THE BOOK WRITTEN BEFORE TIME BEGAN

There are ten verses in the Bible which show that God's plan for the ages was all worked out before creation began.  God knew that, beginning with Adam, mankind would need a Savior before He created him!  That is why the Word tells us that God had determined to sacrifice Jesus, the Passover Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29, 36; 1 Cor. 5:7; etc.), prior to Jesus creating the world that would crucify Him (Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:1-2; etc.)!  When you stop and think about it, how awesome is God's love for us, that He, knowing what it was going to cost Him, still created you and me!  In fact, the Apostle John tells us that God loves us with the same love that He has for Jesus (Jn. 17:23)!  I cannot fathom that!  I know why He loves Jesus, but I cannot comprehend why He loves you and me!  Here are the ten verses:

Matthew 13:35 - "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."

Matthew 25:34 - "Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Luke 11:50 - "That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation."

John 17:24 - "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world."

Ephesians 1:4 - "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."

Hebrews 4:3 - "For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world."

Hebrews 9:26 - "For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

1 Peter 1:20 - "(Jesus) verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."

Revelation 13:8 - "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Revelation 17:8 - "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

WE ARE SAVED TO SHARE!

The Importance of the Gospel

 

Romans 1:15-17 - "So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome also.  For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

 

The Definition of the Gospel

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand....For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

 

Believing the Gospel Produces Repentance and Salvation

 

Mark 1:14-15 - "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand:  repent ye, and believe the Gospel."

Romans 10:8-13, 17 - "But what saith it?  The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the Word of Faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved....So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

Ephesians 1:12-14 - "That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of Promise, (Who) is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."

Time is short - many need to hear the Gospel - if you believe, tell them!

JEWS + GENTILES + JESUS = THE CHURCH

AND OTHER SHEEP I HAVE, WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD:

THEM ALSO I MUST BRING, AND THEY SHALL HEAR MY VOICE;

AND THERE SHALL BE ONE FOLD, AND ONE SHEPHERD! (Jn. 10:16)

Isaiah 11:10 - "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious."
Isaiah 42:6 - "I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles."
Isaiah 49:6 - "And He said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth."
Malachi 1:11 - "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering: for My name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts."

HE CAME UNTO HIS OWN, AND HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT. 

BUT AS MANY AS RECEIVED HIM, TO THEM GAVE HE POWER TO BECOME

THE SONS OF GOD, EVEN TO THEM THAT BELIEVE ON HIS NAME! (Jn. 1:11-12)

Matthew 12:21 - "And in His name shall the Gentiles trust."
Luke 2:30-32 - "For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, (Whom) Thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel."
Acts 9:15 - "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for (Saul of Tarsus) is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel."
Acts 10:45 - "And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 26:22-23 - "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:  that Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles."
Acts 28:28 - "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."
Galatians 3:13-14 - "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
Ephesians 3:3-6 - "How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel."

THANKFULLY, GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS!  (Acts 10:34)

 

JESUS IS BOTH GOD AND SAVIOR

If I said there is but one Savior and that He is God, the majority of the world's population would probably not question that statement; that is because the definition of the word "God" varies with each religion.  However, when I tell people that Jesus is the one and only Savior, and that He is therefore God, most are quick to challenge me.  That is because their religions do not recognize the Bible as God's revealed truth.  Here are just a dozen of the many verses which support my claim:

Psalm 106:21 - "They forgot God their Savior, (Who)  had done great things in Egypt."

Isaiah 43:3, 11 - "For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no Savior."

 

Isaiah 45:15, 21 - "Verily Thou art a God (Who) hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior.  Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time?  Who hath told it from that time?  Have not I the LORD?  And there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside Me."

 

Isaiah 49:26 - "And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob."

 

Hosea 13:4 - "Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but Me: for there is no Savior beside Me."

 

Luke 1:47 - "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior."

 

Luke 2:11 - "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

 

John 4:42 - "And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that (Jesus) is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

Acts 13:23 - "Of (David's) seed hath God according to His promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus."

 

2 Peter 3:18 - "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever.  Amen."

 

The Bible uses the words "LORD," "God," and "Jesus Christ" interchangeably!

There is but one Savior, and He is both the LORD God and Jesus the Christ!

