THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIAN TRADITION

 

Chapter 19

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What Jesus's Return Will Look Like

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Text

2 Thess. 1:3-10 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

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Memory Verse

1 Cor. 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.​

 

Introduction

When someone says “it is not in my nature to kill”, they are saying their makeup - who they are at the core -  will not let them do it. Nature does not lie.

 

Jesus is coming back. And how He comes back will shake everything and everyone. Those who love Him will be drawn to Him. Those who hate Him will be repelled. His nature will do both.

 

1. He Will Come Back in the Same Way He Left

 

(1) He will return with the same body He ascended with - corruption-free (Acts 1:9-11).  

 

Not a ghost, not a new body. The resurrected body that walked out of the tomb.

 

(2) Everyone will see Him, and it will affect everyone (Eph. 3:9).

 

Believers who have known Him by faith will be drawn to Him (1 Thess. 4:17). Their eyes have been opened by the light of Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).

 

2. He Will Return with “Flesh and Bone,” Not “Flesh and Blood”

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(1) “Flesh and blood” cannot enter God’s kingdom (1 Cor. 15:50).

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Blood is what makes us human in the weak, corruptible sense. It is the entry point for decay, temptation, and spiritual attack.

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(2) Resurrected bodies are incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:50).

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They have “flesh and bone” like angels and other heavenly beings. No blood, no decay, no weakness for evil to exploit.

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(3) Even occult systems rely on blood to function.

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That is why blood is such a big deal spiritually. Christ’s resurrected body is beyond that system.

 

3. His People Are Meant to Live Above Flesh and Blood

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(1) Believers are called the Church, the body of Christ (Col. 1:24; 4:4).

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It is one body, built with spiritual materials, existing in the unseen realm  (Eph. 2:6, 20-22; 3:8-10).

 

(2) The Church that meets Jesus at His return will be like Him (1 John 3:2).

The same incorruptible nature, the same focus.

 

(3) That means a renewed mindset:

• Christ did not call us for material inheritance first (1 Cor. 15:19; 1 Tim. 6:6-10).

• You cannot “leave” the Church because you cannot sever the body from the Head. You are either in Christ or you are not.

• You attend gatherings for edification, then go home. But you are always in the Church, which is built by Christ’s teachings, not by bricks and money (Jam 1:18; Luke 8:11).

• Witches and evil people cannot be part of the real Church because Christ is not accessed physically (2 Cor. 5:16-17; Acts 2:47).

• Any “church” treated as a physical building risks becoming a shrine in the spirit realm, open to demonic influence (Acts 17:16, 24-25; 1 Cor. 10:19-20).

 

Conclusion

If people think you can “enter” and “leave” God’s presence, they are treating God as though He were an idol tied to a place. Any god you can localize is an idol.

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Worship is not just a mood or a 30-minute slot on Sunday. God only accepts corporate worship when it flows from real, individual worship (Matt. 15:9).

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Everything we do - alone or together - should glorify God through Christ (Col. 3:17). That is worship that gets rewarded.

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Evaluation Questions & Answers​

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1. If we share the love and teachings of Christ without money for a building, Christ will accept us when He returns. True or False? Why?

   • True. The Church is not a building. It is built with Christ’s teachings (Luke 8:11). God looks at the heart and faithfulness, not at the budget.

2. Why is the Christian Church built in the invisible place, and with what materials?

   • Because it is spiritual, not physical (Eph. 2:6, 20-22). It is built with the Word of Christ - the teachings He gave.

3. Can a Christian go to Church and come back from it? Yes or No. Why?

   • No. You do not “go to” the Church as if it is a place you leave. You are the Church. You attend gatherings, then return home, but your identity in Christ does not change.

4. What is the difference between ‘Church’ and ‘Church Cathedral’?

   • The ‘Church’ is the body of believers, built spiritually by Christ’s Word.

   • A ‘Church Cathedral’ is a physical building made by hands.

   • One is eternal, the other is not.

5. What did Jesus call us to receive from Him that is not in the world?

   • Eternal life, forgiveness, the Spirit, and a kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36). Material things are already here - what Jesus gives is spiritual and eternal.

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Prayer

Father, thank You for this lesson. Give us understanding of the true nature of Christ’s Church, so that we can live it out and be a living example to everyone who does not know You yet. Amen.