WHAT EXACTLY IS MEANT BY 'THY KINGDOM COME'

The Bible is the world's best selling book, but it is also the least understood. Millions of Christians bought the bible without even reading it, let alone study the content of some three quarter of a million words printed therein. In the Lord's prayer, Christ instructed His disciples to pray, 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.' - Matt 6:10,13. But what exactly do these verses mean?

Christ was teaching those He had called that they should pray to the true God in heaven - Our Father which art in heaven - Matt 6:9 - and not any other man-made gods. The first thing a true Christian should focus on his mind is the coming kingdom of God - the true Gospel essence Jesus Christ was commissioned by God the Father to proclaim at His first advent (Luke 4:43). God is ruling the universe from His throne in heaven. We are commanded to pray that God's rule will likewise extend to the whole earth when the time comes for Christ to return. Presently, Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4) - albeit with God's permission to rule since the fall of Adam.

 One of the most quoted verses but probably least understood verse in the Bible - Seek ye first the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33)- was relegated to insignificance. Many are deceived (Rev 12:9) into thinking that the kingdom of God is something ethereal - in your hearts and minds! The kingdom of God is the coming supergovernment of God that will replace all man-made government and laws on earth (Rev 11:15). That will be the time of refreshing when hope is restored to all the poor, handicapped and marginalised with peace and prosperity extended to the whole world (Luke 4:18-19).

Jesus Chrst was foretold by Archangel Gabriel to be born of a virgin and God shall give Him the throne of David and of His kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:32-33). Before Pontius Pilate when asked, 'Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.' - John 18:37.  The truth Christ was referring to is the Gospel message of the kingdom of God! But man had twisted the Gospel to become the Gospel about Christ instead of the Gospel of Christ as prophesied by Moses and Malachi that a Prophet will come and we are to hear Him, even His word (Deut 18:15; Malachi 3:1; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).

Man's mindset is so engrossed with the cares of this world that he has no clue that the coming God's kingdom on earth will affect everyone - whether those living or dead - when Christ return to establish God's kingdom on earth (Luke 19:12). Everything will undergo drastic transformation on planet earth when God's righteous laws are established worldwide (Isaiah 2: 2-4) and Satan is incarcerated (Revelation 20:2). It does not matter if people know or believe in this, as it will happen. The coming kingdom should be the topmost priority of every true Christian and not the cares and worries of this world. Just before the kingdom of God arrives, all true disciples (saints) who are living then will be translated to immortal spirit beings and that will be the time when their redemption takes place (Luke 21:28).

The world is getting from bad to worse, and will get far worse before it gets better - and only when God's kingdom is established on planet earth. As Christians, we must be focused and watch what is happening in the world today in order to pray effectively for God's kingdom to come and restore all that had been lost due to sin and evil. God will punish the world through the coming Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord and most of the living will perish. Only those who are true to their calling will escape the coming cataclysmic events that will unfold onto this world as a snare (Luke 21: 35). True disciples of Christ are commanded to 'Watch and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.' - Luke 21:36.

To seek God's righteousness is to desire His laws as stated in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and expanded by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7). Only when God's holy laws are understood and implemented will peace and prosperity for all mankind be enjoyed on a global scale during the Millennium. Wars and conflicts will then be relegated to history.Those who think that God's laws are being made redundant because of Christ's death on the cross are being deceived. Only the observance of them is different. There has to be a change of hearts and minds before there can be any real lasting transformation for the better. Only God's government under Christ the King and the born again resurrected saints as kings ruling and reigning in the Royal Family of God can the coming paradise world of tomorrow become a reality. It behoves all true disciples of Christ to watch and pray for His kingdom to come!
 

WHAT EXACTLY IS BORN AGAIN?

The subject of  'born again' is a touchy one as millions misunderstood its true meaning and import as to their eternal destiny. This is because the true Gospel of the kingdom of God has been hidden from mankind since the days of the first century and had not been preached for some 1,900 years after the first Apostles passed on from the early church. Most Christians today believe that once they have undergone water baptism, they are 'automatically being born again'. But nothing is further from the truth.

Christ's encounter with Nicodemus in John 3 makes it clear that flesh and blood cannot see the kingdom of God (verse 3) for what is born of the flesh is flesh  and what is born of the spirit is spirit (verse 6). To see the kingdom of God, one has to become spirit being and to become spirit being, one has to be born again. And to be born again, one has to die physically and be resurrected to immortal spirit, for 'flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God' - 1 Cor 15:50.

