Rapture, The Soon Return of Jesus

The 1,000 Years of Revelation. What is it?

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This is part three in a series called “What the Rapture Is Not.“

In our last two studies, we explained, from the Bible alone, the mistakes of Bible fiction found in the Left Behind books and subsequent movies. We spent most of our time explaining from clear multiple passages about the second coming. You can read them by clicking on the links below:

What the Rapture Is Not

7 Years of Tribulation-Biblical?

Now we turn our attention to the truth about the 1,000 years.

Many are tempted to view this topic as not necessary in their experience.  They will ask, “Why study the 1,000 years?  What does that have to do with my salvation?”

No doubt, there are many people who have a saving relationship with Jesus that know very little (if anything) about this topic as well as other end-time events.  But, as shown in the scripture below,  all scripture is good for several things.  The 1,000 years is good to contemplate, otherwise, the Lord would not have inspired John to see it and write it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Wouldn’t you agree?

“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.”  2

Timothy 3:16

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

Romans 15:4

Pondering whether the 1,000 years is literal or symbolic is of little consequences because of the many facets brought forth about the nature of God contained in the topic.

A study of the 1,000 years is important for a couple of main reasons.  First, it reveals further teachings about the 2nd coming, and it provides clarity to things that are not clear in other passages.  Secondly, it demonstrates how God deals with the sin problem, judgment, and justice.

For the purpose of this study, we will look at events only.  We will assume the period is literally 1,000 years unless we find something that would lead us to a different conclusion.

There are clear related passages that let us know with certainty the start of this period; events in the middle; and finally, events when the 1,000 years have passed and eternity begins.

If you are ready, let’s prayerfully begin.

_________________________________________________________

*Much thanks to Steve Wohlberg for the following format.

What is the truth about the thousand years?

What happens during this period?  Has it already started?  Is it here on earth? When does it end? Does Jesus rule on earth during this period?

To discover the answer, we must carefully examine the only authoritative source where it’s taught, the Bible, especially chapter 20 in the book of Revelation. Let’s see what Revelation 20 actually says, and doesn’t say.

Here’s Revelation 20 in its entirety:

“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. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him 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. 11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 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. 13 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 their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20, King James Version.

Following is a brief summary of each verse.

vs. 1 – An angel descends from heaven with a key and a chain.
vs. 2 – He binds Satan for 1000 years.
vs. 3 – During the 1000 years Satan cannot deceive the nations any more.
vs. 4 – Martyrs are resurrected to reign with Jesus Christ for 1000 years.
vs. 5a – The rest of the dead will be raised at the end of the 1000 years.
vs. 6 – Those in the first resurrection will reign with Jesus for 1000 years.
vs. 7 – Satan will be loosed at the end of the 1000 years.
vs. 8 – After the rest of the dead are raised, Satan deceives them again. There will be billions – like the sand of the sea. They are called Gog and Magog. Satan gathers them for a final battle.
vs. 9 – Satan and this host surround God’s City. Fire comes down and devours them.
vs. 10 – Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet end up in this lake of fire.
vs. 11 – Before this fire falls, a final judgment occurs.
vs. 12 – All the resurrected lost are judged.
vs. 13 – Another description of the resurrected lost being judged.
vs. 14 – Death and Hell [Hades-Grave] are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.
vs. 15 – All the resurrected lost are cast into the lake of fire.

To break it down even further: there is a ‘good resurrection’ (called “the first resurrection”) at the beginning of the 1000 years (vs. 4-6), whereas “the rest of the dead” are resurrected at the end of the 1000 years (vs. 5a). Satan is bound during the 1000 years (vs. 3), but is loosed “when the thousand years are expired” and “the rest of the dead” are raised (compare verses 5a and 7). Satan gathers the lost for a final battle against God’s City (vs. 8). A final judgment occurs, and then the lost are punished in the lake of fire (verses 9, 14-15). Then the old earth passes, and the new earth comes (Revelation 21:1).

The above points are undeniable, for this is exactly what Revelation 20 says. Two significant facts should be noted:

  1. Revelation 20 doesn’t say there will be peace on earth during the 1000 years.
  2. Revelation 20 doesn’t say Jesus Christ will rule during the 1000 years from the present city of Jerusalem.

These common doctrines are being taught worldwide but are not found in Revelation 20,the only place in God’s Word that specifically mentions the 1000-year period. Now let’s go deeper.

The Two Resurrections

There are two defining ‘bookends’ marking the beginning and the end of the thousand years, the two resurrections (vs. 4-6). Let’s see what else the Bible says about them.

Jesus Christ taught two resurrections.

“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation”

John 5:29.

The apostle Paul did too.

“There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust”

Acts 24:15.

Thus, both Jesus Christ and Paul taught two resurrections, the first being “the resurrection of life” for the saved, the second being “the resurrection of condemnation” for the lost.

Revelation 20 revolves around these two resurrections. As we’ve already seen, verses 4-6 reveal that one takes place at the beginning of the 1000 years, the other at the end. The Word says,

“Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

(vs. 6)

This is the good, or “first resurrection,” at the start of the 1000 years. Those in it need not fear the second death.

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished”

(vs. 5a).

This is the bad or second resurrection at the conclusion of the 1000 years. Jesus Christ called it “

the resurrection of condemnation”

John 5:29

Thus it is plain that there are two resurrections – one at the beginning of the Millennium, in which true believers in Christ are raised to eternal life, and one at the opposite end of the Millennium, in which the “unjust” awake to something else entirely.

The Second Coming

If the thousand years begin with the resurrection of the just, the question is, When does this good resurrection occur? When we find the answer, then we’ll understand what initiates the thousand years.

Scripture teaches that the return of Jesus Christ results in the resurrection of His saints. Paul tells us plainly that it is at “His coming,” when “the trumpet sounds,” that “the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”

1 Corinthians 15:23:

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

1 Corinthians 15: 51-55,

Paul also wrote,

“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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

According to Paul, “the dead in Christ shall rise first.” This is the same as “the first resurrection” depicted in Revelation 20:6.

In summary, Revelation 20:4-6 begins the 1000 years with the resurrection of the saints. 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 teach that the resurrection of the saints, who are called “the dead in Christ,” occurs when Jesus Christ returns. Thus it is the return of Jesus Christ when His saints are resurrected, that marks the beginning of the Millennium.

Left Behind

In What the Rapture Is Not we answered the question of who was “taken” and who was “left.”  We saw that those who are “left” are actually the saved who remain alive, and those who are “taken” are the lost taken in death.   Here is further Biblical support.

Jesus returns, the righteous dead are raised, and along with the righteous living, they all are “caught up” to meet the Saviour in the air. This is great news for true believers!

But what about those who are not “caught up,” those who are left behind? Popular teaching says they will have a second chance during a “seven-year Tribulation,” an idea heavily promoted in the wildly popular Left Behind novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Though those books have sold by the millions, the important question for us should be, Is that theology truly biblical?

Immediately after Paul describes true believers being “caught up,” he then declares,

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. For when they shall say Peace and Safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them … and they shall not escape.”

1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

Thus, according to Paul, those who are not “caught up” will reap “sudden destruction” and “not escape.”

Does this sound like ‘the second chance’ so graphically depicted in Left Behind novels and films? Hardly.

It gets worse. How widespread is this “sudden destruction”? Jesus, Himself explained it. Note the comparison between the lost of Noah’s day and Lot’s day.  Those left are those not destroyed.  They remain alive.  Those taken are those destroyed.

“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 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 Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed”

Luke 17:26 -30

In Noah’s day, all who refused to enter the ark were destroyed in the deluge. In Lot’s day, everyone except Lot and his family were consumed by a falling fire. Jesus Christ said,

“Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Luke 17:30

Other texts make it clear that when Jesus returns, the lost will be destroyed, and they are not given another chance during some hypothetical “seven-year Tribulation” (which, by the way, is nowhere specifically referred to in the Bible). Here are just a few texts describing the global desolation that follows Jesus’ return.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 – When Jesus returns in flaming fire, the lost will be destroyed.
Revelation 16:17-18 – At Armageddon, cities crumble around the world.
Revelation 6:14; 16:20 – Every island sinks, and all the mountains disappear.
Jeremiah 4:23-26 – Planet Earth is totally devastated, with “no man” left alive.
Jeremiah 25:30-33 – Those slain by the Lord lie dead, unburied, all around the world.
Revelation 19:17-18, 21 – The birds eat the flesh of every human being worldwide.

These verses teach that those not “caught up” when Christ returns will be destroyed, and the destruction will encompass all the earth, as it did during Noah’s flood. Jesus Himself taught this.

“The flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the son of man be”

Matthew 24:39

From this verse, it is clear who got “took away” or who was taken.  It was the lost.

The Rest of the Dead

The last sentence in Revelation 19 describes birds feasting upon “the flesh of all men” (vs. 21). Immediately following is Revelation 20, which depicts the binding of Satan so that he can “deceive the nations no more” during the 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-3). Why not? The answer’s easy–there’s nobody left alive on earth to deceive. Those in the first resurrection were “caught up” to be with Jesus, and the rest, those taken, were slain.

This helps explain what follows (Read carefully):

“that he [Satan] should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled.”

(Revelation 20:3).

Notice these three words “no more until.” What do they tell us? They teach that those “nations” are entirely Satan’s nations. Satan is deceiving them now, but can’t continue deceiving them during the Millennium “until” a certain time.

What time is that? When the 1000 years are over, obviously. Now put two and two together. At the end of the Millennium, “the rest of the dead” (who missed “the first resurrection”) are raised back to life. Then Satan deceives them again. Look again, and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise:

 “The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.”

Verse 5a 

“When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.”

Verse 7 

At the end of the 1000 years, “the rest of the dead” are raised, and Satan is “loosed.” Therefore the raising of the “rest of the dead” is what “looses” the devil. Satan then swoops into these resurrected nations (now alive in the four corners of the earth), deceives them again, and then gathers them for the grand finale (verses 8-9).

What does all this mean? The answer will come shortly after we examine a few more crucial points. What should be clear so far, however, is that the common notion of the Millennium, reflected in Left Behind, leaves much to be desired. In fact, it’s completely bogus.

The Bottomless Pit

Crucial to understanding the Millennium are the first texts of Revelation 20, verses 1 and 2. According to these texts, Satan is bound with “a great chain” and confined to “the bottomless pit” for 1000 years. The expression “a great chain,” doesn’t mean a literal chain. Even today, all of “the angels that sinned” with Lucifer are described as being in “chains of darkness” (2 Peter 2:4). These words do not refer to actual clinking and clanging metal but to circumstances of darkness that these angels find themselves in after having been booted out of heaven.

During the 1000 years, Satan is represented as being bound with a chain because his new circumstances prevent him from deceiving the nations during the Millennium (Revelation 20:2). Again, what are those circumstances? Everyone left on earth is dead.

What’s this “bottomless pit”? In the Old Testament, the word “pit” often refers to a grave, a cemetery, or to the place of the dead.

Psalms 55:23 – Evil men will go “down into the pit of destruction.”
Numbers 16:32-33 – “the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up … into the pit.”
Ezekiel 32:22-23 – “his graves are about him … in the sides of the pit … all of them slain.”
Psalms 28:1 – David prayed not to “become like them that go down to the pit.”
Psalms 69:15 – “Let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.”

Isaiah 14 contains one of the Old Testament’s clearest prophecies about Lucifer. He was cast out of heaven (vs. 12) for exalting himself (vs. 13). Yet he is to be brought down “to the sides of the pit” (vs. 15). Isaiah 14:18-21 perfectly parallels the prophecy in Revelation 20:1-3.

“All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house [the grave]. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet. Thou shall not be joined with them in burial”

Isaiah 14:18-21

These verses predict a time when all the nations are slain and lie in their graves, yet Satan will not join them in burial. He will be left, instead, to wander among earth’s ruins. Notice carefully:

“Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, thou inhabitant of the earth … The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be moved like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in prison, and after many days shall they be visited”

Isaiah 24:17-22

This is a prediction of a destroyed and devastated earth. Its inhabitants are gathered as prisoners in the pit [the grave]. When Revelation 20:1-3 describes Satan as bound with a chain for 1000 years, this means that a chain of circumstances will prevent him from deceiving the nations. The major circumstance is the return of Jesus Christ in “flaming fire” (2 Thessalonians 2:8), the “sudden destruction” of sinners (1 Thessalonians 5:3), the largest earthquake in history (Revelation 16:18), the global crumbling of cities (Revelation 16:19), the disappearing of mountains and islands (Revelation 16:20), and the total depopulation of planet Earth just like “it was in the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37-39). This “great day of the Lord” will come “as a destruction from the Almighty” (Joel 1:15).

“And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be as dung upon the ground”

Jeremiah 25:33

Earth will then be like one gigantic bottomless pit, a huge cemetery. Jeremiah predicted:

“I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger”

(Jeremiah 4:23 -26).

As Satan and his angels behold their kingdom in ruins, they can only wonder about, counsel together, and contemplate with trembling the final events to occur at the end of the 1000 years.

Yet it doesn’t end here. We mustn’t forget the last section of Isaiah 24:17-22, which predicts that those who lie dead in their graves “shall be visited” (Isaiah 24:22). What could that possibly mean other than what we have seen in Revelation 20:5?

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” It’s what Jesus was talking about when He warned about the “the resurrection of damnation”

John 5:29

This occurs at the end of the Millennium.

