The Divine Architect has taken great care to draw up His Divine Blueprint for this building of His Son's church. Even before the foundation of the earth, He had His design in mind and began to reveal it from the first scriptures in Genesis to the last scripture in the book of Revelation. The Bible contains that Divine Blueprint.
Moses was admonished of the Lord when he was about to make the tabernacle: "See saith He, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed thee on the mount." Why was that so important? After all the Old Testament would be done away with and a New Testament was to be established. (Heb.8:1-13) It was because God was preparing the foundation for the "Chief Cornerstone." These ceremonial observances were the types and shadows of the "Spiritual" reality of Christ's true tabernacle, which was to be built.
Listen to this confirmation from the Hebrew writer: "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and the High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Mosses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Mosses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is built by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Mosses was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; WHOSE HOUSE ARE WE, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of our hope firm to the end." (Heb. 3:1-6)
This Divine Blueprint is based upon "Hope." But...Hope in what? This hope must have the foundation of faith. Again Paul writes: "Therefore being justified by FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by FAITH into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in HOPE of the glory of God."
(A)... Faith comes by hearing. Hearing what? Many people say they have faith. Many say, they believe in God. Is this the kind of faith that the Divine Blueprint relates? No! The Bible tells us that the devils believe that there is a God and they even tremble. This is more than the majority of people do in our generation today! There is seemingly no fear of God before their eyes. True faith comes from hearing and believing what God has promised in His word.
Hear this from God's Divine Blueprint: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible thing, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; that your FAITH and HOPE might be IN GOD." (1 Pet. 1:18-21)
(B)...The Divine Blueprint gives us an architectural plan of "Saving Faith." Peter gives us another important specification that is in this Divine Blueprint.
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."(1 Pet.2:9 )
This Blueprint not only has specifications for this life, but they are designed for eternity! Listen to this..."If in this life only we have HOPE in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept."(1 Cor. 15:19)
This Divine Blueprint has in it the hope and reality of Life eternal! This is not faith in a human man-made religious system or it's rituals, forms and dogmas.
(C)...The Divine Blueprint has provided our every need through this saving faith. Hear this exceeding great and precious promise from God's Word.
"Grace and peace be multiplied unto your through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. According to his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of his divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2Peter 1:2-4)
The Divine Blueprint has provided a "Divine nature" and a power within to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Believers are more than conquerors over sin, the flesh and the Devil...IF... they will only read the "SPECKS" of this Divine Blueprint, and act upon them.
Although a Divine Blueprint had been provided through the infallible Word of God, yet man has chosen to design his own building. This process became evident as the Apostles departed from this earth. By the close of the 2nd century men had come forth with their new additions or subtractions from the Divine Blueprint. Paul had written a warning to the infant church concerning this very thing happening.
He wrote: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." (Acts 20:28-31)
It is evident from the course of historic Christianity and the events that came to pass, that the people never heeded or remembered what Paul written!
That which the Apostle Paul warned the church of did indeed come to pass! Men did arise among the Christian community speaking perverse things and drawing others to themselves. A "self exalted" ministry came forth making themselves "Lord's over God's heritage." Church history bears witness to the development of the Apostate condition of the so-called church from the later part of the 2nd century. This is the summary of those perversions...
(A)... The first perversion was the acceptance of unconverted pagans into the church through the ritual of a baptismal ceremony. The preaching of the gospel of repentance, turning from sin unto Christ was no longer preached as the only way to God. When the heart is void of the reality of Christ, forms and rituals must be used as a replacement. Many of the Jewish and Pagan proselytes languished in the absence of the ceremonial worship they had been used to.
(B...These unconverted church members brought their idolatry over into the so-called Christian church. To name a few of these practices, the burning of candles; using vessels of incense; sprinkling brushes; praying on beads; using the so-called holy water at the entrance of the temples. Those who were in leadership accepted and adopted these foreign ceremonies to accommodate these new adherents. Why did they do this? It was because the church had become financially prosperous and the exalted Priesthood depended on the number of adherents they could keep permanently for it's support!
These events were but the beginning of the departure from the DIVINE BLUEPRINT. The Apostles letters and all available scriptures were gradually taken away from the common man. The scriptures became the property of the self-exalted Priesthood, and salvation was now relegated to their authority and ministered through the so-called sacraments of the church. More will be related concerning the Apostasy of this "Dark Age period" as we pursue the subject matter of "Babylon is fallen."
It has been necessary for us to know that there was a departure from God's Blueprint, and how it came to be. This gives us an understanding of why there are so many traditional churches all claiming to belong to Christ. It is evident that the Protestant churches have all come out of the Roman Catholic church. In like manner, they all have designed their own "Blueprint." Thus...the need for God's Restoration of Biblical Christianity.
Let us now see how the "Master Builder" will accomplish this task of building His church.
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