UP ABOVE THE FRAY

Genesis 5:22-24 - "And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:  And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:  And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him (UP)."

Genesis 7:15-17 - "And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.  And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.  And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare UP the ark, and it was lift up above the earth."

Genesis 19:29-30 - "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.  And Lot went UP out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him...."

2 Kings 2:11 - "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went UP by a whirlwind into heaven.

John 14:1-3 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you (His disciples), I will come again, and receive you (UP) unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

Acts 1:9-11 - "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, (Jesus) was taken UP; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went UP, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing UP into heaven?  This same Jesus, which is taken UP from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  then we which are alive and remain shall be caught UP together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Revelation 4:1-2 - "After this I (John) looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come UP hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne."

 

Those who belong to God shall be kept from His judgment below!

WHO IS THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE?

2 Samuel 7:12, 14, 16 - "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee....I will be His Father, and He shall be My Son....And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee:  thy throne shall be established forever."

Psalms 2:7 - "I will declare the decree:  the LORD hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee."

Proberbs 30:4 - "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?  Who hath gathered the wind in His fists?  Who hath bound the waters in a garment?  Who hath established all the ends of the earth?  What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell?".

Matthew 16:16-17 - "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 27:43 - "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God."

Mark 1:1 - "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!"

Luke 4:41 - "And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God.  And He rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that He was Christ."

John 10:36-37 - "Say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?  If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not."

John 11:27 - "(Martha) saith unto Him, Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."

John 20:30-31 - "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book:  but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name."

2 Corinthians 1:19 - "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in Him was yea."

1 John 2:22-24 - "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?  He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father:  but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.  Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.  If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

1 John 5:1 - "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him."  (Jesus is the only begotten Son of God - Jn. 1:18; 3:16, 18; 1 Jn. 4:9).

JESUS CHRIST IS THE RESURRECTED SON OF GOD!

WHAT DOES JESUS LOOK LIKE?

Malachi 3:1-3 - "...He shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.  But who may abide the day of His coming?  And who shall stand when He appeareth?  For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:  and He shall sit as a refiner and purifer of silver:  and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness."

Matthew 17:2 - "And (Jesus) was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light."

Acts 9:3-4 - "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:  and he fell to the earth, and heard (Jesus) saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?"

Acts 22:6-7 - "And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.  And I fell unto the ground, and heard (Jesus) saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?"

Acts 26:12-14 - "Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, (and) at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.  And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard (Jesus) speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?"

2 Thessalonians 2:8 - "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming."

Revelation 1:12-15 - "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters."

Revelation 19:11-16 - "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.  And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God....And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

 

He died as the Lamb of God, but He was raised as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!

HE'S COMING - HE'S ANGRY - HE WINS

Revelation Nineteen:  Christ's Second Coming

[11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
[13] And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
[15] And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
[16] And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
[19] And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.
[20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
[21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Revelation Twenty:  Christ's Earthly Kingdom

[1] And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
[2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
[3] And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
[4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
[7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
[8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
[9] And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
[10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation Twenty-One:  Christ's Eternal Kingdom

[1] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
[2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
[3] And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
[4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

HE'S ALIVE!

THE GOSPEL DEFINED

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand....For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

 

THE GOSPEL HAS THE POWER TO SAVE THOSE WHO BELIEVE IT

Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

 

JESUS PREDICTED HIS DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION

Matthew 12:39-40 - "But He answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the Prophet Jonah:  for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Matthew 16:20-21 - "Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."
John 2:18-22 - "Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign showest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things?  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.  Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt Thou rear it up in three days?  But He spake of the temple of His body.  When therefore He was risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this unto them; and they believed the Scripture, and the Word which Jesus had said."

 

PREDICTED IN THE O.T. - FULFILLED IN THE N.T.

Luke 24:20-27 - "And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him.  But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.  Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; and when they found not His body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that He was alive.  And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but Him they saw not.  Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken:  ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?  And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."
Luke 24:44-46 - "And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me.  Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day!"

SALVATION RESULTS FROM BELIEVING THE GOSPEL

 

Romans 10:9-10 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

 



AREN'T YOU TIRED OF TRYING TO BE GOOD?