Far, then, from being a time of earthly glory when Jesus reigns from Jerusalem, the Millennium is a time when the earth lies waste, in desolate ruins, a prison house for Satan and his demons.

The Saints in Heaven

If this doesn’t sound inviting, it’s because it isn’t supposed to be inviting. It’s a time of chaos, desolation, and ruin, a time when sin takes another step toward its horrific ending. The Millennium is not some idyllic era of peace and goodness upon this old earth, with Jesus ruling from Jerusalem, but a time of utter devastation and judgment.

What about God’s people? What about those who participated in “the first resurrection,” who were “caught up” with Jesus as opposed to being left behind? What happens to them during the Millennium?

Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus told His followers that He was going to heaven, where He would prepare mansions for His children (John 14:1-2). When He returns, He will take us to Himself, “that where I am, there you shall be also” (vs. 3). When He comes, Jesus will take us to the place where He is now, in heaven in the New Jerusalem (see Revelation 3:12; 21:10). As we saw earlier, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 tells us that at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ we shall be “caught up.” Thus we are going up to glory. In perfect agreement with this is Revelation 19:1-2, which teaches that immediately after the destruction of Babylon (Revelation 18:8-24), John beheld God’s saints in heaven.

“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand”

Revelation 19:1-2

According to Revelation 20:4, 6, the saints will “reign” with Jesus for 1000 years. Contrary to popular opinion, Revelation 20 does not say they will reign on earth during that time. Why would Jesus and His people rule over a devastated and ruined world anyway? The Bible says we will soar upward when Christ returns (1 Thessalonians 4:17), that He will take us to the New Jerusalem (John 14:1-3), and that we will then be in heaven praising God (Revelation 19:1-2).

Some might ask, How can we “reign” for 1000 years if we’re in heaven? Don’t we have to be on earth to “reign” over others during this time? Not necessarily. The Bible also says the saints will “reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). Thus this “reign” idea implies we will be in some position of authority, just as Adam originally exercised dominion over the earth, that’s all.

Now, if planet Earth is depopulated, with no survivors (except Satan and his angels), and the saints are in heaven, then what is the purpose of the 1000 years? A few possibilities exist:

1) It gives the loyal universe an opportunity to behold the terrible results of Satan’s rule;
2) It gives the saints in heaven an opportunity to go through heaven’s records and to have all their questions answered about why some of their loved ones are there and some are not;
3) It provides a period of time when Jesus and the saints together can make decisions about the just punishments to be carried out upon the lost at the end of the 1000 years (see 1 Corinthians 6:2-3);
4) It also gives the saints a period of time to prepare mentally for the events at the end of the 1000 years, at which time many of their loved ones will be resurrected, judged, and sentenced to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:5a, 11-15).

The Resurrection of Condemnation

Okay, we have seen that at the Second Coming, Jesus returns, the saved (both the resurrected dead and those alive at His return) are taken to heaven where they “reign” for a thousand years, the earth is destroyed–and Satan remains captive there for the allotted thousand years. What then happens at the end of the thousand years?

Revelation 20 (as we’ve already seen) is clear that two events occur:

1) The “rest of the dead” are raised to life (vs. 5a).
2) Satan is “loosed” (verses 3, 7).

Both events occur simultaneously. When the lost are resurrected, Satan now has people once again to deceive; thus, he is, in effect, “loosed” from his chains. Satan then

“will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea”

(vs. 8).

The “sand of the sea” means myriads of people (all the lost–from the days of Adam down to the last person who experienced “sudden destruction” at Christ’s return). During the 1000 years, they remain in their graves; now, they are raised to life in “the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29).

Immediately after the lost are resurrected, Satan gathers “them together to battle.” What Hollywood movie producer could even envision such a scene: billions of lost people, including (no doubt) great military commanders, gathered together in one final burst of rebellion?

The next question is, Who will this terrible army attempt to fight? The Bible makes it plain: “They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city…” (vs. 9). This is the New Jerusalem, the home of the saved (Revelation 3:12; 21:10), which descends from heaven to the earth (Revelation 3:12; 21:2) right before the second resurrection. Then Satan and his macabre army surround the “camp of the saints” in a last-ditch effort to conquer God’s fortress.

Picture this scene: all the world’s lost and all the world’s saved are together for the first time–the saved inside the city, the lost outside. The lost will behold the reward of the righteous, the saved the doom of the damned.

This is Satan’s last stand, his final opportunity to conquer Jesus Christ, His New Jerusalem, and the redeemed of all ages. But he can never defeat the King of the Universe. He failed miserably when Jesus was a lowly carpenter in human flesh. What chance does he have against Him now as King of the New Jerusalem? None whatsoever!

Fire from Heaven

After Lucifer’s legions gather around God’s holy city to make war against it, what happens next? The Bible explains explicitly:

“[Satan] shall go out to deceive the [resurrected]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. 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”

Revelation 20:8-9

Notice, “fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” That’s their fate!

Before the fire falls, a vast cosmic judgment scene unfolds.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it … And I saw the [resurrected] dead standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it [another description of the resurrection of the lost], and Death and Hades [the grave] delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged each one according to their works.”

Revelation 20:11 -13

This judgment occurs while Satan’s army is gathered around the city; it concerns only the lost, who are then judged “according to their works.” As books are opened above them, they are allowed to see the complete record of their lives. They are shown why they are lost, why they are outside God’s City, and why they have forfeited eternal life with Jesus. As the Book of Life is opened, they discover their names are missing. Then Jesus will undoubtedly show them how much He loved them, how He tried hard to save them, and yet how, by their own persistent efforts, they resisted His tender appeals. Yes, they will see that Jesus Christ died for them, that on the cross He paid the full penalty for all their sins, and that they could have been inside the city with His saints; but now they are outside with another master, the master of their own choosing. They will see that, though Jesus willingly took upon Himself the punishment that was theirs, they spurned Him, and now they are forced to stand before His holy majesty in the shame of their spiritual nakedness, with every wrong thought, every wrong word, and every wrong deed bearing down upon their consciences to condemn them, and there is no longer any Mediator to represent them and intercede for them.

After the sentence is pronounced, the fire of God brings final retribution upon the lost. By this time, all the unsaved understand why they are lost. This destruction is an act of justice, not cruelty. The book of Revelation is very clear about God’s uprightness. “Just and true are your ways, O King of the saints” (Revelation 15:3); “You are righteous, O Lord … Because you have judged these things” (Revelation 16:5); and “For true and righteous are His judgments” (Revelation 19:2).

The judgment at the close of the Millennium will be perfectly just, without any taint of imperfection chargeable upon God. By rejecting His love and mercy and by a life of continued sinning, the lost have earned their just reward. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, holy angels, and the saints will all weep over the unsaved. But nothing more can be done. Now it’s too late.

Revelation 20:8 says the lost will march across “the four quarters of the earth” right before the fire falls upon them. Thus we conclude that God’s fire will descend all over planet Earth. This unquenchable downpour will become a “lake of fire” (14-15), boiling everywhere. Malachi 4:1, 3 says that the entire fateful day will “burn as an oven.” 2 Peter 3:10 adds, “…the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” Thus God will totally purify and cleanse our sin-polluted earth with flames. In fact, 2 Peter 3 parallels the destruction of the world by water in Noah’s day with the purification of the earth by fire at the end of the 1000 years (2 Peter 3:5-7). In Noah’s day, the whole earth was under ‘a lake of water’; at the end of the 1000 years, this planet will be wrapped in “a lake of fire.” In Noah’s day, God’s people floated in the midst of the water but were protected inside the ark; at the end of the Millennium, when a lake of fire envelops our planet, God’s saved “saints” will be right there, riding the storm safely inside the New Jerusalem.

The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 20 concludes with these solemn words, “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Fortunately, that’s not the end of the story. The next verse reads: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Revelation 21:1).

New heaven (sky), new earth! What happened to the old ones? We just saw. The lake of fire consumed them. When the Bible says, “…the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,” this must include the lake of fire! After God’s fire completely purifies this planet and its atmosphere, He will recreate the earth and sky, so long under the contaminating effects of sin. God will make “a new heaven and a new earth.” Eventually, the cleansing fire will disappear, after purifying this earth from every trace of sin, sinners, Satan, and demons, and in place of the smoggy sky and the polluted earth the Lord will create new ones.

“Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

2 Peter 3:13

Revelation 21 also adds,

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful”

Revelation 21:4-5

“Write, for these words are true,” says God Almighty. When this finally happens, the lake of fire, death, sin, sorrow, crying, and pain will “have passed away.” There will be no more terrorists, no more tears over the World Trade Center, nor crying over a million other things like natural disasters, sickness, divorce, child abuse, or graveside services. These will all have “passed away.”

As Noah and his family finally walked out of the ark onto a cleansed world, so will God’s faithful saints finally step out of the New Jerusalem into a brand new world.

Conclusion

Contrary to popular opinion, the biblical Millennium is a time of desolation and ruin for planet earth; the saints enjoy a honeymoon with Jesus in heaven where He is now; then followed by more rebellion of Satan and the lost:  then God’s judgment; and finally, re-creation–when the Lord who first spoke heaven and earth into existence (Genesis 1) repeats His creativity, “His wonders to perform”!

The most important issue, however, isn’t so much our knowledge of millennial details but our knowledge of the God who has revealed the truth about it. What this study shows us, perhaps more than anything else, is that there is no second chance, no middle ground, and no neutrality in this Great War between Jesus Christ and Satan. Remember, the devil deceives “nations” (Revelation 20:3) in many areas, including this one. You, friend, will be on one side or the other. You will either be inside the city, safe and secure with Jesus, looking down on the hordes outside, or you will be outside, deceived by the Devil, looking up at what might have been yours had you only repented and given yourself fully to Jesus Christ for faithful obedience.

Jesus died for you! He died so that you could have a place with Him in that New Jerusalem and in the new heavens and new earth that are coming. Your final destiny, inside or outside, eternal life or destruction, depends on your choice. Will you give yourself to the One who gave Himself for you and thus have eternity with Him, or will you continue resisting His pleadings?

What to Do With Doubt

Empathy for the Doubter- Part 2-Science, Creation, and Time

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Doubt for most people starts with the first statement in the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

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God does not take away reasons to doubt and if we choose that path, we will find reason to doubt.  However, if we choose to believe, we will find many reasons to believe.

“God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. Yet God has never removed the possibility of doubt. Our faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration. Those who wish to doubt will have opportunity; while those who really desire to know the truth will find plenty of evidence on which to rest their faith.

Steps to Christ, Page 105

Faith in Jesus is based on substance and evidence much like science.  It is not blind faith with which nothing to rest its case:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11: 1

Both the faith of the Atheist in evolution and the faith of the Christian in Creation is based on “evidence of things not seen.” None of us were there at the beginning of life.  We can’t observe it, put it in a bottle or test it in the lab.  All we can do is interpret the evidence as one would a crime scene.

The atheist and the unbeliever have assumptions regarding passage of time, the fossils, structure of animals, plants, etc, and their own reasoning powers, but it is evidence of things unseen.

In the end, the unbelieving scientists ask us to believe that order, complexity, and designed came from chaos and disorder.

The believer has evidence in the complexity of life; the claims of men who wrote the Bible; and their own reasoning powers.  There are intelligent men on both sides.  For every scientist that believes in evolution, there are many who do not. There are many who think by things they observe in nature that a 6 day creation is not only possible, but it is the only explanation for the beginning and  survival of life.

The unbeliever does not like to include a creator God as a possibility because of the other implications and responsibilities that come with it.

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind…”

Romans 1: 28

Men choose to be willingly ignorant of things they don’t want to accept.

 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3:5-7

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Many scientists try to separate faith in a Creator God with Science.  They set them up as opposing each other exclusively.  They try to show that science trumps anything spiritual or Biblical.  To believe in a literal 6 day creation defies science and therefore falls into the arena of faith.  But,  there are many very intelligent and accomplished scientists who believe in a literal 6 day creation.  There is a book you can read called,

In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation

There is a idea proposed by Michael Behe, a creation scientist, that makes a lot of sense.  It is called Irreducible Complexity.  Some scientist dismiss it, because it is a theory just like their grand theory of evolution.

The premise is that life is so complex that it could not evolved slowly and added parts along the way.  I once heard the story about the evolution of the porcupine.  It quills are reported to have “evolved” over millions of years as they were needed to protect itself from enemies.  But, how about all those years it did not have the quills?  How did it survive?  Why are they not extinct?

Irreducible Complexity states that the porcupine had to have  all the elements for life and  the quills at the same time.

Another example is your circulatory system of blood, heart, and vessels to carry the blood.  Which came first?  If the heart, then what did it pump?  If the blood, how did it move?  If the vessels, what was in it?

All had to be present at once in a body for life to work. The idea of parts being added as needed makes no sense.

Nature is probably the best place to look for the fingerprints of a grand Designer we call God. Paul wrote:

 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…”

Romans 1:20

We can learn a lot about God by simply observing nature. The verse above says because of God’s creation, we have no excuse for not believing in Him.

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Self defeating statements and the law on non-contradiction.  

What does this mean?  Often people in haste to minimize or attempt to eliminate truth will say something that is self-defeating and contradicts their statement.  Here is an example:  Have you ever heard someone say, “There is no absolute truth.”

That is a contradictory statement.  To prove it, just ask the person, “Is your statement absolute truth?”  If they answer, “yes” then they confirm there is absolute truth.  If they answer “no” then they acknowledge that their statement is false and to be ignored.

