Trust Jesus - Not Your Faith

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven..this is the will of My Father, that everyone who is beholding the Son and believing IN HIM may have life eonian, and I shall be raising him in the last day." (Matthew 7:21; John 6:40)

"MANY will say to me in that day Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me..."  (Matthew 7:22-23)

The "many" who are told "depart from me" will have "prophesied", "cast out demons", and "done wonders" in the Lord's name.  Obviously he is not talking about atheists or agnostics, or Muslims so who are among the "MANY" Jesus will not know if we happen to be living "in the last day" today? 

1. All Jews who deny that Jesus is their Messiah.That is most Jews today.

2. "MANY" Christians calling Jesus Lord and doing "many wonders" in his name.

When the Lord returns, "many" Christians will apparently miss reigning with Christ even though they claim to be believers in the "name" of Jesus. I am not talking about going to hell, but missing out on "reigning" with Christ during the Kingdom Age.

"Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing his signs which he was doing. But Jesus, on his part, WAS NOT ENTRUSTING HIMSELF TO THEM, for he knew all men..." (John 2:23-25)

From my study over the past 40 years, I have become a little concerned about the result of some of the traditional teachings of the Church. They lead "many" to believe "in his name", but in reality they are not trusting Jesus to save them, but are trusting in the Church or THEIR FAITH in Jesus to save them - big difference. The Church is not our Savior, and our faith is not our savior - Jesus is "the Savior of the world". It is not that Jesus is not going to save you because you are trusting in your faith, he will save you because he is the Savior, but if you think your faith saved you then God does not get all the glory...you have unintentionally reserved some for yourself.

"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world" (1 John 4:14)

I post my thoughts on Facebook just in case anyone cares to examine the teachings of men before the Lord shows up. I think trusting Jesus alone will get you into the group reigning with Jesus in the Kingdom Age, trusting in the Church or your faith in Jesus may leave you among the MANY who will be reigned over along with unbelievers...although being reigned over by Jesus in not a terrible place to be, but it is not the best place to be during the Kingdom Age either.

Finally, I could be wrong.....MANY of you think so.  :)  😇

I Am Certain

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

Just WHEN does God begin a “good work within you”?

I suspect that most Christians would assume it is when they get saved. But they would be wrong. God’s work in us begins when He decides to allow us to be conceived in the womb of our mother and be born a living human being.

“Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother's womb he has spoken my name.” (Isaiah 49:1)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you…" (Jeremiah 1:5)

“But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace…This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I am the worst of them all.” (Galatians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:15)

So God has set us apart, called us by name, and formed us in our mother’s womb. And He will complete that good work of salvation in the day of Jesus Christ when we are resurrected a spiritual, immortal, new creation.

“...let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever...and all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ…for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…that God may be All in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 2 Corinthians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 15:22-28)

No one can stop God from finishing what He says He will do, certainly not the so called free will of sinful mankind.

The Myth of Hell

"Be not carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by GRACE...be sound in the faith...pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the merely human commands of those who reject the truth." (Hebrews 13:9; Titus 1:15-15)

Please don't believe the "strange teachings" about hell. It is a terrible fiction created by the church that has been attributed to Christ Jesus. In the "strange teaching", God and Jesus will send the great majority of people into a place of unending torment for eternity. That is not the God of the Bible, nor His Son Jesus, who love their enemies and are spoken of in terms of grace, mercy, justice and compassion for sinners. The Jesus of the Bible was sent by God NOT to condemn the world but to SAVE it. (Luke 9:55; John 3:17).

God nor Jesus mentions a place of eternal torment and certainly never threatened anyone if they chose not to follow their teaching. There is no word found in the Bible for such a place in its original languages of Aramaic, Greek, or Hebrew.

During the second century church leaders began to interpret references to fire and judgment in the New Testament to mean that people who did not convert to their version of Jesus theology would not simply die--they would be thrown into a fire that would burn eternally. They based their interpretation on the pagan descriptions of the underworld at the time. 

The first adoption of the pagan myth by a Christian writer seems to be in the extra biblical book called the Apocalypse of Peter, probably written around 125 AD. It contains a variety of punishments awaiting sinners in hell which descriptions clearly came from Homer, Virgil, Plato, and the Orphic and Pythagorean traditions. 

