Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
What it means to be initiated into the secret of the mystery. Part 36. The indwelling of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah glory.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
The baptism of the Spirit was the sign of the beginning of the Church-age.
The baptism of the Spirit and the principle of adoption.
The baptism of the Spirit and abiding “in Christ.”
The challenge for the new spiritual species.
“In that day” = beginning on the day of Pentecost, the Church-age.
“He is in the Father” = His oneness and equality with the essence of God the Father.
1. The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee and a down-payment of the blessing and the security from God.
2. The indwelling of Jesus Christ.
God the Father is said to indwell the believer, EPH 4:6.
The indwelling of Christ as the Shekinah glory is one of the two major guarantees that God has provided for you your very own predesigned plan from eternity past and your escrow blessings within that plan.
“Shekinah” - noun SHAKAN = to dwell.
It refers to the fact that Jesus Christ indwelt certain sacred buildings in Israel.
It was used to express the invisible presence of God with Israel.
“Glory” - KABODH = the visible manifestations of Jesus Christ as a theophany.
He indwelt the Tabernacle, Solomon’s Temple, and Zerubbabel’s Temple.
1. The prophecies of the indwelling of Christ, JOH 14:19-20.
2. The verification of the indwelling of Christ in our Lord’s prayer for the Church in three verses, JOH 17:22-26.
3. The indwelling of Christ as related to the PPOG for the Church-age and how that relates to our escrow blessings, COL 1:25-29.
4. The indwelling of Christ as related to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, ROM 8:9-11, 1JO 3:23-24, 2CO 6:16.
5. The indwelling of Christ related to the baptism of the Spirit, GAL 2:20.
6. The doctrine of the indwelling of Jesus Christ as a test of your faith or doctrine, 2CO 13:2-6.
Theophanies = TLJC appeared throughout the OT in visible forms such as the angel of Jehovah or the angel of the Lord.
He wrestled with Jacob and permanently injured Jacob, GEN 32:24.
The Lord also appeared to Abraham in his tent as a man, accompanied by two other men and He announced that Sarah, who was past the menopause, was going to become pregnant, Gen 18.
There are also inanimate theophanies of our Lord such as the cloud over the tent or the tabernacle, which was the visible sign that Jesus Christ was dwelling inside of the holy of holies as the Shekinah glory.
The burning bush, or the pillar of fire at night.
Once in history during the dispensation of Israel, TLJC actually dwelt inside of sacred buildings.
JOH 1:14 - He tablenacled or He tented before us.
Skenoo - shachan - Shekinah.
Fut-mid-ind - ginosko.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit performs one major function while the indwelling of Christ provides some of the greatest motivation in life.
In His humanity, TLJC is seated at the right hand of the Father, but His deity is omnipresent.
His deity was invisible to the crowd who heard this prophecy, but His humanity was very visible.
In the Old Testament, they saw the visible manifestation of TLJC on the outside in the realm of such things like the tabernacle; however, invisible to the outside was TLJC who dwelt in the holy of holies.
The people who heard this magnificent prophecy could see the man, the humanity of Christ, but they could not see the glory, His deity.
GAL 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, 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 delivered Himself up for me.”
COL 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the confidence of the glory.
In the Old Testament, they saw a theophanies, and an inanimate theophanies, the cloud, said He was there, the pillar of fire said He was there.
The day of the virgin birth of our Lord was the last day any overt manifestation of TLJC existed.
Never again are there theophanies; instead there are Christophanies which are manifestations of the humanity of Christ in resurrection body.
He indwelt the sacred building as a sign of blessing and security in Israel.
Today TLJC is at the right hand of the Father where we cannot see Him until we go to heaven, but in the meantime He also indwells our bodies, invisibly.
Just like the Jews could not see the Shekinah glory in the OT but could see a manifestation of His presence, so we can reveal the Shekinah glory or the indwelling of Christ to the world and to each other through our body, the temple of the living God.
JOH 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither {can} you, unless you abide in Me.
COL 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the confidence of the glory.