unexpectedly return and appear to all who are His. It could be at any time. If Jesus is your Lord, you too will see Him. One day, as you are going about your daily tasks, He will be there; Jesus will suddenly stand in your presence.
When the King returns, He will come in the power of His Kingdom, which will grow and fill the whole world. By His “PRESENCE,” He will change and empower His people, and through them rule the nations. His people will rise into a new liberty, free from carnality that works death, and the Kingdom of God will come with authority into all the earth.
The presence of the King IN His people will assure victory. There will be no mistaking the risen Lord, when He manifests Himself - He will appear in risen glory to His people, and He will be real and tangible. His personal manifestation to His people will be at His visible return to be with them, in glory. His manifestation to the world will then be through His people, who will display His glory, having been changed by Him.
The return of the risen Lord is the next step in God’s unfolding plan to submit the entire world to Himself. The presence of Jesus will bind Satan, and leave him powerless to deceive the world. Over the last two thousand years, the Gospel has gone into all nations. Through faith in Jesus Christ, salvation has been made available to all the families of mankind, and there are now devout believers in every nation. They form the Body of Christ, His Bride and Temple. It may seem in places as being small and insignificant, but it is the bridgehead to which Jesus will return. In these end-times, the Lord is establishing a world-wide net that will cover all nations.
The Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached for a witness to all nations, and then He will return. At His coming, His people will be represented throughout the world. Believers are citizens of His Kingdom, and it is to them that Jesus Christ will come. When Jesus returns, He will be with His people, not just in His Spirit, but in a Real, Visible Presence.
True believers are the base through which the Lord will work in the next great step in God’s plan - to take the world for Jesus. He, Himself will return to direct it. Believers proclaim the Gospel, but only the King can establish the Kingdom. One day, His people will have dominion and rule; but not without the King. When the King comes, His Church will be transformed and empowered to rule the nations. The return of the King will break the power of evil, demolish the rulers of darkness, destroy the wicked, and blow the systems of the world wide open.
Then, “IN HIS PRESENCE,” there will be the greatest harvest ever seen. Millions will turn to Him, and the world will see the inauguration of the Kingdom of God on earth. The age of miracles, resurrection and power, will have fully come. This is what the prophets of old saw when they described the Glory of God filling the whole earth.