This hell myth wasn't in the Old Testament or Christian tradition before this time. There were places in the Jewish Talmud (oral commentary and traditions put into written form and finished around 200 AD) that included this myth, but it is found nowhere in the Tanakh (written word of God - Old Testament).

In the New Testament Jesus does refer to "Gehenna", the valley of Hinnom, where garbage burned continually, corpses were sometimes deposited, and in OT times, people had been sacrificed. However, he was NOT referring to the Greek mythological hell as everlasting torment for people as accepted by the Greeks and some Jewish Rabbis. Jesus and Paul both condemned the traditions of men and Jewish myths. (Matthew 15:9; Titus 1:14-15)

The first modern complete English translation of the Bible was finished in 1526 and by that time the hell myth was so well rooted in Jewish myth and church tradition that where the translators saw "Gehenna," they simply inserted "hell" as the translation. That led to the misconception about hell being taught in the New Testament and in Jesus' teachings. 

I feel sure Jesus finds that cruelty heretical and when he returns will overturn the pulpits, bible schools and seminaries where that myth is taught and burn up the Christian authored books on the subject as well as those portions of the Jewish Talmud which have perpetuated the myth.

Again, the heretical concept of a hell of eternal conscious torment was not taught by Moses or any of the Old Testament Propheets, nor was it taught among Christians before the church added it in the second century AD.  It is simply not a part of the plan of God found in the Bible.

Immortality

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future… He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Jeremiah 29:11; Revelation 21:5)

God’s plan has never changed. When bible teachers attempt to categorize certain “economies” or “administrations” or “dispensations” in a progressive manner they do so without any outline or direct statements of such a thing in the Scripture. Doing so does help us see historically how certain cultures lived in relation to their understanding of God. But it also limits a God without limits. 

God’s plan never changes. He creates imperfection, totally destroys the imperfect and recreates perfection from the ashes. And it is not a “circle of life”, but a straight line that begins in imperfection and mortality and along His infinite highway that mortal, sinful, failed life rises from the ashes to become immortal...all for the glory of our limitless God.

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” (Isaiah 61:3)

Concerning Those Who Sleep

“And the multitude of those sleeping in the dust of the ground do awake, some to life age-during, and some to reproaches -- to abhorrence age-during.”  (Daniel 12:13 YLT)

We get our first insight into what death is from Daniel above. When people die, they are said to be “sleeping in the soil of the ground” until they are awakened. Our Lord Jesus said this himself when referring to the death of his friend Lazarus…

"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." (John 11:11)

And about the dead, the Apostle Paul wrote…

“We would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not….for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable.…” (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

I asked a Baptist preacher one time why we comfort people by telling them that a Christian immediately goes to Heaven at death when the above Scripture makes it pretty clear they are asleep. He said it must be true because all of the wise Christians that have gone before believed it and taught it.  But Daniel, Jesus and Paul did not believe that.  I had believed it myself and as I begin to question those beliefs I asked myself...

What is wrong with my being comforted by thinking my Mom and Dad are currently in heaven with Jesus?

No harm I thought, if it comforts the grieving heart and everyone teaches it - it must be OK.  

I realized, however, that we can choose to believe whatever we want - but believing something does not make it true. So I studied some more and finally was able to be comforted even more by the truth.  Mom and Dad are asleep and at peace, and one day, soon I hope, Mom and Dad shall be awakened at our Lord’s return…

“…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 4:17-18)

We will rise and see him together...that is the truth and I am comforted and at peace with it.

The Salvation of All

"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…they ALL shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34)

Like the old covenant, this new covenant is with ISRAEL. It will be establish when they are resurrected by Jesus their Messiah when he comes to earth again to establish his Millennial Kingdom.  ISRAEL will become priests and "reign with him" over the present earth "for a thousand years".

“This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:5-6)

Over the past 2000 years, God has caused blindness to happen to Israel. As a nation they still do not acknowledge that Jesus is their Messiah.  But when they do, God will “forgive their iniquity”, and “all Israel will be saved”.

“For I (Jesus) tell you, (Israel) you will not see me again until you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord"... "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” (Matthew 23:39; Romans 11:25-26)

During this time of blindness, God is revealing through the revelations given to the Apostle Paul His intent to save ALL mankind in His Grace, both Jew and Gentile.

“…the Grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men…Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed… for there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time…it is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance, for it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men…for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…that God may be All in all.” (Titus 2:11-14; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 4:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:22-28)

It is not rocket science, just a matter of reading the Bible and believing what it says – and ignoring the "myths and commandments of men" made up over the years. A turning away from the truth given to Paul had begun before Paul died and continues today. Paul reproved them and so should we...

