The Word of Truth for Today 31

By Joseph L. Watkins

If you have our paper for 8-1-2001, I ask that you read it again, especially our word for word rendering of Ephesians 3:9-11. In verse nine we saw that God was creating those chosen members of the out-called body of Christ, "for the sake of Christ Jesus."

Christ Jesus is God Almighty in human form; our Emanuel, God with us. However, as He is in this form, He can only be in but one place at any one time, so "for the sake of Christ Jesus" and this unique situation, the Creator is now working to create each member of His Body; even to be the "images" of Him Who is the One True Image of the One Invisible Creator.

When among men on this planet earth, He did manifest God to as many as would see Him as God. In the heaven of heavens these created images are to "make Him known" to all in that place that would know Him.

As we see it, this is the whole purpose of God in calling out the Out-Called. This is the Divine Purpose of Creation, that the unknowable Creator be KNOWN.

In verse 10, the word nor, or nun in the Greek (Strong's 43568), must be rightly understood. When used with the article #3588, it has in view the present. And at times the future may be in view, however, we have no article preceding our word now. Here in this case, it has the revealed fact in view that the great Creator had been hiding this "unsearchable" message from the whole world, but "now" it has been unveiled to Paul and he is working to enlighten all the saints, and this great message has in view all of His Elect - Holy Ones that are to make known the previously unknowable Creator, even in the heavenlies.

So with this divine fact in view, the Spirit of Truth can say thanks be - NOW these great truths can be made known as the Out-Called Body has not been manifest, such can only be with Him, Who is our Life, and only "when" He, the Head, is manifest.

Now, He is as yet incomplete. He has not, as yet, come to His "fulness" (Eph. 1:23). Oh, yes, He is the Fulness of the Godhead, but the full number of His Body is not yet come in, and without that FULL Body, He is not to come into His inheritance that are to make Him known in the heavenlies. To try to imagine, as some do, that such a thing is now going on with such as you and I is ludicrous, to say the least. The truth is, and the fact is, in that hour when He is manifest, His Body is to be manifest with Him. Even in that hour when the Called-Out Ones are to become like Him, or the "likeness of Him" - Him being the OneTrue Likeness, or Living Image of the One Creator of all that is. Then, in that hour, these Holy Ones are to become images of that One Image, and then not until having entered their inheritancepositions.

Yes, this is the goal of our Creator, even that God might BE ALL, and IN ALL - in all men in Christ Jesus, and in all of His living forms of intelligence, He would that "all" be like Him, and that can only be if He makes them like Him. But this is not what He wanted, for all He would have would be a whole creation of living puppets, or clones. He desires that His living creatures would be like Him because they want to be like Him, and they can only desire that as they know Him. Yes, to know Him is to be like Him.

Some folks seem to be put off or offended by our suggestion that our Creator may have other life-forms, and will yet create more, many more, intelligent creatures. But the sure Word of Truth is quite clear on this - the phrase "the sons of God" as found in Job 1:6: "...and Satan came also among them." Most say these were angels, but we are not all that sure. And we see from Job 38:1-7 that these sons were living as He "built" the earth, and they "shouted for joy." Why? Because the earth that was then was to be their homeland, and was lost to them when Satan fell, so darkness came upon this earth (see Gen. 1:12). God never created it that way.

We see in Gen. 18:1-2, the Lord Jehovah, or Christ Jesus (as this is His only outward form), and three men came to Abraham. Most would say these three were angels, but we are not all that sure.

And we have from Eph. 1:21 the expressions, "principality, and power, and might, and dominion." Now we have learned that these are positions of leadership and/or authority. No persons, but only creatures with intelligence, would fill such positions and have such authority.

Yes, our God is a builder and maker. He is the only Creator, but we must see and understand that mankind is not His only work, His only higher living creation. As I see it, HE HAS ONLY BEGUN TO CREATE! We know for a fact that He is to one day "recreate" this planet earth (2 Pet. 2:10-13). His warehouse of raw materials, things such as suns, moons, stars, and more planets, have all been created and are there to be used as needed. Only His living creatures remain to be formed.