A Morning Bible Study ─ You Were Born to Be a Ruler! Part II

Leonard V Johnson   About

In our previous A Morning Bible Study, we covered the awesome fact that the LORD God – the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ – is in the process of expanding the family of God. That the LORD God is actually reproducing Themselves through human beings!

It’s vitally important to know exactly how the LORD God is accomplishing this glorious Masterful creation. When can we become a literal member of the God family!? What will we be doing as a member of the family of God!? This portion of this study reveals these answers and more.

Human reproduction pictures the very process by which the LORD God is reproducing Themselves. Notice our Lord Jesus Christ’s clear answer to Nicodemus – “ … ‘You must be born again.’” – John 3:3-8.

So, each human being since Adam started life from a tiny human female reproductive cell called an ovum. If this reproductive cell does not become fertilized within 24 hours of its eruption, it begins to degenerate. Human life begins ONLY when the male sperm cell penetrates or enters the ovum.

And here is a truism that truly makes ABORTION MURDER! And I realize that this still is a controversial subject - which it shouldn't be. The Lord our God commands, NO MURDER - then we are to commit no murder of any kind - physically or spiritually - including murdering an innocent potential child of God within the womb. But, here is a truism –

The prophet Job wrote – through the inspiration of God’s Spirit – “But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding” – Job 32:8. And, this human spirit enters the human ovum upon penetration of the male sperm cell. The spirit is like the “hard drive on a computer” – it stores information. The spirit essence is NOT an immortal soul or an eternal spirit. The spirit in man is NOT the man. It is something in the man. It has no life of itself, for the life of man is in the air he breathes, and in the blood that circulates through his body (Genesis 2:7; Leviticus 17:11). It does not of itself see or hear. And at death, it has no consciousness of itself, for it sleeps (1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). Like a tape recorder, it forms a permanent record of the qualities of mind and character built by a man during his lifetime. And much like a used tape is stored lifelessly on a shelf till activated in a recorder, so also does the spirit of man “return to God who gave it” after death, until the resurrection when life is again given to a person (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

So, spiritually speaking, each human being is like an unfertilized reproductive cell. If the human being is not fertilized with God’s Spirit, it begins to degenerate. And will eventually die. We were created to need the fertilization of God’s Holy Spirit within our minds so that we can begin to spiritually grow before being born again and live forever in the family of God.

1) Does God’s living word plainly show that it is His Master Plan to increase His divine family by bringing many sons and daughters to glory!?

You know, in Romans 8 – you read through there – you hear phrases like, “sons of God,” “the Spirit of sonship,” and “children of God.” You can go through Galatians 3 and hear, “children of God … heirs according to the promise.” There are many more such Scriptures – also Hebrews 2:9-11 – talking about Jesus Christ and saying, “bringing many sons into glory.”

We will be like the resurrected Jesus Christ!

2) According to God’s living word – the Holy Bible – who must all Spirit-begotten true Christians strive to “grow up in all things”?

Notice what our Lord Jesus expects from His servants –

“’ Therefore you shall be PERFECT [or complete – spiritually mature is what the word means], just as your Father in heaven is perfect.’” – Matthew 5:48.

“till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” – Ephesians 4:13.

The word “perfect” in Matthew 5:48 is the Greek word teleios, meaning “perfect, mature, finished.” (Strong’s Concordance #5046). So, what our Lord Jesus is saying is that His followers are to become spiritually mature.

Of course, we cannot become absolutely spiritually mature – perfect – until the glorious resurrection.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. [See: Revelation 1:12-16] … 9) Whoever has been BORN of God does not sin, for His seed [the Holy Spirit] remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been BORN OF GOD.” – 1 John 3:2, 9.

In the meantime, God desires us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” – 2 Peter 3:18.

“He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and DOES NOT keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” – 1 John 2:4.

“But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6) He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” – 1 John 2:5-6.

Anyone who does NOT obey and DOES NOT keep God’s commandments is NOT His! Thus, they DO NOT have the Holy Spirit of God. They have their own idea of just what the Holy Spirit actually is – but they truly are NOT His!

God does not bend His rules to fit people’s imaginations of what their religiosity or tradition claims.

The Holy Spirit is only within those who are TRULY OBEDIENT TO GOD and forsake their own lives for Jesus Christ and who OBEY GOD’S COMMANDMENTS – summed up with the TEN COMMANDMENTS!

“’ IF you love Me [‘If you are loyal to Me’], keep the commandments – namely, My commandments. 16) And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that it may be with you throughout the age’” – John 14:15-16, NET.

What is the end result of this spiritual process of growth!?

“My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” – Galatians 4:19.

And, this is an aspect of the Days of Unleavened Bread that many are not aware of. Instead, the remnant churches of God continue to preach – “Go around each year and look for old crumbs of bread!” That is a Judaic concept! And then somehow that was supposed to make you put sin out of your life – totally illogical. Can’t do it! Can’t put leavening out of your life – it’s everywhere! Just like yeast – it’s everywhere! And evil thoughts exist in you at every cellular level! You – of and by yourself is carnal – born into sin! cf. Psalm 51:5.