“…reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth… Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me.” (Titus 1:13-14; 2 Timothy 2:14-15)

The Kingdom Of God - The New Creation

“Now this I am averring, brethren, that flesh and blood is not able to enjoy an allotment in the kingdom of God, neither is corruption enjoying the allotment of incorruption…Now apparent are the works of the flesh, which are...enmities, strife, jealousies, furies, factions, dissensions, sects, envies... and the like of these, which, I am predicting to you, according as I predicted also, that those committing such things shall not be enjoying the allotment of the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:50; Galatians 5:19-21)

I left out the obvious works of the flesh in order to focus on the words “factions, dissensions, sects, envies”. These are rampant in Christianity and other Religions. I read somewhere that there are over 2000 different "factions" or “sects” in Christianity alone, each believing their particular group has the correct doctrine.

NONE OF THOSE "FACTIONS" OR "SECTS" WILL HAVE “AN ALLOTMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD” any more than those committing the other things on the list of "works of the flesh".

BUT PLEASE, PLEASE don’t think that means that any of those involved in those things are going to a fictitious hell because they do so. They will all simply die which is the penalty for any sin...and they all will be resurrected...

"...thus am I offering divine service to the hereditary God, believing all that is written, according to the law and in the prophets, having an expectation in God, which these themselves also are anticipating, that there shall be a resurrection which is impending for both the just and the unjust..." (Acts 24:14-15)

After their resurrection they will all eventually be made into a “new creation” which will no longer be a "flesh and blood" body but a “spiritual” body, and then ALL will produce the "fruit" of that “spiritual” new creation. We will all be “righteous” like God…

“…yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith, FOR ALL, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction (between unbelievers and believers), for ALL SINNED and are wanting of the glory of God…the ration of Sin is death, yet the gracious gift of God is life eonian, in Christ Jesus, our Lord…For since, in fact, through a man came death, through a Man, also, comes the resurrection of the dead. For even as, in Adam, ALL ARE DYING, thus also, in Christ, shall ALL BE VIVIFIED (made alive)….For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy is being abolished: death…that God may be ALL IN ALL...Now with what body…is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption…it is ROUSED A SPIRITUAL BODY… Lo! a secret to you am I telling…WE ALL shall be changed, in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trump…For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality…then shall come to pass the word which is written, Swallowed up was Death by Victory… Now thanks be to God, Who is giving us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 3:21-23; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:21-58)

Salvation from death is FREE, given solely by the grace of a merciful God.  And the New Creation is free also.  God knew that it would be impossible for mankind to keep His law while composed of flesh and blood, and planned from the beginning a new spiritual creation for us sinners after death…

“…even if we have known Christ according to flesh, nevertheless now we know Him so no longer…if anyone is in Christ, there is a NEW CREATION: the primitive passed by. Lo! there has come new…For what was impossible to the law, in which it was infirm through the flesh, did God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sin's flesh and concerning sin, He condemns sin in the flesh, that the just requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who are not walking in accord with flesh, but in accord with spirit. For those who are in accord with flesh are disposed to that which is of the flesh, yet those who are in accord with spirit to that which is of the spirit. For the disposition of the flesh is death, yet the disposition of the spirit is life and peace..." (2 Corinthians 5:16-17; Romans 8:3-4)

When we believe this glorious good news from God, we should do the best we can now to produce in our lives the fruit of that "new creation". But it is only after our resurrection that we become a "spiritual" body and produce the "fruit of the Spirit" all of the time in the "Kingdom of God"...

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control…” (Galatians 5:22)

Grace Has No Limits

“...where sin increased, grace increased all the more…"

I ran across the term “HyperGrace” the other day.  It was being used in a Facebook comment to criticize Christians who place too much emphasis on the grace of God, and not enough emphasis on God being Just.  I had never heard it before but it accurately describes the unlimited Grace of God.  The apostle Paul was talking about unlimited Grace when he taught that "where sin increased, grace increased all the more" and that Jesus’s "one act of righteousness" brought "justification of life to all" mankind just as Adam's one act of disobedience has brought death to all mankind.  HyperGrace is a good term to describe the Grace of God.

It is this HyperGrace that now REIGNS over death...

