Royce O. Kennedy
"ON EAGLES’ WINGS MINISTRIES"
“Faith’s Final Frontier.” October 2012. Part 6.
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven..For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothe (getting rid of this body) but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.” 2nd Corinthians 5: 1, 2, 4.
The scripture text highlighted above gives us a bird’s eye view of Paul’s thinking at that time. What he really alluded to was the fact that if he died a physical death, he had a house or tabernacle in heaven, not made with hands. But he would rather remain in his present body and put on the house which is from above, that his mortality may be swallowed up or consumed with the life from above.
Let us see how the N. E. B. (New English Bible) renders this same passage. “For we know that if the earthly frame that houses us today should be demolished, we possess a building which God has provided—a house not made with hands, eternal, and in heaven. In this present body we do indeed groan; we yearn to have our heavenly habitation put on over this one (not having to die first) in the hope that, being thus clothed, we shall not find ourselves naked. We groan indeed, we who are enclosed within this earthly frame; we are oppressed because we do not want to have the old body stripped off. Rather our desire is to have the new body put on over it, so that our mortal part may be absorbed into life immortal.”
Do we need to offer a more definitive outline of what the message is all about? Let me repeat Paul’s idea and ultimate desire so that every one of us can take hold of the truths being presented by the apostle and endorsed by Bro. Kennedy with a loud Amen! Paul knew that his other house or tabernacle is reserved for him in heaven. He had no problem in believing that. So if he should pass out and die, he would simply move on to occupy his heavenly tabernacle.
But in the midst of this assurance, he had a desire to remain in his present body and put on the house which is from above, that his mortality will have put on immortality while still living in his mortal body. So we beg the question: “Was this some sort of wishful thinking by Paul? Or did he, through the eyes of the Spirit saw such a great and momentous time that would come upon the human race, that he wanted to be a part of it? Was the apostle throwing himself against all impossibilities? Was his thought based upon some outlandish and vain supposition? NO! I think that the apostle saw the day when this mortal shall put on immortality and wanted to be a part of it. He said at one time: “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” Philippians 3: 11. To take this verse as it is written poses a legitimate question.
If the dead will be raised in the resurrection anyway, why would Paul say that if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection? Since it is going to happen, all he had to do was die and be buried, and when resurrection takes place he would be in the midst of it. Actually what Paul meant was that by any means, he wished to attain unto the resurrection without dying, or out from among the dead. As we just noted above, Paul wished not to be unclothed from this body, or to become a disembodied spirit; rather, he wished to put on his heavenly or spiritual body so that his mortal body would be swallowed up of life resulting in obtaining immortality while still alive. Read the entire passage slowly and see if we both agree on this essential truth.
Let us take a second, third, or fourth look at Revelation 21: 4. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Taken at face value as it is written we can generate quite a few questions as to whom John addressed this verse. From time to time I have said in these studies, that to properly interpret the scriptures, we must understand who said what—to whom—under what circumstance—and to what end; or what is the purpose behind the message. To many Christians the question is unnecessary because it is fore gone conclusion that John was speaking about people in heaven. Why So? Because the majority of Christians have been taught that the New Jerusalem with its pearly gates, streets of gold, and walls of jasper are fixtures up in heaven. Therefore it stands to reason that John was addressing his vision to redeemed saints from earth. Many have come to that conclusion a long time ago and have moved on to other issues contained in the book of Revelation. But suppose we slow down for a minute and take a closer look at the contents of the verse? Can you see issues that will only generate more questions? Let us candidly examine the contents of the verse more closely as we just suggested.
If John was addressing the redeemed saints from the earth, who have now obtained their glorious bodies like that of the resurrected Christ, why would tears, sorrows, pain, and death have any relevance to them? In their glorified bodies and state of being, they would simply be flying around heaven all day; and since there is no night there, they would simply keep flying about within and without the walls of jasper, and through the gates of pearl. By simply applying our natural mind in analyzing the verse, in other words, not depending on the Holy Spirit to add new insight, we must quickly conclude that John could not have been referring to redeemed saints who are living in glorified bodies. But by taking verse four out of its proper setting in the chapter, and try to study it on its own merits we have generated questions that should not have come to mind.
The general practice and accepted across the broad spectrum of Christendom is to take a verse or a passage out of its relevant position and teach upon it ignoring the rightful part it is supposed to play in the chapter. A classic example of this is in the case of John 14: 3. Entire sermons and many books have been brought into play to highlight the grandeur and eternal bliss to be enjoyed in those mansions up in heaven. These dear people, no matter how sincere have missed the true message that Jesus alluded to in the rest of the chapter. It is my personal opinion that truths that are now coming forth with anointed utterance among God’s people are meant for our day and could not have been preached in previous ages. We can turn our attention to what Daniel wrote some time in B.C.534. “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” Daniel 12: 9.
