New Jerusalem Revisited.

[gordon 2]

One of the great features of Christianity is The Coming Age, The End Times, The Coming Kingdom, The Kingdom Come and The New Jerusalem.

When Paul talked about the Kingdom coming soon or imminent I think he saw a New Israel where gentile Christians would combine with the Jewish element of Christianity. The gentiles grafted into spiritual Israel was prophecy in Isaiah. I think Paul saw that once these two got together under Christ's Kingdom principles there would be a new Israel, a new age that would turn all other ages on their ears. It was the augur of the death of the old ages and the birth of a radically new one. Those witnessing this New Kingdom would know to separate what was of the old world and what was of the new world. They would know to separate the two worlds for their easy recognition of the spiritual principles of both who's foundations were from very different gods--- idol gods versus the God of Abraham.

These gods motivated people very differently. Idol gods motivated people to help themselves with emphasis on the events and people that could help them and the God of Abraham motivated people to help themselves by helping others even with no regard for self interest other than knowing that all are "other" to all others. The benefit of a good life was not material goods and the severe security that was needed for it, but spiritual security that offered a relaxed perspective on security and material goods simply because the spiritual makeup of New Israel was its security and everything else ( the outlook on justice and material requirements for living securely follow from it.) It was in reality a new beginning for the world. Salvation was for both the individual and the world.

The new focus on the other is extremely important to the New Israel. It is where the self is never without the greater us or we or the recognition of others. If salvation is for my island it is also for other islands. In the New Jerusalem salvation is not only an item for the individual and the purging of the world out of the self, it is the very light to the self, to our communities, to our nation and to the world.

As we guard, as individual, our selves from idols and witness of our victories in Christ against them, we know it is the case with others as well because otherwise our witness would not be received. And so like Paul's preaching of the Kingdom being near, we can hope that some day nations will witness of their fights with idols and how due to New Jerusalem through Christ they wiped themselves from a few cities of light, to nations of light focusing on themselves with humility that what is good for their nation is equally good for others due to the gift of New Jerusalem which is the capital of all.

 

[Israel]

"Behold I make all things new" comes to mind from the above.

So does "enlightened self interest". Though I cannot take it from you in the most common understanding.

For we no longer think as wordlings think in the thinking on that...can we?

For the carnal man the destination there is back to the self with enlightening only being the means to a happy end for the individual self. But our enlightening is to a far different notion of self, such that in the enlightening, the old notion of self must evaporate as a misty illusion. The "old self" would put enlightening to its own service, the new self sees that that very enlightening is precisely for the dispelling of that previously held misconstruct of self.

"By this shall all men know you are my disciples..." One said. It shall be that despite the seeming sight is of individual selves, or remaining notion, there is something in the weaving that to touch one is to touch all of their being, whose being rests in God. Even that in appearance that only one is touched...an "all" is being touched...even the all that is in Christ in God. ("ye are members of one another"..."when one suffers we all suffer, when one is honored...")

And, we are meant for "man handling" in the most plain sense. ("As the Father sent me so send I you...") And only suffer its peculiar pangs to the extent we ourselves have need of that mist's evaporation. The placement of lively stones, even in experience so lively as we may feel we cannot rest till an "until", is being made plainer by the revelation of whose house we are...set not willy nilly next to nor upon one another but with such perfect care that every stone is required for any stone to understand its place. And all laid to the chiefest cornerstone for square and plumb. We are learning to "occupy" first in any position, and only then to any activity from that position.

And so it is not only that "By this shall all men know you are my disciples" as though that "all men" are the strangers to the house, but that the house itself shall know itself thus, for as the apostle wrote:

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. We are both content with, and our being in, the other stones. We are not ashamed of being known of one another.

This is where even our knowing is provided.

The weaving may seem to us tenuous at times...as though very barely knit. Some may even be held at an arm's length sort of way. Suspect. For we may not yet know how suspicion serves nothing of the new man, and is only the means of the old to self preservation.

But this also came to mind:

And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.

With this also being said:

But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?

Jesus knew and knows by whom and what He must be betrayed. But He never yielded to any "stand thou not so close for I am holier than thou". There are very particular lessons to this end that if we do not learn in all quite personally, we shall never enter into that blessed loss of illusion and truth of unity with and in Christ.

We may come with many complaint even as the disciples "they are not part of our troop" they are strangers "to us" only to be reproved as necessary again and again by the Lord "but they are not strangers to me!". Finding out eventually how small that "us" can become till we stand alone like a isolated flag on our own hill. Only the Lord is able to show how in our own assumptions of "running to Him" we have actually been running away.

Oh how foolish we become to ourselves in our demonstrations of striving, and how little the Lord cares for any appearance to the self that needs only to appear right to itself.

How far is the appearance of "looking right" from righteousness. How long (we come to see) in endurance has God borne foolish accusation from man "why have you made me thus?" Until it is turned from accusation to honest question before Him.

A fool for love will suffer all snide commentary from the seasoned cynic who believes himself to be love's master. Believes himself immune to its childish transforming from prudent keeper of self's intact-ness to weeping fool in longing. There are tears being kept for such occasion of demonstration to such a one for the breaking of a cold heart. For its melting.

Jesus wept.

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

And these tears are not our own...but they are ours.

 

[gordon 2]

Salvation is for all individuals and their nations. Or salvation is for the individual but also the world.

It somehow is a quirk in the Christian individual ( the self) to see the useless folly of an eye for an eye or the justice in liberty for others and on a national level to promote it as useful the opposite or the wisdom of an eye for an eye and that justice is not liberty for all.

What is fair or proper balance in outlook for the individual and a local community often gets chipped away the farther it gets from the self and the local. When dealing with the real world Christians often( in some cases) behave like the old one which they as individuals of faith at least had left behind.

Funny how that works.

Also historically Church leaders and free thinkers spending considerable time to promote Christians principles have often not been able to hold back the swiftness of which their flocks can demonize another into an enemy or an enemy of God even due to obvious worldly propaganda.

Also it is funny how that works.

 

[Madman]

Also historically Church leaders and free thinkers spending considerable time to promote Christians principles have often not been able to hold back the swiftness of which their flocks can demonize another into an enemy or an enemy of God even due to obvious worldly propaganda.

Also it is funny how that works.

Demonetization of others always feels good. "We have the correct beliefs", "We do it the right way".

But I must say, as a body, the Church has been very forgiving over the centuries in certain ways.

For instance, the teaching that almost every people group has some correctness in it's beliefs, not just the religious but also the irreligious.