In The Beginning--God

                                                               

                           

                                       In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.                                                                                                                       Genesis 1:1

There was at one time (yet time did not exist--eternity-everlasting is unfamilar to time--time has no teeth to ravage, decay and destroy--time does not inhabit eternity) time is used in the sense to establish some reference point to our physical reality. There was no beginning until God-- everlasting-eternal, was always and forever will be-Father, Son, Holy Spirit--spoke it into existence. John chapter 1 says "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him. Through the eternal Word creation came to be.  Jesus the eternal Son spoke it out, "Then God said,  let there be" and thus all that is in the universe was brought forth into existence. 

Where once nothingness....now the substance that defines a material creation burst forth into existence as God the Son spoke it into being. Light, oceans, grass, fruit, firmament, planets, stars, solar systems, creatures, and mankind from the dust of the earth.  Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.  

                                                   

                                                                                                

We do know that God created the angels before He created the physical universe.  The book of Job describes the angels worshiping God as He was creating the world. We also know that angels existed prior to the garden of Eden, because Satan, who was formerly the angel Lucifer, was already present in the garden in his fallen state. (Job. 38:4-7;1:6; 2:1)                                                                                                                                             

Angels were created  to worship God around His throne (Revelation 5:11–14), they may have been in existence millions of years—as we reckon time—before God created the world, worshiping Him and serving Him. We know before this material time functioning physical universe was formed Jesus existed eternally. For "He is the image of the invisible God,  the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence....He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (1 Col. 1:15-17;Phil. 2:7-8) 

                                                       

Mankind forfeited his right to everlasting life when He disobeyed God and believed the lie of the serpent (satan, the devil) rather than believe God. "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.” (Gen. 2:16-17) They believed the lie of the serpent that they would not die, a contradiction of God's warning to them. Mankind chose to believe the lie and die they did with all their progeny following in their footsteps, (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--for God For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; Rom. 8:20)                                                                                                                       

The world we inhabit today is tainted (contaminated, polluted),  corrupt, sinful (inclined toward doing evil) selfish, vile, perverted, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron;  lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.(1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim 3)  The human condition is at enmity with God, following the course of this world; the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and boasting of what we have and do; as they run with the prince of the power of the air the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience and are BY NATURE CHILDREN OF GOD'S WRATH!                                                       

 Everyone is not in the sight of a Holy, Righteous, Perfect God,  born basically good. We are all born with a trigger ready to be pulled into the nature of who we are. Born disposed to fulfill the lust of the flesh and of the mind. Sin has corrupted all of mankind, from conception, with a nature inclined to what is evil in the sight of God.                                                                                                     

Yet by the gace of God through faith, and not of ourselves, we are brought from darkness to light, from death to life. By grace through faith and not of ourselves--a gift of God. For the unregenerative nature of mankind is loathe of the God of the bible.  "Because the carnal mind is enmity (Hostile)against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. (Romans 8:7)                                                    

                                                         

But  God has provided a way out of  this seemly tragic and hopeless situation. A Blessed Hope. (Titus 2:13) The Way, the Truth and the Life has come into time and space taking the very form of a bondservant--a slave. God the Son took on a human nature and tabernacled in a body of flesh, blood and bones. Therefore, we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Heb. 4:15) The Word who was in the beginning with God and was God became flesh. Jesus dwelt among the race of fallen mankind. He lived that perfect life God demands. And that no one can obtain on their own. 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” (Matt. 3:13-17; Luke 9:35) 

                                                   

Jesus Christ--the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The only name under heaven that can deliver one from the clutches of eternal damnation. Absent from the presence of God and the glory of His power. Into the promise of being rescued from the dominion of spiritual darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son of His love. In whom we have redemption, through His blood,  the forgiveness of sins. For scripture tells us without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Therefore God made Him (Jesus) to be a sin offering for us, so that in Him we may become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)                                                                                                                                                           

Jesus Christ tells us you must be perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect. (Matt. 5:48) In order to obtain  everlasting life. (No one is or could ever be perfect in and of themselves. It is not humanly possible.) There is no one righteous, no not one. (Ps. 14:1-3; Romans 3:10)  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (The kingdom of God is not aquired by one's good works. For all our righteous acts are as filthy rags. We all shrivel up like a leaf,  And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. (Is. 64:6)  The sinful nature taints every sinew of our fleshly being. By our very nature we are at enmity (hatred) with the God of the bible. 

