A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand: The Body of Christ in the Last Days

Copyright © 2012 by Will Zimmer.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Bible Verses and Word Studies

All scriptures have been quoted from The Holy Bible published by Thomas Nelson, The King James Version. Copyright in 1989 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

All word studies have been done (and/or quoted) with Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. Copyright March 2, 2010 by Thomas Nelson; Mul edition

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-3648-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3647-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3646-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012900221

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/20/2012

Contents

Chapter 1

A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand

Chapter 2

Breaking Through Traditions

Chapter 3

The End of the Age

Chapter 4

The Great Departure

Chapter 5

Things That Will Hinder Your Departure

Chapter 6

The Days of Noah and Lot

Chapter 7

The Tribulation Period

Chapter 8

The Sign of the Prophet Jonah

Chapter 9

The Body of Christ

Chapter 10

Is The Old Law Still In Effect?

Chapter 11

Which Covenant Will You Choose?

Chapter 12

John 3:16

Notes

This book is dedicated to the people who helped me throughout my life and made me the person I am today.

God: First, He receives the glory for this book. My hope is that the body of Christ can break through divisions and come together in the last days.

This book is also dedicated to my family and friends who supported me in the writing of this book.

To my wife: Thank you for standing beside me and supporting me no matter what I do.

To my mom: Thank you for raising me to be able to recognize right from wrong and encouraging me always to do my best.

To my dad: Thank you for raising me to stay with anything I do and encouraging me to do my best as well.

To my grandparents: Thank you for always being there for me for whatever I have needed in life. Whatever it may be, you were, are and will be there.

To the rest of my family and friends: Thank you for your support throughout my life and for being people I could lean on.

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.

Hebrews 6:1

A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand

Chapter 1

A Kingdom Divided Cannot Stand

Matthew 12:25

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.

While on the earth, Christ taught a lesson as important today as it was when He first taught it. Through the years, people have brought their own beliefs and interpretations into Christ’s church, causing division within the body of Christ. The Bible does not need any personal interpretation to explain it. The Holy Spirit will teach Christians all things (John 14:26). When the Holy Spirit begins to teach a person, God’s Word will come to life and answer any questions that he asks of Him. Personal interpretations of the Bible have caused today’s churches to divide into countless denominations, each with its own independent teaching and beliefs. Many denominations believe Christ was a part of their denomination, although there were no denominations in His time. Another common misconception is that Christ built a physical church building when He walked on the earth. In truth, Christ walked through Israel teaching and demonstrating in synagogues, as well as in the streets. The church Christ built, however, was not a physical building but the people who followed Him. Paul taught that Christians are the body of Christ. As in any body, all parts must work together (1 Cor. 12:13). God gave His children the gifts of the Spirit to assist them during their battles of spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare occurs in each person’s life, even when that person is unaware of it. One person’s gifts complement another’s, helping the body of Christ grow and work together. Christians today put too much emphasis on their church building, rather than on their membership in Christ’s church. After establishing several churches, Paul constantly reminded the churches of the importance of unity in the body of Christ. Two different types of people congregate within today’s churches. Some know of Christ, while others know Christ personally. Once a person begins his or her relationship with Christ, that person will be set apart from the rest of the congregation. As the body of Christ, Christians need to get back to the basics both of the Bible and of Christianity.

While teaching, Christ encountered a man with severe demonic possession who needed healing. The possession left the man both blind and dumb. Christ healed him and restored his ability both to speak and see. Jesus’ power over the spirit world caused the crowd to question, Is not this the son of David? The people of Israel had known Jesus as the son of Joseph, a man, and not as the Son of God, a savior. Israel knew a savior would come from the root of David (Jer. 33:15). The people who witnessed this event and others were amazed. They wondered if Jesus could be the savior they had been looking for. When Satan recognized the wondering of the crowd, he attempted to capitalize on the situation by deterring the people from following Christ. He used the Pharisees and the Sadducees to accuse Christ of casting devils out by the power of Beelzebub, whom they believed to be the prince of the devils (Matt. 12:22-24).