"So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to ALL MEN, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to ALL MEN. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous...where sin increased, GRACE abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so GRACE would REIGN through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:18-21)

Hyper-Grace only bothers those who have a faulty idea of what it means for God to be Just. The word "JUST" in both Hebrew and Greek simply means to do what is “right”.  God is JUST because He always does what is right.  God thinks it right to save sinners by his Grace.  Apparently the folks who dislike the term HyperGrace have limited the Grace of God to those who have joined their churches. And they have been taught that it is JUST for God to eternally separate himself from everyone else that He created and cast them into eternal conscious torment.  That denies the Bible which clearly says that the penalty for sin is Death "but the free gift of God is Eternal Life" (Romans 6:23).

So what about the following verses written by Paul?

"God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might." (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9)

I believe the above is true just as a believe all of the Scripture. Paul and his followers were being persecuted by the religious folks of his day for preaching the salvation of both Jew and Gentile by the Grace of God apart from the works of the Law of Moses.  So to me the above is a warning to those who trouble others with threats (like eternal conscious torment). 

It is the false teaching of religious leaders that will be punished with "everlasting destruction". I say Amen to that.  The false teachers themselves will be saved, but through the fire that will burn up the false doctrines made up by men and are the wood, hay and stubble which will fuel the fire when we all give account to God. Such false teaching will no longer have a place in the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might. For the Grace of God will have saved sinners from death!

"For by Grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the approach present of God...the grace of God which is being granted to me. As a wise foreman I lay a foundation, yet another is building on it. Yet let each one beware how he is building on it...each one's work will become apparent, for the day will make it evident, for it is being revealed by fire. And the fire, it will be testing each one's work -- what kind it is. If anyone's work will be remaining which he builds on it, he will get wages. If anyone's work shall be burned up, he will forfeit it, yet he shall be saved, yet thus, as through fire." (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Messengers of Light - Or Maybe Not

“For such are false apostles, fraudulent workers, being transfigured into apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is being transfigured into a messenger of light. It is no great thing, then, if his servants also are being transfigured as dispensers of righteousness...” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

Paul says some “dispensers of righteousness” are Satan’s servants who are appearing to the world as “apostles of Christ”. They are at work in the midst of Christianity. They are not bad people per se, just preachers and teachers preaching and teaching false doctrine, for the most part unaware it is false.

How are we to distinguish them from the true believers and followers of Christ Jesus if they all look the same and may not even realize who they are?  

We can only identify them by what they are teaching. If it is not what Paul was teaching, then they are Satan’s servants, not Christ’s, regardless of how sincere they are or righteous they may appear...

"...there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" (Galatians 1:7-8)

How do we know if they are teaching false doctrine? 

By comparing what they teach to the best and most accurate version of the Scripture we have which for me is the Concordant Version which I have made available on the right side of my blog.  I sometimes quote other translations because they are more familiar to others, but in this post all quotes are from the Concordant Version...

"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)

From whom did Paul receive the good news he taught?  Not from other men but directly from Jesus Christ...

“But I certify you brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11-12)

It is interesting to me what he did not teach.  He said nothing about the trinity, free will, or eternal separation from God in hell.  Yet he stated clearly that he was innocent of the blood of all men for he had taught “the whole counsel of God”…

“Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:26-27)

So exactly what did Jesus reveal to Paul and send him to preach and teach?  

He taught the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah (Christ) and the Messiah had to suffer death and rise again:

“…that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead.” (Acts 17:2-3,10; 18:4).

He taught both Jews and Gentiles that they were UNITED before God in Christ and all would be resurrected from the dead by the grace of God:

1. “…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of ALL Who is over all and through all and IN ALL…to each one of us was given GRACE in accord with the measure of the gratuity of Christ.” (Ephesians 4: 5-6)

2. “…Christ was roused from among the dead…if we have become planted together in the likeness of his death, nevertheless we shall be of the resurrection also.” (Romans 6:5-6)

3. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall ALL be made alive…so that God may be All in ALL” (1 Corinthians 15:22-28)

Specifically about law, grace, faith, sin, and the gift of salvation he taught the following, among other things:

1. “…by works of law, no flesh at all shall be justified in His sight, for through the law is the recognition of sin…for ALL have sinned and are wanting of the glory of God” (Romans 3:20, 23)

2. “…God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes…being enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…being reconciled we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:8-10)