What people do not realise is that it is real stuff, not some ethereal concept within the hearts and minds of those who were being baptised. The confusion arise because they failed to understand what is the Gospel of the kingdom of God - which is about the transformation of mortal beings into immortal spirit beings to form the God Family. It is only then that they will be made perfect to inherit the divine nature as true sons of God (2 Pet 1:4)! God the Father as the Head of the God Family has worked out a plan to reproduce Himself (in bringing many sons unto glory - Heb 2:10), that is why man was made in His image, in His likeness.

Those who failed to grasp the truth and the implications of the true Gospel of the kingdom of God that Christ preached will find it hard to understand. It is so profound that even 'the angels desire to look into' - 1 Peter 1:12. However, all who died in their faith are still 'asleep' in their graves and will be resurrected to immortal spirit at the First Resurrection upon the return of Christ. For they 'shall be like Him' (1 John 3:2) and 'cannot sin... born of God' (1 John 3:9). Only Christ as the Firstborn Son of God had been changed from mortal man to immortal Spirit Being and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. The whole creation is awaiting with bated breath for the revelation of the sons of God (Romans 8: 19) to come to the rescue -  due to decay as a result of rebellion over the government of God and sin, instigated by Satan and his fallen angels.

The incredible human potential awaits those who are called and chosen by God to grasp the deep spiritual truth (1 Cor 2:10) and become the firstfruits (James 1:18) of His new creation - the born again saints who will inherit, rule and reign with Christ in the kingdom of God when He returns. Even though God has only revealed a glimpse of the glorious future now (1 Cor 13:12), but they shall be exceedingly delighted to be part of the 'A' team with Christ to rule the world and subsequently the whole universe when all things are put under their power and authority (Hebrews 2:10) - what an exciting future and destiny lies ahead (1 Cor 2:9)!

The born again immortal spirit beings (the former saints) will be endowed with unique power and capabilities to be able to zip through space and time that even the most advanced technological spacecraft of man cannot achieved. It is not living a life of idleness in heaven but what king David described as 'life of pleasures for evermore' - Psalm 16:11. Members of the born again God Family will be able to accomplish wonderful, creative work and service just as God does (John 5:17). The immortals will direct people to obey God's laws and His ways (Isaiah 30:20-21) and assist Christ in establishing peace and order and uphold righteousness worldwide (Rom 8:21).

As is all things in life, one has to prepare for the privileged tasks ahead now while still in the flesh so that he or she can be born again as immortal spirit when the kingdom comes. Those who cannot be ruled by Christ now will not be qualified to rule when He returns. All who are called will have the veil of deception (set by Satan) lifted to understand the deep spiritual truth. Once the person who is called has his/her eyes opened to understand His truth, he/she must learn to overcome the pull of the flesh, the value system of this world which is false and perverted, and the deception and temptation of Satan to lure us away from the purposes and ways of God. Though there will be price to be paid and challenges to overcome, but it is well worth it all considering the glorious eternal destiny awaits those who succeed!

 

THE ONE TRUE CHURCH

The world is filled with all kinds of churches of different beliefs and persuasions. Some are named after the founder, others are affiliated together through certain doctrinal beliefs and practices. But Christ taught that He came to found a church, not churches. 'I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' - Matthew 16:18. On the night before His crucifixion, Christ prayed to the Father that He will keep His disciples in thine own name, meaning the body of Christ is to bear the name of the church of God. The term church of God is stated a total of twelve times in the New Testament.

According to the teaching of Scripture from 1 Corinthins 12:12-13, the body of Christ is one and it is made up of many members. All its members were baptised into one body by one Spirit. Which means to say that there is one true church, named after God the Father called The Church of God. The one true church teaches the truth of God and not the doctrine and tradition of man - Matt 15:9; Mark 7:9. Only those who are not corrupted by doctrinal errors will be part of the called and chosen of God who will form the 144,000 firstfruits in the First Resurrection. These are the disciples who had not been defiled by false teachings and are 'spiritual virgins' - Rev 14:4. God will not allow His church to be defiled and mixing truth with error is disallowed - just like eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil was similarly forbidden in the Garden of Eden - Genesis 2:17- even though there is some good in it.

