TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH...!

THE LORD'S PROMISES TO OVERCOMERS!

Revelation 2:7 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 2:17 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Revelation 2:29, 26-28 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. . . . . And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:  and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:  even as I received of My Father.  And I will give him the morning star.

Revelation 3:6, 5 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. . . . He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.

Revelation 3:13, 12 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. . . . Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out:  and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God:  and I will write upon him My new name.

Revelation 3:22, 21 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. . . . To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.

WHAT MAKES ONE AN OVERCOMER?

1 John 5:1-5 - 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.  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments (Love God; love thy neighbor - see Mt. 22:36-40; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:13-14; etc.).  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments:  and His commandments are not grievous.  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?  (Obviously a rhetorical question!)

YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE YOUR NEIGHBOR;

YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR;

BUT YOU DO HAVE TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR,

IF YOU WANT TO BE PLEASING TO YOUR LORD!

YAH, JEHOVAH, LORD, I AM, JESUS!

THE NAME OF GOD!

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 has 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 shall you say unto the children of Israel, I AM has sent me unto you.  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shall you 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, has sent me unto you:  this is My name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

*Notes:  The Hebrew text has hayah hayah or I AM I AM.  The word "THAT" has been added by the English translators.  Notice His next statement makes His name clear:  "I AM!" 
               It is also quite interesting that hayah is the Hebrew root for the word "Jehovah," which means "the existing One," and is translated in the Old Testament as "Jehovah" only 4 times, while it is translated as "LORD" 6510 times!  Could there be a relationship to Jesus Christ being addressed as "Lord, Lord" in Matthew 7:21-22; 25:11; Luke 6:46; 13:25?  I say YES!

JESUS CHRIST IS THE I AM!

John 4:25-26 - The woman said unto Him, I know that Messiah is coming, Who is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things.  Jesus said unto her, I, Who speak unto you, AM he.*
[*Note:  "he" is not in the Greek texts.]

John 8:24, 28 - I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins:  for if you believe not that I AM he,* you shall die in your sins. . . . Then said Jesus unto them, When you have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I AM he,* and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.  [*Note:  "he" is not in the Greek texts.]

John 8:56-59 - Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day:  and he saw it, and was glad.  Then said the Jews unto Him, You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.  Then took they up stones to cast at Him: but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

John 18:3-8 - Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.  Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom do you seek?  They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus said unto them, I AM he.*  And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them.  As soon then as He had said unto them, I AM he,* they went backward, and fell to the ground.  Then He asked them again, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus answered, I have told you that I AM he:* if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way.  [*Note:  "he" is not in the Greek texts.]

YES, JESUS IS GOD!

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

John 1:1, 3, 14 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. . . . 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 1:15-17 - Who (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God . . . . For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:  and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

Hebrews 1:1-3 - God, who at sundry (various) times and in divers manners (different ways) spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He has 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.

JESUS, THE LORD, IS GOD;

SAVING IS WHAT HE DOES!

HOW TO IDENTIFY A DISPENSATION!

FOUR THINGS COMMON TO EACH DISPENSATION!

1. MAN'S STATE AT THE BEGINNING.

What were things like at the beginning of the dispensation?  
What was man responsible to do?  
What did God reveal to man? 

2. MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY.

God has given man certain responsibilities and man is required to be a faithful steward of what God has revealed to him. 
What responsibilities and obligations has God given to man? 
What was man told to do or not to do?

3. MAN'S FAILURE.

In every dispensation we will see the terrible failure of man, reminding us again and again that man is a sinner who is in need of a Savior! 
How has man succeeded or failed to meet his responsibilities? 
In what ways did man obey or disobey the Lord? 

4. GOD'S JUDGMENT.

When man fails to faithfully handle God's revealed truth, then judgment must follow. 
Each dispensation ends in man's failure and God's judgment. 

THE SEVEN DISPENSATIONS!

INNOCENCE - Adam before The Fall.
CONSCIENCE - Adam and his offspring after The Fall, until The Flood.
HUMAN GOVERNMENT - Noah and his offspring until The Tower of Babel.
THE LAND OF PROMISE - Abram and his offspring until The Egyptian Bondage.
THE LAW - Moses until The Crucifixion.
THE AGE OF GRACE - The Apostles until The Apostasy.
THE MILLENNIUM - The Christ until The Final Rebellion. 