The world is full of absolute truths.  We depend on these to fly planes, drive cars, and complete activities of living.  It is an absolute truth that taking all the blood out of body will kill me.  It is absolute truth that gravity keeps me from floating away.

Jesus absolute truth statements like this:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:6

Jesus claims exclusive right to being the only way, the only truth.  He can do this because it is true and He has demonstrated the truth through God’s word and His resurrection.

There is logic behind belief in a Creator God and the power of absolute truth…even in spiritual things.  If you would like to learn more on this topic, I recommend the book,

“I Don’t Have Enough Faith To Be an Atheist” 

by Norman L. Geisler, Frank Turek

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The Routine and Passage of Time Leads to Doubt

The routine and passage of time is difficult for many to wrap their heads around. Billions of people before you were born, enjoyed their youth, lived, dreamed, took on a responsibility of a family and watched their own children grow old.  Then they died.  This cycle has continued for thousands of years.

It has been about 3,500 years since the opening verse of the Bible was penned.  The continuous cycle of life and death creates doubt about the promises of Jesus’ return, and the validity of God’s word.  In fact, this exact feeling is held by not only many Christians  today, but it was also in the thoughts of those only a few decades after Jesus left earth.  Peter wrote these words:

“First of all, you must understand that in the last days some people will appear whose lives are controlled by their own lusts. They will make fun of you  and will ask, “He promised to come, didn’t he? Where is he? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!””

2 Peter 3: 3-4

This is a direct reference to the promise Jesus made to his disciples and all who would hear their message:

I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.

John 14: 2-3

Paul wrote words of encouragement to those who thought Jesus was coming during their own life times.  But, they watched as fellow believers, friends, and family began to die.   It is one of my favorite passages of the Bible, because so much can be learned about the events of the 2nd coming and those who have died, particularly for those who “die in Christ.”

Our friends, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:13

However, today we hear a different sort of hope being offered that does not include the resurrection.

Today’s words of encouragement would be something like this, “Don’t worry, he is in heaven enjoying eternal bliss.” or “He is in heaven with his family now.”

But, this is not the words Paul used:

 We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him.

What we are teaching you now is the Lord’s teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died. There will be the shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. So then, ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

The words of Paul, an apostle of Christ, used the Lord’s own teachings to give us hope that one day Jesus would return to the sound of loud trumpets. Then those believers who died years ago will be resurrected and if we are alive then, we will rise with them in the air and we will ever be with the Lord.  He will take us to where He is now.  Those are the words we are to use to encourage one another.

For those who don’t have this hope, life is simply reduced to what they can do in the time allotted to them, whether good, bad, or both.

A sovereign God does not view things or time as we do:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8

do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2 Peter 3: 8

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 Conclusion:

There will always be reason to doubt, but this does not mean that you can’t have faith that moves mountains.  This faith comes first by searching and wanting to know the truth about Jesus.  Next, searching for truth in the book that claims to have have it will build a strong foundation upon which to rest your faith. Finally, by searching for Jesus you will find Him.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

But, let us never forget, that there are mysteries we might never know this side of eternity.

The word of God, like the character of its divine Author, presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. The entrance of sin into the world, the incarnation of Christ, regeneration, the resurrection, and many other subjects presented in the Bible, are mysteries too deep for the human mind to explain, or even fully to comprehend. But we have no reason to doubt God’s word because we cannot understand the mysteries of His providence. In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with mysteries that we cannot fathom. The very humblest forms of life present a problem that the wisest of philosophers is powerless to explain. Everywhere are wonders beyond our ken. Should we then be surprised to find that in the spiritual world also there are mysteries that we cannot fathom? The difficulty lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind. God has given us in the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine character, and we are not to doubt His word because we cannot understand all the mysteries of His providence.

Steps to Christ, p. 106 and 107

What to Do With Doubt

Empathy for the Unbeliever-Part 1

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For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?

Romans 3: 3

Unbelief, doubt, mistrust are described throughout holy scripture.  It appears in Genesis and is the story of Abraham, Moses, Kings, Prophets, Disciples, and followers.

Doubt and unbelief starts early in scripture.  It takes only 3 chapters before they appear in very clear language.  Adam and Eve succumbed quickly and apparently easily when they believed Satan and disobeyed a clear command of God.

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 2: 15-17

Notice that this message was heard only by Adam.  Eve was non-existent when God gave this command. The verses immediately after Genesis 2: 17 describe the creation of Eve.

It wasn’t long (at least in the order of the passages in scripture) that Satan had the woman alone.  He charmed her, contradicted the words of God, and planted the first seeds of doubt.

“Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”

Genesis 3:1

Eve knew the restriction.  She either heard it from her husband Adam or God told her directly.  It makes sense that Adam told her, but regardless of the source of the communication, she knew what God had said.

“We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden,” the woman answered, “except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.”

The snake replied, “That’s not true; you will not die. God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.”

Genesis 3:2-4

The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.

Genesis 3:6

So Eve heard the first contradiction of God’s word and responded through disobedience.  She thought it would make her wise and that God was withholding from her something to make her even more happy.   Sadly, it  had the opposite effect as demonstrated in the characters of the Bible who were also infected with similar doubt, unbelief, and disobedience.

 If Adam had been with her, the story might have ended differently.  But, Adam loved Eve and did not want to lose her.  While she was deceived, he walked quickly into disobedience without doubt and unbelief as the motivator.  Adam, in effect, chose death rather than life because of his love for Eve.  Sound familiar?  Jesus died because of his love for us.

For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 

1 Timothy 2: 13-14

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

So doubt about God and the truthfulness of His word is in the genes of mankind from the beginning just as sin has been.  In fact, sin is unbelief, doubt, and mistrust:

“…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Romans 14 : 3

“Indeed, I was born guilty.
    I was a sinner when my mother conceived me.”

Psalm 51: 5

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Doubt, unbelief, mistrust, and disobedience go together.  You might could say, “Doubt begets unbelief and unbelief begets mistrust, and mistrust begets disobedience.

There are basically two types of people that have doubt regarding  God.  First there is a follower of Jesus who has a weak experience and demonstrates doubt in his walk with God.  Then there is the one who has the basic doubt about the existence of God, Jesus, and his word.

With this basic framework, lets explore further the concept of doubt.

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If you doubt the existence of God, Ask yourself this question,  “What would it take for me to believe that God exists?”

Adam and Eve did not have this type of doubt.  They knew God, but doubted Him and what was truth about Him.

On the other hand, If you doubt God’s word and promises for the follower, your question would be “What would it take for me to believe God’s promises and His word?”

Before proceeding, answer these questions in your mind.  Think about it for at least 30 seconds.

Were your answers a one time event?  Maybe a Paul like experience where God appears and talks to you directly would make you a believer.  But, would one event be enough to convince you that there is a God ?  Would one event be enough to give you complete trust to believe His promises are sure and He is not a liar?

Anyone familiar with the journey of the children of Israel, would know that God gave them many such events and yet they still failed to believe.  Miracles were demonstrated daily around them.  But, their unbelief kept that generation from entering the Promised Land.

“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Hebrews 3:19

I propose to you that even if Christ appeared in your bedroom one night or at your door one morning, doubt would still raise its head after the experience wore off.  If God appeared at the Super Bowl and made the announcement, “I am God, there is none like me.  I am going to turn everyone purple for the duration of the game as a sign, Many, if not all, would still return to doubt after a period if not right away.

Jesus said of the Pharisees that even if someone were raised from the dead, they would not believe:

“If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”

Luke 16:31

On a more practical level, I have found that most people want something almost as spectacular before they will believe and put their trust in God.  They want God to stop all wars, stop disease, death, and destruction before they  believe.”  “Give me wealth and security so that I don’t have to worry about food and insecurity of loosing my job, then I will believe”  “Explain to me how you could speak the universe into existence.”  Satisfy every need in my life and others and I will believe.”

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Actually God promises to do these very things, but it is not to turn everyone into believers, but rather is the reward for those who do believe:

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.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

“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.”

Revelation 21:4

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You might ask how do I become a believer?  How does my weak experience with God become strong and real?

Once there was a man who had a  young son that would often have convulsions.  The son from his childhood would loose control and would put himself in dangerous situations.

The man brought his son to Jesus because his disciples could not help him.  Jesus told him this:

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:23

The man did not understand how to overcome unbelief so in his heart He asked Jesus to help him:

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Mark 9:24

This is the cry of many people,  Lord help me to believe!

Sadly, many people do not ask to believe.  They are content with the life they have made for themselves.  Their vision is only for 70, 80, or 90 good years on the earth.

Jesus offers much more, but many do not believe Him.

I came to a point in my own life where I began to search for truth.  When I came to Jesus and begin to study the Scripture about Him and listen to his words, it left me with only two conclusions.  Jesus was either all He claimed to be or He was the biggest liar and deceiver that ever lived.

My unbelief did not go away easily.  It was a journey that continues to this day.

Unbelief is normal, but it is not what God asks of us.  He wants us to believe and trust in Him.  He will give us reasons to believe if we are willing to search.  It will not be a one time event, but rather a continuous journey. After all, it was mistrust of God that got us into trouble in the first place.  We have much to learn.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Searching and seeking is a continuous journey, but Jesus is at the end of the search.

 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10: 17

If you want more faith, hear or read more of God’s word.  If you want little faith then don’t ever read God’s word.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

The reasons to believe have substance and evidence.  Faith is not based on assumption or blindness.  Faith and trust and God can be real if:

1.) You are willing to dedicate some time to seeking God.

2.)  Seeking in His word is the best place to start

3.) Asking God to help you believe.

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Next week, we will talk in detail about the reasons why people have doubt and unbelief.

May the Lord bless you by bringing conviction to your heart and drawing you to himself.  Yield to the pull of God and your life will be better now and forever. Amen.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

God's Will For Us

Is Obedience Only for The Legalistic? Part 3

He (Jesus) answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 

For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 

But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 

then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Matthew 15:3-9

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Jesus and His disciples were watched by the religious leaders very closely to see if they would obey “the law.”  Jesus was often tested by them on this subject.  But “the law” of the Scribes and Pharisees was at odds with God’s law in a profound way as Jesus points out in the verses above.

 Their law was their own interpretation of the unchangeable  law of the Creator.  Their law contained additions without any blessing, direction, or endorsement from the Creator and Giver of the law.

As pointed out in the condemnation by Jesus to those mutilators of God’s law in Matthew 15, they had attempted to create a loop-hole in God’s 5th commandment to make it a little less harsh and easier to “keep.”  God’s law clearly and simply states:

 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

Exodus 20:12

But, the  leaders said this law could be voided through the offer of a gift as a substitute for giving honor and respect to those who bore and raised them.   It was like they were paying their way out of an obligation that was not to their liking.  So they changed it!  There is not scriptural authority for doing so.

Jesus didn’t like their addition and proclaimed their man-made tradition would make God’s “commandment of no effect.”  Jesus desired them to obey this commandment from the heart, but because they didn’t and tried to come up with ways to make their changes legal, Jesus viewed this as legalism and worthless .  As a result of their changes and their traditions their worship was “in vain.”  It disclosed their hypocrisy of lip service vs heart service.

A couple of other things to notice about this commandment and Jesus’ response:

1.)  God does not put a condition on whether to honor your mother and father or not.  It doesn’t say to honor them if they are worthy of the honor and respect or if they were perfect parents.  Most parents, including myself, are no where near perfect, but we do have a God-given love for our offspring that most children do not understand.  Many times we fail, but that does not make a loop-hole for the breaking of this commandment.

2.)  Jesus doesn’t do away with this commandment or indicate  obedience to this commandment would be legalistic.  As we discussed in a previous article, the new covenant is based on the laws written on the heart.

3.)  Jesus does not give them a list or tell them how to honor their parents.  Lists encourage tasks or works.  While the ten commandments could be considered a list, they are 10 principles. disclosing God’s character and will.  We see in these commandments a God that desires love and respect for both himself and our neighbors.  They are not a list to “work on” to deserve salvation or love from God.

The law of God is not minimized or changed by the new covenant. Even the giver of the law (Jesus) will not change even the smallest part to accommodate mankind. Some are surprised to discover that Jesus, before He came to the world as an infant, gave the 10 Commandments to Moses.  That is a different study for a different time.

Those who have been born again and have a new heart will obey from a love basis rather than a basis to be saved (legalism).  The new covenant people obey the Lord because they ARE saved, not in order to BE saved.

 These born-again followers will understand that to honor their mother or father is the will of God Himself and it will be a natural response from a heart transformed by the power of God to love and respect them.  To try and circumvent, excuse, rationalize, or change it is hypocrisy and attempting to put our own thoughts and reasoning above God’s.

This commandment, like the others, should be read carefully and simply.  Nothing should be added nor taken away, not even one letter or stroke of the pen.  How can anything that is perfect be changed anyway?  It is a transcript of how God wants us to live, not a checklist for finding favor or salvation from the Lord.  Those who will endeavor to obey for the right reasons will be blessed.

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Revelation 21:14

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Jesus made it clear to the  Scribes and Pharisees that he did not come to change the law and that anyone who taught others to break even the smallest detail  was outside of God’s will.  Any attempt to modify the law affected the truthfulness of the worship experience.   This is a pretty serious situation.  Listen to his exact words:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Matthew 5:17

It is here where some will say, “since Jesus fulfilled the law (10 Commandments) it is no longer viable.”  The next verse clears that up.