Unknown to theologians and church leaders, the purpose of Christ establishing His church is not primarily for 'saving the souls' of the whole world in this church age. If that is so, Christ failed miserably! All whom God has called to be part of His church is not merely for salvation and eternal life, but also for learning the ways and government of God, and to develop the character of Christ during their physical life in the church age. They have to overcome the deception of Satan, the lure and temptation of society and the weakness and idiosyncracies of self to be an overcomer to inherit the kingdom of God as immortal spirit beings; and thus become members of the Royal Family of God! Those who are called and chosen in this church age will have to turn from Satan's way of life (greed, selfishness, fear etc - the get way of life) to God's way of righteousness based on His holy law (love, peace, joy etc - the give way of life).

If the church is the instrument to get all mankind to be saved, then there is no salvation for the Gentiles before the time of Christ, other than the few who were specifically called and given the Spirit of God! Only the true church knows and understand God's Master Plan of Salvation for mankind found in Leviticus 23, teaches its members to observe the Holy Days of God rather than man-made holidays.Those who are called in the church age are called for a specific purpose and specific work. These saints are in training now to be equipped for the noble and great task ahead to assist Christ in bringing the whole of humanity to salvation when Satan is being put away.

The one true church is headed by Jesus Christ and He had come as the second Adam to qualify to replace the former Lucifer as the King on the throne of the earth ruling with the government of God. Christ also came as a Prophet to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God which is the good news of replacing God's government in place of Satan on the throne of the earth - 2 Cor 4:4. The way for humans to enter and inherit the kingdom of God is for Christ to die to pay the death penalty for our sins and later resurrected as eternal spirit beings. Christ first advent was also to establish the church to train and equip those who are called and chosen to rule with Him when He returns.

All other churches who are not part of the true church of God, working under the rulership of Jesus Christ will not know, understand and have the faith and power to obey the commandments of His word and instructions to become the firstfruits of the calling. They will not form part of the First Resurrection when Christ returns!






 

WHERE ARE ALL THE DEAD? (PART TWO)

Many who came from Sunday School are also familiar with the story of prophet Elijah 'ascending up by a whirlwind unto heaven'. But the story in 2 Kings 2:11 was merely stating that Elijah was miraculously being transported into another place, away from the crowd. That was why the students from the school of prophets started looking for him after his departure. In  2 Chronicle 21:12, the same prophet Elijah wrote a letter warning King Jehoram to repent from his wickedness lest 'serious affliction wil come upon him and his family'. Since, spirit beings in heaven do not write letters to earthlings, Eliajh was not 'lifted up to heaven'!

Traditional Christianity misrepresents God as the 'Ultimate Sadist' who is game to send unrepentant sinners to eternal life in hellfire 'roasting in all eternity without ever being burned up'. Could the saved in heaven ever be joyful knowing that their loved ones are being tormented in hellfire all of eternity? Would even the most wicked person on earth mete out such punishment? What more if most of those 'lost souls' have never ever heard of the true Gospel and God's laws and commandments? But most do not realise that the belief in the lost eternally burning in hellfire (having eternal life in hell) is in direct contradiction to John 3:16 which states unequivocally that only the saved in Christ have eternal life! Such belief is from pagan religion and not from Scriptures.

The Psalmist states that in 115:17, 'The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down in silence'. If the 'lost' who were dead - who forms the majority of all who had ever lived - are crying and wailing in hell, then there is no silence from the grave! Christ told His audience that ALL (the dead) that are in the graves shall hear his voice (John 5:28), not just some and true disciples of Christ should take all the words of the Lord at face value, not selectively!

The Hebrew word for 'hell' is shoel and in the Greek it is hades - literally means 'the grave'. In fact, all the dead - whatever their religious affiliation, go to 'hell ' (the grave). In the second usage of the word 'hell' is found in 2 Peter 2:4 - tartaros - refers to a place of restraint for the fallen angelic beings. The third usage of the word is translated from the word gehenna in Greek which could mean hell or hellfire, and refers to destruction and not ongoing punishment as stated by Christ in Matthew 10:28, ' And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.'

The Gehenna hellfire mentions in Mark 9:43-48 refers to the Valley of Hinnon - a deep gorge outside of Jerusalem where fire used to burn 24/7. Not only trash but dead bodies of those killed in battle or prisoners were thrown in to be burned. Some of the corpses thrown over never made it into the fire below but got stuck on the ledges near the edge of the gorge and were swarmed with maggots which later turned to flies!

