What does it mean to be Born Again?

What does it mean to be born again? And, what does it entail?

John 3 answers these questions for Nicodemus, to be “born again” means:

First, that he is born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5);

Second, that his spirit is born of the Spirit (John 3:6); and,

Third, that he believes in the Son of Man who was lifted up (John 3:14-15).

That’s what it means to be born again which entails the following:

First, he sees the Kingdom of God (John 3:3);

Second, he enters the Kingdom God (John 3:5);

Third, he has eternal life (John 3:15-16); and,

Fourth, he lives by the truth and comes to the light (John 3:21).

That’s what it means, at least to Nicodemus whom the Lord expected to understand because he was not just a Pharisee, he was also a member of the Jewish Ruling Council, a teacher in Israel (John 3:1, 10).

These qualifications of his are supposed to have equipped him to understand what Jesus was saying but he didn’t.

There are not so many Old Testament prophecies with references to both water and spirit that Nicodemus could have thought of, those are:

Isaiah 43:26-44:5;

Ezekiel 36:25-27.

“I will pour water; I will pour out my Spirit”

In Isaiah 43:26-28, God called upon Israel to remember why, because of his fathers’ sins and rebellion, God disgraced his temple and consigned him to destruction. But in Isaiah 44:1-4 God promised something new. He said,

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.” (Isaiah 44:3-4)

He promised a time of refreshing in Israel (signified by water), whose people are filled with the Holy Spirit.

“I will sprinkle clean water; I will put my Spirit”

In Ezekiel 36:16-38, God commanded the prophet to speak to the people of Israel who continues to profane the name of the Lord where they were dispersed. To tell them that for the sake of Lord’s own holy name, he will regather them back into their own land.

“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:24-27).

That they will be cleansed (signified by water) and have new spirit. God also promised to put his own Spirit upon them so as to move them to follow his decrees. And the land that was desolate will once again be prosperous.

Whoever believes the Son has eternal life

Although in Isaiah 44 the water is used to signify a refreshed promised Land, the water in Ezekiel 36 signifies purification of the people.

Both prophecies, on the other hand, guarantee the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, obedience to God, and prosperity in the land of promise.

Does this correlation tell us the Kingdom of God would be the promised land?

If so, these are the things that must happen first before they enter a new age of prosperity: the children of Israel must first be purified, they must receive a new spirit, they must receive the Spirit of God — all of which can only be made possible when the Son of Man is lifted up on the cross and the children of Israel believe in him (John 3:14-15).

But we have a problem with this interpretation.

In John 3:15, Jesus went on to say that everyone who believes him may have eternal life because he was sent by God in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17) and whoever does what is true comes to him, (John 3:21 c.f. John 1:8-9) .

Afterwards, the next scene, in John 3:22-36, we have someone who is calling everyone in Israel to repent, baptizing them with water is exalting Jesus as the,

“one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit (John 3:34).

And then went on to say,

The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (John 3:35-36a).

John’s Gospel would hence forth be talking more about “eternal life” and “life” (zoe, Gk.) and never about the promised land. John’s Gospel would have about 14 references for each after chapter 3.

Fourteen (14) references to eternal life after chapter 3:

John 4:14; 36; 5:24, 39; 6:27, 40, 47, 54, 68; 10:28; 12:25, 50; 17:2, 3.

Fourteen (14) references to zoe-life after chapter 3:

John 5:26, 29, 40; 6:33, 35, 48, 51, 53, 63; 8:12; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6; 20:31.

It would seem that in John’s Gospel, the eternal life is the Kingdom of God. And if the overwhelming data above would have its way then these are the things that must happen first before they enter that Kingdom, that is, to have eternal life: the children of Israel must first be purified, they must receive a new spirit, they must receive the Spirit of God — all of which can only be made possible when the Son of Man is lifted up on the cross and the children of Israel believe in him (John 3:14-15). This is what it means to be born again, to be born of water and the Spirit.

The only drawback in this interpretation is John did not say it explicitly.