“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

Matthew 5:18

We still have a heaven and an earth, so the law remains.  Also, it has been almost 2,000 years since Jesus fulfilled it, and he still wants us to teach that the law should not be broken.  It is so immovable that Jesus makes reference to “jot” and “tittle”  (smallest letter or stroke of the pen) will not be modified or eliminated.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be the one who teaches that even one thing can be changed in God’s “perfect law of liberty” James 1:25. How about you?

Jesus perfect obedience to this law (fulfillment) is the basis for His perfect sacrifice (No sin found in Him) and for the forgiveness for our breaking the law which is sin.

Sin is the transgression of the law

1 John 3:4

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:23.

But sin is much more.  We are born sinners with a nature to sin.  Anything not of faith is sin.  There are a 1,000 ways we can sin, but in the end, all can be summarized by the 10 commandments.

 When we are born again, we are given a heart of flesh with God’s law written upon it (New Covenant) and we obey out of sense of love and respect rather than a method of salvation (legalism).  Our very nature is changed.  The thief stops stealing,;the liar stops lying; the adulterer stops sleeping with women who are not his wife…..

If you love me, keep my commandments

John 14:15

Of course they are not perfect.  When we do sin, we have an advocate:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1 John 2:1

Oh!  The mercy and forgiveness of our great God!

How can we claim to be followers if we disobey or re-write the law to suit us as did the religious leaders of Jesus’ time?

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In Luke, Jesus confirmed as He did in Matthew 5 that the law would never change.  Further,  He used the passing of heaven and earth to drive home the point:

“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.”

Luke 16:17

Other writers agree with Jesus on the eternal existence of the law and His word:

“All His precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever”

Psalm 111:8

“The sum of your word is truth;
    and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever.”

Psalm 119:160

“The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 40:8

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Jesus was tested another time on a different commandment. But, the same principles apply.

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Matthew 12: 1-8

The Scribes and Pharisees were particularly zealous for this law.  They added their own rules that is in the thousands.  However, like the 5th commandment, the law is presented by the Lawgiver in a simple manner.  However, the religious leaders made it very legalistic and burdensome.  In the process, this law intended to bless man became another checklist of things to do or not to do.

In this incident, Jesus and his disciples were hungry and began to shuck corn in a field and eat it as they walked along.  This violated one of the Sabbath “rules” created by the very legalistic religious leaders, but Jesus said they were “guiltless.”  Here is an important question:  Is there anywhere in scripture where God forbid such action by the disciples? No!  It is another example of man’s tradition or adding to the law that makes the law a burden and makes their worship vain.

To make his point (That He and the disciples had not broken the 4th commandment), He asks the supposed scriptural authorities the question:  “Have you not read….”  This question (referring to 1 Samuel 21: 1-6) puts them back on their heels.  They obviously had read it, but they had missed the  application from their reading about the priority of man’s needs above a ritual of the law.  Jesus begins to connect the hunger of David’s men and the hunger of Jesus and His disciples.  Very simply, the value of men and their hunger needs outweigh any man-made religious ceremony (i.e., Hot warm bread used in the sanctuary service and the need to eat on the Sabbath when nothing else is available).   Again, there is no law written or intended by the Lawgiver for anyone having to subscribe to such a strict interpretation of a simple law and go hungry on a day the Lord has blessed and made holy.  Further, Jesus clearly states the priority of mercy over sacrifice and ceremonial religious laws.

The 4th Commandment is very simple and plain in its delivery by the Creator, much like the 5th commandment.  The Great Lawgiver and Creator states the commandment simply and provides the reason as to why a professed follower should obey it.  (Not to be saved, but because they are saved)

The command: 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 

The Reason:

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Exodus 20: 8-11

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As with the 5th Commandment, Jesus made it clear that His Law should not be modified or added to in any way.  The same observations for the 5th Commandment can be made for the 4th Commandment:

1.)  God does not put a condition on whether to honor the Sabbath or not or that He had plans to modify or change it.   He says, “Remember” and to “Keep it Holy” since the reason for the commandment has to do with the fact that he is the Creator (and Redeemer-See Deuteronomy’s version-Chapter 5: 12-15)

2.)  Jesus doesn’t do away with this commandment or indicate  obedience to this commandment would be legalistic.  As we discussed in a previous article, the new covenant is based on the laws written on the heart.

3.)  Jesus does not give them a list or tell them how to keep the Sabbath holy, other than refraining from work on that day.  The reason?  We are to respect our Creator and “rest” as He did. It is not only a physical rest, but a rest of relationship with the Creator and His Creation.  It is about relationships and not a religious list of things to trip us up so that we sin.

When the Lord stopped working after His work of Creation, it was not that He was tired, but that He wanted the time to be immortalized as proof of his Creatorship.  Further, Adam and Eve began their first full day with the Lord on the Sabbath.  This must have been a very special Sabbath as they began to see and understand life and a relationship with the Creator.

Have you ever wondered about the heavenly bodies that tell us about time?  Even scientist will admit we measure time by the sun and the moon. Our year is based on the orbit of the earth around the sun.  Our month is based on the orbit or phases of the moon around the earth.  But there is nothing in nature to base our 7 day weekly cycle.

A 7 day weekly cycle  exists only because it was instituted by our Creator (Jesus) in the beginning.  Why not a 6 day cycle or a 5 day cycle?  The 7 day cycle and the Sabbath screams:  God created us!

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Jesus Conclusion:

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:

Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.

Mark 2: 27, 28

Jesus told the religious leaders that He made the Sabbath to be a blessing for man not a list of do’s and don’t’s so that man is made a slave to the Sabbath.  Notice it is made for “man” or mankind  not just the Jews.  The commandment was given long before there was a nation of Jews.  That reasoning would also indicate that all the other commandments are only for the Jews and not for us.

The Scribes and Pharisees had effectively made the Sabbath a burden and God’s original intention was lost through their adding and modifying a simple commandment meant to be a lasting memorial to our Creator and an opportunity to “come unto (Jesus) and rest.”

Jesus knew how it should be remembered because He is Lord of the Sabbath!  This is the real Lord’s day!  It was created by God and it belongs to Him

“But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”

Exodus, 20:10

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In conclusion:

We can learn from these two incidents regarding honoring parents and honoring the day God blessed.  It tells us  that the law of God is immutable and has a relationship/heart purpose.  They are not part of a list of do’s and don’ts to follow so one can be saved.  God forbid!  it is a law of liberty (James 2:12).  It can not be modified to meet our own convenience, thinking, or tradition.

Jesus gave the Law and He knows better than anyone how to follow the spirit of the law which does not negate the letter.

I am sure your spouse would want you to keep the letter of the law regarding adultery, but even more the spirit (i.e., you are faithful because you love her/him.)

The same goes for your neighbor.  You don’t steal, lie, cheat, or covet his wife, or kick his cat (the letter of the law).  Not because you have to, but because you respect him as a child of God and because of the born-again heart given you by the Lord (Spirit of the Law).

Have you asked yourself how can you “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy?”  The key word here is holy (a.k.a sanctified).  How do you make it about a love relationship with God and His creation rather than a list of do’s and don’t’s? How do you make it a delight or a blessing and not a burden?

The Sabbath was made for man, to be a blessing to him by calling his mind from secular labor to contemplate the goodness and glory of God

Of all the commandments, the 4th one is the most misunderstood and the one where legalism can quickly smother the spiritual blessing God has prepared for us each week.  It is not just about when should church attendance be conducted.  This is no doubt a “holy” activity for the Sabbath.  It was Jesus’ and Paul’s custom to go to meet with God’s people each Sabbath.  I would say they are good examples to follow.  Wouldn’t you?

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In our next study, we will see how the enemy has attacked the law of God and the family unit (the 4th and 5th commandments) to serve his purpose of confusing and  leading people away from a knowledge of the Lord which is salvation.

He has a special anger towards those who teach and obey the will of God and testify of Jesus Christ:

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:17

God's Will For Us

Is Obedience Only for the Legalistic, Part 2

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“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Mathew 5:17-19

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Part 1 Summary

In the earlier blog, we looked to the word of God to answer the question about legalism and the role of God’s law in the heart of the believer.

Briefly, we saw that there are many laws in the Bible.  Some were temporary (Ceremonial and Sacrificial).  These laws or ordinances were like a school master that taught God’s people about sin, salvation, and the coming Messiah.

These had their purpose and their end came when  type (e.g. spotless lamb) met anti-type (i.e. Jesus).  When Jesus came, we no longer needed the School Master to teach us. We now had Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection as our teacher and hope.

But, the law that  is eternal is the moral law contained in the 10 commandments.  Jesus did not come to abolish it or to destroy it.  On the contrary, His life magnified the law and made it honorable.  Example:  Jesus told us men that looking upon a woman with lust was the same as committing adultery

“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Mathew 5:28

Here we see Jesus “magnifying” the law.  He makes it bigger so we can clearly see or understand to scope of the law.  It also demonstrates that man is sinful to the core.  It tells us we need a Savior not only from eternal death but from the power of sin.

Sin is defined in one place as the breaking or transgressing of the law.

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

1 John 3:4

John goes on to tell us something very important for the believer.

Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

1 John 3:6

Is it not clear that if someone sins, they don’t know Him?  But if the believer “abides” in Him, that person will not sin.  Now be careful here.  It is not saying you are perfect and never sin.  It means you do not practice sin as clarified in the the next verse:

He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

1 John 3:7

Before John ever gets into this discussion, he sets the boundaries of the discussion by saying this:

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1 John 2:1

God’s desire is that we do not sin. We have Jesus as our advocate in heaven (another topic for another time) to cover us should we sin.  But this advocate is not an excuse to practice sin. That the true follower will not do.  The thief will not continue his life of stealing.  The adulterer will stop sleeping around.  The person with other gods will give them up.  Is this a fair statement?

Here is what we must remember:  We are born with a sinful nature.   When we are born again, we are given a spiritual nature.  These two natures will compete against each other and it is our choice and God’s action as to which one will win the war between flesh and spirit.  Keep in mind that battles may be lost due to the carnal nature, but this does not mean the war is over and a victor crowned.  Paul describes this battle in Romans 8 (Another study for another time).

One of my favorite writers wrote something that I think is very appropriate here and supported by the grace of our great loving God:

“There are those who have known the pardoning love of Christ and who really desire to be children of God, yet they realize that their character is imperfect, their life faulty, and they are ready to doubt whether their hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit. To such I would say, Do not draw back in despair. We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John,

“These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1.

Steps to Christ, P. 64

The law, specifically the 10 commandments, point out to sinful man what is sin.  To know about the law and sin is to know more about the God who gave it and more about ourselves.  It points out how really sinful we are and that we need  a savior because we cannot “enter into the womb a second time” and be reborn.   We cannot give ourselves a new spirit.  The law enhances the reality of grace and His power, but God’s grace does not eliminate the law otherwise he could have simply eliminated the definition of sin instead of having his Son pay the penalty for sin i.e., death.  This would be a divine loophole of sorts. I don’t see where God provides loopholes, but He does supply grace and power.

The law, like God, is eternal and it is given the same description as God Himself.  The law expresses His character which is holy, just, and good.

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Romans 7:11, 12

We can not take the 10 commandments off the wall and wash our face with it,  the law points out the smudge on our face, which tells us we need to be cleansed.  To try to wash our face with the law would be the definition of legalism.  Instead, the law indicates God’s will for us and that we need a Savior not only for breaking it, but for the power to obey it as will be shown in the following discussion.

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When talking about the law of God, we must discuss the topic of new covenant versus old covenant.  Here many make a deadly mistake, thinking the old covenant was about keeping the law for salvation, but the new covenant is freedom from keeping the law and living under grace. This implies disobedience.  As we shall see both covenants include obedience to God’s law.  The new covenant does not diminish the requirements of the law, but there is a twist that should give encouragement to us and help us avoid legalism.

Jesus is the “Mediator of the new covenant.”

And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Hebrews 9:15

By the sacrificial death of Jesus upon the cross, He redeemed everyone, including those under the first covenant.  This redemption for them and for all “who are called may receive the promise of eternal life.”

So again, we see that the cross is the central point for both those in the old testament and the new testament.  It is here where all, on both sides of the cross, look by faith to Jesus for eternal life.  Those in the old testament looked forward in faith and were instructed by the School Master or the sacrificial and ceremonial laws given by God through Moses to teach them about Jesus. They were not saved by works and obedience, but by faith in the spotless lamb of God (Jesus).

Those of us on this side, look to Jesus’ death on the cross by faith for eternal life and we  have the life of Jesus and the testimony of His followers to teach us.  Also, we have the experience of those before the cross to teach us as well.  In fact, those before the cross and the writings of the old testament can instruct us in righteousness.

Paul wrote to Timothy and reminded him of this fact.  Paul wrote it before the writings of the other new testament writers were known and brought together.  So Paul’s message to Timothy is referring to the writings of the old testament when he said,

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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16

Those books in the old testament will reproof, correct and even instruct the new testament believer in righteousness.  Further, it will make us complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We should never say or believe things like, “That is in the old testament, I am a new testament believer.”  Rather, we should say, we are a believer of “All Scripture.”

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The experience of God’s people before the cross serve as examples of how we should both live and respond to God.

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Romans 15:4

Their lives and experiences become examples of how to live or not to live.  Their experiences will give us hope!

Jesus is also found in type all through the old testament.  To bypass these books is to miss Christ.

 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them.”