3. “For the ration of sin in death, yet the gracious gift of God is life eonian, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

4. “God was in Christ, conciliating the WORLD to Himself, not reckoning THEIR offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)

5. “For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is God's approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

6. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am I. But therefore was I shown mercy, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

7. “…be leading a mild and quiet life in all devoutness and gravity, for this is ideal and welcome in the sight of our Savior God, Who wills that ALL mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth. For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man, Christ Jesus, who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for ALL.” (1 Timothy 2:2-6)

8. “…we rely on the living God, Who is the Savior of ALL mankind, especially of believers. These things be charging and teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:10-11)

For the bible to be the very Word of God, one must be able to harmonize all of it with the revelation Jesus gave to Paul and quoted above.  If a doctrine is taught that  cannot be harmonized with the above, then it is FALSE and those teaching such...

“...are false apostles, fraudulent workers, being transfigured into apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is being transfigured into a messenger of light. It is no great thing, then, if his servants also are being transfigured as dispensers of righteousness...”

Comfort For Troubled Hearts

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also...Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you..." (John 14:1-3, 27)

Jesus knew that after his death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven his followers would still be troubled.  So he left them, and us, with the peace that comes from the promise of his return.  His words were given to comfort them as they testified to the world of his resurrection and awaited his return.

After many years had passed and Jesus had not yet returned, some of those followers had fallen "asleep".  Jesus and Paul both referred to death as sleep.  So Paul was confronted with a question about what would happen to those who had fallen asleep when Jesus returned. His answer to them is one of the most comforting passages of Scripture in the Bible...

"...we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."  (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Many have died over the past 2000 years, but the promise of his return and our rising together to meet him in the air still comforts and gives us peace.

Why Did Jesus Come?

This question was in a Facebook post I read the other day. I was glad that I knew the answer. The post went on to quote the following words of Jesus to Zaccheus…

“Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)

The Hebrew word for “salvation” is “yeshua” which means "the LORD's salvation"  or "God delivers", and is translated JESUS when used as a noun that designates a person.  That is really cool - Jesus is Salvation.

Jesus is salvation, and as such he came to do what his name represented - “to seek and to save that which was lost”.  Zaccheus, the sinner and publican, was included...and so are all other sinners.  It seems to me that anyone who reasons otherwise is saying Jesus has failed to do what he was sent to do.

In my opinion it is not the role of the church to seek and to save the lost. JESUS came to do that and he will succeed when the last enemy – death – has been abolished, and God is All in all. (1 Corinthians 15:22-28).  The Church’s job is to tell people what JESUS has DONE and will DO to save the world, not what people must do to be saved.

Long ago the organized churches took over the role of seeking and saving, and in the process has denied mankind the Gospel, making salvation a choice of men rather than the finished work of Jesus our Savior...

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world…It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things.” (John 1:29; 1 John 4:14; 1 Timothy 4:9-11)

He did not ask your permission.  He doesn't care whether you like it or not.  He cares not whether you join the group.  He does want you to know and share the truth that HE WILL SAVE MANKIND.

You can believe it now and give him the glory and enjoy the peace it brings - or you can wait until your resurrection to give him glory. That is the only choice we have in the matter..

"For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the GLORY of God the Father...and no one can say Jesus is Lord except by he Holy Spirit...the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God..." (Philippians 2:10-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Romans 8:16)

Those in Heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth...exactly who is not included in those three places?

The Better Hope

“…the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God." (Hebrews 7:18-19)

The "better hope" that we have for becoming perfect is the Gospel of God. The Gospel is the good news that in Christ Jesus all will be “made alive”, all will be “changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye” and all will become a “new creation in Christ Jesus” where God is “All in all”.

“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…that God may be All in all…a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come…” (1 Corinthians 15:22, 51-52, 28; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Perfection is a promise from God which occurs for us when in His GRACE our salvation is complete. And that salvation does not occur as a result of any works or good decisions we make, but is the result of a decision God has made to save sinners. And it does not occur in this life, but in the next. 

For now what we have is “faith, hope and love”. We believe that God will do what Jesus says ("faith") and we expect with assurance that he will do so ("hope") because of His "love" for us.

One day our faith will become sight, and our hope will become our reality for the love that Jesus Christ has for us is perfect - it is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We are "strengthened" by this "Grace"...

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love…Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by GRACE” (1 Corinthians 13:12-13; Hebrews 13:7-9)

Be Perfect?