Luke’s Recapitulations on the Coming Kingdom

The Amillennial’s recapitulation view on the Book of Revelation is misplaced and it’s better served in the understanding of Luke 17:20-37.

In this passage, we’ll find the Lord’s answer to the Pharisees’ question on when the kingdom of God would come. It is recapitulated in the following sections of of the same book,

Luke 19:11-27;
Luke 20:9-18; 
Luke 21:5-38.

Since Luke 17:20-21 has no parallel in other Gospel accounts, it is best interpreted by it’s own “recapitulation” or by what Amillennialists call “progressive parallelism.”

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

Does this passage mean to say the Kingdom of God is already in their midst supporting the Amillennial Eschatological view that we are now in the inaugurated Kingdom? The article: Is the Kingdom of God already in our midst? Answers no. What it means rather is that,

“they should not expect to see a gradually appearing Kingdom of God just from anywhere on this planet, they would not be needing anyone to tell them that it has already come from somewhere. It will come as a surprise but for everyone to see because the event will be visible from heaven, just as lightning is seen from one side to the another. This is what he means when he said, ‘For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.'”

In this article we’ll let Luke’s recapitulation explain it further.

The Kingdom will be in their midst when they see the Son of Man in heaven

Luke 17:20
    Luke 17:21a 
         Luke 17:21b
Luke 17:22
    Luke 17:23
         Luke 17:24

Luke 17:20 is parallel with Luke 17:22: they will not see the Kingdom in ways that can be observed; they will not see the day of the Son of Man when they desire to see it.

Luke 17:21a is parallel with Luke 17:23: they were warned not to follow anyone who claims to have seen the Kingdom or the day of the Son of Man somewhere.

Luke 17:21b is parallel with Luke 17:24. Each using “for” to give the reason why they should not believe anyone saying they have seen the Kingdom or the day of the Son of Man somewhere,

“For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

“For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.”

What’s the significance of these parallelisms? Simple. The coming of the Kingdom is immediately linked with the day of the Son of Man and his appearing from heaven. The Kingdom will not just be seen emerging from somewhere, it will instantly be for all to see, “in their midst.” The Kingdom will not need another ‘forerunner’ or someone to announce it’s arrival, on the day of the Son of Man, his coming down from heaven will be its own announcement.

The Kingdom will be in their midst after the King is rejected by his own people

Jesus has yet answered the Pharisees’ question when the Kingdom of God would come. What he told them so far is how the Kingdom would come. That it would come not in ways that can be observed by anyone anywhere. That it would come when they all see the Son of Man coming from heaven. But, before any of that would happen,

“first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” (Luke 17:25)

Luke 17:25 is parallel with Luke 18:31-34 where he described how he will suffer and be rejected when he goes to Jerusalem, to be delivered to the Gentiles, to be “mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.” (Luke 18:32). There he will suffer, be killed, but on the third day, be raised back to life (Luke 18:31-33). In spite his lucidity, the disciples failed to understand. Perhaps because they were too fixated in their desire to see the Kingdom established immediately in their midst. And that they expected it happening as soon as Jesus reached Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Luke 18:34 says, “it was hidden from them.”

For this reason Jesus gave them the Parable of Ten Minas because, “they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” (Luke 19:11). And later when his authority was questioned in Jerusalem, he gave another parable that describes himself being rejected and killed, the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Luke 20:9-18).

The Kingdom will be in their midst as soon as the King returns

The Parable of Ten Minas (Luke 19:12-27) is closely resembled by the Parable of the Talents (Mat. 25:14-30). Both parables speak of a ruler leaving and entrusting his affairs to servants who are faithful and rewarded and a servant who is unfaithful and had nothing in the end. But, the Parable of Ten Minas had an additional antagonist: the people who hated their soon-to-be ruler. They were even expressive of their rejection of him (Luke 19:14). When he came back to receive his dominion, they were slaughtered (Luke 19:27).