1 Corinthians 10: 1-7

So as we look at the new covenant or the new testament, we must not forget the value of the old covenant and the old testament.  It still provides us help in our Jesus journey. It is even provides information that should be obeyed and understood by the Christian who appreciates the value of the new covenant.

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To understand the new  covenant, we must understand the old covenant.  Is that a fair statement? Why two covenants?  Did God make a mistake and create a new covenant because it was impossible or too difficult to live under?  Many think this because of somethings Paul states.

Generally, a covenant is defined as an agreement between two parties, but it can be simply a promise by the Lord. For example, the Lord made a promise to the people of earth to not destroy it by water ever again. This was a covenant or promise from the great Creator.

“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth… and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

Genesis 9:13,15

The Lord did the same type of “one-sided covenant” with Abraham when he promised him land and descendants:

“On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—’ ”

Genesis 15:18

 “And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.”

Genesis 17: 2-7

However, these covenants (promises) of God are not the covenants distinguished as old by Paul.

There was a point where the people of God tried to make a covenant or agreement with God and they became “old.”

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 

Exodus 19:5-7

In the next Chapter of Exodus (20) we see these words:

And God spoke all these words, saying:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

Exodus 20: 1-2

Then the Lord spoke the 10 Commandments Himself as shown in Exodus 20: 3-17

Here was the covenant the people made.  It seemed to be the response God wanted, but noticed they agreed to obey God based on fear and their own efforts.  They state, “all that the Lord has said we will do.” They attempted to obey God under their grit and determination. Obedience was not from the heart but rather from duty and fear.  After a while their promises faded away and became old.

They were afraid of God and this formed their their response.

Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

Exodus 20:19

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Citing the fear and poor promises of the people, the writer of Hebrews cites the need for a new covenant:

 “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”

Hebrews 8:6

What better promises?  Did God make a promise that was inferior or had a fault? No!  The problem or fault was found with the people who made the covenant with God as shown in the verse that follows:

“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them. He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.“

Hebrews 8: 7-9

The fault was with the people who made a promise they could not keep.

Have you ever made a promise to God while under fear?  “God if you will just get me out of this situation, I will serve you until I die.” But, after you are delivered, you forget your promise and go back to serving only yourself. In this situations, you are doing exactly what the children of Israel did.  They made a promise they could not keep.  Why?  Because they were attempting something without a changed heart.  They did not realize their own weakness. God desired them to obey out of love and through His power.

Continuing in Hebrews 8, we see the better promise, but it still contains God’s law and obedience.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” 

Hebrew 8:10

So the new covenant is one where God provides the promise and the people respond to His love in obedience because they have a new heart (rebirth). But notice that the new covenant still involves the law of God and obedience.  The law is never destroyed or eliminated, it is a new attitude about it where the obedience comes from the new heart.  If it is on the heart, do you think you will obey the letter?  The spirit and the letter of the law go together.  Let me explain:

If a born again Christian says to his wife, I obey the law concerning adultery in the spirit, but not by the letter.  What has he just told his wife?  Would the wife be comfortable about the separation of spirit and letter?  Could the husband sleep with her sister (letter) but keep the “spirit.”  NO!  If He is living in the spirit of the law, he won’t even allow himself to look at a woman with lust!  Especially, he will not tempt himself with pornography!  Men, if you are looking at porn, you need Jesus to both forgive you and to help you overcome it.  It is sin!

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“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.“

Romans 7:6

Paul is explaining how we often get the cart before the horse.  Many try to serve only in the letter.  These are the legalistic.

In a very difficult part of Paul’s writing, he continues to explain that the law is spiritual and we are carnal.  There are the two natures that live and fight within us until Jesus returns.  The purpose of the law is to tell us what God considers as transgression and how sinful we are:

I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”  Romans 7: 7

“…by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Romans 3:20

Here Paul understands that desiring the possessions of another person is sin, but he goes further:

“I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.”

Romans 7: 9

Paul was “foot loose and fancy free” as we say in the South. But, when he became aware of the words of the law, he came under great conviction and he saw his way of life meant death, for he had said earlier in the chapter,

“the wages of sin is death.”

Romans 6:23

The law points out what God calls sin regardless of what the world might think.  When we come to accept the fact that we are sinners, we seek God and find forgiveness and the power to live a life in Christ.  We don’t want to continue in an unsatisfying life of sin and disobedience.  God begins to write His laws in our hearts so that our obedience comes from a new heart powered by God himself.  The law does not go away.  In fact, it becomes a writing inscribed in our way of thinking so that the thief stops stealing, the liar stops lying, etc.  If, in our brand new way of thinking,  we do slip; we have an advocate with the father.

I have heard someone say, I obey the law with my spirit and not by letter.  I am under grace. How does that work?

Paul cautioned again such thinking when he said,

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Romans 6:15

 Being “under grace” does not mean one can disobey God’s law. We are not “under” the law because we are not under the penalty, because Jesus paid the penalty for our transgression of the law.  His death shows the permanence of the law.

The followers of God are shown to be true followers by obedience to it.  To claim we follow Jesus and willfully disobey is to not be a follower, for He said,

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”

Luke 6:46″

It is like saying I am a follower of Robert Atkins, but I don’t obey the diet plan.  I obey it in my spirit, but not the letter.  How much weight do you think that person would lose?

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It is no wonder that Satan himself is upset with the last day people who wish to testify of Jesus Christ through an experience of obedience to His words that include the 10 commandments.  This identifies them as true followers and not religious pretenders.

“And the dragon (Satan) was enraged with the woman (church), and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.“

Revelation 12:17

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Conclusion

God’s 10 Commandment law has never been destroyed.  It is still a sin to have other god’s, to build statues of gods  and fall down before them.  It is still a sin to disrespect God’s name and character.  It is still a sin to forget the Sabbath of the Lord and dishonor his creation and the time He blessed.  It is still a sin to dishonor your parents, to murder, to commit adultery, to steal, to lie, and to covet your neighbors possessions.

All 10 of these commandments line up under the two great commandments.  The first being to

“love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” The second is like it, “to love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22: 37-39

The first 4 commandments hang (summarized) under the first principle and the last six under the second principle.

But notice the order.  If one fails to love God completely, they will not be able love their neighbor with a Christ like love.  They will in effect become legalistic (if connected to religion) and a worthless noisy show-off of a cymbal if God’s love is not the basis for their obedience:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

1 Corinthians 13:1

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No.  Obedience is not for the legalistic although there are many who obey to somehow impress God or attempt to make themselves worthy of blessings and salvation.

Obedience is for those who have been born again, where love for their Creator and a testimony to the true God can be expressed through obeying his word.

To obey God is to have true freedom. Just ask the man in prison who murdered someone or the person whose life is run by lying.

To say that we love Him and not obey Him makes us a liar.

“He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

1 John 2:4

Obedience comes from a new heart supplied by the Redeemer.  It is not religious, but it is real.  Obedience is the walk with the One you love, not the requirement for walk. The walk, like a child, will be shaky at first, but as you hold the Father’s hand, you will get stronger to do his will, but unlike the earthly example, our hand must be in the hand of our Creator constantly, because if it isn’t, we have the possibility of returning to the mud from which we were cleansed (See 2 Peter 2: 18-22)

I close with the inspiring words from Steps to Christ, p. 60, 61

“But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love. The law of God is an expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. If our hearts are renewed in the likeness of God, if the divine love is implanted in the soul, will not the law of God be carried out in the life? When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, “I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” Hebrews 10:16. And if the law is written in the heart, will it not shape the life? Obedience–the service and allegiance of love–is the true sign of discipleship. Thus the scripture says, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” “He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 5:3; 2:4. Instead of releasing man from obedience, it is faith, and faith only, that makes us partakers of the grace of Christ, which enables us to render obedience.”

God's Will For Us

Is Obedience Only for the Legalistic? Part 1

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Recently, I heard a radio preacher say, “The Old Testament was about obedience, but the New Testament is about grace.” I don’t want to read too much into this or interpret his statement incorrectly, but I hear this same idea said in different ways.  In almost all cases the implication is there are two methods of salvation:

1.) Obedience for those before the cross and

2.)  Grace and faith after the cross.

Obedience (Old Covenant)  image002  Grace/Faith (New Covenant)

Only a few days later, I heard another speaker talk about Galatians in such a way that it lead me to believe that talking about obedience was “another gospel.” The preacher stated: “nothing can be added to the work of Jesus. To add anything else is “another gospel.”  Without a doubt, no one can add to what Jesus has done for sinful man. and we cannot do enough good works to merit salvation. including obedience.  Here is the proof:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:9, 10

“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.“

Galatians 5:18

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”

Romans 3:21-23

All three of the verses above were from Paul.  Paul was a highly educated and dedicated Hebrew.  Before his conversion, he considered himself “blameless” concerning the righteousness that comes by the law.  but then he discovered Jesus and his eyes were opened.

Paul, seemed to be concerned where people would take verses like those above.  He abruptly asks a question at the end of Romans 3 and again at the beginning of Romans 6 to clarify:

Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Romans 3:31 

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 

Romans 6:1

The established law has a place in the Jesus Journey of the believer, but what is it?

Despite Romans 3:31 and other “obedience” verses we shall see, people continue to quote verses that would seem to say, we can pretty much ignore the 10 commandment law.  Here are a few:

We are not “….under the law, but under grace.”

Romans 6:14

“The law was done away with.”

Colossians 2:14?

“The law has been nailed to the cross.”

Colossians 2:14?

Obedience is “another gospel.”

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel”

Galatians 1:6

Incorrect application of these passage may make it sound like God does not want us to obey and if I want to obey God, I have reverted back to the Old Testament way of salvation and have become legalistic, perhaps even lost.  By choosing to seek to live in obedience, I have left the gospel of grace and faith. So is obedience only for the legalistic?

I have tried to boil this down to 5 important thought questions:

1.)  Has obedience ever been a method of salvation?  Was Moses, the prophets, the people of Israel saved by the works of the law? Has anyone ever been able to save themselves through obedience?

2.)  What is the relationship between obedience and grace?  Are they mutually exclusive of each other?

3.)  What does Salvation mean and what is the purpose of the law?

4.) Does God expect me to live a life in  disobedience to his commandments?  What happens if I start to try to obey?

5.)  Does Obedience have anything to do with the new covenant?

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Now I am certain, I don’t need to get up get dressed and head to the local temple and sacrifice a lamb for the sins I have committed.  This was definitely part of the instructions God gave Moses to give to  God’s people.  I also know that being circumcised is not a prerequisite to being a part of God’s people. But, how do I relate to God’s law?  What is the danger if I ignore it or if I obey it?

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What is God’s law?

Is it just the 10 commandments?

Is it the old sacrificial system given by God to Moses?

Is it some spiritual thing that I keep in my spirit but am careful to not obey the letter?

Here is what I know from God’s word;

The word “law” appears 529 times in the entire Bible.  If you throw in “statute” and “ordinance” we can add another 219 times.  So that brings us to 748 verses.  

Do they all mean the same thing?  This is where many people get confused. 

The three main categories  for these 748 verses are used primarily in 1 of 3 main ways:

A.)  God’s Ten Commandments written with His own finger.

“And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”

Exodus 31:18

B.) The laws given by God to Moses concerning the sanctuary services, sacrifices, feast days. The ceremonial laws contained in ordnances.  Written by Moses and placed in a pouch in the side of the Ark of the Covenant.

“Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.”

Deuteronomy 31:26

These ordinances and laws were ceremonial and gave identity and teaching to the chosen people before the cross.  After the cross, God made the Jew and Gentile one.

“And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.”

Exodus 18:20

“….having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.”

Ephesians 2:15

C.) The word of God contained in the “books of the law” a.k.a Torah (First Five books of the Bible)

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Joshua 1:8

 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1: 2, 3

So it is always important to understand which law God is referring to before making any decisions as to what God would have you do.

One last question before we start,  Does the freedom given me by the grace of God give me license to disobey?

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In this post, we will start with questions #1 and #2

1.)  Has obedience ever been a method of salvation?  Was Moses, the prophets, the people of Israel saved by the works of the law? Has anyone ever been able to save themselves through obedience?

The answer is NO!  The Jews of old were saved just like those of the New Testament:  By the grace of God through faith and not of any works.  Listen to Paul:

“I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Galatians 2:21

There would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins or the sins of those in the Old Testament time if “righteousness” could come through the law.

Through the ceremonial feast of Passover (Exodus 12), the Jews under those laws were taught that the unblemished innocent male sheep had to die for their sins.  They had to believe this in faith.  Merely following the directions of God through Moses was not the point of their forgiveness but led them to understand about the coming Messiah who was the “true lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29

So by faith, the Jews looked forward to the Cross for their salvation not in obeying the law.  But the law was good in that it came from God himself through Moses and it taught (through an object lesson) the cost of sin, the price that had to be paid, and the transference of their sin onto the unblemished Son of God.

When Jesus came, type met anti-type.  There was no longer a need to have ceremonies and laws that pointed forward to Jesus.  Now they had the life and teachings of Jesus and that teacher (using types) ended.

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.

Galatians 3:24, 25

All those ceremonial laws pointed forward to Jesus and His death on the cross that they might have faith in Him.  Today, we look back at Jesus and the cross that we might have faith.  Both of us are saved by faith, not by the works of the law of ceremonies.

Those laws had fulfilled their purpose of pointing the OT people to Jesus.  When He died on the cross they ended and we were no longer “under” those sets of laws.

