Salvation is the theme of all Scripture

If we lose sight of the basic theme of all scripture we get lost in the details. The minute sin entered into the life of man, God produced a way man could be saved, and that was Christ.

For about 4,000 years, until Christ lived as a man and was crucified, salvation was called atonement, and the atonement gained through the forgiveness of sin was by the symbol of Christ. Christ perfected it, Christ was the first fruits that belong to the Lord, the first human to live with the Lord, and Christ was God. It was the symbolic blood of Christ that gave atonement, or that saints were preserved in sleep until Christ was crucified.

We need to keep this basic theme in mind as we read all the details of atonement/salvation and not get caught up in such as the Jew/gentile difference. The Hebrew race was created from the gentile race to show the world atonement.

I agree in part. The biggest, greatest, most profound event in the history of the universe is what happened on Golgotha. The very Deity, and Royalty of the universe, takes human form to be a propitiation for His enemies. Mind boggling! But I would venture that this monumental event was FOR THE KINGDOM! In Genesis 1:26-28 God tells why He made man - for DOMINION. And man's restoration by that huge event of Golgotha is FOR achieving God's first purpose - the rule of the earth.

The minute sin entered into the life of man, God produced a way man could be saved, and that was Christ.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 1 Peter 1:18-20

You are limiting God. You are cherry picking one thing God gave us, it is a minor thing we are to do.

The major purpose of man is to live with the Lord forever. Timothy 2: 11 This is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; 13if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.…

If we lose sight of the basic theme of all scripture we get lost in the details. The minute sin entered into the life of man, God produced a way man could be saved, and that was Christ.

For about 4,000 years, until Christ lived as a man and was crucified, salvation was called atonement, and the atonement gained through the forgiveness of sin was by the symbol of Christ. Christ perfected it, Christ was the first fruits that belong to the Lord, the first human to live with the Lord, and Christ was God. It was the symbolic blood of Christ that gave atonement, or that saints were preserved in sleep until Christ was crucified.

We need to keep this basic theme in mind as we read all the details of atonement/salvation and not get caught up in such as the Jew/gentile difference. The Hebrew race was created from the gentile race to show the world atonement.

In the three synoptic gospels the word "Kingdom" appears in 116 verses. I would not declare that "minor". Is there any other word concerning God's plan that is even near the number of 116? The word "saved", for instance, appears in only 17 verses, and "salvation" in just 5 verses.

As to your verse above, maybe read it again. The phrase, "live WITH Him" pertains to a CONDITION, not a place. Example; "1,500 sailors perished WITH the ship after it was torpedoed." "WITH" refers to "perishing" in LIKE MANNER to the ship perishing. Added to this, I think you have missed the major point of the gospel of John, and Paul's writings. The Triune God does not live WITH US, but IN US. God lived WITH Israel, but, ... "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." (John 14:20). "That Day" was resurrection day - John 20:22. We ALREADY live IN Him and He IN us - and it will be so forever.

But esteemed brother, what do you think of this verse?

"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." (2nd Corinthians 5:16)

Does this not make "living together" unlikely? Is it not a "spiritual y oneness" that God wants (Jn.4:24, 1st Cor.6:17)?

I certainly had no thought of calling the kingdom of the Lord minor, what I thought of as minor was the idea that God made man for dominion. I agree with your thoughts about the kingdom. We pray every day for that kingdom to come in our Lord's prayer.

I apologize for my thoughts about your post. If I had listened to the Lord about finding what is good and keeping to that, I wouldn't have misread your post.

The mistake was small but you show big-heartedness and large courage. Few on this Forum can do that.