                                                           

                                         

 Salvation from  humanity's sin cursed blindness to this truth  comes through God's one and Only Son. Each human being must bow to this truth. God does this through the grace of God by faith and not of ourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. God draws us to His Son (John 6:44;65) and saves us not because of the righteous things we have done but according to His mercy. (Tius 3:5)  His is the only name under heaven by which anyone is saved. Those who have the Son have life. (everlasting--a citizenship in heaven) Through Jesus Christ and Him only come God's acceptance; come redemption/forgiveness the rescue from eternal damnation in what Jesus Christ himself says is the lake of fire. Those who believes in the Son have everlasting life; those who do not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) 

                                                      

Jesus beckons with the words  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30) { In Bibical times the yoke ensured that the oxen  worked in tandem, sharing the load equally. This agricultural tool became a powerful metaphor in Scripture, symbolizing various forms of submission, servitude, and partnership.Here, the yoke represents the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus, contrasting with the heavy burdens imposed by the Pharisaic interpretation of the Law. Jesus' yoke is characterized by grace, rest, and a personal relationship with Him.}

When you believe, confess, and repent one crosses over from death to life. From darkness to light. Where once one followed the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience and were BY NATURE the children of God's wrath. One is brought from the slavery to sin to being a slave (servant) of God.  

                                                          

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.  What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:20-23)

You are either a slave to sin and in rebellion against divine law or a slave of God. Jesus replied, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.’”Here, the statement underscores that sin is not just a series of bad deeds; it is a condition in which a person is compelled to act against God’s righteousness. This direct teaching of Jesus shows that sin prevents genuine freedom.**                                                  

It is a rescue from the guilt and power of sin (Rom. 6::18) from an accusing conscience (Heb. 10:22) from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:1; Heb. 10:27) and the tyranny of satan (2 Tim. 2:26; Heb. 2:14) Freedom from the law: deliverance from the curse which the law pronounces upon the sinner who has been striving--unsuccessfuly, of course--to achieve his own righteousness. But has now, by grace, turned to Christ and salvation in him.***                        

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Gal. 5:1) Slavery to try in our own flesh to keep God's law. When in reality because of our fallen sinful condition it is utterly impossible.  ("there is no one who does good. No not one." Rom. 3:12)

                                                            

God made him (Jesus)  who had no sin to be sin (offering)  for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)

God's plan of salvation seen in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament: 

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed. (Is. 53:5OT)

Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.  (Ex. 12:13OT) Sacrifices were made to atone for sins and signify the immense price of salvation. However, these sacrifices also point towards a greater act of redemption, showing us the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. (Heb. 9:22 NT) 

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel: Meaning God with us.(Is. 7:14 OT)

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

The One to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting.” (Micah 5:2 OT) 

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Is. 9:6 OT)

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your King is coming to you;

He is just and having salvation,

Lowly and riding on a donkey,

A colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech. 9:9 OT fulfilled Mark 11:1-10)

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (Is. 61:1 fulfilled Luke 43:17-22)

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

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.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....

                                                  

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." (Ps. 33:6;9)  " All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." (John 1:3) "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." (Acts 17:24-25)

The Bible clearly requires us to believe that God created the universe out of nothing. (creation ex nihilo) This means that before God began to create the universe nothing else existed except God Himself. (God did not use any previously existing materials when he created the universe) God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; Romans 4:17 Can also be translated as saying that God calls the things which do not exist as existing.**** 

Hebrews 11:3  By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

All the mountains, oceans, the stars, the earth itself, all came into existence when God created them. There was a time when they did no exist. 

Before the mountains were born

    or you brought forth the whole world,

    from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Ps. 90:2)

The Bible describes God as eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, unchanging, loving, just, merciful, gracious, and sovereign over all creation. God is, was and forever will be. God is everlasting, creates all things in heaven and on earth, and in Him all things hold together. (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17)

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  For He says:“In an acceptable time I have heard you,And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6:1-2)

Note: Life is short, you probably heard that said. Scripture tells us:

                                                           

 "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." (James 4:14)

Oh, remember that my life is a breath! (Job 7:7)

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,

And my age is as nothing before You;

Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah (Ps. 39:11)

For my days are consumed like smoke, (Ps. 102:3) 

Man is like a breath;

His days are like a passing shadow. (Ps. 144:4)

Scripture tells us there is life after death. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, which Paul declared is much better. For all God's people who have been born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. One  must have His righteousness, His perfection imputed to their account  to spend eternity with God. Those who have the Son of God by grace through faith, have confessed and repented of their sins, trust and obey, have been born from above, regenerated by God's grace, and by His mercy have been born again into the kingdom of God. It's the only option. Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.                                                             

                                                                                                  

When Jesus returns at His second coming, raptures up His chosen people and regenerates creation there will be a new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. All those  without the savior will hear "depart from Me, I never knew you." All those who have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord by the grace of God and His mercy will spend eternity in the New Heavens and new earth. There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.  They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.  There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Rev. 22:3-5)

                                       

 

The Apostle Peter writes "God is not wanting that any should perish but that all come to repentance." 