WE ARE LIVING IN THE AGE OF GRACE!

SALVATION IS OFFERED AS A FREE GIFT TO BELIEVERS IN JESUS!

BASED UPON BIBLICAL SIGNS, THIS DISPENSATION IS ABOUT TO END!

TRUST IN JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND

SAVIOR WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

THE BIBLE STUDENT'S MOST COMMON MISTAKE!

UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD 

BY UNDERSTANDING DISPENSATIONS!

The Bible is not a single statement of God's will for all of humanity throughout time; it is a series of statements which reveal God's will to be obeyed during periods of time, some short, and some lasting for centuries.  For instance, God's told a sinless Adam to tend to His garden, and His only stipulation was the Adam refrain from eating from the forbidden tree.  Of course, we all know how that turned out.  Adam went from being being like God, to being like us!  His transgression is known as The Fall.  And, like Adam, humanity has learned what God wants for it, only to do the opposite.  This pattern has, or will have repeated itself seven times .  These seven periods are known as dispensations.

A dispensation, then, is God revealing His will, man rejecting it, and the consequences.  Each period has a name, and they are as follows:

INNOCENCE - Adam before The Fall.
CONSCIENCE - Adam and his offspring after The Fall, until The Flood.
HUMAN GOVERNMENT - Noah and his offspring until The Tower of Babel.
THE LAND OF PROMISE - Abram and his offspring until The Egyptian Bondage.
THE LAW - The Law of Moses until The Crucifixion.
THE AGE OF GRACE - The Law of Love until The Apostasy.
THE MILLENNIUM - The rule of Christ until The Final Rebellion. 

One of greatest mistakes of Bible students, is the failure to "rightly divide the truth" (see 2 Tim. 2:15). That is, student's of God's Word try to apply something written to a specific group of people in one dispensation, to that of their own.  The most obvious and frequent mistake is to apply the Law of Moses, written for the nation of Israel, to the Church Age.  Israel and the Church are two separate and distinct entities!  The Apostle Paul fought this error throughout his ministry, and nearly the entire Book of Galatians is focused upon correcting his readers.  A key passage states:

Galatians 3:21-26 - Is the Law then against the promises of God?  God forbid:  for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the Law.  But the Scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.  But before faith came, we were kept under the Law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.  Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.  For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

So Christian, remember to which dispensation you belong, and live your life doing the will of God for your time!  Your job is to spread the Gospel of Christ, the only message which has the power of God to save lost souls (see Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4), and in so doing, you are keeping God's commandments for the Church Age:  love God, and love your neighbor (see Mt. 22:36-40; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:23-24; 1 Jn. 3:23-24; Rev. 3:7-13*). 

* Note that the Revelation passage refers to the Church known for its brotherly love (the meaning of the word Philadelphia)!  And, it is the Church that is promised to escape the wrath of God that is to come upon the whole earth; the Church of the Rapture!

YES, THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS FREE!

ALL OF US ARE SINNERS!

Romans 3:10-12, 23 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:  there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God.  They (we) are all gone out of the way, they (we) are together become unprofitable; there is none that does (only) good, no, not one. . . . For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory (the righteousness, the holiness, the perfection) of God.

THE PENALTY FOR ALL SIN IS DEATH!

Ezekiel 18:4, 20 - Behold, ALL souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine:  the soul that sins, it shall die. . . . The soul that sins, it shall die.  The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son....

Romans 6:23 - For the wages (the just payment; that which is earned) of sin is death....

Hebrews 9:27 - And as it is appointed unto men (ALL of mankind) once to die, but after that the judgment.

AND YET, GOD LOVES ALL OF US!

John 1:29 - The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the (ALL the) world.

John 3:16 - For God so loved (ALL) the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 5:6, 8 - For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. . . . God commended (demonstrated) His love toward us (ALL), in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 John 2:2 - And He (Jesus) is the propitiation (the offering that totally satisfies one's debt) for our sins:  and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole (ALL the) world.

GOD OFFERS THE GIFT OF SALVATION TO ALL!