In the Bible, Abraham is repeatedly acknowledged as being right with God, because he trusted in Him (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; Jam. 2:23).  The Apostle Paul wrote of Abraham's faith being rewarded by God giving him a right-standing with Him; God declared Abraham to be righteous!  Even though Abraham was a sinner just like the rest of us, because He trusted the promises of God, God's own righteousness was imputed (given) to him!  In Romans 4:22-5:11, Paul explains this:

          "...God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that made him right with God.  Those words (God accepted Abraham's faith) were written not only for Abraham.  They were written also for us.  God will accept us also because we believe.  We believe in the One who raised Jesus our Lord from death.  Jesus was given to die for our sins.  And He was raised from death to make us right with God.  We have been made right with God because of our faith.  So we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through our faith, Christ has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy.  And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory.  And we also have joy with our troubles because we know that these troubles produce patience.  And patience produces character, and character produces hope.  And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out His love to fill our hearts.  God gave us His love through the Holy Spirit, Whom God has given to us.  Christ died for us while we were still weak (still sinners).  We were living against God, but at the right time, Christ died for us....We have been made right with God by the blood of Christ's death.  So through Christ we will surely be saved from God's anger (His judgment, His wrath).  I mean that while we were God's enemies, God made us His friends through the death of His Son.  Surely, now that we are God's friends, God will save us through His Son's life.  And not only that, but now we are also very happy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through Jesus we are now God’s friends again."

Man has been trying to earn the right to spend eternity with God, by being religious; we have, in our ignorance, tried to obey religious dogma, and in so doing, we have actually tried to be perfect (righteous before God - Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:10; 10:3; etc.).  And yet, the Word of God is clear that our salvation is not the result of religious works, but is by faith in the finished work of Jesus; that is, in His death, burial, and resurrection, which fulfilled the Scriptures (Rom. 10:8-13; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Eph. 2:8-9; etc.)!  Only God is righteous enough to dwell in heaven, and He offers it to us as a free gift - all we have to do is believe Him (Ps. 71:16; Mt. 6:33; Rom. 3:22; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9; etc.)!

 

If you are tired of trying to be good, GOOD!

Trust in the risen Lord, Jesus Christ, and let God begin His work in you!

MATTHEW 28:18-20 (NOTE THE DIFFERENCES?)

King James Version - "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

New Living Translation - "Jesus came and told His disciples, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Amplified Bible - "Jesus came up and said to them, All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age."

Roman Catholic Bible - "And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth.  Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world."

Good News Translation - "Jesus drew near and said to them, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.  Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them My disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."

International Children's Bible - "Then Jesus came to them and said, All power in heaven and on earth is given to Me.  So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world."

The Message - "Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave His charge: God authorized and commanded Me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

New American Standard - "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Young's Literal Translation - "And having come near, Jesus spake to them, saying, Given to Me was all authority in heaven and on earth; having gone, then, disciple all the nations, (baptizing them -- to the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all, whatever I did command you,) and lo, I am with you all the days -- till the full end of the age."

 

It takes the Gospel to produce disciples (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Disciples are to be baptized after they are saved (Acts 8:35-38; 16:30-34).

Disciples are to partake of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Disciples are to love all others (Mt. 5:44; Gal. 5:14).

Disciples are to tell others about Jesus (Mt. 10:32; Rom. 10:8-10).

    

ROMANS FIVE (BASED ON THE NLT)

          "Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.  When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
          When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 
          Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone (who places their trust in Christ). Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

 

The availability of the free gift of forgiveness, cost Jesus His very life!  Thank Him!

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

Yesterday, my post was entitled "Christians Have But One Rule," and today, I want to explain "The Other Side of the Coin."  To sum up yesterday's post, let me quote Romans 13:8-10:

"Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law.  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law."

Notice that within this quote, love is defined by how one acts toward others.  The definition of "loving one's neighbor," is laid out in God's Commandments.  Some would suggest that a born again believer is no longer under the Law, using Bible verses such as Romans 3:19; 6:14-15; 1 Corinthians 9:20-21; and Galatians 3:23; 4:5 to support their position, and they would be correct - to a point!  However, what they miss is that those verses are not teaching believers that God's Law does not apply to them; they are teaching that our righteousness, our right-standing with God, is not something "we bring to the table" by obeying His Law, because we all fail, but that it is a gift given to us by Christ Himself.  The same writer who wrote those verses, also wrote:

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10).  "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3).  "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).  "...that I may...be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:8-9)! 

