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Out of This World
It is ironic that most people are more enamored with outer space, the race to other planets or galaxies, the Huble Telescope, or landing on Mars than they are with those things which they can have here and now that are “out of this world.” God’s revelation, the Bible, declares that such things are available.
The Bible, (Holy Scripture) is not of this world. Paul writes, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (2 Tim 3:16a) Since the scriptures resonate from God, and God is not from, or of this world, the scriptures are from “out of this world.” Paul would affirm and declare of the origin of the Gospel he received and preached “…I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal 1:12) When Paul received the revelation of the Gospel, Jesus had already ascended to His Throne in heaven. Therefore the Gospel is from “out of this world.”
Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world….” (John 18:36a) The words Kingdom, church and body are used in the Bible to define the same people or organization. Jesus says this organization is from out of this world. It was not conceived in the mind of man, but by God before the foundation of the world. The God who is from out of this world, uses His word which is from out of this world, to begin, sustain and perpetuate the Kingdom which is from out of this world. Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” (Matt 25:34) Paul states that, “…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,…” (Eph 1:4) The relationship that we have with God through Christ and His Kingdom, was a matter of predetermination on God’s part before man was ever brought into being. It stems from the Eternal One, not this temporal environment. To demonstrate this to the Colossians Paul would write, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,” (Col 1:13) God was The Supreme Architect in the design of the scheme of redemption that would convey man from a temporal state of ruin, to an eternal, out of this world realm of reconciliation to Himself by Christ. The pinnacle of this conveyance will take place on the resurrection day. For Paul says, “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father,…” (1 Cor. 15:24a)
The Bible echoes the truth that everything that man needs to please God, and be sustained by God, is from out of this world so that we may go to the place where God lives, that is from out of this world.
Inter-galactic travel may be a novel notion, but be sure and know that you will travel out of this world one day to spend eternity in one of two realms. Are you ready for take off? Think about it.