We are flesh and blood, and we’re not subject to the will of God! – Romans 8:7. But, the glorious Spirit of God begins to make a change – which is called conversion. Bit by bit – step by step. And, looking for crumbs doesn’t make it happen!

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live [meaning not of and by our own volition, our own willpower], but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” – Galatians 2:20.

Truly, it means exactly what God’s living word says - ‘Christ lives IN me!’ and for seven days we have this physical ritual of imbibing unleavened bread to remind us WE NEED JESUS CHRIST in the innermost parts of our being!

3) WHEN will this spiritual birth of the true saints take place!?

Book of Acts, the 14th chapter –

Verse 22 – “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.’” – we will need to endure and keep the faith as God’s begotten children go through the FIRST SIX TRUMPET BLASTS – cf. Revelation 8:7-12; 9:1-11, 13-19. But then the SEVENTH TRUMPET BLAST will be blown “and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” – cf. 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 10:7; Revelation 11:15. So, here the apostle Paul is saying that it will be through ‘many tribulations’ – and all of us can attest to this. Once you set your heart on obeying Almighty God’s Law, like keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, it becomes ever more difficult to swim upstream against this world.

Friends, when the SEVENTH TRUMPET IS SOUNDED, the Spirit-begotten children of God who have died through the ages will be resurrected to spirit life by the Spirit of God, and those still alive will be instantly changed into spirit beings – cf. Matthew 24:40-42. At that very moment, they will be “born again” members of the God family.

4) To what did our Lord Jesus compare one who is born of the Holy Spirit!?

“’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is BORN of the Spirit.’” – John 3:8.

When you are “born again” – meaning, born of the Holy Spirit of God, you will be “like Him [Jesus Christ], for we shall see Him as He is.” You will not be seen by mortal eyes (unless you choose to manifest yourself), and you will be able to move like the wind.

Our Lord Jesus is comparing spiritual birth to physical birth.

5) After our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection, with His wholly Spirit-composed body, was He able to suddenly appear and disappear?

“Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you.’” 37) But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit” – Luke 24:36-37.

The Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary add, “the ghost of [our] dead Lord, but not Himself in the body (Acts 12:15; Matt. 14:26). Thoughts [supposed] – rather, reasonings; i.e., whether He was risen or no, and whether this was His very self.” 1

Was our Lord Jesus able to pass through solid walls?

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ … 26) And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, ‘Peace to you!’” – John 20:19, 26.

Was our Lord Jesus able to eat?

“And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39) Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.’ 40) When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41) But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ‘Have you any food here?’ 42) So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43) And He took it and ate in their presence” – Luke 24:38-43.

If Jesus Christ wants to – in the Old Testament, and also during his human lifetime, and after He’s been resurrected and came out of the tomb – He appeared in front of His disciples multiple times and they ended up touching Him, having a meal with Him – we’re told that we are going to be like Jesus Christ someday in the future. Jesus Christ has always been able to appear as a human being – if He wants. And He has always been able to appear as a great almighty God – if He so desires. An idiom often attributed to Mark Twain says, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” No piece of science fiction can compare to this glorious, marvelous, and awesome TRUTH about our potential as revealed in your Bible!

6) Will the LORD God also glorify all Spirit-begotten children of God at the resurrection by giving them great power and glory as Our Lord Jesus has!?

Jesus Christ comes back and RULES from the throne of the earth – on which Satan the Devil is currently residing (cf. John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9) – just as the angel told Mary, “’ He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob [a united kingdom of Israel as well as all other kingdoms of the world] forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’” – cf. Luke 1:32-33.

“Then the SEVENTH ANGEL sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven [the atmosphere], saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord [God the Father] and of His Christ [Jesus the Christ], and He shall reign forever and ever!’” – Revelation 11:15.

“The Spirit [itself] bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 17) and if children, then heirs ─ heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” – Romans 8:16-17.

“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” – Colossians 3:4.

Just WHERE will He establish His headquarters on earth!?

In New Jerusalem!

Notice: “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven [the atmosphere], prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” – Revelation 21:2.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain [which represents the kingdom of God], and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem [the New Jerusalem], descending out of heaven from God. … 22:3 the throne of God [God the Father] and of the Lamb [our Lord Jesus Christ] shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” – Revelation 21:10; 22:3.

“’ At that time [the Millennium Reign of Christ] Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations [all the leaders of these nations] shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.’” – Jeremiah 3:17.

Will God’s Spirit-born children – the Spirit-begotten true Christians – who ‘overcome’ and are faithfully obeying Him and prove their loyalty to Him during their mortal lives – co-rule with Jesus Christ in His Millennial Reign!?

Notice the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ – “’ And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – 27) ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ – as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the Morning Star [a reference to Himself].’” – Revelation 2:26-28. See also Revelation 3:21; 5:10; 20:4.