Romans 5:15-17 - But not as the offence (unlike sin), so also (salvation) is the free gift.  For if through the offence of one many (ALL) be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many (been offered to ALL).  And not as (unlike) it was by one that sinned (earned), so is the gift:  for the judgment was by one (sin) to condemnation, but the free gift is of many (covers ALL) offences unto justification.  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which (ALL who) receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man should boast.

HOW CAN ANYONE, AWARE OF GOD'S LOVE

AND SACRIFICE FOR US, REFUSE TO TRUST

IN JESUS AS BOTH LORD AND SAVIOR?

THE BOOK OF LIFE!

THE BOOK OF LIFE!

Exodus 32:31-33 - And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people has sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.  Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray, out of Your book which You have written.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever has sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book.

Psalm 69:27-28 - ...let them not come into Your righteousness.  Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.

Daniel 12:1-2 - And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people:  and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:  and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Philippians 4:3 - And I intreat you also, true yoke-fellow, help those women who labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement also, and with my other fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.

Revelation 3:5 - He who overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.

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 you saw 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.

Revelation 20:12-15 - And I saw a great white throne, and Him Who sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:  and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:  and they were judged every man according to his works.  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:27 - And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whatsoever works abomination, or makes a lie:  but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 22:19 - And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Some thoughts:

  

     If sin causes God to remove names from the Book of Life, then there would be no names in it except the name of Jesus, Who is Christ!  Scripture says that other than Him (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15), ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:9-10, 23; 11:32).  So then, why are there still names written there?  The answer, for me at least, is that God, in His foreknowledge, knew from the foundation of the world, those who would accept His Son's sacrifice for their sins.  As a result, our names remained written there, even after we sinned.  In fact, there is only one sin that causes a person's name to be removed; blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 12:31-32; Mk. 3:28-30).  That occurs when a person is being convicted by the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Son of God, and that rejection of His working in one's heart, in reality, is calling the Holy Spirit a liar!

     The books that are opened at the Great White Throne Judgment must contain a list of each individual's sins they committed in their lifetime, thus declaring them to be in need of the Savior; the Book of Life must be a list of all who accepted God's offer of salvation by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for their sins.  

     That is how I understand "the books, and another book." 

TODAY, IF YOU HAVEN'T ACCEPTED

JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR,

PLEASE DO SO - TIME IS RUNNING OUT! 

THE TRUE IDENTITY OF JESUS OF THE BIBLE!

JESUS, AS GOD, THE CREATOR!

Genesis1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

John 1:1, 14-15 - 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.  John (the baptizer) bore witness of Him (Jesus), and cried, saying, This was He of Whom I spoke,  He that comes after me is preferred before me:  for He was (existed) before me.

Colossians 1:16-17 - For by Him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:  all things were created by Him, and for Him:  and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.

Hebrews 1:1-3 - God, Who at sundry (various) times and in divers manners (different ways) spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, Whom He has 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....

JESUS, AS THE SON OF GOD!

Psalm 2:10-12 - Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of the earth.  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.  Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.

Daniel 3:24-25 - Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?  They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Luke 1:30-35 - And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary:  for you have found favor with God.  And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:  and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:  and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you:  therefore also that Holy One which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.

John 3:16-18 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  He that believes in Him is not condemned:  but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God.

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 you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name.

JESUS BECAME A HUMAN TO DIE FOR HUMANITY!

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.  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....

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 - Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:  we pray you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God.  For He (God, The Father) has made Him (Jesus, God the Son) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God (by faith) in Him.

Philippians 2:5-8 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

JESUS OFFERS SALVATION TO ALL;

HE HAS EARNED OUR TRUST, OUR

GRATITUDE, OUR LOVE, AND OUR 

SERVICE AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!

THE RAPTURE VERSUS CHRIST'S SECOND COMING!

THE RAPTURE VERSUS CHRIST'S SECOND COMING!

1. TIME

1. RAPTURE - Before the tribulation (Rev. 3:10). The church will be kept out of that hour or time of testing which will come upon the whole world. 
2. SECOND COMING - After the tribulation (Mt. 24:29-30; Rev. 19:11-16).

2. QUICKNESS

1. RAPTURE - In a moment, in the twinkling on an eye (1 Cor. 15:52). 
2. SECOND COMING - Slow enough for people to realize and see what is happening (Mt, 24:27; Rev. 1:7; Ps. 2:2; Rev. 19:19). The second coming of Christ to the earth will be visible and obvious to all. 