Like Abraham, we receive soul-saving righteousness when we trust God's Word (Rom. 4:3; 10:8-13; Gal. 3:6).  So the Law serves two purposes:  it teaches us that we are unable to live up to God's standards (Gal. 3:24-25), and it reveals exactly how one loves his God by loving his neighbor (Ex. 20:2-17; Rom. 13:8-10)! 

For a Christian to say that he does not have to obey God's Law, is a statement based in ignorance.  Christ's "Great Commission" states:   "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, (go make disciples by preaching the Gospel - Rom. 1:22; 1 Cor. 15:1-4), baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (love God by loving your neighbor - Gal. 5:13-14): and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen" (Mt. 28:19-20). 

 

We are not "under" the Law, but it is a guide for how we are to live!

  

CHRISTIANS HAVE BUT ONE RULE

Matthew 7:12 - "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:37-40 - "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

John 13:34-35 - "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another."

John 15:12-13 - "This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Romans 13:9-10 - "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Galatians 5:13-14 - "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

1 Timothy 1:5 - "Now the (ultimate goal or purpose) of the commandment is (love) out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned."

James 2:8 - "If ye fulfill the Royal Law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well."

1 John 3:23 - "And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment."

1 John 4:19-21 - "We love Him, because He first loved us.  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

"Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails...."  (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 - Paul Mutschler Version)

ALL CHRISTIAN ARE HYPOCRITES

There are three kinds of people who identify themselves as Christians in this world:  born again believers in Christ, who, out of gratitude for the Lord saving them, "practice what they preach"; Christians in name-only, who "practice what they preach" in order to increase their odds of going to heaven; and Christians in name only, but who could care less about living according to the teachings of the Bible.  Unfortunately, the world can not, or will not, acknowledge the distinctions.  That is why they "lump us altogether" and call us hypocrites! 

To be honest, they are right in their view of Christians!  Even born again believers struggle with the battle that goes on between being led by the indwelling Spirit of God, and succumbing to the desires of the flesh.  The Apostle Paul spoke of this battle in his letter to the Romans (7:15-25), and the Apostle John indicated that true believers will, from time to time, fail (1 Jn. 1:1-10).  After all, sin is defined as doing that which the Lord forbids, or, failing to do what the Spirit leads us to do.  Sadly, I have trouble with the latter as much as I do the first.

That being said, there are many things that a true believer cannot continually do without serious consequences.  There are lists of them in the following passages, and while it is hard to believe, many true believers struggle with some of them!

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." 
Galatians 5:19-21 - "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Revelation 21:7-8 - "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

If you are a born again believer, one who acknowledges Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are an adopted child of God (Rom. 8:15; Eph. 1:5; etc.).  And as God's child, He has taken upon Himself, the responsibility of transforming us into the likeness of His only begotten Son (Rom. 8:28-29; Phil. 1:6; etc.)!  And as our "Parent," He has declared that He will discipline us when we fail to turn from sin (Heb. 12:5-13).  He also can take away His support, allow sickness, and even "call His errant child home" if there is no repentance (1 Cor. 11:27-31).

If you are saved, and you are practicing sinful behavior, you will regret it!

If you think you are saved, and you do not experience God's discipline, you are not!

A BONUS FREEBEE!

FROM DENIAL, TO DISBELIEF, TO PROCLAIMING HIM LORD

JESUS FORETOLD HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION

 

Matthew 12:39-40 - "...An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:  for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Matthew 16:21 - "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

John 10:17-18 - "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father."

John 12:30-33 - "Jesus answered and said....if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.  This He said, signifying what death He should die."

 

JESUS ABANDONED AND DENIED

Matthew 26:56 - "....Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled."
Mark 14:50 - "And they all forsook Him, and fled."
John 18:17, 25-27 - "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?  He saith, I am not....And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples?  He denied it, and said, I am not.  One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew."

HIS DISCIPLES DID NOT BELIEVE HE ROSE AGAIN

Mark 16:9-11 - "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.  And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.  And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not."
Luke 24:10-11 - "It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.  And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not."

HAVING SEEN JESUS, AND NOW SPIRIT FILLED

Acts 2:14, 22-24 - "But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words....Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."