“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48)

“What is the great commandment of the law?...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37)

The Greek word translated "commandment" is "entole" which focuses on the end result.  See below from Strong's concordance...

1785 entolḗ (a feminine noun derived from 1722 /en, "in," which intensifies 5056 /télos, "reach the end, consummation") – properly, "in the end," focusing on the end-result (objective) of a command.

So to me, Jesus is telling us that one day, when God is finished with us, we “shall be perfect”, and “shall love” God and our neighbors.

The doctrines of religious men reign in this present evil world. And these doctrines insist that God has made certain commandments with eternal consequences when we disobey. God, however, says no such thing.  God simply tells us what sinners are and what they WILL BE when He is finished with us - loving and perfect like He and Jesus.

So when will that be?

Not while we remain in this present evil age.  Here we sinners sin from time to time and are destined to die for our sin.  But after we have died for that sin (some once and others twice), in due time we are to be resurrected into a "new creation".  THEN we will be perfect and will Love God and our neighbor. God CHANGES us in that final resurrection to be like Jesus, all of us completed in the "spiritual" image of God. 

"The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body...The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual...And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man." (1 Corinthians 15:42-49)

Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected as the first "spiritual" and "heavenly" man. He was the FIRST, but all mankind are destined to follow. THAT IS THE GOSPEL we are to share.

“Now I am making known to you, brethren, the GOSPEL which I preached to you….that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Jesus died.  He paid the penalty for sin just like we sinners do when we die. In doing so he identified himself completely with us, "he became sin on our behalf".  He was not our  substitute, but joined the team to die with mankind in order to show us that God is at peace with us and plans to resurrect us to eternal life.

“…God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not counting their sins against them…He made him who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, so that we might become (when we are resurrected) the righteousness of God...” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

It is a done deal, we cannot screw up the Gospel of God because it is not up to us!  

And so I hope you can see the problem with any religion which is works oriented.  All are based to some degree on works to get to heaven and find favor with God.  No matter how much one talks about God, Jesus, love, grace and mercy - if mankind's eternal destiny is based on people DOING something by their own free will rather than relying on what GOD HAS FREELY DONE AND WILL FREELY DO do for sinners, it is not the Gospel of God.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

For many years I have been saying this over and over, in different ways, but quite frankly I do not think anyone gives a hoot about the Gospel of God. They prefer the teaching and traditions of men handed down to them which condemns them, puts them in bondage, and sends most of them to hell to be tormented forever.  This is nothing new for Jesus encountered these hard headed and hearted traditions 2000 years ago which denied the Gospel of God…remember the Greek word for "gospel" means GOOD NEWS...

“Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God…Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If 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. And you know the way where I am going (his death) "  (Mark 1:14; John 14:1-4)

But the Jewish religion leaders would not believe him, preferring their own traditional teaching.  So he said they needed to repent because of their vanity…

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel...in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men...making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down…” (Mark 1:15; 7:7, 13)

After Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven, he appeared to the Apostle Paul and sent him to both Jews and Gentiles to proclaim the "Gospel of God"…

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1)

He abandoned traditions of men but lamented to his friend Titus that those who continued to teach them among the body of Christ…

“...must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach…devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth…they profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works…“ (Titus 1:11, 14, 16)

And to the Galatians who had been turned away from the Gospel of God back to these "commandments of men" Paul said...

"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith (believing the Gospel of God)? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Galatians 3:1-3)

Saddle Up

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40)

Let me make an observation. You, I nor anyone else who has ever lived, with the exception of Jesus Christ, love like this. Ergo, you, I and everyone else, with the exception of Jesus Christ, have broken the “Law and the Prophets” which makes us all SINNERS.

“…there is none righteous, no not one…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:10, 23)

Furthermore, you, I nor anyone else who has ever lived, will ever love as set forth above in this life, even after we become believers of the “gospel of God” (the gospel which few seem to comprehend), even though some come much closer than others.

But we have HOPE. One day, after our resurrection, ALL of us sinners will be changed and will love God and our neighbors, for we will ALL be like Jesus…worth loving.

“…I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 36:26)

And when will this happen? At our resurrection

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.…just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive….Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust (Adam), we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven (Jesus)” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 49)

A final personal observation on living in this present evil age. It is OK to reject the philosophy of pious, self-righteous, politically correct liberal hypocrites who claim we must love and be tolerant of all people and cultures (you know who they are). And it is OK to reject any radical form of religion whose aim is to make others slaves or tolerant to their particular dogma in this life. These are folks who should NOT be loved in this life, but rejected just as Jesus rejected them...