Gehenna actually refers to the Lake of Fire which is a place of punishment with permanent destruction which Revelation 20:14 refers as the second death. All those who refused to repent after being given all the truth and the opportunity to do so will be resurrected in the Third Resurrection to end up in the Lake of Fire of annihilation (Malachi 4:1). A righteous and merciful God will never allow anyone to be tormented in pain and misery for eternity!

Some will defend the belief of eternal life in hell inferno by quoting the parable of The Rich Man and the Beggar spoken of by Christ in Luke 16:19-31. However, a closer examination of the parable shows that it is teaching about resurrection and not the living state of the dead either in 'heaven or in hell'. If the parable is referring to an inferno, can the tongue of the rich man be cooled simply by a dip of water (Luke 16:24)? One would rightly ask for a huge pool of water to quench the fire! Besides, the word 'remember' used in verse 25 when Abraham answered the rich man shows that a long lapse of time had passed - not an instance of getting to a burning hell after death for the unrepentant. The parable is rightly teaching about the prospect the wicked will face the Lake of Fire when they are so fearful that they can hardly move their tongue to speak coherently!

All those who are called and chosen to be true disciples of Christ will have their spirits renewed by God when their spirits return to Him upon death  - 'the spirits of just men made perfect' (Hebrews 12:23). These saints will be asleep 'in the graves' awaiting the First Resurrection when Christ returns to set up the kingdom of God on earth and that will be the time when true saints are resurrected to be born again as spirit beings to enter and inherit the kingdom as members of the Family of God. Make no mistake, only members of the Divine Family will untimately rule over the whole earth in the Millennium Age (Rev 3:21, 5:10) and the universe in eternity (Col 1:15-20) - even ruling over the angels (1 Cor 6:3)!


 

WHERE ARE ALL THE DEAD? (Part One)

All through my growing up years as a Christian, I often heard Sunday school teachers, pastors, preachers and guest speakers talking nonchalantly about heaven and hell. Many a times, some would even preached at the wake of Christians who had passed on to bring comfort to those who are mourning that the deceased had 'gone to heaven to enjoy life forevermore'. But a careful study of Scripture will show that it teaches no such thing. So what is the truth of the destiny of all those who had died throughout the millennia since our distant ancestors walked the earth? Let's go through Scripture to find out.

The concept of the dead who had believed in Christ going to heaven and those who had not, going to hell is to believe that human beings have immortal soul. But Ezekiel 18:4 & 20 state, 'the soul that sinneth, it shall die' , and since 'all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God' - Romans 3:23, all human beings died and those who had died remained dead, they do NOT have eternal life somewhere else (whether in heaven or hell) as no human being has an immortal soul. All humans are souls and when they die, the souls died as well.To believe that the 'lost' are all 'burning in hell fire' after death is to imply that the wages of sin is 'eternal life in hell'.

Such man-made theology is pagan in origin and was popularised by a novelist named Dante Aligeirli who wrote the novel Divine Comedy in the thriteenth century. Dante was influenced by Greek philosophers like Plato, Aristotle and other earlier writers to pen the novel about heaven and hell. Subsequent preachers and evangelists had made use of such concept to great drama and effect in reaching out to unbelieving audience to 'frighten them into trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour'.

When a person dies, his or her spirit returns to God but it is not conscious and has no life of its own (Eccl: 3:21). The dead has no consciousness of existence and the passage of time (Psalm 6:5, 115:17, 146:4;  Eccl 3:20, 9:5). 'My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word' - Ps 119:25. The Psalmist knew that when he died, he will be 'sleeping in the dust' awaiting the (First) Resurrection when Christ returns to claim the kingdom of God as the ruling King of all the earth. David knew full well his eternal destiny when he will be resurrected (First Resurrection) from death to become immortal spirit God being (born again) like Jesus Christ - 'I shall be satisfied, when I awake with thy likeness' - Psalm 17:15.

Interestingly, Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, a Pharisee, which was recorded in John 3:13 thus, 'And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.'  Even after the ascension of Christ up to heaven, the Apostle Peter declared that 'David is both dead and buried...For David is not ascended into the heavens.' - Acts 2:29, 34. If David who is a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) is not in heaven, even after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, then how is anyone going to get into heaven!

