John18:36NASB"Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Let's think about this for a minute Jesus' servants were forbidden to fight in aid of what would have been the worthiest cause in human history.Why?Because Jesus' kingdom was to be no part of the present civilisation,Jesus did not come into the world to patch up or prop up human rule.He himself pointed out the folly of any such attempt :Matthew9:16,17NASB"“But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Jesus was no reformer he was here for a far more radical purpose i.e to preside over the dissolution of the discredited present civilisation and its supplanting by an entirely new civilisation of Jehovah God's making:Daniel2:44NASB“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever."
His followers were to show a like disinterest in political,nationalistic or otherwise worldly matters.John17:14“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."
Like the modern world there was much that was morally objectionable from a Christian standpoint in the 1st century,yet rather than urging 1st century Christians to campaign for social or political reform,the apostle Paul made it clear that Christians are not to regard the morals of the world outside of the church as any of their business.
1Corinthians5:9-12NASB"9I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES. "
Christians are to strive to maintain the purity of the congregation but leave the judging of the world up to Jehovah.The church is the foundation of a new global civilisation that will bring due honour and glory to Jehovah's name.It has NO political mandate rather its mandate is to provide a foregleam of the coming new world that would attract those seeking something better than the present hedonistic,egocentric,materialistic culture to a relationship with Jehovah God and his Son.
:Revelation22:11“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”
When the transition to the new world arrives only those who have taken the time and effort to cultivate a intimate relationship with Jehovah will stand.That's the only way that the new World could be truly new i.e if it's populated by those with a truly new ethic.
Jesus was no reformer he was here for a far more radical purpose i.e to preside over the dissolution of the discredited present civilisation and its supplanting by an entirely new civilisation of Jehovah God's making:Daniel2:44NASB“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever."
His followers were to show a like disinterest in political,nationalistic or otherwise worldly matters.John17:14“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."
Like the modern world there was much that was morally objectionable from a Christian standpoint in the 1st century,yet rather than urging 1st century Christians to campaign for social or political reform,the apostle Paul made it clear that Christians are not to regard the morals of the world outside of the church as any of their business.
1Corinthians5:9-12NASB"9I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES. "
Christians are to strive to maintain the purity of the congregation but leave the judging of the world up to Jehovah.The church is the foundation of a new global civilisation that will bring due honour and glory to Jehovah's name.It has NO political mandate rather its mandate is to provide a foregleam of the coming new world that would attract those seeking something better than the present hedonistic,egocentric,materialistic culture to a relationship with Jehovah God and his Son.
:Revelation22:11“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”
When the transition to the new world arrives only those who have taken the time and effort to cultivate a intimate relationship with Jehovah will stand.That's the only way that the new World could be truly new i.e if it's populated by those with a truly new ethic.
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