Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
What it means to be initiated into the secret of the mystery, Part 16. Now the angelic conflict intensifies.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
TLJC is going to begin to unfold the plan of God, and we are going to have the upper room discourse, and the first thing that Jesus discusses by way of doctrine is the intensification of the angelic conflict.
“The Son of Man” emphasizes the humanity of Christ.
PHI 2:8 In fact, although having being discovered in outward appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of spiritual death, that is the death of the cross.
After this, He will be resurrected, He will ascend, and when He is seated at the right hand of the Father, that is the glorification of TLJC, and the glorification of TLJC triggers the intensification of the angelic conflict.
“Now” = the approaching crisis for which Jesus Christ will go through the humiliation of the cross, and the glorification of resurrection, ascension, and session.
Glorified - aor-pass-ind - doxazo = to be honored, to be magnified; to be clothed with splendor.
It is divided into 2 parts, the Church-age, the hidden stage, and the Tribulation, the overt stage.
The Church-age is the most intensive hidden part of the angelic conflict, and in this particular age the life of every believer is a target, in contrast to the Old Testament dispensation, when Christ and the line of Christ was the target.
Since every believer is a target of Satan, divine provision for every believer is intensified, and this is why you now possess as an individual believer, certain things that believers did not possess before.
We now have the concept of dispersion of troops, in those days, they had the concept of concentration of troops.
In the period of the intensification of the angelic conflict, we are all scattered out, and we get together, if we get together, when we come to church.
HEB 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.
When we disperse we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are indwelt by the Person of Christ, we are in union with Christ, we are His personal ambassador-representative, we are a priest representing ourselves before God.
The Father is perfect, His plan is perfect, and the plan of God the Father calls for the betrayal for Judas Iscariot.
Satan is thinking, “If Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus, and Jesus gets into the hands of the Jews, then the Jews will stone Him to death.”
JOH 8:58-59 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.
Satan has this big plan, all centered in Judas Iscariot.
But God the Father has another plan. His plan revolves around the fact that Jesus is going to go to the cross, and while He is on the cross, the sins of the world will be poured out on Him and judged.
ISA 53:10 But the Lord [God the Father] was pleased To crush Him [God the Son], putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
The Jews turn Him over to the Romans, just as God’s plan says it would happen.
The Romans crucify TLJC because Jesus is not a Roman citizen. He is a Jew, so they crucified Him, and this is the one type of death where there is plenty of time to bear the sins of the world.
PSA 33:10 The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
PRO 6:16 There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
PRO 6:18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
PRO 15:26 Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
PRO 24:8 He who plans to do evil, Men will call him a schemer.
MAT 27:40 “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
Where do you hear the doctrine of the mystery?
Rom 16, Col 1, Eph 3 - all those were written by the apostle Paul.
EPH 3:10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.
EPH 6:12 Because our struggle is not against blood [people’s souls] and flesh [their old sin nature], but against the rulers [the archons like Abaddon and Beelzebub], against the powers [demon officers who have phenomenal authority], against the world forces of this darkness [kosmokratoras - demons who specialize in possessing or influencing the cosmos or world rulers] against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places or against the spiritual forces of evil in the atmosphere around the earth, the stellar universe and in the presence of God.
EPH 6:10-12 - Paul announcing demon organization to meet the onslaught of operation footstool, or the operation of the Church-age.
“The Son on Man” is glorified, passive voice, receives glorification, and then the Father is glorified, passive voice, receives glorification.
“Is glorified” - aor-pass-ind - edoxasthe - e*doxavsqh = to receive glory or to be glorified, to honor, to magnify, to clothe with splendor.
It starts with the betrayal, the Cross, resurrection, ascension, session, all of these are a part of the constantive aorist.
a. The mystery stage, the Church-age.
b. The overt stage, the Tribulation.
The Church-age is the most intensified stage of the angelic conflict because it is hidden and invisible.
To equip and train the Royal family for combat.
For the vocation of the ministry - training future pastors.
For the edification of the body - to teach and encourage the body of Christ through doctrine.
You are in full-time Christian service.
You have been baptized by the Spirit.
You have the unique pre-designed plan of God taking its precedence from the dispensation of the Hypostatic union.
You have the unique equality factor of the Church-age.
You have your very own portfolio of invisible assets, prepared for you by God the Father in eternity past.
You are a royal priest, in which you represent yourself before God.
You are a royal ambassador, in which you represent our Lord to the world.
You have the unique mystery doctrine itself of the Church-age.
You have the indwelling of all three persons of the Trinity, something that has never occurred before.
You have the unique availability of divine power, the omnipotence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
You have all of your instructions in writing and in written form.
You have a spiritual gift.