A Great Destiny

By Ardelean Razvan Ioan

What is destiny? The root of this word shows that it has to do with a destination. Personal
destiny is not something immutable; it’s not a pre-established scenario that our lives are
following independent of our choices. There is a divine providence but we cannot speak of a
destiny understood in terms of fatalism. Destiny means that live has a purpose. There is a
destination, a goal of God for every one of us.

We have not been created only to be redeemed (saved) and we have not been redeemed only
to become “better”, more moral. Our destiny transcends our earthly existence. We are, in a
sense, aliens. Hebrews 11:13 and 1 Peter 2:11 say that we are just strangers and pilgrims on
this earth. We are no longer earthly beings but heavenly.

The fall of Adam was just an incident (taken into consideration) in God’s plan, but this is not
affecting His initial plan. Through the process of regeneration (being born again) we had not
reached yet the purpose of God for us but have been only re-aligned to a starting point in a
race where Adam failed, a race unto a purpose of God.

Although the Bible is telling us that we are to become perfect, this perfection is not a purpose
in itself, we must become perfect for a purpose. This purpose was presented in the message
“God’s Dream”.

Now we ask ourselves, what is our place in this “dream” of God, in this Cosmic Project?
Well, our destiny is to become the “Bride” of Jesus (references: John 3:29; Eph. 5:27;
Revelation 19:7, 21:9, 22:17)

Some of us have herd of this before, but what does this really mean?

We are aware of the fact that Jesus is not “marrying” anyone. We know that the Bride is the
Church and that she will be a beautiful and holy one (Eph. 5:27), but is this all that He
revealed about His Bride?

Let’s go deeper into this topic.

1. First of all we must be aware of the fact that the Bride must have the same
nature, the same “DNA” as the Groom. We don’t get married with someone from
another breed.

- as for Jesus, on one hand He is God, on the other hand, through His coming to earth
in human form He is a man. He is the Son of God 100%, but in the same time He is
also the Son of Man 100%.
- on our side now, the man, who is the son of man on one hand, through the process
of being born again from God he becomes a son of God. I am emphasizing the fact
that after being born again the concept of being sons of God defines its significance,
in the sense that we become sons born of God, not created sons.

Therefore, the regenerated man is the Son of Man 100%, but in the same time is also
the Son of God 100%, having the same nature with Christ. Being born again does not

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mean just forgiveness of sins but more than that! Practically Christ founded a new race, a
heavenly one, from which we are part of when we are born again.

I don’t want to be misunderstood, man does not become God esoterically (the God-man
through himself), although he becomes a bearer of the divine genetics. The regenerated man,
being the son of God, bears in himself the godly nature (references: Psalm 82:6; John 10:35;
2 Peter 1:4).

What are the implications of this fact?

a) The born again person has a divine nature.

• 2 Peter 1:4 - … by which have been given to us exceedingly great and

precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
• John 1:12-13 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to
become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

So, we, the “born again” are born of God and we receive His nature in us. This is
something so great that we cannot understand it only by the revelation of
knowing indeed what does it mean to have the same nature, the same “DNA” as
Jesus. (For an in depth study see the message “The Divine Seed”)

b) This divine seed that He puts in us at our birth is indestructible, therefore

invincible. 1 Peter 1:23 - … having been born again, not of corruptible seed but
incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever…

Our eternal destiny begins in the moment we are born again and not in the moment of the
resurrection. This fact has major consequences because we can see even from the time of
our earthly life this seed and we can access its power. We receive in us something
invincible, with the mention that we must activate that “something” through faith.

Our body can get weary, our soul can experience feelings of discouragement, our intellect
can discover that we’ve failed sometimes, there are battles we’ve lost, mistakes we’ve
made, but with all these there is something invincible in us, something indestructible.
And if we have this perspective, by faith we can always rise, and finally we will win the
battle. We have the capacity to be victorious because of this seed in us. God would not
ask of us to be victorious if we couldn’t be so. For this reason He placed in us a gene of
victory. We have no justification to be some defeated Christians, even though sometimes
we go through the valley of crying or the valley of the shadow of death, if we go through
the desert of by failure. We must be aware that problems are real, sometimes necessary
and at the same time temporary in our life. There is in us a seed of invincibility that
transcends our human condition. Therefore we can say:
- Together with Habakkuk 3:17-18: Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor
fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield
no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in
the stalls— Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
- The friends of Daniel said in Daniel 3:17-18: If that is the case, our God whom
we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will
deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that
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 we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have
set up.
- 1 Samuel 30:6: Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of
stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his
sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
- That’s why we are told in Ephesians 6:10: be strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might.

c) Let’s just stop for a moment and look over the incarnation of Jesus. We, having
our focus on ourselves, tend to see in the incarnation of Christ only the
implementation of a solution of God for our salvation. But His incarnation represents
more than that.

After the incarnation Jesus is not the same Jesus as the One from the eternity!

Jesus the Exalted One is not the same Jesus as the One that descended from heaven; He
has now a different nature! In this process: incarnation – death – resurrection –
exaltation, even God the Son Himself had suffered a transformation!

2. Secondly, “The Bride” must have the same nature as Jesus’. As I said previously,
Jesus does not get married with anyone, but only with someone according to His
measure. All those that form the Bride must reach “…the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ”, as Ephesians 4:13 says.