Atheists deny Him - Agnostics doubt Him - Believers proclaim Him!

DO NOT WORSHIP MARY!

As a former Roman Catholic, I was taught some wonderful, although untrue, things about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  And while I still view her highly as the woman God entrusted to bring His only begotten Son into this world, I no longer believe the teachings that practically made her the "fourth member of the Trinity!"  For one thing, and perhaps the most significant, Mary was not "immaculately conceived" by her mother.  That doctrine was created to declare that His human mother was sinless.  However, even the Douay-Rheims Version (Catholic Version) tells us Mary was a sinner, needing a Savior:  "And Mary said, 'My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God MY SAVIOUR.'" (Lk. 1:46-47 D-RV)

As with her birth, false doctrine was produced concerning her death.  According to the Roman Catholic Church, Mary ascent into heaven, known as "The Assumption," is described as follows: 

"...the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." [LG 59; cf. Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus (1950):  DS 3903; cf. Rev. 19:16.]

Ironically, by the time of her death, Mary had had several children, and was not a virgin.  The Gospel of Matthew makes it clear:  "Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  and knew her not TILL she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS." (Mt. 1:24-25 D-RV)

Mary's other children, called the Lord's brethren, are mentioned in several verses (Mt. 12:46; 13:55; Mk. 3:31; Lk. 8:19; Jn. 2:12; 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:14).  For those who challenge the meaning of the word "brethren," it is the same word used to describe the sons of Jacob in Matthew 1:2.  "Brethren" is from the Greek ἀδελφός (adelphos), which means "one's siblings."

Amazing as well, is the fact that the Apostle John reveals His "brethren" did not believe in Him:

"His brethren therefore said unto Him, 'Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that Thy disciples also may see the works that Thou doest....'  For neither did His brethren believe in Him." (Jn. 7:3, 5 D-RV)

So, while it is abundantly clear that Mary was unique, a "one-of-a-kind" individual, she was not chosen because she was sinless, or because she was worthy; even the Catholic Rosary declares Mary to be "full of grace."  Grace, as it is used in the Bible, means UNMERITED favor!

There is ONE MEDIATOR between God and man:  Jesus!  (1 Tim. 2:5 D-RV)

 

HAVE YOU COMMITTED THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?

Our text for the day:  Matthew 12:22-32

[22] Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.  [23] And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?  [24] But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.  [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:   [26] And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?  [27] And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  [28] But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.  [29] 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.  [30] He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad.  [31] Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  [32] And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Today, we call "the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost (the Holy Spirit - compare vs. 28 & 31)," "the Unpardonable Sin," and from the text above, it is clearly accurate to do so.  The Pharisees heard that Jesus had cast devils out of a man that had been made sightless and speechless by them (vs. 22-24).  Their reaction?  They immediately accused Jesus of using Satan's power to free the man (v. 24).  So why is their attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, a sin that cannot be forgiven?  After all, didn't Jesus die for the sins of the whole world?  Of course He did (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 2:2; etc.)!  Then why is this particular sin "not covered by Christ's blood?"  Why is this the single exception?  Can there really be a sin that was not paid for by Jesus?  Hebrews 9:22 suggests there is:  "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

To understand why this sin is the exception, one need only to look at the "mission" of the Holy Spirit."  In John 16:7-14, we are told that the Holy Spirit's job is to convict mankind of their sin, and to convince lost humanity to trust in Jesus.  That is exactly why the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus to cast out the devils!  Verse 28 says, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."  The Holy Spirit was providing evidence that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah!  Had they believed, their sins would have been forgiven; but because they rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit, that very rejection of Jesus could not be forgiven!  Salvation is the result of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 10:9-13; Eph. 2:8-9; etc.)!

Faith in Jesus proves you have not committed the unpardonable sin!

THE RAPTURE, THE TRIBULATION, CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

THE RAPTURE - THE CHURCH CAUGHT UP TO CHRIST

John 14:1-3 - "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Revelation 3:7, 10 - "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth....Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

 

THE TRIBULATION, DANIEL'S 70TH WEEK, THE TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE

Jeremiah 30:7 - "Alas!  For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even The Time of Jacob's Trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."

