Christ in Us - The Hope of Glory - by Pastor Doug Riggs

This was originally recorded on August 10, 2016.

My notes:

The one life we have is "to prepare for our vocation", ultimately to rule and reign with Jesus Christ as His administrative arm over angels, Israel, and the nations. "There will be vast differences as to positions of authority, and the measure of fellowship with Jesus Christ, and the manifestation of Jesus Christ as the one in whom all the fullness of the godhead dwells bodily."

Doug does a deep dive into the eternality and infinity of God as the one who has always been, is now, and ever will be, God in three distinct persons unified in their forever existence. God became man in the person of His Son, the eternal, always being God, yet becoming that which He had never been before, man, man as God intended man to be. "When it says, 'the word became flesh', God became flesh (John 1:14). The word, before the incarnation, was the once source of the many divine words, and Christ, the word incarnate, is Himself the gospel... The word was with God before He revealed God."

Doug, reading from a commentary on the Gospel of John, refers to God as ever being the source of life and light, and apart from Him is darkness. "It is the essence of light to invade the realm of darkness." This reminds me of the literal expanded translation of Matthew 11:12, "The kingdom of God is taken (seized; is forcibly entered) by force (violence); and violent men seize it for themselves." Along this line, I recently heard a good message by Chuck Missler (Chuck Missler Proves The Pre-Tribulation Rapture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFTr53H9GIA). Jesus said, "I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (i.e.: grave; death; hell) will not overpower it." Speaking of these 'gates', Michael asks if 'gate' is an offensive or defensive element? Answer: defensive. He explains, "It's not the church that's defending itself against Satan; it's Satan defending himself against the church. Who has the initiative here? The church. Let's not forget that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." This depicts the church crashing through those gates, and as described in Mark 3:27, "no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house."

Link to Audio: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/8-10-16%2Bwednesday.mp3

Link to Discussion: https://dougriggs.s3.amazonaws.com/Assemblies/8-10-16%2Bdiscussion.mp3

Resources Mentioned:

Dr. Michael Heiser: The Unseen Realm (https://archive.org/details/unseenrealmrecov0000heis)

Thomas Smail: The Forgotten Father (https://amzn.to/3NiWcrp); The Giving Gift : the Holy Spirit in person (https://archive.org/details/givinggiftholysp0000smai)

Systematic Theology by Augustus Hopkins Strong (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44035)

Maranatha!

John Mark

...hereby committing this unto the providential care of the enthroned Head of the Church; whose Name is blessed forevermore, Yeshua Mashiach - Jesus Christ!