Maturity is reflected in our living more than in our theological knowledge. The right Bride
has the same approach as Jesus, that is:

a) Lives in total dependence of God – The Father, just like Jesus.

John 5:19 - Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the
Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He
does, the Son also does in like manner. (same as in John 5:30, 8:28, 4:34)

b) Fulfills her mission, just like Jesus, that is, to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John
3:8). The Church is called to put the enemy under His feet (Acts 2:34-35 – “The
LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your
footstool.” How will God realize this? Through the Church.

Many times we ask God to do something, but the reality is that He gave us all authority, so
that we can do now like Jesus did.

Jesus told His disciples in John 20:21-22 – … As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy
Spirit.”

How did the Father send Jesus? Giving Him all the power!

Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all things that I have commanded you”.

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Therefore the Church, in order to fulfill its mandate, has been invested with ALL POWER,
just like Jesus.

Our personal anointing (gifts, spiritual power) is limited and different, for to each one of us
grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift (Eph. 4:7) and as God has dealt to
each one a measure of faith (Romans 12:3), but the Church as a corporation in a genuine
spiritual unity has ALL heavenly power.

c) The Bride exercises governing authority through the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus.

In John 14:12 Jesus is telling us: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the
works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My
Father. Presently we don’t see this prophecy functioning within the Church. Furthermore we
don’t see the spiritual gifts functioning properly; they are an expression and a manifestation
of His nature in us.

In my opinion, in this verse there is not mention of an individual person that will perform this
type of signs and miracles, but a corporate person, who is the Church. The Church that is
united in prayer in a genuine unity of the spirit, mind and will, will trigger these “greater
works than Jesus did”. Even though every Christian will manifest the gifts in some measure,
the exceptional individual manifestations of the gifts will be replaced by the collective
manifestation of these.

From this perspective of maturity presently the Church is rather in the condition from the
Song of Solomon 8:8 – We have a little sister, and she has no breasts, but who wants to
marry, rather that the condition from Ephesians 4:13. That’s why the Church must be
aware of its destiny and to rise to the fullness of the authority that she was invested with
and to fulfill her mandate. Only then will she be prepared for the Groom.

3. The Bride (the Church) loves her Groom just like Jesus loves the Church. Jesus
wants an infatuated bride, not one that is getting married for favor.

Infatuation involves intimacy, availability, dedication. If you are not thirsty in His
presence, if you don’t spend time with Him, if you are not preoccupied to know Him better
and fulfill his wishes then you must ask yourself if you are a beloved one or a favor looking
person (either to escape hell, or to get better on earth, to get healing, etc.)

- 1 Corinthians 15:19 - If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most
pitiable.
- Revelation 2:4 - Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
- Revelation 3:16 - So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit
you out of My mouth .1

(1 Without getting into a dispute here with those that claim that salvation cannot be lost, I
would like to say that when God is saying He is vomiting someone out of His mouth, no
matter what would that mean, this is not good at all!)

Our destiny is to be the Bride of Jesus, the Queen of the King of Kings.

Have you ever thought of the greatness of the One that is called the Lord of Lords and King
of Kings, who is far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every
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name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come (Eph. 1:21)? Have
you ever thought what does it mean to become the wife of this King, to become the Queen of
the King of Kings? Not the wife of a lawyer or a famous doctor, not the wife of a reach
businessman, not the wife of a prime-minister or state president, but the wife of the Lord of
the entire Universe. Can you comprehend the greatness of this call?

Our destiny is to live for eternity, in a Kingdom of peace, love and joy, of mutual
dedication and harmony, together with God the Creator and the Sovereign, as Queen of
the King of Kings.

Our destiny is to be made partakers of His glory. Although He said He won’t share His
glory with anyone (Isaiah 42:8, 48:11), we see that we are called to His glory. In Hebrews
2:10 we are told, For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect
through sufferings. (see also Romans 9:23; 1 Cor. 15:43; 2 Cor. 3:18).

Our destiny is much higher than to be saved, aligning us to a starting line. Our destiny is to
reach the finish line. Ephesians 6:13: Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Revelation 3:21: To
him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat
down with My Father on His throne.

I hear sometime people say, Oh, I wish I could just be there in heaven, even on the threshold,
and the door to close behind me, just barely to get myself in… This attitude seems to me
contemptuous of the gift of God (Romans 2:4). Imagine yourself, as a parent, making as a
gift to your child a car, and then he would refuse you by saying: I wish no more than a
bicycle. How would you feel?

God has called us to a great destiny, and the greater joy of His is to see us appreciate this
thing and as for us to do all we can to reach the price of His calling.

Philippians 3:14-15 - I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind…

Matthew 11:12 - And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven
suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

I am thinking that at the Lamb’s Wedding will be many participants. Some will be the Bride,
some the wedding party, others will be those who serve at the tables.

When God had given us a destiny so high, it is laziness and disregard, and not humility,
in not doing all we can to fulfill it. Let us be among those that overcome, for the Spirit
says, “He who overcomes I will give him…” (Revelation 2:7, 2:17, 2:26, 3:21).

NOTE: All Scripture verses used in this document are taken from the New King James
Version of the Bible, available at www.biblegateway.com