Jesus Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount that 'the meek shall inherit the earth' - Matt 5:5. John recorded in Revelation 5:10 which should be correctly translated as 'And has made them (the saints) unto our God kings and priests, and they (the saints) shall reign on the earth.'  Similarly, it was recorded in Revelation 2:26 - ' And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations.'  Man-made theology would have you believe that heaven is an eternal playground for believers to roll and idle around forever with nothing better to do. But such teaching is contrary to the Gospel message which Christ and all His Apostles taught!

The prophet Daniel also recorded in chapter 7:14,18,22 &27 about Christ being officially given the rulership of the kingdom of God by the Heavenly Father and the saints of God were given the task to rule and reign with Christ on planet earth - hence the title of Christ as King of kings (saints) and Lord of lords (humans on earth). Towards the end, the prophet Daniel was told by Archangel Michael to rest (die) till the time of resurrection at the end of days (end of church age) - Daniel 12:13.

Some sceptics may weigh in Christ's promise to the thief in Luke 23:43 of granting him safe passage to heaven. But this is purely a mistranslation. Since in the original Greek manuscript which was inspired, there is no punctuation, the coma was incorrectly placed. It should rightly be translated as, 'Verily I say unto thee today (that is, right now),  shalt thou be with me in paradise.' If Christ had promised the thief that today he shall be with Him in paradise, the Lord is contradicting Himself. For He was three days and three nights in the grave and when Mary Magdalene saw Him on the fourth day, Christ told her, 'Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father (in heaven).' - John 20: 17.

Besides, He would be contradicting Himself on His statement in John 3:13. That is why He told His hearers that 'Where I go (heaven), you cannot come' - John 8:21,22; John 13:33. The thief will not be in the first resurrection as he was not baptised and had no time to develop the righteous character required to become sons of God. Since he repented of his sins, Christ will not condemn him and he will be in the second resurrection towards the end of the Millennium Age. By then, earth would have been a paradise. Jesus Christ is coming to earth and NOT the saints going to heaven - Rev 22:12. All who died in faith, including Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still 'sleeping in the grave' awaiting the First Resurrection - Hebrews 11: 13. Christians are heirs in this lifetime and to become inheritors when Christ returns. If the dead in Christ had gone on to heaven, why is there a need for resurrection (see 1 Cor chapter 15)? - it simply makes no sense!




 

THE CALL TO BE GOD'S FIRSTFRUITS

The firstfruits are those whom God called (John 6:44) out of the value systems of this world (Gal 1:4) to conform to the mindset and attitude of Christ (Phil 2:4-5). They are in the world but not of the world (John 17:16) and will be sanctified by the Word of Truth (17:17) - meaning that they are not being deceived by false doctrine and teachings. Unless God the heavenly Father called them like Abraham, Moses and the Apostle Paul, amongst others, all of humanity are going through life ignorant of the plan and purposes of God. The Apostle Paul recognised those who are called to be the firstfruits of His creature (James 1:18) and acknowledged them as such (Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 16:15).

The prerogative of those who are called to be the firstfruits is that of God the Father. For He foreknew those whom He calls even before they were born (Rom 8:29-30). Those called will have a lifetime of striving in order to please God and be separate and different from the world (1 John 2:15-17). That is why 'not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.' (1 Cor 1:26-27). As Christ had said, 'narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.' (Matt 7:14). Those who hope to be overcomer of self (pride, greed, selfishness etc.), the deception of Satan and the lure of society will have to choose God's way.

The true church of God that Christ founded on the Day of Pentecost in AD 31 consists of a small group of true believers who understood the gospel of the Kingdom and all its accompanied truth handed down to Christ as the Prophet (Deut 18:15) and Messenger (Mal 3:1c). There is only one true church that He founded (Matt 16:18) and not a mixture of churches with differing doctrines and practices. They are the 'little flock' (Luke 12:32) with the Father's name written on their forehead (Rev 14:1) - meaning the Holy Spirit is indwelling in the cognitive part of their mind situated at the frontal lobe of the brain. The will and work of the Heavenly Father are always in their mind. The have not been corrupted by false doctrine ('spiritual virgins') and have avoided the political and religious system of the world (Rev 14:4) which are nothing more than the doctrines and traditions of men (Mark 7:7-8). The called are prepared to forsake all to abide in the truth and be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ (Like 14:33), for they are the called, chosen and faithful (Rev 17:14).