The rejection of his own people and their eventual slaughter (Luke 19:14, 27) in this parable is parallel to Luke 17:25-37 where the Lord compared the Day of the Son of Man (or the day he is revealed, Luke 17:30) to the days of Noah (Luke 17:26-27) when the flood came it destroyed the people, and to Sodom (Luke 17:28) when fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed its people. The Parable of Wicked Tenants also paints a gruesome ending.

In other words, when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:30) that place will be a gathering of vultures (Luke 17:37).

The Kingdom will be in their midst when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled

As they came near Jerusalem, he wept for the City because he knew of its impending destruction (Luke 19:41-44). In Luke 21:5-9 and in Luke 21:20-24 he predicted the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem, respectively. He also predicted how long the City will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles,

“until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

And only then when their time is up, will they will see the Son of Man in a cloud with power and great glory, Luke 21:27.

But what is most interesting in the context of this particular passage is what’s stated in Luke 21:28. Jesus said,

“when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

He compared “these things” to the budding of a fig leaf. That as soon as a leaf on its tree comes out, they know that the summer is near.

He said that when “these things” begin to take place, they,

“know that the kingdom of God is near.”

And so this is passage Luke 21:27 is without any shadow of doubt goes in parallel with Luke 17:21b and Luke 17:24. As shown below in red,

Luke 17:20
    Luke 17:21a 
         Luke 17:21b
Luke 17:22
    Luke 17:23
         Luke 17:24 
         Luke 21:27

The appearance of the Son of Man in a cloud with power and great glory will precede the establishment of his Kingdom on earth. They are inseparably linked. Neither will be seen emerging from somewhere but will suddenly be for all to see, “in their midst.” Neither of them will need further ‘forerunner’ or someone to announce their arrival or appearance. On the day of the Son of Man, his coming down from heaven will be its own announcement.

What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

GENERAL DEFINITION

Simply put, the Kingdom of Heaven is the domain, the rule, and reign of God. The domain of God is universal while his rule and reign will never end (Psa. 45:6;103:19;145:8-13; Dan. 4:34). The Kingdom of Heaven is just another term for the Kingdom of God.

As we move towards a more particular or narrower definition we must speak of God’s Kingdom in terms decrees and precepts and of heaven and earth.

In terms of decrees and precepts: There is no time or place when or where even the smallest particle can ever resist God’s will except of course, when and where God would allow or permit it (1 Sam. 8:5-9; 10:19; Acts 17:26). For example while his eternal decrees are unbreakable (Psa. 148:6; Isa. 46:9-10; Jer. 5:22; Eph. 3:11; Rom. 8:28), he allows his precepts to be misunderstood (Mat. 13:19), ignored (Lk. 14:16-18), rejected (Heb. 3:8-13), and/or be violated (Rom. 1:32) even by his own people (1 Sam. 13:13-14; Mat. 21:43) but it is not without consequences.

In terms of heaven and earth: Even the powers of darkness that are in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12) are under the rule of God. From the very beginning the whole of creation is already under a leash: Satan submits to God (Job 1:6-12) and demons obey the Lord (Mat. 8:29-32; Lk. 4:41). Even so, the Lord speaks of a kingdom that is not of this world (Jn. 18:36cf. Mat. 4:8; 13:38). And as he was taken up in heaven and sits at the right hand of God (Eph. 1:20), having all authority in heaven and on earth (Mat. 28:18), he is yet to rule or enforce his preceptive will as King on earth. The Lord sits at the right hand of the Father until the appointed time the Father puts his enemies under his feet (Mat. 22:44).

As for the one people of God, the scriptures speaks of them as sons of the Kingdom (Mat. 13:38) or citizens of heaven waiting for their King (Phil 3:20-21). They are blessed and seated in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3; 2:6) yet they are to endure tribulations in this world where they live as aliens, strangers, or pilgrims (Jn. 15:18-19; 17:16; 1Pet. 1:1; 2:11; Heb. 11:13-16). In a world controlled by the evil one (1Jn 5:19), the ruler of this world (John 16:11), the god of this world who has blinded the minds of those who do not believe (2 Cor. 4:4). Even though he has already been judged (Jn. 16:11), all the more that he is furious, like a roaring lion (1Pet. 5:8) because not only that his time is almost up (Rev. 12:12) his leash is getting shorter as well until he is chained in the Abyss when the Kingdom of God is finally established on the earth (Rev. 20:3),