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces...You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are...Woe to you, blind guides!...You blind fools! " (Matthew 23:13-23)

Jesus was addressing the radical Jewish leaders of his day, but the same could be said to the radical clerics of Islam today, or radical Christians for that matter.  

So for the rest of us, and to quote Data in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), “Saddle up, lock and load”…try to love folks, but when it becomes necessary to protect our families and freedom..."aim and fire."  

The purpose of evil in this world is to humble us, and it does.  But becoming humble does not mean we should become weak and do nothing to defend ourselves. On the contrary, it should make us resolved to protect the weak and fight to set them free.

The Purpose of Evil

Is it possible for God to create without purpose? I cannot imagine such a thing. So l wanted to know what purpose God had in mind when he created evil.

“I make peace, and create evil.” (Isaiah 45:7)

At first I wanted to use another word for evil like “calamity”, or “disaster”, or “bad times” as do the corrupted English versions of the Bible. But I found that it is the same Hebrew word used in the phrase “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. But whether I called it evil, calamity, disaster or bad times…the Bible says God created it. So I continued to ask myself “Why?” and started to search the Scripture for the answer.

In my initial quest it did not help to find verses about God like the following…

“…the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will”, and “all is of God” (Ephesians 1:11; 2 Corinthians 5:18)

Not only did God create evil, it was the “purpose of His will”, for “all is of God”. It is no wonder most of Christendom and Flip Wilson flippantly shrug evil off on the devil with the quip…“the devil made me do it”. But of course God created the devil also…and must have known how he would turn out, in fact he must have created him to do the evil he does.

I knew down deep in my heart that evil must have a necessary purpose since God loves the world and sent his Son to save the world from the very evil He created.

I began to see that evil was temporary when I ran across the following verses in Jeremiah…

“Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them…” (Jeremiah 32:42)

A glimmer of light on this dark subject. God brings great evil upon people, but he also promised to bring them good. Evil in God’s plan must be temporary, so I reasoned that evil will last only until its purpose is finished.

BUT, WHAT IS THAT PURPOSE? Could not God have planned for eternal good without creating evil? It seemed to me I was no closer to that purpose than when I had begun my study. Surely God would have written down somewhere in His Word the purpose for evil. 

I eventually ended up in the book of Ecclesiastes, written by one whom God had given great wisdom, one who had searched out by that wisdom all of the ways of the world…at first what I found lead to more discouragement as I read from the NASB version of the Bible…

“13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. 14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. 18 Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13-18 NASB)

And with that I was prepared to quit searching assuming God had not chosen to reveal his purpose, and He doesn’t have too I reasoned, after all He is God. 

But I did one last thing, I looked up the above passage in a Hebrew interlinear. And there in verse 1:13 and 3:10 was the Hebrew word “laanowt” which I found is only used these 2 times in Scripture. But I could have missed its meaning because the above English version of the bible (NASB) and most other versions had mistranslated the word. Then I read the verses in Young’s Literal Translation and the Concordant Version of the Old Testament and there it was…the purpose for all the evil that comes upon men - “TO HUMBLE THEM”….

“I applied by heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: It is an experience of EVIL Elohim has given to the sons of humanity TO HUMBLE THEM by it…I see the experience that Elohim gives to the sons of humanity TO HUMBLE THEM by it” (Ecclesiastes 1:13; 3:10 CVOT)

God created evil because he knew mankind must be humbled before they can be exalted. Experiencing evil is the means to that end. There was no other way or God would not have created evil. All people are finally and fully humbled by the greatest enemies of mankind – suffering and death…BUT by that experience, they will be able to appreciate the ultimate good to come after their  RESURRECTION TO IMMORTALITY!

“Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep…As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY…. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22, 54; Colossians 1:21-22)”

Adam and Eve had known only good before they ate of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  But the good they had could not be appreciated without the perspective of evil to contrast it with.  And without the contrast they could not love and appreciate God for their blissful state. So God created evil...thank you Lord!

New Years Resolution

"I will approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that I may receive mercy and find grace to help me at the proper time." (Hebrews 4:16)

And that is my New Years Resolution this year, and for each year of the remainder of my life.