 If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

** Bible Hub**"What does being a slave to sin mean"

***Galatians 5:1 William Hendriksen commentary 

**** Systematic Theology Wayne Grudem

Caught up to God/ The Return of Christ

                                           Caught Up to God at the Second Coming of the Lord 

                                          

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.(Rev. 1:7)

Here John the apostle tells us every eye will see the returning Jesus Christ in all His glory. It will not be some quiet, unobservable, event unknown to people on the earth. It be be brillant and will heard by all. 

For on the day of the Lord the Son of God Jesus Christ 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thess. 4:18-18))

                                                                  

There is a vast number of people in the evangelical community who believe the Lord will return invisibly to rapture (catch up) His people before the great tribulation. The verses from which they get this doctrine though seems to indicate the whole world will see, hear, witness  and be affected in some way by this event. {1 Thess chapter 5 tells us that the Aposlte  when talking about our "catching up" he is referring to Jesus 2nd coming in glory...The Day of the Lord.} It won't be a secret. Every eye will see Him. Paul spoke about this time because much talk or gossip  was effecting the church members as to what would happen when Jesus returns. The believers had a concern about the fate of those who had died in Christ. Paul reassured them that despite their grief, they would not be left behind.   

Paul continues in 1 thess chapter 5 "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.  For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. (see 2 Peter 3:10-14) For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape"..."when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,  in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,  when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed." (2 Thess 1:7-10)  This day of the Lord, this day of God, the return of our savior and Lord  (see 2Peter 3:10-14) This will be a wonderful and glorious day for all who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.              

But for the unredeemed, the unrepentant, those who believe not, it will be  a  day of trouble and terror..... "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,  and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev. 6:15-17) This  Day is spoken about in a number of ways as  the day of His visitation, the day of wrath, the great day of God Almighty, the day of Christ and the day of the lord.                                                                                                                                                         

The apostle Peter talks about this day it in his second letter to the church: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. "(2 Peter 3:10) He also said of His second coming as did  Paul that it will be like a thief: when it will be a time of great darkness; when there will be little faith in the earth, he will come suddenly,  when he is not expected, to the great surprise of men, and especially of the scoffers; when such  awful things that happen will surround and confound them:                                                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                     

Thus Jesus said:" So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Mt. 24:44)13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. (Mt. 25:30) Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:29-31) In these verses we see God gathering together those who are his, chosen before the foundation of the world, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own special people. All those who have confessed Jesus Christ is Lord and believe God has raised Him from the dead.  Those people who have put their thrust and faith in the only name under heaven by which anyone is saved from God's wrath.                                                                                                                    

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, 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, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.  Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11-15)  

                                                               

                                                                                                                                             

Jesus Christ Himself talked about Hell more than anyone else in scripture. And of his betrayer Judas He said  "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”(Matt. 26:24) If the doctrine of Hell is the annihilation of an individual. Then there was no need to explain of the horror of Hell in Matthew 25, that the righteous will inherit the kingdom prepared for them  from the foundation of the world: yet of the unrighteous Jesus will condemn with the words ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. They will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”   Eternal punishment is a doctrine within Christian theology that signifies the everlasting consequences for individuals who die in a state of sin, having rejected the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. It describes the fate of those who reject God, stating, "And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever." This imagery underscores the perpetual (never ending)  aspect of the punishment.

                                                        

Yet for the redeemed, those rescued from darkness to light,  as Jesus Christ explained,  “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:13) and as the apostle Paul explained to believers in Colossians that God has rescued us (believers) from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,  in whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.(Col 1:13-14) It is a lost and dying world. It is all temporary and will one day be brought to nothing and return to the dust from which it came. When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ  returns and restores this creation  from the hopelessness of this present evil age. To the time after His creation when God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.     