3. THE DAY ON WHICH IT WILL TAKE PLACE

1. RAPTURE - UNKNOWN DAY.  Even Jesus did not know (Mk. 13:32)! 
2. SECOND COMING - KNOWN DAY. The date of the second coming can be calculated to the very day. It will occur 2520 days (7 years, or 84 months, each month made up of 30 days) from the time that Antichrist confirms a covenant with Israel (Dan. 9:27) and it will occur 1260 days (3½ years) from the time of the abomination of desolation (Mt. 24:15). See also Rev. 11:2,3; 12:6, 14; 13:5).

4. PRECEDING SIGNS

1. RAPTURE - NONE (Ti. 2:13; Rev. 22:20; etc.). He may come for His Church at any time and nothing needs to be fulfilled before He comes. 
2. SECOND COMING - MANY (Mt. 24:3-28). There is much that must be fulfilled before Christ returns to the earth, such as all the events in Rev. Ch. 6 - 18.

5. VISIBILITY

1. RAPTURE - Christ seen only by the church (1 Th. 4:17; 1 Jn. 3:2).
2. SECOND COMING - Christ seen by every eye (Rev. 1:7; Mt. 24:24-27).

6. LOCATION

1. RAPTURE - In the air (1 Th. 4:17).
2. SECOND COMING - On the earth (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11).

7. ASSOCIATED JUDGEMENT

1. RAPTURE - The Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Tim. 4:1, 8; 1 Pet. 1:7).
2. SECOND COMING - Destruction of the wicked armies (Rev. 19:17-19) and the judgment of living nations (Mt. 25:31-46).

8. IDENTITY OF THOSE REMOVED AND THOSE REMAINING

1. RAPTURE - Believers are removed; unbelievers remain (1 Th. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-53; Jn. 14:3).
2. SECOND COMING - Unbelievers are removed; believers remain (Mt. 24:37-41; Lk. 17:34-37). 

9. PURPOSE OF THE PHASE OF CHRIST'S COMING

1. RAPTURE - to receive His bride (Jn. 14:3; 1 Th. 4:17).
2. SECOND COMING - to receive His kingdom (Lk. 19:22; Rev. Ch. 19 - 20).

10. THE BODIES OF LIVING BELIEVERS

1. RAPTURE - church age believers who have died, are raised and those still living, are changed to immortal, resurrection bodies (1 Cor. 15:52-53; 1 Th. 4:17).
2. SECOND COMING - believers who survive the tribulation enter the kingdom in natural bodies (Mt. 25:23), and they will eventually bear children and re-populate the earth.

THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOSPEL MESSAGE!

THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE GOSPEL!  PERIOD!

NOTE THAT IT IS THE DEFINITE ARTICLE!

Galatians 1:6-9 - I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:  which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed.

Note:  If the gospel preached by Jesus and Peter were different, Paul would be cursing them!  In addition, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all contain the four elements of that of the Apostle Paul:  Jesus died for our sins; He was buried; He rose from the dead; and He was seen alive after His Resurrection!  Here is Paul's presentation of the events:

1 Corinthians 15:1-6 - Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.  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:  and that He was seen of Cephas (by Peter), then of the twelve:  after that, He was seen of above (by more than) five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

THE TRUE GOSPEL HAS MANY NAMES!

Matthew 4:23 - And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Matthew 9:35 - And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Mark 1:1-2, 14-15 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; as it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. . . . 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, and believe the gospel.

Mark 13:10 - And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

Mark 16:15 - And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Acts 8:25 - And they, when they had testified and preached the Word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

Acts 20:24 - But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Romans 1:1, 9, 16 - Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God . . . . For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers . . . . For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes it; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 10:15 - And how shall they preach, except they be sent?  As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Romans 15:16, 19, 29 - That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. . . . Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. . . . And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:12, 18 - If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather?  Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. . . . What is my reward then?  Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

2 Corinthians 9:13 - Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men....

2 Corinthians 10:14 - For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ....

2 Corinthians 11:7 - Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that you might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

Galatians 2:7 - But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter....

Ephesians 1:12-13 - That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:  in Whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise....