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Galatians 3: 23

This faith spoken of by Paul is another word for Jesus.  The faith that is revealed is Jesus.  It is clear from Hebrews 11 (Faith Chapter) that those of the OT lived their lives by faith as we do:

The term “By faith” or “through faith” appears at least 19 times in Hebrews 11!  They are all references to the OT people of faith!

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off…And these all, having obtained a good report through faith.”

Hebrews 11: 13, 39

Please keep in mind, faith is not a thing….a religious thing….It is “trust” in God.  It is made evident by a response.  A person can say they have faith in God, but their works will show it.  Faith is not based on nothing.  It has substance and evidence.  This substance and evidence comes through trusting in God’s word.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 

James 2:18

Paul shows the method of salvation i.e., grace through faith not of works.  James tells us that the works (obedience) produced from a believer is the evidence of their faith.  The two go together.

James goes on to say,

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

James 2: 8-12

James uses the term “law of liberty” twice.  Here is the hint that obeying the law gives liberty.  Just ask the murder in prison or the person who is trapped in a web of lies.  There is a blessing in obedience to God’s 10 commandments.  Wouldn’t you agree?  We are not talking about the method of salvation, but rather the results of salvation.

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:25

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2.)  What is the relationship between obedience and grace?  Are they mutually exclusive of each other?

How can anyone claim to be a follower of the only true God and not obey?

“He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

1 John 2:4

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”

Luke 6:46

“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.”

Luke 6: 47-48

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 

Romans 6:1

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5: 17-19

Heaven and earth remains and so do the 10 commandments.  Anyone who teaches to break the least of the commandments is not doing the will of God.  I don’t want to be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.  Do you?  The best way here is to teach to obey the law of God.

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Conclusion:

The 10 commandments remain as does heaven and earth.  The ceremonial laws taught about Jesus and salvation, but they ended at the cross where type met anti-type.

Obedience does not save you, but a saved person will be obedient.  The thief will stop stealing.  The liar will stop lying.  All of this happens because of the new birth….the new heart God gives the person saved.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people”

Hebrews 8:10

If you are thinking the new covenant spoken of here is for Jews only.  Remember there is neither Jew nor Greek and that if we belong to Christ we are “Abraham’s seed” (Father of Jews) and “heirs according to the promise.”

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.“

Galatians 3:28

 “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Galatians 3:29

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“A woman is driving way over the speed limit. Suddenly, she sees in her rear view mirror the flashing red and blue lights of a police car and hears the familiar wail of the siren. She pulls over, grabs her purse, and takes out her driver’s license. The policeman approaches, takes her license, and returns to his car.

She wonders how much the ticket is going to be (she was way over the limit); she also worries about how she will be able to pay it. A few minutes later the policeman comes back and says, OK, Miss, what we are going to do, so that you don’t have to face the penalty of the law again, is abolish the law. You no longer have to worry about the speed limit.

As ludicrous as that story is, it’s no more so than the theology that teaches that after Jesus died, the law, the Ten Commandments, was abolished.”  Dr. Keith A. Burton,

“Wages of sin is death.”

Romans 6:23

“Sin is the transgression of the law.”

1 John 3:

The definition of sin has never changed.

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“There are two errors against which the children of God–particularly those who have just come to trust in His grace–especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon, is that of looking to their own works, trusting to anything they can do, to bring themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy.

The opposite and no less dangerous error is that belief in Christ releases men from keeping the law of God; that since by faith alone we become partakers of the grace of Christ, our works have nothing to do with our redemption.

But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love.”

Steps To Christ, page 59, 60

Essential Christian Beliefs

Fundamental Christian Belief #9-The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ

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If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

1 Corinthians 15:14

What is the most important fact about Jesus; is it the prophecies about His life?  Perhaps it is His death for our sins upon a cruel wooden cross.

All are important, because without one the others become false. For example, Paul cuts straight to the point and tells us our faith is empty if Christ was not resurrected. He goes a step further a few verses later:

And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

1 Corinthians 15:17

What does this mean…we are still in our sins?

Before there could be a resurrection, there had to be a life and a death. In this study we will look at these three facts about Jesus that are unlike any other person claiming the be The Way, The Truth, and The Life!

If Jesus is true, all others are false, because He is clear there are not multiple ways, multiple truths, nor multiple paths to life.

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Overview Statement and study verses:

In Christ’s life of perfect obedience to God’s will, His suffering, death, and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin, so that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life, and the whole creation may better understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator. This perfect atonement vindicates the righteousness of God’s law and the graciousness of His character; for it both condemns our sin and provides for our forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory, reconciling and transforming. The bodily resurrection of Christ proclaims God’s triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death. It declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in heaven and on earth will bow.

(Gen. 3:15; Ps. 22:1; Isa. 53; John 3:16; 14:30; Rom. 1:4; 3:25; 4:25; 8:3, 4; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4, 20-22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19-21; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 2:15; 1 Peter 2:21, 22; 1 John 2:2; 4:10.)

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Last time we discussed good and evil and the great controversy between Christ and Satan.  This is an ancient battle between Christ and His church and Satan and his followers:

And I will put enmity
Between you (Satan) and the woman (Eve),
And between your seed (Satan and his followers) and her Seed (Jesus and His followers-church);
He (Jesus) shall bruise your head (Satan),
And you shall bruise His (Jesus) heel.”

Genesis 3:15

Here is the first prophecy of the enmity between good and evil (Satan and Christ) and the first coming of the Messiah to save the people from the wages of sin.  It reveals the plan of salvation and gives Eve hope that her off spring would produce the Savior.

 As humans on this planet, we have a problem.  It is deadly…literally.  This problem is called sin. Because all of our ancestors have sinned since the beginning of time, we are also sinners just as we are all human. God told Adam and Eve that their disobedience to His word would lead to death.  Indeed, it did. We get paid for our inheritance and work of sin.  Those wages are death.

For the wages of sin is death…

Romans 6:23

How many of us have sinned according to scripture?

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 3:23

Where did sin begin?

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners

Romans 5:19

What is sin?

for sin is the transgression of the law.

Have you broken any of the 10 commandments?  If you say no, you have broken the 9th one regarding false witness (lying)

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:10

There is no escaping the fact that we are all sinners and we are all destined to eternal death. But, this is where the good and graceful character of God the Father comes in.  Also, it is where His character is demonstrated through Jesus! It is most beautifully expressed through the most famous of all Bible verses: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Read closely and you will see that God makes a way of escape from perishing (eternal death). This “perishing” is a result of our ancestors and ourselves breaking his law of liberty. God’s law was designed to make man happy and free.  In fact James refers to God’s law in these exact terms.

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:25

God’s law is not meant to keep you from enjoying life, but exactly the opposite.  It is designed to give liberty and blessings.  Happy are the ones who know this!

Let’s go back to some of the verses just quoted and the pivot point.  They point out the problem and the solution all in the same verse!

Let’s start with Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, BUT (pivot point) the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wages is something you get paid for doing work, but God says, he is offering eternal life as a gift.  But this gift is found through Jesus!

Another verse quoted earlier:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  (pivot) being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Romans 3:23 and 24

Again, it is in Christ alone where we can find justification meaning we can be accounted sinless through Jesus!

Another verse:

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, (pivot) so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19

While Adam’s sin put us all under the curse of sin and transmitted the plague of sin, the obedience of Jesus will make us righteous! How does that happen?

Let’s summarize where we are so far.

1.) God’s love and grace for us provided a solution to the death penalty that He Himself pronounced upon the human race because of sin and disobedience!

2.) That solution is found in His gift of Jesus to us.

3.) Jesus lived a perfect life of obedience.

All of this shows that God’s law cannot be changed to deal with the sin problem.  Otherwise, God could have said, “Well, I see you can’t keep the law, so I will make it easier for you.”  He couldn’t say, “I will just do away with the law.”

My wife recently got a speeding ticket. If we dealt with breaking the law as some teachers say about God’s law.  The cop would have said, “Look, I understand you can’t keep the law, so we are going to put the limit higher, say 120 mph.  Does that work for you?

Or the cop could have said, “Since you can’t keep the law, I am just going to have the law thrown out.”

Or how about this one?

“I know you were speeding and broke the law, but if you keep it in your heart, I won’t give you a ticket.”

NO! These reasons to break the law of man is just as ridiculous when applied to God’s immutable 10 commandments.  Just because the cop let us off because of his mercy does not free us up to disobey it!

Jesus obeyed the law perfectly. So many are tempted to say, “Since Jesus kept the law, I am free to break it because the law can’t be kept.”

But listen to the emphatic words of Romans 3:28, 31

we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. (v. 28)

Our justification (Jesus, makes it like we never sinned) is by faith in Him alone, but (pivot) don’t forget the rest of the verse:

Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. (Verse 31)

The law is never thrown out by faith, it is established.  As the prophecy about Jesus states.  The life of Jesus made the law honorable

The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.

Isaiah 42:21

So point number 1: It is the life of Jesus and trust/faith in Him that we can be accounted righteous/justified in the sight of God.  It is His robe of righteousness that covers our sinfulness

He kept God’s law and did not sin unlike Adam.  So as Romans 5:19 states.  This one man, Jesus, many (not all) are made righteous!

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,  so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19

We are commanded to obey, but it is not our obedience that will save us from the “perishing.” But, if we are truly saved, we have a new heart that desires to obey the will of God. The thief will stop stealing, the liar will stop lying, the adulterer will stop messing around on their spouses.

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

James 1: 22-23

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Now let’s understand the importance of the death of Jesus

As mentioned earlier, the wages of sin and disobedience is death.  Death has passed upon all of us. We see it every day.  If you took an hour to read and study this material, approximately 6,000 people will die on planet earth.  That is 55.3 million people per year!  Even if you are a Christian, you will die…unless Jesus returns before that event.

The death that Jesus saves us from is “eternal death.” Death where there is no hope of a resurrection. Contrary, to the world’s teaching our soul is not immortal. Only God has immortality and the soul can die.  This we can discuss at another time, but here are a couple of verses to support this Biblical fact:

the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality,

1 Timothy 6: 15-16

God alone has immortality, not the soul. Immortality is given to us at the resurrection as we will see shortly.

The soul who sins shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:28

Notice, that only God himself can (and does) destroy the soul of those who do not fear (respect) Him and it is done in hell.  Hell is not a place of eternal living for the soul, but rather its destruction.  Those who would attempt to call hell as a place of unending punishing do not understand that the soul and body is destroyed-hence eternal death and not eternal living demonstrates the soul is not immortal.

People confuse eternal punishment and eternal punishing.  The Bible teaches a punishment that is eternal in that it is eternal in its effect, but not in its duration. To believe in eternal punishing would require a soul and body that could not be destroyed.

So, yes the soul is not immortal.

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Jesus paid the penalty of “eternal death” when he died on the cross.  He took our sins and paid the penalty for us!  This is known as the substitutionary atonement for us.

Without His death, we would have no hope to live again.  If not for Jesus we would have to pay the wages by never living again. It is said, that Jesus didn’t just die, but he died the death of a sinner without hope because he became sin for us:

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 Corinthian 5:21

This author brings to light the terrible death of Jesus.  It was not all physical!  Jesus was aware that he might be dying a death of no hope! A death reserved only for the lost and Satan himself.

“Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal. Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” Desire of Ages, P.  753 E.G. White

There are hundreds of Bible prophecies about the life and death of Jesus.  His purpose for coming to this earth was to:

1.) Reveal the real character of God the Father;

2.)Live a life demonstrated as obedience to the will of God;

3.) Give wisdom about the kingdom of God;

4.) Pay for the sins of man

5.) Seal the truthfulness of all this by the most powerful event ever demonstrated on earth: His bodily resurrection from the dead!

6.) Become our Mediator and High Priest until he returns

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When Paul tells us; “if Jesus is not resurrected, we are still in our sins,” it is in the context of the truthfulness of the life and death of Jesus!

If the resurrection is not true, then all other things about him is not true for He said he would be crucified and then rise the third day.

By Jesus being raised from the dead, it gives us the hope of the same. I have never read in the Bible where our hope is in dying and immediately going to heaven.  This claim is not only not supported clearly by the Bible, it is also cruel.  If my Mom is looking down on me and my struggles with life, is that heaven for her?

During the time of Paul, many people were expecting Jesus to come any day.  But, in the meantime, many of the saints were dying.  Listen to the comfort Paul gave them.  Did he try to tell them to be comforted by the fact that they are in heaven?  Read closely where he directed their worried minds:

 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring (resurrect) with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

(Where are they? they are asleep in Jesus!) Paul then paints a picture of what happens when Jesus returns and where they are to find comfort.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will 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 thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

Do you see how we all go to be with Jesus at the same time!  No one goes ahead!  What a reunion day that will be! If we try to find comfort regarding our loved ones in any other way, it is not biblical!

It is the power of Jesus’ resurrection that gives us hope.  Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!

Paul told the Corinthians, who did not believe in the resurrection that we are of men “most miserable” if there is no hope of a resurrection.

But tell me this! Since you believe what we preach, that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that dead people will never come back to life again? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ must still be dead. And if he is still dead, then all our preaching is useless and your trust in God is empty, worthless, hopeless;  and we apostles are all liars because we have said that God raised Christ from the grave, and of course that isn’t true if the dead do not come back to life again. If they don’t, then Christ is still dead, and you are very foolish to keep on trusting God to save you, and you are still under condemnation for your sins; in that case, all Christians who have died are lost!  And if being a Christian is of value to us only now in this life, we are the most miserable of creatures.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (TLB)

Paul makes it clear that if Jesus was not raised, then the dead will not be raised. They are all lost!  And if this is the case, we are foolish to keep believing in Jesus.  The last verse is right to the point.  If all we have is this life as a Christian, we are most miserable of all creatures!