                                                       

                                                                                                                                                               Scripture tells us the future home of all God's people in eternity is fast approaching according to God's timetable. For with the Lord one day is as a thousand years. And a thousand years as one day. The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you,  not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)   The apostle John experienced a future time when he proclaimed  "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.  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 who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.  He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:1-8)   

                                              

Whether Jesus comes in your lifetime or not. Scripture emphasizes the importance of vigilance and readiness.Matthew 24:42-44: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Mark 13:33: "Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." 1 Thessalonians 5:6: "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober." Romans 13:11: "And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." 

One Way, One Truth, One life. Jesus is the only name under heaven by which anyone is saved. (Acts 4:14)  No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) You may ask, "saved? Saved from what?" Saved from the wrath of God. For without the shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness, cancellation of sins). That is why Jesus Christ, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He lived that perfect life none of us could.  For mankinds disobedience to a Holy, Righteous, Perfect  God requires either forgiveness or condemnation: separated in eternity from the presence of God and the glory of His power. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All need the Savior.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                            

Prophet, priest and king David understood this when he wrote the psalm "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, (Wickedness) And in sin my mother conceived me. (51:5) We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. All of us born in a fallen state, tainted in the very flesh we inhabit with a sin nature handed down to us from our first parents who believed the lie of the serpent, rather than the truth from God.                                                                                                                                    

                                             

Satan, the devil of old, tempted them with the words,  "Has God said You shall die if you eat from the tree in the midst of the garden? You won't die but you'll be like God knowing good and evil. Their disobedience to God's command and believing the lie of satan provoked God to subject all creation to futility and death came into the world. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.  (Romans 5:12-20) 

                                           

                                                                                                                  

Every human being born has a sin problem. Inclined to do what they shouldn't. In fact Jesus the Christ said to have a citizenhip in heaven you must be perfect. That's correct. PERFECT. I don't think I have to tell you that no one is perfect. Except One. The Word who was in the beginning with God and was God. The Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. And therefore perfect in God the Fathers eyes by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ's perfection.                                                      

Jesus said, "  My sheep (God's chosen people)  hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one.”   (John 10:27-29)                                                            

                                                       

 

Have you heard the call? Do you believe the Word?  Eternity awaits. Where will you spend it? For it is appointed once for all to die. But after this the judgement.                                                                           

                                             

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  For      He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”                                                                                                                                                                                 Behold, now is the accepted time...                                                               

                                                            behold, now is the day of salvation.                                                                                         

 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.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”    

(1 Cor. 6:1-3;Romans 10:9-13)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                           

Reality of Evil / Necessity of Prayer

                                                       Reality of Evil/Necessity of Prayer

                                                     

                                                             

Evil.... real evil exists in our world today because Humanity exists. Evil, if left to fester and overwhelm may ignite violent wicked emotions that can evolve into a Cain and Abel scenario of death or a challenge of absalom to kill his father David and steal His throne, defeat and death for the victim and punishment of the perpetrator. Messiah Jesus, the Holy One of God, the Son of God, The Word who was in the beginning with God and was God,  Jesus explained such evil in all mankind when He told the people assembled ..."For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,  thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” David: Prophet, Priest and King from the Old Testament realized mankinds predicament in Psalm 51:5 saying "I was brought forth in inquity and in sin my mother conceived me." 

                                                           

Jesus was sent into the world to save his people from their sins. A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,   who can proclaim the Praises of him who called them from Darkness to life and from death To Life. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no one righteous...no not one. No one who understands, No one seeks after God.  No one does good. No not one.  For since by Man Came Death by man also came the resurrection from the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (Romans 3:10-14; 1 Cor. 15:21-22) 

                                                              

A great surge of evil intentions chains every sinew of a persons nature to its enslavement. (Romans 7:14-25) And left to seethe, untamed can burst forth in unimaginable works of evil. That  seek, to devour, destroy, and kill. Some may try to rationalize evil thoughts to placate their wicked  intentions. That their conclusion to their dilemma will satiate their pain and rid them of the said cause of their unbearable discomfort. It is the ultimate selfishness that plagues mankind that has brought the human race to its sad and dangerous situation we have to this day.

                                                                         

 

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?  You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.  (James 4:1-3)

                                             

We are a society that seeks an immediate solution to what ails or troubles us. For many drugs seem to be the answer. Whether legal or illegal. Yet that may only obscure the deep hidden root of the anxiety that infects a troubled soul. Some drugs may even exacerbate a persons condition to the point of extreme violence upon those they believe are causing all their pain and discomfort. Doing more harm than good. Causing irreparable harm for all involved. 