Daniel 9:27 - "And (the prince that shall come - v. 26) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

Matthew 24:15, 21 - "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand....For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

CHRIST'S SECOND COMING TO RULE UPON THIS EARTH

Matthew 24:29-30 - "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

Revelation 19:11-16  - "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.  And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

JESUS: BOTH GOD AND CREATOR

Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth."

Isaiah 9:6 - "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

John 1:1-3, 10, 14 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The Same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made...He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

Colossians 2:9-10 - "For in (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in Him, (Who) is the head of all principality and power."

1 Timothy 3:16 - "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

2 Timothy 1:9-10 - "(God) hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel."

Hebrews 1:1-3 - "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."

1 John 1:1-3 - "(Jesus) was from the beginning, (Whom) we have heard, (Whom) we have seen with our eyes, (Whom) we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.  (Jesus, Whom) we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us:  and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."

JESUS IS LORD IN BOTH TESTAMENTS

No greater proof of deity could be presented concerning Christ, than that He should rightfully be called JEHOVAH.  The Hebrew יְהֹוָה (Yĕhovah), is translated  "LORD" 6510 times; "GOD" 4 times; and "JEHOVAH" 4 times.  The Greek κύριος (kyrios), is translated "Lord 667 times, and "Master" 11 times.  In light of that, consider the following:

 

1) In Zech. 12:1-4, JEHOVAH is speaking.  Then in verse 10 He says, "they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced."  JEHOVAH is Christ (Jn. 19:37; Rev. 1:7).

2) In Isa. 44:6, JEHOVAH declares Himself to be the First and the Last.  Jesus Christ is said to be "the First and the Last" (Rev. 1:8, 11, 17, 18; 22:12-13).

3) In Isa. 6:5, he wrote, "for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD (JEHOVAH) of hosts." The Apostle John referred to this same event in John 12:41, making it clear that the Person whom Isaiah saw was actually Jesus Christ.

4) In Ps. 23:1, David called JEHOVAH the Great Shepherd of the sheep.  Jesus Christ is the great Shepherd of the sheep (Heb. 13:20; Jn. 10:11,14).

5) In Deut. 32:3, 4, 18; Ps. 18:2; 62:1-2, JEHOVAH is Israel's Rock.  Paul clearly identifies this Rock as Christ (1 Cor. 10:4).

6) In Isa. 43:10-11; 45:21-22, JEHOVAH declares Himself to be the only Savior; there is no other Savior apart from Him!  Peter declared that Jesus is the only Savior (Acts 4:12), and Jn. 3:14-16, we are told to look unto the crucified One to be saved.

7) In Isa. 45:21-23, JEHOVAH says, "that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." The same is said of Christ, the One before whom all shall someday bow; every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:11).

8) In Isa. 24:23; Zeph. 3:15-17, we learn that JEHOVAH Himself will reign in Jerusalem during the coming kingdom age;  the millennial King to be is Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:11-16; 20:4,6).

9) In Isa. 40:3, we learn that one would prepare the way for the coming of JEHOVAH.  Mark 1:1-3 the same passage is applied to John the Baptist.

10) In Isa. 8:13-14, the prophecy states that JEHOVAH will be "for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence." Peter says these verses apply to Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:7-8).

11) In Ps. 34:8, we are invited to "taste and see that JEHOVAH is good." This passage is clearly alluded to in 1 Peter 2:3 which refers to the goodness and graciousness of Jesus Christ ("If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious").

12) In Joel 2:32, mankind is promised salvation and deliverance to those who call on the name of JEHOVAH; the same is said of Jesus in Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13 and see Acts 2:21.

 

The LORD, JEHOVAH, and CHRIST, all apply to the Lord Jesus Christ!

HOW TO KNOW YOU ARE SAVED - 1 JOHN 5

[1] Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat loveth Him also that is begotten of Him.

[2] By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His Commandments.

[3] For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments: and His Commandments are not grievous.

[4] For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

[5] Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

[6] This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

[7] For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

[8] And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

[9] If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son.

[10] He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.

[11] And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

[12] He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

[13] These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

 

ONE DAY SOON, EVERY KNEE WILL BOW TO THE LORD, JESUS CHRIST!

SAVING FAITH MUST BE BASED UPON THE SCRIPTURES

Matthew 22:29 - "Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God."