Those who are being called and are obedient, God has given them the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:32) to empower them to overcome trial and tribulations which are necessary to trim their character to be more Christlike for the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). The firstfruits that make up the true church of God in this church age follow the government of God led by Christ as the Head. They must learn to be good followers of Christ now in order to lead others into God's kingdom come the millennium.Those who cannot follow the commandments and laws of God now will not qualify as the firstborn of God in the First Resurrection when Christ returns - 'for judgment must begin at the house of God' (1 Peter 4:17).

God's plan for the salvation of mankind is revealed in the observance of His Holy Days - not holidays! The Day of Pentecost is the picture of the calling and harvesting of the firstfruits of the church of God who will later assist Christ in bringing the rest of humanity to salvation when He returns. We are now living in such a time when God is calling and choosing His firstfruits to be trained and prepared - a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people - to reign with Christ in His kingdom (1 Pet 2:9). Those who have ears to hear will do well to heed the advice of the Apostle Peter to 'give diligence to make your calling and election sure; For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' - 2 Pet 1:10-11.






 

WHY WAS JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED?

Traditional Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God was crucified for the sin of mankind. While this is an absolute truth on God's Plan for the salvation of mankind, there are more to the reasons and circumstances that led to His crucifixion.

When God redeemed Israel out of slavery from Egypt, He entered into a covenant with them to bless them as long as they obey His commandments. This was ratified with the blood of animal sacrifices (Exodus 24:6-8). Since the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Heb 10:4), God has to establish a better covenant and with better promises (Heb:8:6) that came in the Person of Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world (John 3:16; John 6:54).

Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of virgin Mary in Bethelem. He was the God of the Old Testament (1 Cor 10:4) and came unto his own, and his own received him not (John 1:11). During His first advent, thousands heard Him speak and teach, saw Him casting out demons and healing the sick. The Pharisees and Sadducees - the religious elites of that time - demanded proof from Him of His identity with a sign from heaven. But none will be given except that of the prophet Jonah, when He will be in the grave for three days and three nights after His crucifixion.

These religious elites felt threatened by His teaching and popularity as they could lose their the support of the Jews. Besides, their power and authority were derived from the Roman authorities from where they were given some minor governmental roles. If they allow Christ to preach the true Gospel of the kingdom of God - a higher authority than that of the Roman emperor - these religious leaders could be implicated with sedition and treason which demand the death penalty. These prompted the religious leaders to plot the death of Christ in order to save their own skin (John 11: 45-53).

The Pharisees knew that Christ came from God the Father (John 3:2) and the Gospel of the kingdom that He proclaimed is about the coming supergovernment of God on planet earth. But to safegurard their interests and positions, they were determined to undermine Jesus Christ at every opportunity to stop Him in His track! They attempted to trap Him with His words so that they can accuse Him of sedition or treason before the Roman government. (Matt 22:15). But Christ saw through their intention (verse 18) and silenced them with His wisdom (verse 21).

Christ performed many miracles and spoke of strong words that the masses found difficult to stomach. After feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, Christ went over to Capernaum. The masses continue to follow Him hoping for more physical food to feed their stomach. But Christ told them to feed on spiritual food that will eventually lead to eternal life. When He spoke to the crowd that He is the Bread of Life and told them to feed on Him (the Passover symbols), many of His disciples turned away and walked with Him no more (John 6:66). Little wonder that Jesus said to His country folks, 'A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house' - Mark 6:4.

It was one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him to the religious leaders for thirty pieces of silver and Christ was delivered to the Roman governor Pilate to be tried. It is commonly believed that the Jewish leaders have no power to sentence Him to death based on John 18:31, 'It is not lawful for us to put any man to death'. However, this is true only for charges involving sedition or treason - for which Jesus Christ was accused of since He preached the Gospel of the kingdom of God - the very Gospel message sent from God the Father. The religious leaders accused Christ of blasphemy, but they falsely charged Him of treason to let Pontius Pilate put Him to death. In this way, they could wash their hands off (and so they thought) and yet have Christ crucified. Jesus Christ came to preach the Gospel (Luke 4:43: John 18:37) and to set up the church (Matt 16:18) so that mortal human beings could be born again as immortal spirit beings in the Family of God to inherit God's kingdom (Rom 8: 16-17, 29-30; Heb 2:10). He died doing the Father's will!