                                              

In the Bible we are warned that humankind has an enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. That all the world lies under the swary of this evil one.  And are easilty enticed by his allurements. We should not  be unaware of his devices. For he seeks to steal, kill and destroy. We are in a spiritual war against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Those who are Christians are told to clothe themselves with the whole armour of God.  (Eph. 6:10-18) 

                                                       

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, (this truth is sincerity of mind and heart, removal of all guile and hypocrisy. You must practice what you preach. There must be truth in the inward parts. Ps. 51:6. Sincerity is a mighty weapon. Shout it from the rooftops..." One Way, One Truth, One Life." "the only Name by which one is saved!"  Found only in Jesus Christ. And we do that with our lives. Sincerity is a mighty weapon. A sincere person is likely to be a blessing to all those whom he comes in contact with than is the hypocrite.)....                                                                                                  

having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (spiritually the breastplate is the devout and holy life, moral decency, honesty, integrity, virtue. In 2 cor. 6:7 Paul places the great stress on the necessity of living lives worthy of the calling with which believers were called. When righteousness in conduct is present, what a mighty weapon for defense and offense it becomes.)....                                               

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace ( The gospel --good news--Jesus promised to His followers "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."-Jesus offers peace when there may appear there is not peace.....                                                                                                                  

above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Prominent of the weapons of a Roman solider was the shield for the protection of the body, especially the heart, lungs and other vital organs. Remember dear believer it was by God's grace you were saved though faith and not of yourselves, it was/is a gift of God. Your ability and desire to believe came from God Himself. And He bestows upon His chosen people the faith to survive a lost and fallen world of sin...  God called you from darkness to life and from death to life. And He will never leave you nor forsake  you......                                                                                                                 

 Now faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (confidence)  of things not seen. (Heb. 1:1)                                                                                                                                              

And take the helmet of salvation, (the helmet provided the Roman solidier with protection  for the head. It is a weapon of defense. It gives the Christian the protection that fortifies him with strenght to continue the fight, in the midst of hardship and persecution, for dear Christian we know that what God has begun in us, will be carried on to completion. Phil. 1:6.....                                                                                          

And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb. 4:12.....) Prayer is beseeching the Almighty, giving Him the praise he deserves, thanking Him for all he has done, and making requests for wisdom, knowledge, understanding and truth.                                                                

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—(soldiers for Christ handle the word of God, heed it, hide it in their hearts, and hold it forth among the nations. Any victory being won today either at home or abroad is the result of wielding of this sword. God is not dead!!! He lives and speaks through his message) The Apostle Paul says it so  succinctly with the words "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess. 5:17-19) 

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4-5) What Paul means is: there must be no decline in the regularity of the habit of "taking hold on God" in the midst of the circumstanses of life.                                                              

We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you,

And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (1 Cor. 6:1-2)   

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead hyou will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (Romans 10:9-10)                                                

Wrath of God, Hell, Death and Salvation

                  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  (1 Cor 15:22)

WE occupy an earthly plain in a world drowning in a sea of inquity.  We glorify the achievements of mankind as the ultimate road to deliverance from what strains at the very fiber of our existence. Yet death reveals that temporary hope in those things do not alleviate that fact that life is draining from our sin cursed being every single second, every minute, every hour of every 24 hour day. 

                                                   

  

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Cor 5:1)                    

It is the inevitability of senility...All the lotions and potions but a bandaid over the fact that from the dust we came and to the dust we shall return. Death is the reward of those dead in trespasses and sins, those who revel in and follow the course of this world, the things of the world, the cravings of sinful mankind,the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what we have and do. Mankinds vast and damning ego trip.  

not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,(Titus 3:5)

The world humans inhabit is not enough so we reach out with our less than baby steps into space, to a vast and lifeless universe and the secret things of God. That confound our sight and obliterate what was once thought as fact. The more we look into the vastness of God's created order. The more theories fall and new hypotheses make a feeble attempt to explain the what, why and how of this physical plain in which we inhabit for such a brief time.

                                                

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

Is it wrong that we should seek those things? Man is an insatiably curious creature. Constantly seeking answers to questions that plague our minds about this thing called life. Yet one thing takes precedence over every curiosity that nips at our heels. Why is there anything when in reality there should be nothing. It doesn't just happen by chance. For nothing from nothing leaves nothing. Nothing can't create anything. You can't get anything from nothing for nothing is non-existent of anything. 