Don’t you think this is exactly what is happening right now? Don’t you think that the seals that John as sealed, are now being opened? To be prudent in our study, and to give verse four the attention and understanding that it rightly deserves, how about us starting at the beginning of the chapter? Don’t you think that we will be offered a more panoramic view of all the moving parts of this study?
Our first task is to determine where these things are taking place, and where other events are slated to occur. Is it up in the high heavens, or upon this earth? “And I John saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. Please bear in mind that the creation that Adam was introduced to was a complete landmass all in one place and the sea was by itself in its own place. In other words, there were no oceans and sea dividing the landmass into islands and continents.
And I john saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down (to earth) from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God HIMSELF shall be with them (we don’t go away to be with him: he comes to be with us) and be their God.”
This biblical narrative makes it quite clear up to this point that all of these elaborate events occurred right here upon the earth. It is with this truth in front of us that we move on to the next verse. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (It is here upon the earth that people shed tears on a daily basis across the globe.) And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow etc. etc. John would not have written about no more death in heaven, for there is no death there to begin with. To me, when Jesus said “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” he wiped the slate clean of any notion of death reigning because there is no such thing in heaven.
That is why upon the cross he tasted death for every man, and Paul reminded Timothy that Christ abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Ha! But this is a gospel that we have not been hearing from our pulpits, our classrooms, or from our weekend three-day series in hotels, and our annual conventions. Be honest with yourself at this juncture! When last have you heard a sermon or bought some videos and DVDs loaded with the gospel of life and immortality that Paul exhorted Timothy about?
Listen, my Friend! A message on death cannot produce life, and to the best of my knowledge and as far as I can recall, Jesus never preached a sermon endorsing death, and when opportunity came, he turned a funeral into celebration by bringing the dead back to life. But I am cognizant of the fact that there is a time and a season for everything under the sun. Daniel sealed up the book until the time of the end. Do you believe this is time of the end? I mean, do you believe that we are approaching the consummation of the ages? All the good things that John recorded in verse four, are meant for people right here upon the earth, and “no more death” is listed among the others. Remember the city was adorned as a woman on her wedding day! Many people who are familiar with this ministry and the ministry of many others such as Preston Eby, Elwin Roach, Scott Paris, Kelly Varner, Bennie Skinner, and many others know very well that we teach that the city that John saw coming down to earth bespeaks of God’s people or his bride. While we as human beings speak of overcoming death by faith in the risen Christ, we are faced with one undeniable truth.
As long as we continue to grow old, we are in fact dying. Signs of aging show up in loss of memory, aching joints, poor eyesight, digestive disorders, bladder, and urinal issues. All of these symptoms point to one fact, “we are slowly dying.” We can quote all the scriptures we want and write all the books we care to; but the aging process is a path to ultimate death. Seemingly, the Church has surrendered to this as the ultimate end from which there is no escape. In the field of medicine and holistic treatment, products are continually inundating the market being promoted as “The fountain of youth.”
Health products such as supplements, and physical therapy, Botox, fading cream, skin repair are turning in billions of dollars each year. Down through the centuries man has been searching for “the fountain of youth” and the market place is inundated with products that are being promoted for slowing down, or even reversing the aging process. In the natural world where natural minds seek a path to endless life, in the realm of Christendom, we are singing a song with a different tune and a different set of lyrics.
Between taking time to bury our dead and visiting friends and family members at the hospital, the Church choir gets the show on the road by doing selection number one. “I have heard of a land, on that far way strand; ‘tis the beautiful home of the soul. Built by Jesus on high, there we never shall die; ‘tis a land where we’ll never grow old. ”As Christians, we tend to accept the ravages of time, as we move slowly toward the grave. However, the word of God teaches more on the subject that once again, very little is being said or written about. Listen to David as he worshipped God in praises!
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy deseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103: 2-5. The scripture said, “First the natural, then the spiritual” so could it be that by seeking to reverse the aging process by science, medicine, and supplements, the world is trying to send a message to the Church, saying, Hey! Look over here! It can be done! Take your lead from us! Of course the people of God should be the first to be enlightened in these matters. There are many who believe that it is time!
It has become necessary to remind one and all that your monetary gifts are to be made payable to Royce Kennedy and not to the ministry. We do not have a business account with the bank. Thank you for your continued love and words of encouragement. Be Blessed in all that you set your hands to do to enhance the kingdom of God.
Royce O. Kennedy