The kingdom of God is a ruling family. And those who become a member of the glorious family of God are destined to be co-rulers of the EARTH with our Master, Elder Brother, and Savior – the King of kings and the Lord of lords – for 1,000 years and beyond.

As we read in the likes of Revelation 5:10 – the LORD God will make us a kingdom of “kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign ON THE EARTH.”

Literally, billions of people will come to learn to live the LORD God’s Way and will eventually be born into the family of God during this Millennial reign of Christ Jesus! Then, after the Millennium, still, more billions who had died (or were aborted) throughout the history of mankind will be resurrected, and they too will be given this glorious and awesome opportunity to become literal born-again sons or daughters to Father God, and brothers or sisters to our Lord Jesus Christ! A period known as the “Great White Throne Judgment” – Revelation 20:11-13.

Notice Minister Michael Garrett’s teaching concerning this time period –

“Isaiah 65:17 - The Feast of Tabernacles is prophetically linked with the Kingdom of God. Verse 20 – The WCG taught as a doctrine, and I would imagine if they knew it, the descendants of that organization to this day still teach this as doctrine. … Isaiah 65 verse 20 was taught by the WCG 2 that proclaimed the length of a human existence in the Great White Throne Judgment. This verse here in Isaiah 65:20, it’s NOT talking about the White Throne Judgment. It’s not talking about that time when people come up out of their graves like Ezekiel 37 talks about. As Ezekiel was told, “These bones are the whole House of Israel!” Every Israeli, meaning descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who’s ever lived will live again.

So, who is this referring to!? This is referring to the people who live in the Kingdom of God AFTER it is established by Jesus Christ upon His return! Talking about the Millennium!

Now think about it. If He’s contemplating a hundred years, how thick-headed are you!!? If you’re living on the Earth, Jesus Christ and God the Father on the Earth, the very throne of GOD and New Jerusalem is on the Earth, the resurrected saints are on the Earth, all of the holy angels are on the Earth, and it takes you a hundred years to figure it out!!? You’re a pretty slow learner, or mighty thick-headed. … This is speaking of the Millennium.”

(Garrett, M.C, Notes Concerning The Feast of Tabernacles And the Last Great Day, Sept. 2019).

7) Will the LORD God’s family continue to expand for all eternity!?

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7) Of the increase of His government [as well as His family] and peace There will be no end, …” – Isaiah 9:6, 7.

“ … And they shall reign forever and ever” – Revelation 22:5.

Now, ‘the new heavens and the new earth’ is equal to ‘the Kingdom of God’ and is also equal in meaning to ‘the Millennial reign of Christ.’ They all sort of mean the same. ‘‘So shall your descendants and your name remain.” Now, it is unfortunate that the WCG taught – and many of its descendant churches continue teaching – that as time goes on after the Millennial reign of Christ, that human beings would stop being produced. Why!? Why did they teach this!? Because they simply didn’t understand the very Plan of God! Not really. The TRUTH OF GOD is that LIFE GOES ON FOREVER! And, the earth goes on forever!

Now, one of the great meanings of the Feast of Tabernacles is that God will someday ‘TABERNACLE’ in His Tabernacle on the earth for all eternity! GOD THE FATHER is going to Tabernacle with men! Again, the WCG taught – along with many of its descended churches continues teaching – that the earth was going to be melted down like liquid glass! A teaching which they most likely got from Ellen G. White’s book The Great Controversy Between Christ And Satan.

The New English Bible translates Hebrews 1:2 – “But in this the final age [H]e has spoken to us in the Son whom [H]e has made heir to THE WHOLE UNIVERSE. …”

Friends, as incredible as it may sound, your ultimate potential and the potential of every human being that’s ever lived (or was aborted before birth) is to co-rule THE UNIVERSE with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and God the Father!

This is your awesome potential – the glorious and awesome destiny that the LORD God has in store for those who “’ seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness’” and do the will of the LORD God and follow Their Way!

Yes – You Were Born To Be A Ruler! □

1 Jamieson, R., Fausset, A.R., Brown, D., Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary of the Whole Bible, Zondervan Publishing House, 1982, pp. 1024.

2. Mr. Garrett used the whole name, Worldwide Church of God. We here have used the acronym WCG.

Scriptural Index:

Old Testament ─ Genesis 2:7; Leviticus 17:11; Job 32:8; Psalm 51:5; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Isaiah 9:6, 7; 65:17, 20; Jeremiah 3:17; Ezekiel 37:11.

New Testament ─ Matthew 5:48; 6:33; 14:26; 24:40-42; Luke 1:32-33; 24:36-37, 38-43; John 3:3-8; 12:31; 14:15-16; 20:19, 26; Acts 12:15; 14:22; Romans 8; 8:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 15:51, 52; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Galatians 2:20; 3; 4:19; Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 16; Hebrews 1:2; 2:9-11; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:4, 5-6; 3:2, 9; Revelation 1:12-16; 3:21; 5:10; 8:7-12; 9:1-11, 13-19; 10:7; 11:15; 20:4, 11-13; 21:2, 10, 26-28; 22:3, 5.