Ephesians 6:14-15 - Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace....

Philippians 1:27 - Only let your conversation be as is becoming the gospel of Christ:  that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel....

1 Thessalonians 2:2, 8-9 - But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. . . . So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were dear unto us.  For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail:  for laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

1 Thessalonians 3:2 - And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 - And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 4:17 - For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God:  and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

GOD LOVES YOU!

BELIEVE THE GOSPEL,

AND YOU'LL BE SAVED!

THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION!

THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF

EVENTS IN BOOK OF REVELATION!

Note:  The events which occur on earth are presented chronologically;

the events described as occurring in heaven are not governed by time!

Revelation 1:19 - Write the things which you have seen (past tense), and the things which are (present tense), and the things which shall be hereafter (future tense)....

THE THINGS WHICH YOU HAVE SEEN!

Revelation 1:12-20 - And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.  And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks . . . .  The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.  The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:  and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches.

THE THINGS WHICH ARE!

Revelation 1:11 - Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What you see, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Note:  Revelation 2:1 - 4:1 - The Church Age.  Verse 4:1 is a picture of the end of the Church Age, which occurs with the Rapture of the Church (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; etc.).

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE HEREAFTER!

Revelation 4:1 - After this I 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 you things which must be hereafter.

THE FIRST HALF OF THE SEVEN-YEAR COVENANT!

Revelation 6:1 - 11:19 - 1260 days (Revelation 11:3; 12:6); 42 months (Revelation 11:2; 13:5); 3 1/2 years stated as "a time, times, and a half time" (Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:14).

THE MID-POINT OF THE SEVEN YEAR COVENANT!

Revelation 13:1-18 - The breaking of the covenant (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20).

THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEVEN-YEAR COVENANT!

Revelation 14:1 - 18:24 - The Great Tribulation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:16-28; etc.).

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST!

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 does 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 went a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron:  and He tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And He had on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

CHRIST'S 1000 YEAR MILLENNIAL KINGDOM!

Revelation 20:1-7 - The length of 1000 years is stated six times in seven verses!

CHRIST'S ENEMIES DEFEATED AND JUDGED!

Revelation 20:7-15 - The Great White Throne Judgment and the Lake of Fire.

THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH:  ETERNITY WITH GOD!

Revelation 21:1 - 22:15 - The new heaven and new earth described.

Revelation 22:16-20 - The Lord calls for all to come to Him in faith!

THE BOOK OF REVELATION!

THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING

THE BOOK OF REVELATION!

Revelation 1:19-20 - Write the things which you have seen (past tense), and the things which are (present tense), and the things which shall be hereafter (future tense); the mystery of the seven stars which you saw (past tense) in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks.  The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:  and the seven candlesticks which you saw (past tense) are the seven churches.

Note:  The Apostle John, the human author of the divinely inspired Book of Revelation, lived during the Church Age!  Therefore, the things which are describe the Church Age!  Chapters Two and Three are written describing the things which are; note the verb tense throughout the two chapters.  Following these two chapters, the Church is not mentioned, and we see the beginning of the description of the things which shall be hereafter:

Revelation 4:1 - After this I 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 you things which must be hereafter.

TWO REASONS THE CHURCH IS NOT

MENTIONED IN THE DESCRIPTION OF

THE THINGS WHICH MUST BE HEREAFTER!

1.  The events described in the following passages apply to the Nation of Israel, not the Church:

Jeremiah 30:1-7 - The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  Thus the LORD God of Israel, said, Write all the words that I have spoken in a book.  For, lo, the days come, says the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of My people Israel and Judah, says the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.  And these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.  For thus says the LORD;  We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.  Ask now, and see whether a man does travail with child?  Wherefore (why then) do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?  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 9:24-27 - Seventy weeks (weeks of years) are determined upon thy people (Israel) and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:  the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  And he 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 you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whosoever reads this, let him understand):  then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:  let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  But pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:  for then shall be Great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

2.  The Church, the Body of Christ made up of born again believers, will be removed, via the Rapture, from the earth before the events in Chapters Six through Nineteen.

John 14:1-3 - Let not your heart be troubled:  you 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 you may be also.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 - For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, Who delivered us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) those who are asleep.  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 who 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 - For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.  