And another point, immortality is put on at the second coming and at no other time!

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15: 51-53

Is it not clear that our hope of immortality is given to us at the second coming of Jesus?

Rejoice! Jesus indeed arose and many saw Him as Paul explains:

I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said he would,  and that he was buried, and that three days afterwards he arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold. He was seen by Peter and later by the rest of “the Twelve.”[ After that he was seen by more than five hundred Christian brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by now. Then James saw him, and later all the apostles.  Last of all I saw him too, long after the others, as though I had been born almost too late for this. For I am the least worthy of all the apostles, and I shouldn’t even be called an apostle at all after the way I treated the church of God.

1 Corinthians 15: 3-9

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is historical fact, supported by ancient prophets and his followers who were willing to face torture and death for the truth in Christ.  These facts turned timid men who ran when Jesus was arrested to mighty men of faith.

Many church-going Christians today do not have that faith.  Why?  It is because religion has become something you do once a week in a building.  But, faith can come to the weakest every day.  First we are to ask for it.

you do not have because you do not ask. 

James 4: 2

Second, faith only comes through God’s word that leads you to a personal relationship with Jesus.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

Do you want more faith in Jesus?  Put more of His word in your heart and live by it!

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

James 4: 4

And when the bad times come, and they surely will, you can put your trust in Him because you have His words hidden in your heart. You know Him! Then you will see the way to get your Answers From Scripture.

Blessings my friends as you search God’s word and as you put your entire life into the hands of the One who lived, died, was resurrected, and will return again for you to give you the gift of an unending life of happiness and joy free from the troubles of this earth!

Essential Christian Beliefs

28 Fundamental Christian Beliefs-#8-Good and Evil

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The Great Controversy

Overview:

All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God’s adversary, and led into rebellion a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at the time of the global flood, as presented in the historical account of Genesis 1-11. Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation.

(Gen. 3; 6-8; Job 1:6-12; Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-18; Rom. 1:19-32; 3:4; 5:12-21; 8:19-22; 1 Cor. 4:9; Heb. 1:14; 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Peter 3:6; Rev. 12:4-9.)

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The Beginning of Good and Evil-The Great Controversy

The controversy between God and Satan is recorded at the very beginning  of God’s word, but it started before the creation of Adam and Eve and their encounter with Satan in the garden of Eden. Even further back in time, the battle between good and evil arose in an unlikely place… under unusual circumstances.

An important principle in knowing the difference between good and evil…right and wrong is this:  It is defined by God alone and  revealed in His word.  It is impressed upon the heart of every person through the Holy Spirit.  Mankind has no authority to define or modify what God has already defined.  God is the creator of good and Satan is the creator of evil.

 “When he (the Spirit) comes, he’ll expose the error of the godless world’s view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He’ll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.

John 16:8-11 (MSG)

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To understand the beginning of good and evil and the great controversy between Christ and Satan, we must go back to a time before the creation on man. In fact, we must go back heaven itself!  Using the King of Tyre as symbol for Lucifer (The name for Satan before he fell), God reveals to us the story of Lucifer and the beginning of sin.

“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;…You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.”

Ezekiel 28: 12,13

The picture of a man in a red suit, goatee, pitch fork standing in flames is an inaccurate picture of this being formerly referred to as Lucifer.  Lucifer means, “light bearer” or “morning star.” Lucifer was wise and beautiful. But something happened to Lucifer and iniquity began to grow in his heart.

For you have said in your heart:
“I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.”

Isaiah 14: 13, 14

Someone has said that Lucifer had an “I” problem. Notice the number of times he uses with the word “I.”  Lucifer began to think too highly of himself. He became prideful and thought he could “be like the Most High” God!

These sinful traits of character shows its ugly face in our world today.  Pride, discontent, and narcissism are ancient signs of rebellion against God.  Ultimately, it leads to shame and destruction, which is the very destination of Satan and the angels who follow him.

Lucifer was perfect in his ways, but iniquity rose up in his heart due to his “I” problem (pride)

“You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.

Ezekiel 28: 14-15

But this pride, discontent, and rebellion  (as with all his followers) will lead to a fall and ultimately to eternal destruction:

Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Satan and his angels were removed from the holy atmosphere of God’s presence and the faithful angels.  Thus began a war unlike any seen on this earth:

 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.  So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12: 7-9

Contrary to popular opinion, the earth is Satan’s headquarters, not some eternally burning place under the earth aka hell.

And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

Job 2:2

Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.

Revelation 12:12

William Shakespeare was right when he said,

“Hell is empty.  All the devils are here.”

Satan’s time on earth begins to end when Jesus returns and leaves it empty.  The wicked dead and the wicked alive are destroyed, and the righteous dead and alive are taken to where Jesus is now-heaven. This earth will be the place of bondage for him for 1,000 years as he awaits his judgment with no one to tempt or carry out his wicked deeds.  The clock for the 1,000 years starts  after the return of Christ and the resurrection.

And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

Jude 1:6

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.

Revelation 20: 1-3

For more information on the 1,000 years see:

Part 4-Second Coming Predictions-1,000 Years?

 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!…

 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

Isaiah 14: 12, 15-16

“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.

Malachi 4:1

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Satan Kicked Out of Heaven

Because of Lucifer’s rebellion against God and His pride, the destruction process began with Him and his angels being removed from their station in heaven .

When Satan was barred from heaven and sent to this earth, he took one third of the angels.  After the fall of Adam and Eve, he began his great destructive work on planet earth.  When Jesus was born, he was right there working through Herod to kill the little infant Jesus as told in this passage.

His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

Revelation 12:4

The following summarizes the fall of Lucifer as discussed so far.

“Little by little Lucifer came to indulge the desire for self-exaltation. The Scripture says, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” Ezekiel 28:17. “Thou hast said in thine heart, . . . I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. . . . I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13, 14. Though all his glory was from God, this mighty angel came to regard it as pertaining to himself. Not content with his position, though honored above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet homage due alone to the Creator. Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself. And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone.”

“Now the perfect harmony of heaven was broken. Lucifer’s disposition to serve himself instead of his Creator aroused a feeling of apprehension when observed by those who considered that the glory of God should be supreme. In heavenly council the angels pleaded with Lucifer. The Son of God presented before him the greatness, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator, and the sacred, unchanging nature of His law. God Himself had established the order of heaven; and in departing from it, Lucifer would dishonor his Maker and bring ruin upon himself. But the warning, given in infinite love and mercy, only aroused a spirit of resistance. Lucifer allowed his jealousy of Christ to prevail, and became the more determined.”

Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 36, 37

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The work of Satan:

 

The Bible Says Satan:
Deceives / persecutes (Revelation 12:9, 13) Quotes/misquotes Bible (Matthew 4:5, 6)
Falsely accuses / murders (Revelation 12:10 John 8:44) Traps / ensnares (2 Timothy 2:26 1 Peter 5:8)
Makes war against God’s people (Revelation 12:17) Binds / prompts betrayal (Luke 13:16 John 13:2, 21)
Imprisons (Revelation 2:10) Possesses / hinders (Luke 22:3-5 1 Thessalonians 2:18)
Works miracles / lies (Revelation 16:13, 14 John 8:44) Appears as angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Brings disease / afflicts (Job 2:7) His demons impersonate pastors (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Slanders (“Devil” means “slanderer”) Calls fire from heaven (Revelation 13:13)
How Satan was able to introduce his rebellion to planet earth:

The first recorded incident of controversy about good and evil between God and Satan is recorded just after the creation story:

And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

Genesis 3:1

All was good for Adam and Eve until this question. Satan brought doubt to Eve by simply asking a question about her own understanding of what God had said.  “Eve, maybe you didn’t understand God correctly.  I know God better than you and I know what He meant so I am going to interpret for you. Your understanding is too literal and too simple.”  

“You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:4-5

As is Satan’s method, he mixes part lie and part truth:

The lie:  “You will not surely die.”  He implied,  Your disobedience to God’s instructions will not result in death.  We know this is a lie for God said through Paul.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Romans 5:12

The truth:  “You will become like God….You will know good from evil.” We know this is truth for God said,

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil…”

Genesis 3:22

Does this exchange between the Eve and Satan sound familiar? In our modern quick-food society, we group ourselves around “interpreters” of God’s simple word, but God tells us through Peter:

…no prophecy (teaching) of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

2 Peter 1:20

The only interpreter of God’s word is found in the next verse:

for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:21

It is the Holy Spirit (the 3rd member of the Trinity) who provides the interpretation of God’s voice through the inspiration of holy men who speak the truth.  Without the work of the Holy Spirit in this interpretation, we fall on dangerous ground of misunderstanding not only God’s word, but God Himself!  Each one of us as individuals are called to be like a little group of people called Bearans:

“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 17:11

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Why didn’t God just destroy Satan?

Yesterday, I heard a presentation from my pastor that addresses the question, “Why didn’t God just destroy Satan and save us a lot of problems?”

If Satan had been consumed up in smoke when “iniquity was found in him,” shortly afterwards the other angels would have deducted they would be likewise consumed if they were not careful.  Sin would have remained even though Satan was gone. Remember, sin was not understood and it is likely the angels would have served Him out of fear and misunderstanding of his real character i.e. love.

Another person asked, “Well, why didn’t God just zap their memory of the eradication of Satan? No one would know or remember.”

The pastor thought for a minute and said, “Yes, no one would know, except for One.  God would know.  It would be against his nature of good and purity to do such a thing, even secretly”

The pastor continued by using an example and a question.  “Let’s say there is a van full of women and children that is hit head-on by a drunken truck driver.  Why didn’t God prevent it?” This would be the first question of almost anyone.  Shouldn’t God have forced his way upon the choice of the drunken driver and the event?

He went on to say, “God does not interfere in man’s affair unless he is given permission!  This thought I had to ponder. Then I realized, I have to give God permission to save me.  I have to give him permission to intervene in my life. How do I do this? The answer if found in talking to Him (also know as prayer.)

The Lord Jesus did this when He taught us to pray,

“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:10

Sin is here because our ancestors have not asked God to intervene. When they have, He shows up and protects His people. But, overall, we have not given him permission to do so. In fact, we have told him to go away…we are just fine without Him.  But are we?  Satan has shown us that his way leads to unhappiness, death, and destruction.

Like an earthly father, God wanted to protect his children from evil.  His plan was to give them nothing but life, love and joy. God is love. He wanted his creation to know only love.  But, evil entered into the garden and they were deceived. It is easy to second guess God allowing this to happen.  But, He  honored the greatest and most powerful gift to mankind: the power of choice.  Love cannot be forced.  Faith cannot be legislated.

But love can draw people to the Lord.  If not resisted, each person can find peace from sin and its penalty. God’s love and character was made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross for every man and woman’s sin. He paid the penalty for sin…eternal death.

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

John 12:32

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3

The journey through good and evil will make forever strong the love and faith of those who choose God over the accusations and lies of Satan.  It is because of this knowledge of good and evil that sin will never rise up a second time:

Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time.

Nahum 1:9

God will not allow sin to be in some small corner of the universe.  Sin and sinner alike will be consumed to ashes for eternity.

Satan is consumed by fire and turned to ashes. Then the controversy is ended.

“You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.

Ezekiel 28:18

The same will be the fate for those who did not give God permission to save them:

You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 4:3

…and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

2 Peter 2:6

“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”

Great Controversy, page 678

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Inspiration

Joe and the CEO

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” Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14

When I hear or read Psalm 19: 14, I think of Joe McClaron. Joe was a retired worker for the railroad who probably had the lowest paying job in the bank (internal mail courier).  In the 70’s I was working for a small community Bank in Nashville, TN.  But, this story is about Joe.  He  was a short slightly built black man identified by the nearly all white bank as perhaps the most humble person on the face of the earth. His countenance bore a perpetual smile that forced you to at least grin regardless of the type of day you were having. Joe seemed to never experience a bad day. He was quick to tell you about the love of His God….if you asked why he was always smiling….He never pushed God on anyone, but God was right there in those bright eyes penetrating your thoughts and intents. I was a brand new Christian at the time and enjoyed many “God” conversations with Joe.  We both loved to talk about the Bible and our Lord.

Another remarkable thing about Joe was that the highest ranking person in the bank, James Webb (Chief Executive Officer/President) and Joe became great friends!  You could sense that both respected each other for their appointed portion of life. The humblest lowest paid black man and the highest paid and highly respected white man in the community were buddies and they didn’t mind showing their great love and care for each other. It was a joy to watch God’s influence on this unlikely relationship.  Many times, I would see James with his arm around Joe, both having a good laugh as they walked through the marbled lobby.

Sadly, Joe became sick and was diagnosed with stomach cancer.  He died a quick death. Almost everyone at the bank attended Joe’s funeral at his small church on the south side of Nashville.  His influence transcended race and color. For a moment that day, there were only people (no color) who came to pay their respect for Joe and the God he served everyday….with a smile….

The next day, the board room at the bank was dedicated to Joe and it became the Joe McClaron Board Room. Surprisingly, I was asked to have the dedication prayer for the room. In my prayer, I asked the Lord to instill the spirit of Joe McClaron’s life and beliefs in this room and that each one of us would learn to start our day with the same prayer Joe prayed every day,

” Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14

Often, now before I get out of bed, I start my day with these words. Today, Lord, may the words of my mouth….. Joe’s influence still reaches out to me some 40 years later.

