Coming in the Flesh © March 2005 by Asher Intrater Although the Father is greater than Yeshua (Jesus), the active part of the plan of redemption centers around the Son. Since it was mankind that sinned, it is by a man that they must be saved... 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 and by a man they must be judged. John 5:27 God made the physical world for man to dwell in. God made physical man for Himself to dwell in. 1 Corinthians 6:19 By giving us free will and putting us in this physical planet, He gave us authority over the planet and everything in it. (See Genesis 1:26, Psalms 115:16). When Satan caused the human race to sin, he illegally but effectively usurped our authority over the planet. He became the temporary, criminal "god" of this world (II Corinthians 4:4). When Yeshua came, He had to be born into this world with a natural human body. He came to take back the rulership of this world from the devil. He came to do it legally as a fully human being with His own free will and His own physical body. John 1:14 The birth of Yeshua is such a great miracle that it divides the calendar of human history from before His birth to after His birth. To say that Yeshua came to earth without a physical body, either in spirit or as an angel or in a vision, would be totally contrary to the purpose of His mission. That doctrine would be against Yeshua, an "anti" Messiah doctrine. 1 John 4:2-3 Yeshua's coming in the flesh includes not only His birth, but also His death. Yeshua really died physically on the cross. It includes not only His death but also His resurrection. He was not resurrected as a ghost, but as a human being with a glorified material body (Luke 24:39). Forty days after the resurrection, Yeshua also ascended into heaven in His resurrected body. Just as Yeshua ascended, so will He also come back (Acts 1:11). As His feet physically lifted off the Mount of Olives, so will they soon "touch down" on the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9). Yeshua had to be born physically to inherit Adam's authority. He had to be crucified physically to judge Adam's sin. He also has to come back physically in order to take back the dominion over this planet that Adam yielded to the devil. If He does not come back to take dominion over the planet, He would in effect allow Satan to stay here forever as the "god" of this world. Many Christians are confused about the physical nature of Yeshua's second coming to this earth. That confusion is deception from the devil. To deny Yeshua's second coming in the flesh is parallel to denying His first coming in the flesh (see again I John 4:2-3). "Coming in the flesh" refers to His second entry into this planet as a king as well as His first coming as a baby. Satan doesn't mind you believing in sweet baby Jesus, as long as you don't believe in the conquering king Jesus. The word "come" in Hebrew is "ba," and has the same form in past and present. It can mean, therefore, "is coming" in the sense of past, present, or future. We see that triple meaning concerning the Messiah "coming" in the clouds. As Yeshua was lifted up in the clouds from the Mount of Olives, so will He again come back in the clouds. Zechariah 14:4-5 Here again is the word "come." It must be in the flesh, because His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. Whose feet? Yeshua's. (The feet of Zechariah 14:4 are the same feet as Acts 1:9.) Who is the Lord who is coming back to earth? Yeshua. To say that Yeshua "comes" in the flesh includes His: To deny any of these is an anti-Messiah spirit. Yeshua must come back in the flesh to throw Satan in the pit, to resurrect the human race, to take dominion over this planet, and to set up the kingdom of God on earth. To deny that is to miss the point of creation, redemption and resurrection. We pray for the kingdom of God to come to earth and for His will to be done on this planet just as it is in heaven (Matthew 6). Many people pray for themselves to leave this planet, so it will be done in heaven as it is in heaven. But that is not what the scriptures say. For the kingdom to come to earth, then Yeshua must come to earth. Our mission is to prepare the conditions for His return. To believe in a real second coming, there must be an actual time and location. The time is soon. The place is Jerusalem. That is why the greatest conflict in the world revolves around Jerusalem. The greatest political conflict is the Muslim claim to the Temple Mount, and the greatest spiritual conflict is to keep religious Jews in Jerusalem away from Jesus. Another aspect of this conflict is the confusion in Christian doctrine concerning either Israel or the end times. We believe in an actual second coming. Yeshua will take ownership of God's planet (Psalms 24:1). The planet will be regenerated (Matthew 19:28). Nature will be redeemed (Romans 8:21). Heaven and earth will be joined together by Yeshua (Ephesians 1:10). The Garden of Eden will be restored (Revelation 22:1-2). God and man will live in harmony (Revelation 21:3-4). Everything will be perfect. May your kingdom come. Baruch Haba. Blessed is He who comes. Maranatha. Even so, come Lord Yeshua. APPENDIX: Let us briefly touch upon these verses to understand them in the right context. 1. Father's Mansion -Yes, we have a dwelling in heaven; it is also called "Heavenly Jerusalem." Anyone who dies now in faith will go there. When Yeshua comes back most of those living here will be taken there. However, at the end of the millennium, that heavenly dwelling place descends downward to be joined with earth. Heavenly Jerusalem comes down to become one with earthly Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12; 21:2, 10). Back to Articles 2005 Back |