This attack was Satan’s attempt to confuse the multitude and draw them away from Christ. By discrediting God’s act of healing, Satan could lead some of them away from following Christ. Instead, Christ defended His authority by explaining that a kingdom divided cannot stand (Matt. 12:25). In other words, Christ could not cast the devil or demonic spirit out of a person by the authority of Satan. If Christ were to cast out a demon by the authority of Satan, there would be division in Satan’s kingdom. If Christ cast devils out by the power of God, however, the kingdom of heaven would have come to the earth. Christ expounded on this by saying, Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house (Matt. 12:29).

Christ uses this analogy to prove His authority over the powers of Satan. Unless the strong man is bound, it would be impossible for anyone to spoil his goods. If Christ were not superior to Satan, He would not be able to cast a spirit of Satan out of a person. His power from God removed the demon and cleansed the possessed man. Satan often uses spiritual warfare as a tactic to divide people’s minds, families and even Christ’s church. Satan wants to exalt himself above God by turning His people away from Him. He is always looking for a way to confuse people and ultimately, turn people away from God. God gives His children power to silence and defeat Satan and his demonic spirits in their attempt to separate those children from God (Matt. 12:26-30).

This lesson about Christian’s authority over spirits applies to both the children of God in ancient Israel and to Christianity today. Christianity is divided into almost countless denominations. Each has its own teachings, doctrines and interpretations of the Bible. Remember, the Bible will interpret itself if one seeks the answer from God! In my experience with several denominations, I have been amazed by the variety of beliefs. What one denomination considers is correct, another teaches is incorrect. Each one attempts to recruit anyone, Christian or not, to its system of beliefs. The result is a competition among denominations to bring as many people—even other Christians—to their faith, for lack of better term. The goal of any church should be to win souls for Christ, instead of winning souls to its beliefs. The body of Christ should work together to further the Word of God, instead of fighting among its various parts over personal beliefs. Some—but not all—members of denominations will fight, almost to the point of coming to blows over which is right.

Most denominations hold similar beliefs about the nature of their doctrines, even though their doctrines differ. These common beliefs include several thoughts:

•   They think their denomination’s beliefs are the true ones.

•   They think they are the only people going to heaven.

•   If people are not members of their denomination, they need to be converted, whether they are Christian or not.

•   If people speak out against their denomination, they are automatically of the devil and are wrong.

While some denominations hold similar beliefs, most doctrines share almost no common ground. This brings several questions to mind…

•   How can each church be made up of Christians if only one denomination is truly Christian?

•   Why are there several denominations if only one is right?

•   Are not all Christians the children of God and saved through Christ?

•   Would people not still be children of God if they admitted they were sinners, believed that Jesus died and rose again for them, confessed their sins through prayer to God, and were baptized as Christ was?

•   If the steps to salvation are the same, and people follow them, how can they not be allowed to go to heaven if they meet in different buildings twice a week?

When a person follows the biblical steps to salvation, it makes no difference which denomination that person belongs to. He will remain a child of God, even if he chooses not to attend a church. Any person who follows the biblical steps to salvation is a Christian and when baptized, becomes a part of the body of Christ. The reason for the variations in doctrine is simple: One individual’s personal interpretation does not agree with the teaching of his church. He will then begin to teach others his interpretation. This would lead to meetings of like-minded individuals and eventually lead to the formation of a new church based upon these beliefs. Once someone’s personal interpretation does not agree with his, the process starts all over again.

Christ taught a doctrine that was undivided. Men have fallen astray and divided His doctrine into several denominations. Getting back to the basics of Christianity will cause an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that even the world cannot stop.