EDEN – KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON EARTH

Eden is a picture of God’s Kingdom of Heaven on earth, a place where there is no death nor corruption (Gen. 2:7-14). A place where man is delegated with dominion (Gen. 1:26-30 cf. Dan. 4:17) but must walk with and in accordance with the precepts of God (Gen 2:15-17). When Eve was deceived (Gen. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:14) and Adam disobeyed God’s precepts (Gen. 3:24), since then the earth has become a picture of a fallen rebellious world. A far cry from original creation (Mat. 25:34), it is now subjected to futility (Rom. 8:19-23). Eden was a picture of the Kingdom of heaven on earth that God will someday, at his appointed time, bring to fruition when he sends his Son again but not to save as sin-bearer (Heb. 9:28) but to save by judging and ruling “all the nations with a rod of iron” (Rev. 12:5).

PARTICULAR DEFINITION

Before he was rejected, he “who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron”; before he was crucified, he who “was caught up to God and to his throne” (Rev. 12:5), taught his disciples what to pray to the Father, saying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mat. 6:10; Lk. 11:2). This coming Kingdom they prayed for will be the fulfillment of not just of their longing for God’s restoration (Acts 1:6) but also of God’s promise to his saints, his own people (Dan. 7:18, 21-27), to them that love God (Jas. 2:5) that they will reign (Rev. 2:26-27) and judge (Dan. 7:22, 27) with David’s own son, who is also God’s Son (2 Sam. 7:12-17; 1 Chr. 17:10-15 cf. Mat. 22:42-46; Acts 13:32-38). This prophesied Kingdom will break all other kingdoms (Dan. 2:44) and bring about lasting peace, righteousness, justice, love and compassion (Isa. 9:6-7; Hos. 2:18-20) to all peoples (Dan. 7:13-14) throughout this fallen and wicked world (Zec. 9:10). And with Satan fully “bound in the Abyss,” the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will flood the whole earth (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14), everyone will worship the Lord (Psa. 22:27-31), every knee shall bow to him (Rom. 14:11).

Jesus also told them in Lk. 22:18, “For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (see also Mat. 26:29). It’s fulfillment therefore is still future, since the appearance of the coming King is future (2 Tim. 4:1) which is to be preceded by tumultuous times (Heb. 12:26-29 cf. Hag. 2:6-9; Mic. 5:10-15), or by that which is called the Great Tribulation, a tribulation that will be like no other (Jer. 30:6-7; Mat. 24:21-28).

But even so, there is no time on earth where God has lost dominion as far as his eternal decrees are concern. As Prov. 16:33 puts it, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” Even pagans, as quoted by Apostle Paul, acknowledged, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). And in Rom. 9:9, Paul writes, “who can resist his will?”

Let’s also not fail to mention that there has always been a people of God, a people God calls his very own, a people he regenerates, enabling them to believe and obey him. From Abel to Zecharaiah so to speak (Mat. 23:35; Lk. 11:51). Called “a royal priesthood and a holy nation” (Exo. 19:6cf. 1Pet. 2:9), God has rescued them from dominion of darkness to the Kingdom of his Son (Col. 1:13), that is, they have been set free from sin and have become under grace, as slaves of righteousness, as slaves of God (Rom. 6:18, 22). They have become sons of the Kingdom (Mat. 13:38), a type, an expression of a Kingdom of Heaven on earth but they have yet to enter the Kingdom.

For as long as they are in the flesh they will still have the ability to disobey God’s because “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 15:50). So as they hope to inherit the Kingdom, they are work it (Col. 4:11; 2Thes. 1:5) and preach it (Mat. 10:7; 24:14; Acts 1:3; 8:12; 19:8; 28:23, 31) with endurance (Rev. 1:9). But it is God who preserves them that they may enter it (2 Tim. 4:18) albeit with much tribulation (Acts 14:22).