“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending”

(…continues from part One…)

2)            Jude 1:1 “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:” proves without doubt that there is perfect security of salvation. What is Jude teaching here? God did three things to bulwark the Christian from condemnation. The word ‘sanctified’ is hagiazō (hag-ee-ad’-zo): ‘to make holy, that is, (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate.’ The next act of security, ‘preserved’, is tēreō (tay-reh’-o): ‘to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon.’ After the establishment of these two safeguarding steps, God is patiently waiting for the day of sermocination, when the individual will agree with the good news of salvation, stand up in answer to the altar call, and decide to say the prayer of salvation. That is the

essence of the word ‘called’ which in Greek is klētos (klay-tos’): ‘invited (to a banquet). Invited (by God in the proclamation of the Gospel) to obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom through Christ.’ Very few preachers teach the security of salvation, so, when I heard that Dr Abel Damina teaches ‘once saved, always saved’, it pleased my heart.

The Christian heaven has not roofed and walled houses.

This is the link to my post MY CELESTIAL RESIDENCE http://wp.me/p5iz2f-2c where I taught that there are no physical mansions, as many pastors have and continue to teach, in heaven. Now let us study the verse in question. “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). The word ‘house’ is oikia (oy-kee’-ah): ‘properly residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively); by implication a family (especially domestics); home.’ Oikia, from this definition, is more abstract, because in the context of the verse, it means more of ‘family’ and ‘home.’ And ‘mansions’ that appears only in this verse in the entire Bible is monē (mon-ay’): ‘abiding, dwelling, abode, room i.e. space; metaphorically of the God the Holy Spirit indwelling believers; a staying, that is, residence (the act or the place).’

The last of study is ‘place’ which is topos (top’-os): ‘any portion or space marked off; a spot (generally in space but limited by occupancy), that is, location (as a position, home, tract, etc.).’ If there are architectural buildings of enclosures in heaven, then God too has His own abode of walls and roofing. To put a roof on God’s dwelling is to limit His personage and tends to impugn Jehovah’s immanency and also makes Him look like needing protection, ergo, heretic and in nonconformity with Christian theology. From the definitions above, a paraphrastic couch of the promise of Jesus is, “In my Father’s home (family) are many spaces….I go to prepare a spot for you.” We understand from Scripture where the mansion or space of Jesus is. Luke 22:69 “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.” Still also of Christ is in 1Peter 3:22 “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”

Dr Abel Damina teaches so glowingly of the Deity of Jesus Christ. Genesis 1:3 which introduces the light is not the illumination that pours from the sky. The Light of Genesis 1:3 is the Personage of John 1:1-13, culminating in the indubitability of His deity of verse 14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Is Jesus God? The entire Bible is an attestation of this facticity. Hebrews 1:8 “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” God the Father called the Christ, “O God.” Jesus is God if He is before all things as it is revealed in Colossians 1:17 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” The word ‘consist’ is sunistaō (soon-is-tah’-o): ‘to set together, combine, associate, unite, band together, to bring prophetic art into union with himself, i.e. to win, acquire it, to put together, organise, frame.’ Who else, if not God, can be said to unite or set together the entire activities of the universe?

One of my favourite verses is Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” I can understand the mortality claim of being the Alpha i.e. first or beginning. But, when the selfsame entity lays claim to being the Omega i.e. last or ending as well, that is the same as laying claim to eternality of existence. Only God is Alpha and Omega at the same time. The epithetical which is, and which was, and which is to come speaks of the Entity predating eternity past, Who still exists, and will, by His own power, continue to exist as the LORD God throughout eternity to come. What is the last name Jesus calls Himself in the above verse? “The Almighty,” which in Greek is pantokratōr (pan-tok-rat’-ore): ‘he who holds sway over all things; the ruler of all: God the all ruling, that is, God (as absolute and universal sovereign).’ Notice His placement of definite article before ‘Almighty’, revealing the indubitability: that Jesus is the One and only Jehovah! Amen.

Get born again by saying this simple prayer.

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”

(…to be continued…)

Read part i here

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