Note:  The Tribulation is known as the out-pouring of the wrath of God (see Hosea 5:10; Ezekiel 21:31; John 3:36; Revelation 14:10, 19).  The wrath of God is also the subject of Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7; 21:23; John 3:36; Romans 2:5; 5:9; Revelation 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:19; 15:1, 7; 16:1, 19; 19:11-16!  

BELIEVERS LONG TO SEE JESUS RETURN!

UNBELIEVERS SHOULD TREMBLE AT THE THOUGHT!

SEEING (UNDERSTANDING) IS BELIEVING!

THE GOSPEL!

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 who believes it; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (non-Jew; Gentile).

Romans 5:8-10 - But God commended (demonstrated) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified (made righteous) by His blood (His death), we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (His resurrection).

Romans 10:9-11 - That if you shall confess with your mouth (your faith in) the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart man believes unto righteousness (a right standing with God); and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, Whosoever believes in Him shall not be ashamed.

1 Corinthians 15:1-6 - Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; by which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.  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:  and that He was seen (alive) by Cephas (Peter), then by the twelve: after that, He was seen by above (by more than) five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present (to this day), but some are fallen asleep (some have died).

SALVATION IS BY GOD'S WORK, 

NOT OUR RELIGIOUS WORKS!

John 6:28-29, 44-45 - Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?    Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him Whom He has sent. . . . No man can come to Me, except the Father Who has sent Me draw him:  and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God.  Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes unto Me.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace (God's unearnable favor) are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves (not of your own doing): it is the gift of God:  not of works, lest any man (anyone) should boast.

Philippians 1:6; 2:13 - Being (I am) confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ . . . . For it is God Who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Titus 3:4-5 - But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us....

SALVATION INVOLVES TWO THINGS!

Luke 24:44-47 - And He said unto them, These are the words which I spoke 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 (the Gospel) is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:  and that repentance (having a change of mind as a result of believing the Gospel) and remission of sins (the full payment paid for our sins) should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

REMISSION:

GOD DID HIS PART - HE PAID FOR YOUR SINS!

REPENTANCE:

YOUR PART IS SIMPLY TO BELIEVE HE DID IT!

IS ISRAEL THE FIG TREE?

REFERENCES TO ISRAEL AS GOD'S FIG TREE?

Deuteronomy 8:7-9 - For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it....

Hosea 9:10 - I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time:  but they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.

Joel 1:6-7 - For a nation is come up upon My land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.  He hath laid My vine waste, and barked My fig tree:  he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

THE FIG TREE AS A SIGN OF THE SECOND COMING?

Matthew 24:32-34 - Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:  so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Mark 13:28-30 - Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:  so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.  Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

Luke 13:6-9 - He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.  Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none:  cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?  And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:  and if it bear fruit, well:  and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Luke 21:29-33 - And He spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.  So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.

THE BLOOMING OF THE FIG TREE; THE BIRTH OF MODERN ISRAEL?

Modern Israel's War of Independence began on the eve of the official establishment of Israel as a nation, on May 14, 1948, and continued until they declared victory in January of 1949.  According to the prophetic Scriptures above, the generation which sees this occur, will still be here at the time of Christ's Second Coming!  A Bible generation varies depending on when its length was stated over time:  

Genesis 6:3 - [120] And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Genesis 15:13-16 - [100 Years] And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

Psalm 90:10 - [70-80 Years] The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

So, although we do not know the actual length of the generation of living souls the day the Lord returns, it is likely to be the last stated length of life; 70-80 years.  If Israel is the Fig Tree in the parable concerning Christ's Second Coming, that would mean He could have already returned.  And yet, we know there will be a seven-year Tribulation that precedes His Second Coming (Comparing Daniel 9:27 with Matthew 24:29); therefore the Tribulation could begin today.  There is good news for born again believers though; we will not be here when the Tribulation begins; so look up - Jesus may come for us today!  See John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 4:13-18; 5:9-10; and Revelation 4:1 for verses on the Rapture of the Church!

TIME IS DEFINITELY SHORT!

TRUST IN JESUS TODAY; WE

MAY BE GONE TOMORROW!

I CAN'T WAIT TO BE LIKE JESUS!

GOD'S GOAL IS YET TO BE FULFILLED!