A few years ago, James Webb died…a man full of years and still highly respected. His funeral was at the city’s largest Presbyterian church in Nashville. It had been years since I left Nashville City Bank (long since sold to another bank), but Joe’s influence remained among it’s ex-employees. We all reminisced about the wonderful relationship between Joe and James. Praise God for those who reflect the love of God in their daily lives such as Joe and James.

Thank you Lord for giving me such a wonderful memory of Joe who knew you in such a way that the joy he experienced with You influenced everyone he met. Help me to remember that the experience with you is a joyful one and that your burden is light. Let it be reflected in my eyes and my face so that people will want to know about the joy in my heart.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30….

Essential Christian Beliefs

28 Fundamental Christian Beliefs #7-The Nature of Man and Sin

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Man and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, the power and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life and breath and all else. When our first parents mistrusted and disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon Him and fell from their high position under God. The image of God in them was marred and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences. They are born with weaknesses and tendencies to evil. But God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself and by His Spirit restores in penitent mortals the image of their Maker. Created for the glory of God, they are called to love Him and one another, and to care for their environment.

(Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7; Ps. 8:4-8; Acts 17:24-28; Gen. 3; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12-17; 2 Cor. 5:19, 20; Ps. 51:10; 1 John 4:7, 8, 11, 20; Gen. 2:15.)

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“The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the total eradication of sin, is also a demonstration of God’s unchanging love.”

Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 33

The Beginning of Sin and Death

The story of mankind begins good….very good, but takes a sudden turn when lies, mistrust, and disobedience enters the garden of Eden and the heart of its two occupants.  We don’t know how long Adam and Eve enjoyed this perfect earth before the attack of Satan, but one day things changed for the bad…very bad.

At the encouragement of a fallen angel, our first parents chose to mistrust God and believe the lies from an angry enemy.  This choice led to disobedience (sin) and ultimately death for them and the entire planet.  It was a seemingly small act, but it had eternal consequences.  Like a small spark in a dry forest, the deception of Satan whipped up the growing winds of disobedience and produced a consuming flame destined to destroy this planet and its people.

The only survivors, when this is all over, will be those who have yielded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repented, and allowed the Son of God to come into their life and to give them eternal life. God’s story is one of paradise lost (Genesis) and paradise restored (Revelation). In between these two events is the story of redemption through the love and sacrifice of our Creator.  Although His image in us has been marred terribly, He, alone, has the power to restore it even among a rebellious planet of sin. He is able to save to the uttermost.

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Sin had started before Adam and Eve.  Satan had been removed from the presence of God to this earth because of his sin of pride and desire to be like God:

For you have said in your heart:
“I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.”

Isaiah 14: 13-14

Because pride and holiness cannot exist together and the infection of rebellion endangered the other angels, Satan was cast to this earth.

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:9

It is here on earth where the enemy continues with deceptions and accusations against God as untrustworthy and unmerciful.  He led the first man and woman, made in the image of God, to believe the lie that we are immortal (like God) and we can be like God.  He insinuated that God was holding back something that would be to their benefit. When Satan and Eve began their conversation, she repeated the words God had told Adam and her:

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Genesis 3:2-3 

But, true to his nature as the “father of lies” (John 8:44), Satan refuted God’s statement and spoke the first recorded lie:

 “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:4-5

From this pivotal moment in the young earth’s history to this very moment, the “whole world” believes the lie that the human race, or at the least our soul, is immortal.

An ancient religion advocates the idea of reincarnation and the idea that no one dies.  According to this belief, after dying , the human spirit comes back as an animal or some other person.  This is a lie.  For God said,

“…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 2:17

For the wages of sin is death…

Romans 6:23

…just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Romans 5:12

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Death is Death, Not Life

Another lie taught by modern and popular Christian preachers is the idea of an “immortal soul.”  It is a catch phrase used by many popular preachers, “Your soul will not die and you will live in one of two places after death–heaven or hell.”  This implies that “you will not surely die” but live forever.  A careful Bible student can search the scriptures and not find the phrase “immortal soul.” Scripture states clearly that the soul is mortal (subject to death) and only God has immortality (not subject to death).

“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

Ezekiel 18:4

He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality

1 Timothy 6:15-16

Death is just want it says it is.  Some will say that the soul or spirit goes to either hell or heaven, but this is not supported by scripture and is a work-around for the idea of complete death.

Let’s examine the Bible definition of the soul and the Bible definition of death.

In the beginning, Adam became a living soul when he was created.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:7

If you read this carefully, you can see a formula for the soul:

Dust + God’s breath = living soul

Death is the opposite:

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 12: 7

Here is the verse many will cite as the Spirit going back to God.  But, a careful study, even of the Greek, will show that this is not a conscious soul, but the breath God gives to bring life.

David the psalmist agrees when he wrote:

You hide Your face, they are troubled;
You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

Psalm 104:29

The writer of Job concurs about the sustaining power of God through His very breath. The breath or spirit belongs to God.

If He should set His heart on it,  If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.

Job 34: 14-15

So the formula for death is:

Dust – God’s breath (Spirit) = Death (no longer a soul-returns to dust)

When we die the spark of life or the breath of God leaves us and we return to dust:

In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 3:19

All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

Ecclesiastes 3:20

So what is the state of man during this time?

For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 9:5

When we visit the remains of our loved ones, they do not know we are there.  They are dead.

His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.

Job 14:21

So man is dead not alive when he dies.  It is complete death.  How can he be anything else? But, there is good news!  It is found in the fact that Jesus was resurrected and will give life in the last day to those who chose to believe Him! The Bible is clear that death is like a quick sleep.

If you would like more information on Biblical proof that death is like a sleep until the Lord returns, please see:

Life and Death Confusion (Part 1).

Life and Death Confusion (Part 2).

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Sin and Death-The Bad Seed Grows in our Garden

So, in the beginning it was good, but it turned bad.  The bad seed infected the entire human race. This seed has sprouted in many different ways in many different times.  War, anger, violence, hatred, deception, lies, infidelity, sexual sins…all had their beginning with Satan and it passed to Adam and Eve and then to our forefathers.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners…

Romans 5:29

How it must have broken the heart of the first parents to discover their first born son, Cain had murdered Abel!  The first murder was due to jealousy producing anger and mistrusting the appeal from God.  Listen to God attempting to save Cain from his own anger.

Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Genesis 4: 4-8

Cain had the choice to listen to God, resist his urges (rule over it), but chose to listen to his own feelings and the voice of Satan. Cain’s actions are no different than any other person today who becomes angry and ignores the voice of God to “do well” and “rule over it” (sinful urge).

When we were conceived, this seed of sin is passed on to me and you!

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Psalm 51:5

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

Romans 3:23

As it is written:

“There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”

 Romans 3: 10-12

 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 Romans 7: 24

 There is not one of us, left alone without God, who is righteous, understanding, or a seeker after God.  We are useless without God. can we be “delivered from this body of death.” Only through Jesus We can’t even do good without Him.

Can an Ethiopian change his skin
    or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
    who are accustomed to doing evil.

Jeremiah 13:23

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Satan’s Plan Foiled

So we are all on death row with a limited time to live.  But, wait!  God is gracious towards us and makes a way of escape! He sent His Son to live among us (God with us), to give us an example of a life dependent completely on the strength of God the Father.  Jesus would also die for our sins and pay the penalty of sin for us! At a point predicted in ancient prophecy, Jesus

“…was cut off, but not for himself” (Daniel 9:26).

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

Galatians 1:4

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:8

When Jesus died, he carried the entire weight of sin upon himself and died a death of no hope for us!  What great love!

“Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb.”

Desire of Ages, p. 753

He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins and died the death we deserved that we might have life than only He deserved.  He was resurrected from death and this resurrection gives us the hope.  Our hope is in His return! He promised to return to take us where He is now:

 I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also

John 14: 2-3

 His reward of eternal life is when He returns and no other time:

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me…”

Revelation 22:12

 The resurrection is so important that Paul said, if there is no resurrection of the dead, our faith is useless:

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 

1 Corinthians 15: 13-14

 Believing in the resurrection takes faith.  If we don’t believe it, we cannot claim salvation from death.

….if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

On that great day when Jesus will return, He will raise to life those who died in Christ and those of us alive will rise to meet Him and them in the sky!

 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will 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 thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Before that great reunion morning, the salvation of God is saving us from the habits of sin and writing on our hearts His law through Jesus.  He is saving us to the uttermost!  Saved from the penalty (justification), the power (sanctification), and the presence of sin when He comes (Glorification)

He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25

 That is right!  We have the power to overcome our sins through the work of mediation Jesus is performing right now in the heavenly sanctuary.

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us

 Hebrews 9:24

Jesus knows that our condition is so bad, that we need to start over through a new birth:

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’

John 3: 5-7

 The sin seed in us produced carnality and sin and has continued from birth to birth throughout all generatios.  But, when Jesus, through the Spirit, comes into our life, we have a new seed planted. This seed produces the opposite of the desire of the flesh.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

 Romans 8:5

Here are God’s steps in the plan of salvation:

Because of sin our nature is corrupt and we are lost in at least three ways:

  1. We (God’s creation) once had life, but now all of us are subject to death. The tree of life was taken away from us.  This very well could be a literal tree that perpetuates life. More on that another time.
  2. We once were in a right relationship with God, but now we are all sinners and our nature is to rebel against Him, disbelieve His words, and disobey His commands (also known as His will for us).
  3. We once walked in the garden with God, but now we are separated from Him physically.

But, the good…no…very good news is that God saves us every way possible!  He restores all of the above because He is good and gracious towards his fallen creation!  He had a plan before the foundation of the world…before he created us and before sin entered in.  This plan would ensure rebellion would never rise again.  This plan is revealed to us in scripture:

He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

1 Peter 1: 20-21

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:

1 Corinthians 15: 3-4

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From Scripture we can understand how the plan of salvation works.

God’s Step 1-God’s grace and love is the basis for the plan.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2:8

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…

John 3:16

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 God’s Step 2-Jesus paid the penalty of sin (death) by dying in our place at the time predicted by the ancient prophets

 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Galatians 4:6

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

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God’s Step 3-By faith produced through the word of God and the Spirit of God, we accept this grace and receive salvation

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

 Ephesian 2:8

God’s grace and the faith He provides for us as a gift does not mean we can disobey God’s law (His will). This is where sin all started! Faith actually does the opposite, it establishes the law in our heart as part of the new covenant.

Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Romans 3:31

 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

 Hebrews 8:10

 Don’t forget, as a follower of Christ, you are of Abraham’s seed, and a spiritual Jew:

And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

 Galatians 3:29

 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;  but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart,

 Romans 2:28-29

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Step 4-Jesus provided us an example as a way of life. We are to live (walk) this way by the same way we received Him (faith)

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

Colossians 2:26

To fail to walk by faith is sin.

for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Romans 14:3

Even though we may have received the gift of salvation, we are instructed to “put on the whole armor of God.”  This armor covers the Christian from head to toe:

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:11

Why are we commanded to put on the armour if there was not a possibility that Satan could attack us again as in the beginning and deceive us from the security of the Garden of God’s happiness.  We must be on guard and find security in the presence of God.  Like Eve, we can wander from the security of God’s presence.  Eve would have never have been overcome by the enemy’s temptation if she was at the side of the One who walked with them in the cool of the morning.

While it is true that no man shall pluck us from his hand, we must be in his hand and not walking apart from him.  Also, this verse does not say anything about the freedom of choice to leave.  So,  we must be on our guard because as Jesus told a converted Peter:

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Luke 22:31

Satan wanted to make Peter fall and he did….even to the point of cursing God to prove he was not a disciple!

Years later, Peter told the believers to be on guard.  He knew that Satan wanted them too…even to the point of devouring them!

Be sober, be vigilant; because[ your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith

1 Peter 5:8 

Like a hungry lion, the enemy looks for the weak sheep.  Don’t be a weak sheep, stay close to him and grow in the word and fellowship with strong believers.

Step 5: Finally, Jesus will save us from the presence of sin and change us from mortal to immortal when He returns

There is nothing more exciting in the word of God, than when mysteries are revealed.  We don’t have to be in doubt about God’s ultimate plan to change us from mortal (subject to death) to immortal (not subject to death).  Paul’s word are very clear.  All this happens at the last trumpet when Jesus returns:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15: 51-5

Here is the clearest passage in the Bible about what happens when Jesus returns:

 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope…

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will 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 thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

Conclusion

Let these words sink in and contemplate them closely.  It is truth.  This all started with the lie of Satan that we would not die.  He deceived us and continues to do the same to many today.  We all have an appointment with death.  But, immortality awaits those who sleep in Christ. We will rejoice and worship with others, who have taken faith in Jesus, on a new earth (paradise restored) when Jesus returns.

Let it be Lord! Let it be soon!

Our hope is in His return and the resurrection.

“For as the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord,
“So shall your descendants and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.

Isaiah 66: 22-23

The tree of life was lost in the Garden (It perpetuated eternal life) because of doubt, mistrust, and disobedience to the plain instructions of God.  It is returned when Jesus returns and he sets up His eternal kingdom. He gives it to those who have been redeemed by His blood of forgiveness and those who now trust and obey the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Revelation 22:4

I know that my redeemer lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I will see God;
 I myself will see him
    with my own eyes—I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns within me!

Job 19: 2-27

"He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. Colossians 1:28