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doctrine, or not.
And of course, by His Death He did defeat once and forever the prince of this world.
However, the prince of this world has not yet been cast out. Was this casting out of the devil a judgment made where the sentence to be cast out was to be at a future time? - his casting out has yet to be fully effected!
The great triumph of The Lord, by which the judgment of the prince of the world was confirmed, was re-opening the gates of Heaven to mankind. In this way,
Jesus made known to the devil
that his defeat
is henceforth guaranteed.
Therefore, from one generation to the next,
Christ's triumph
was to be found only in the hearts of individuals
in The Church
AND in Her pure Doctrine,
but in due course the triumph must be a world-wide phenomena and that shall be the proof and the carrying out, of the judgment of the prince of this world.
Light for the World
The Church, being The Mystical Body of Christ, is destined to be the light for the world, as predestined in Matthew 5:13/14.
The momentous Vatican Council Two stated:-
P In the present state of affairs, out of which there is arising
a new situation
for mankind,
the Church, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world (cf. Matt. 5:13-14) is more urgently called upon to
save and renew every creature,
that all things
may be restored in Christ
and all men may constitute
one family in Him
and one people of God. P
While The Church has always been and will always be, the light for the world,
it seems obvious
that the light
has not reached
its greatest brilliance,
as we would expect after reading Rev:- 21:23:-
P And the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God hath enlightened it: and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.
24. And the nations
shall walk
in the light of it:
and the kings of the earth
shall bring their glory
and honour into it. P
To achieve this brilliant light I would contend that an era of love and peace would be absolutely necessary; indeed that Revelation is actually describing such an era.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them: My Father worketh until now; and I work.
From the beginning of Scripture God was looked upon as Father. Jesus confirmed that God is Father on many occasions.
However, it is most interesting to note Jesus' words above, for He intimates that
God The Father
has worked up until
Christ's Own time
and from thence,
it was God The Son
Himself,
Who worked.
This indicates to me that there was an era of The Father out of which the era of The Son proceeded (just as The Son proceeds from The Father in eternity).
That being the case, it would seem most appropriate that there be a third era, that of The Holy Spirit, which would proceed from the eras of The Father and The Son (just as The Spirit issues from Father and Son, in Eternity).
Jesus said He would send The Spirit and this He did on Pentecost Day.
Pentecost happened in the era of The Son Who works in the Goodness of The Father by the Love of The Spirit - just as The Father works through The Son by The Spirit.
The Spirit also, will work in The Father through The Son, for in this divine co-operation does God bring to fruition His creation.
The fullness of The Spirit on earth, one might then presume, has yet to be accomplished.
P 26 But when the Paraclete cometh, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall give testimony of me. P
The Spirit is The Love between The Father and The Son and so His era would be an era of Love. Therefore the same era would be an era of peace.
It seems to me that the era of The Spirit will also be likened to the description in Rev. 21.
P God's tabernacle
pitched among men;
he will dwell with them
and they will be his people,
and he will be among them,
their own God.
He will wipe away
every tear
from their eyes
and there will be
no more death
or mourning
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