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (James 4:14)                                                      

As we observe further and further into the vastness of the universe more questons arise rather than answers. I once heard a scientist proclaim as two galaxies rotated around each other. One clockwise the other counterclockwise. IMPOSSIBLE! IT CAN'T DO THAT! Yet it did, it was, it continues to this day. Seeing is believing.

                                                             

                  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Phil. 1:21)       

 As Jesus said to Thomas who said, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”  Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:26-29)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

                                           

Over two thousand years ago Scripture tells us "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."(John 1:14)  It was Gods plan ordained before the foundation of the world. For nothing stumps God. Nothing thwarts Gods  predestined plan of mankinds redemption. 

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.    (1 Thess. 4:16-17)           

                                             
                                                       

The devil, satan, the serpent of old thought he had put a road block into Gods plan for mankind. With the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. God proved He had other plans with the words, "I will put enmity  between you and the woman, and between your offspring[seed] and hers; he will crush[strike] your head, and you will strike his heel.”God's sovereign plan could not, can not, will not ever be defeated.  No One, Nothing can thwart the plan of God. Only God is omnipotent. Only He is sovereign over all creation. Our God is in heaven, He does whatever He pleases. (Ps. 115:3) And whatever God pleases will come to fruition.  

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8)                                                                                  

The Apostle Paul in Galatians 3:15-26 said, " it pleased God...who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace.... Think about that. If you have believed, by grace through faith and not of yourself, a gift of God, in the only name under heaven by which anyone is saved. Confessed, repented, trusted and obeyed, God was pleased to do that for you. He has called His people from darkness to light, from death to life. And no one is able to snatch them out of His hand. (John 10:28)

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:25                                                          

God's chosen people have been rescued from that place of eternal separation from God. The place Jesus talked about more than anyone in the Bible. The place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The place in the orginal language Jesus calls Gehenna. Scripture defines it as Hell. Jesus refers to a real place as more than a metaphor, using a common location with a cursed history to talk about eternal destruction. Christ warns of a dire destiny to reason with his hearers, for them to repent unto eternal life.

                                                     

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8)

                                      

Jesus also refers to hell as a “fiery furnace” where law-breakers will be thrown at the end of the age when he returns. “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:41–42). Jesus calls it “the hell of fire” (Matt. 5:22), “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43), “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46). 

This last description—“eternal punishment”—is especially heartrending and fearful because it is contrasted with “eternal life.” “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” If we are to believe that those who believe in Jesus Christ have everlasting life. A citizenship in heaven. That Jesus has gone and prepared a place for us where we will be in the presence of God and the glory of His power. Then the opposite of this is also true. 

                                                  

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. (Matt. 10:28)(the word "destroy) used here in the sense not of annnihilation but of the affliction of everlasting punishment upon a person. Matt. 25:26 (Contrasted with everlasting life)

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (1 Cor. 15:1)

Scripture tells us Jesus came to save His people from their sins. They are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people who may declare the praises of Him who called us from death to life. Brought from the darkness of this present evil age to the light of the world, Jesus the Christ. By grace (God's unmerited favor) are you saved through faith and not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast...For all our works are as filty rags.... Born into this world as children of God's wrath. (Eph. 2:1-5) Needing to be rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son of His love in whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.(Col. 1:13-14).   

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:47-48)                                                        These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thess 1:9) 

                                                     

Hell (original word gehenna) generally refers to the abode of the wicked, body and soul after the judgement day. Jesus then is saying there is an everlasting future for both the soul and body. For both those who believe, trust and obey in  Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and those who do not. And deny the only name under heaven by which anyone is saved. From the wrath of God to come. All those who refuse to believe the truth of God's word will go off into eternity having no redemption from sin, no forgiveness for a life absent from and not trusting in the way, the truth and the life sent by God the Father into the world to call a people to Himself; through the precious blood shed on the cross. They have no blessed Hope, which delivers the enemies of God from the the place of everlasting punishment prepared for the devil and his angels (messengers). 

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!  (Romans 11:33) 

NOTE: Galatians 3:16

In the Bible, Paul emphasizes the singular "seed" in Galatians 3:16, indicating that the promises made to Abraham were directed to a specific individual, Christ. This singular reference signifies that the fulfillment of God's promises ultimately points towards Jesus, rather than a multitude of descendants. Paul's argument highlights that through Christ, all the promises of Abraham come to fruition, emphasizing the importance of faith in Jesus rather than adherence to the law.(Bible Hub)