Luke 24:25-27 - "Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:  ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."

John 5:37-39 - "And the Father Himself, (Who) hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me.  Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape.  And ye have not His Word abiding in you: for Whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not.  Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life:  and they are they which testify of Me."

Acts 17:1-3 - "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:  and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ."

Acts 17:10-11 - "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Acts 18:24-28 - "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus....And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him:  who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:  for he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ."

Romans 1:1-4 - "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God, which He had promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."

Romans 16:25-27 - "Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to my Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:  to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.  Amen."

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand....I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

2 Timothy 3:14-17 - "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

GOD IS AS GOOD AS HIS WORD!

Exodus 3:13-15 - "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name?  What shall I say unto them?  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations." 

 

Note:  "I AM" is from the Hebrew הָיָה (hayah), the root for the Hebrew יְהֹוָה (Yĕhovah), which occurs 6519 times in 5521 verses, and is always translated as "Jehovah," meaning "the Existing One."  This name for God is so sacred, that the Jews, fearing mispronouncing it, no longer are certain as to how to pronounce it!  Ironically, they are so fixated on the name, that they have failed to notice what God said in Psalm 138:1-2, which reads:  "I will praise Thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto Thee.  I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy truth: FOR THOU HAST MAGNIFIED THY WORD ABOVE ALL THY NAME!"  

 

Even sadder is the fact that when the Apostle John preached the Gospel concerning Jesus, the Jews did not make the connection when John focused upon His identity as "THE WORD OF GOD!"  In other words, God is more concerned about how Israel responded to His Son, than He was with their reverence for His name!  John wrote:

 

John 1:1, 14 - "In the beginning was  THE WORD, and  THE WORD was with God, and THE WORD was God.  And THE WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

 

1 John 1:1-3 - "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of THE WORD of life; for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."

 

1 John 5:4-9 - "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, THE WORD, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son."

 

Revelation 19:11-13 - "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself.  And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and HIS NAME IS CALLED THE WORD OF GOD!"

 

Thy WORD have I hidden in my heart - the throne of my Lord and Savior!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

JESUS WARNS OF GOD'S JUDGMENT:  TWO BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

Luke 17:26-29 - Jesus said, "And AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.  Likewise also AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF LOT; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;  but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all."
NOAH  -  Genesis 6:5-8 - "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them.  But Noah found GRACE in the eyes of the LORD."

LOT  -  Genesis 19:12-13, 19 - "And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides?  Sons-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:  for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it....Behold now, Thy servant hath found GRACE in Thy sight, and Thou hast magnified Thy MERCY, which Thou hast showed unto me in saving my life...."

GOD OFFERS SALVATION AS A FREE GIFT

Ephesians 2:4-8 - "But God, who is rich in MERCY, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by GRACE ye are saved;), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His GRACE in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God!"

 

GRACE AND MERCY DEFINED

GRACE:  "God's Riches At Christ's Expense" - "Getting something you don't deserved!"

 

MERCY:  "Making Everything Right; Cleansing You" - "Not getting what you deserve!"

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON?

Let me begin by saying that the Bible, God's Word, has proven to be 100% accurate, being proven by fulfilled prophecy.  Of the hundreds of prophecies concerning Christ's First Coming or Advent, those which described His life, death, burial, and resurrection (for example, Ps. 22, Isa. 53, Mt. 12), were fulfilled literally!  He was recognized as Israel's King by demonic spirits (Mk. 5), by Gentiles (Mt. 8), by Samaritans (Jn. 4), and by Israel as well (Lk. 19)!  Just as with His Incarnation, so too will the passages describing His Coronation be literally fulfilled (Rev. 19)!  In light of all the evidence of the Bible's accuracy, it is safe to say that the prophecies describing the end times must also be taken literally.  There will be two kinds of people populating the world just prior to the Tribulation:  those who live by the lusts of the flesh, and those who are led by the Holy Spirit.  The Apostle Paul described both in Galatians 5:16-23 (KJV & NLT):

       "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the Law.  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

       "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.  Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.  But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the Law of Moses.  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear:  sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.  Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

 

Is there any doubt that Paul was describing our world as it is today?

Obviously, time is short!  We need to guard our thoughts, words, and actions,

so that we do not hinder God's call to reach as many souls as possible!