Genesis 1:16-27 - And God said, Let Us make man in Our image,* after Our likeness:**  and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.  So God created man in His own image,* in the image* of God created He him; male and female created He them.

Genesis 5:1-2 - This is the book of the generations of Adam.  In the day that God created man, in the likeness** of God made He him; male and female created He them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Notes:  * Hebrew tselem, image, as a photo; a copy.  ** Hebrew demuwth, likeness, as to character.  Because Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6), they ceased to be righteous, or "like God."  And although the King James Version says there is "none like God" in six verses (Ex. 8:10; Deut. 33:26; 1 Sam. 2:2; 2 Sam. 7:22; 1 Chron. 17:20; Isa. 46:9), none of them contain tselem or demuwth.  Even the "new birth" described in John's Gospel does not remake man into God's likeness.  It simply provides the basis for justification, and therefore, salvation.  Man will not be "like God" again until we actually see Him.  Note the future tense in the following verses:

1 John 3:1-2 - Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons (children) of God:  therefore the world knows us not, because it knew Him (Jesus) not.  Beloved, now are we the sons (children) of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be:  but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

IN THE MEAN TIME:

Romans 7:18-25 - For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing:  for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  For the good that I would I do not:  but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Philippians 1:6; 2:13 - Being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ . . . . For it is God Who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

SO,  IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD,

ALL CHRISTIANS ARE HYPOCRITES;

WHAT THEY FAIL TO SEE IS THAT

WE ARE SAVED BY GOD'S GRACE!

THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID HELL!

THE GLORY

(Holiness, Perfection, Righteousness)

OF GOD!

Psalm 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 97:6 - The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory.

Isaiah 6:3 - And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.

Acts 7:55-56 - But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

THE SINFULNESS

(Unholiness, Imperfection, Unrighteousness)

OF MAN!

1 Samuel 2:2 - There is none holy as the LORD:  for there is none beside You:  neither is there any rock like our God.

Isaiah 64:6 - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Romans 3:10-12, 23 - As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.  There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God.  They are all gone out of the way, they are (all) together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. . . . For all have sinned, and (all have) come short of the glory of God.

Romans 5:10 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

GOD DOES NOT WANT ANY

TO DIE AND GO TO HELL!

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

Romans 5:8; 6:23 - But God commended (demonstrated) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us . . . . For the wages (just payment) of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 - Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; by which also you are saved . . . . 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.

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For He (The Father) has made Him (His Only Begotten Son, Jesus) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God (by faith) in Him.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace (God's free gift) are you saved through faith (in Jesus); and that (being saved is) not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  not of (religious) works, lest any man should boast.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (have a change in our thinking about God).

GOD DOES NOT SEND ANYONE TO HELL;

EACH OF US CHOOSES TO ACCEPT JESUS,

OR REJECT HIM AS LORD AND SAVIOR!

JESUS CHOOSES AND USES THE MOST UNLIKELY OF ALL!

MARY MAGDALENE:

A FAITHFUL DISCIPLE BEFORE THE RESURRECTION

Matthew 27:55-61 - And many women were there beholding afar off, who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto Him:  among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.  When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:  he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock:  and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed.  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher.

Mark 15:40-47 - There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him, and ministered unto Him); and many other women who came up with Him unto Jerusalem.  And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, and honorable counselor, who also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.  And Pilate marveled if He were already dead:  and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether He had been any while dead.  And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.  And he bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher.  And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid.

Luke 8:1-3 - And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God:  and the twelve were with Him, and certain women, who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered unto Him of their substance.

John 19:25 - Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

MARY MAGDALENE:

A FAITHFUL WITNESS OF THE RESURRECTION

Matthew 28:1 - In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.

Mark 16:1-2, 9 - And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.  . . . 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.

Luke 24:1, 10 - Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. . . . 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.

John 20:1-18 - The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher.  Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid Him.  Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher.  So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher.  And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.  Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.  Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed.  For as yet they knew not (did not fully understand) the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.  Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.  But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  Whom seekest thou?  She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away.  Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.  Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.

JESUS DOES NOT HOLD OUR PAST AGAINST US.

HE GLADLY SAVES ALL WHO TRUST IN HIM

AS THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR!   IS THAT YOU?