ADVENT 8 ~ NOT LOCKED INTO TIME

Where was HE+ when HE+ was talking to Nicodemus ?

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but HE+ that came down from Heaven, even the SON+ of Man Who+ is in Heaven ~ Words of The LORD to Nicodemus.

So then . . .

HOW can The LORD JESUS be standing with Nicodemus here on earth  . . . and tell him that HE+ is in Heaven ?

A look at the Greek will show us even more !

John 3:13   καὶ ουδεὶς αναβέβηκεν εις τὸν ουρανὸν ει μὴ ο εκ του ουρανου καταβάς, ο Υιὸς του ανθρώπου ο  ων εν τω ουρανω. 

Literal English:

And no-one has ascended into the Heaven  except The ONE+ out of the Heaven descended, the SON+ of the Man, The ONE+ BEING  in the Heaven.

Literal , adjusted to English idiom:

And no man has ascended into Heaven except The ONE+ Who+ descended out of  Heaven, the SON+ of Man, The ONE+  BEING in Heaven.

~ Words of the LORD JESUS CHRIST to Nicodemus

An Interesting Note on the Greek

Greek Participles are verb forms which function as adjectives. In John 3:13, we have two participles: one is stating a completed fact, the other an on-going action. 

descended: GK= καταβας =    verb- participle --2^nd aorist; nominative, singular, masculine. The “aorist” indicates a completed simple state or action, not necessarily related to time. It states a fact accomplished.

being: Gk =  ων =  BEING , from the verb  “to be”  – participle  – present – active ;nominative, singular, masculine; The present participle indicates an on-going, continuous state. 

 Because man understands actions as related to TIME, The LORD speaks in a way that is best comprehended by us who are locked into Time. 

Thus, HE+ tells us in John 8:42 (KJV) 

 “for I+ proceeded forth and came from GOD”

Literal Gk:

 “. . . For out of GOD I+ issued ( past action )

and I come ( present tense) …”

Proceeded forth or issued = a completed action ( 2^nd aorist active indicative); 

come = an on-going action ( present indicative ). KJV has “came” , translating a present tense Gk verb as a past tense English verb.  

For an action to be completed, it must have been done at some point in the past, to our way of earth-bound thinking. 

The LORD JESUS told Nicodemus, John 3:13:

Literal GK: 

And no man has ascended into Heaven except The ONE+ Who+ descended out of  Heaven, the SON+ of Man, The ONE+ BEING in Heaven.   “Being” indicating a continual, on-going state of being, ( present active participle).

In both John 8:42 and John 3:13, we see BOTH a completed action AND action that is on-going, in regards to The LORD JESUS CHRIST . 

In regards to Nicodemus, The LORD JESUS is here on earth talking to him, yet telling him that HE+ is being in Heaven, even while talking to him on earth ! 

However,  regardless of whether completed action or on-going action,  we would see both of these verses,  John 8:42 and John 3:13,  then, as referring to the INCARNATION, the birth of JESUS in the flesh in Bethlehem approximately 2000 years ago. 

Earth is locked into time because of the fall. In Genesis, The LORD limited the time in which man could physically live upon the newly-cursed earth. 

The LORD JESUS, however, plainly states that HE+ was not locked into Time . . . although HE+ had to embrace earth-bound time when HE+ took the form of Adam, a man, in order to die a physical, earth-bound death. 

And no man has ascended into Heaven

except The ONE+ Who+ descended out of  Heaven,

the SON+ of Man, The ONE+ BEING in Heaven.

John 3:13

The LORD told us that although HE+ came down out of Heaven, HE+ still existed in Heaven ! HE+ was continuously being in Heaven ! [ See earlier Advent posts about “continuously being” verb form ( ων ) , which is in the Greek Text. ]

Obviously, the Words HE+ has spoken to us are SPIRIT and they are Life; the flesh profits nothing. 

Furthermore, if we are to be like HIM+, then we are to live in the Spiritual realm WHICH HE+ BRINGS when HE+ lives inside of us. 

The Kingdom of GOD  is within us.

Luke 17:21.

The LORD is not limited in time nor in space. 

HE+ expects us to live above time and space, to be focused on WHERE life truly takes place: in the Heavenlies. 

 HE+ expects us to live IN HIM+, seated in the Heavenlies. 

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in Heavenly places in CHRIST JESUS: 

 

Ephesians 2:6

Does HE+ know this will be a monumental struggle ?  Yes, but HE+ told us:

 “Be of Good Cheer; I+ have overcome the world.”

Let us pray:

O LORD, YOU+ came in the flesh to be our EXAMPLE+ of how we can  live in the Heavenlies even while being here on earth. 

YOU+ came to show us that our spirit can stay focused upon Heaven where YOU+ are seated at the Right of The FATHER, even though our body remains here on planet earth. 

YOU+ came to show us how to savor our Heavenly FATHER’S Will instead of our own, so that our soul might be anchored in the Heavenlies with HIM. 

YOU+ came to show us that it could be done by human beings who are locked into time, whose body is locked into time on planet earth. . .  because YOU+ did it.  

Help us, LORD, to keep our soul and spirit with YOU+ in the Heavenlies, in the same way as YOU+ lived with our FATHER in the Heavenlies, even while Your+ Body was locked into time on planet earth. 

This we pray in the Name of our LIVING LORD JESUS CHRIST Who+ came to earth so that we might even now sit with HIM+ in the Heavenlies. Amen