Many denominations also believe that Christ taught their specific doctrine and founded their church. This is a very common misconception. Christ was a Jew and came to the earth for the lost sheep of Israel (Matt. 15:24). Before Christ, the only people God called His chosen people were the Jews (Eph. 2:11-12). Through the resurrection of Christ, God established the New Covenant and grafted the Gentiles into the covenant (See Rom. 11:11-24). Because the Hebrew people broke their covenant with God, He broke some of their branches off of the natural olive tree. God then grafted the wild olive tree branches—the Gentiles—onto the natural olive tree to provoke the Jews to jealousy (Rom. 11:17). The intention was to provoke them into accepting Christ and partaking of the roots together in the New Covenant. Instead of closing the gap between Jew and Gentile, there remained a tragic separation. This separation created two, for lack of a better term, denominations: Christ’s Church, which included those who believed in Him and accepted Him as their Savior and the Church of God, which included the Jewish people who chose not to accept Christ as the Messiah and who continued to follow God as they always had.

Although the covenant was broken and the Old Law was made into a curse (Jer. 11), religious Jews continued to follow the Old Law. In that time, there was no choice to be Baptist, Methodist, Catholic or any other denomination known today. If denominations began after Christ’s the ascension, how could He be a part of them after He is sitting at the right hand of God? Christ did not tell His disciples He was building a physical church on a rock where they were standing. He gave His disciples a revelation of His church built on the foundation of great faith and the Word of God.

Therefore, the church building consists of the church, or people looking to be a member of the church. As Christ traveled through Israel, He gained followers who believed He was the Son of God. When they accepted Him as the Son of God, they became part of His church. Jesus never built a building where people would attend twice a week. If a person is a born-again Christian, he is a member of Christ’s church, no matter the denomination. Whether people are Jew or Gentile they become joined together in the body of Christ, His church.

The word used for church throughout the Bible is ekklesia. Ekklesia, a feminine Greek noun used to describe the bride of Christ, or the church. There are several definitions of the word but none mean an actual church building.

Ekklēsia¹

1)   A gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.

a)   An assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating

b)   The assembly of the Israelites

c)   Any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously

d)   In a Christian sense

2)   An assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting

3)   A company of Christians, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake

4)   Those who anywhere, in a city or village, constitute such a company and are united into one body

5)   The whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth

6)   The assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

The closest definition to a church building is an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting. This does not have to be a building. It could be the middle of a field or a parking lot. Wherever Christians assemble is where the church is! Christ’s church is the entire body of Christians scattered throughout the earth. The building they attend is just that, a building. God’s spirit will dwell on a church building, as well as anywhere Christians gather (Matt. 18:20). Through context clues, the correct definition can be deciphered, if the meaning of the text is examined closely and in context. The verse many interpret as Christ building a church building on a rock where they were standing is Matthew 16:18. This verse has been used as an example that Christ had a church building and was a specific denomination. This cannot be further from fact. In Matthew 16:18, it is correct that Christ prophesied He would build a church on a rock and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. However, if the text is studied as part of the whole conversation between Jesus and His disciples, the opposite meaning of a building will be found.

While Christ and His disciples were on the coast of Magdala, the Pharisees and the Sadducees met them with a temping spirit. They sought to tempt Christ by requesting a sign from heaven. Christ told them that because they can discern the face of the sky, but not the signs of the times, they will receive no sign but the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matt. 16:1-4). Upon departing, Christ warns His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. This makes them reason among themselves about not bringing bread with them. Christ reminds His disciples of feeding two separate masses of people (Matt. 14:15-21, 15:32-38). He reveals a key when He asks His disciples why they thought He was talking about bread. How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matt. 16:11)? When Jesus questioned them, they understood He was not speaking of bread. Instead, He was warning them about the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Leaven in the Bible often alludes to sin. When Christ tells His disciples to take heed of their leaven, He is telling them not to fall to their doctrine of sin and disbelief.

Jesus then begins to question His disciples about who men say the Son of Man is. The disciples answer with the different beliefs of men. And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias: and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets (Matt.16:14). When Christ asks His disciples directly, Peter boldly answers,  . . . Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said to him, "Blessed art thou Simon