BIBLE ANSWERS
TO LIFE'S COMPLEX QUESTIONS
by Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
“The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.” (Ps. 37:23). God has a PLAN for our lives. He knows all about us. He cares for us and loves us with an eternal love! From our first breath to the last, our Heavenly Father watches over us! It is His divine will and purpose that we give ourselves totally to Him through His Son Jesus Christ, Who came to this earth to purchase our salvation through His death on the cross!
God has a PURPOSE for our lives, the same as He has for the earth and universe, which He created and upholds by the Word of His power! (Heb. 1:3). Albert Einstein - one of the world’s most celebrated scientists - stated, “I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world”.
Einstein
was aware, like many of his colleagues, that it is scientifically impossible
for a precise, perfectly ordered universe such as ours, to have happened
through some fluke of chance! That is
but a pipe dream of foolish evolutionists who constantly lobby governments and
philanthropists for more money, for their mostly ill-fated and flawed
experiments!
Werner Von Braun, head of NASA's
man-on-the-moon project stated, “The farther we probe into space, the more I
believe in God”. The brilliant
space scientist often communicated his strong belief in Jesus Christ as the Son
of God, and his own personal Saviour!
Werner Von Braun
stated: “It is only natural for a scientist, working with God's universe, to
believe in Him. It is as difficult for
me to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a
superior rationality behind the existence of the universe, as it is to comprehend
a theologian who would deny the advances of science.”
Concerning
his own faith, the man behind the moon walk declared: “I find it best through faith to accept God as an Intelligent Will,
perfect in goodness, revealing Himself in the world of experience more fully
down through the ages as man's capacity for understanding grows.”
Because Science has made strides, he felt that people put too much faith in it: “We should remember that science exists only because there are people and its concepts exists only in the minds of men.”
He believed that God built within man a curiosity and expects us to use this gift. And since we have the tools available to explore space and if it were not the Creator's intent for us to explore celestial bodies, He would not have permitted us to acquire them. Werner von Braun received great strength through reading the Bible and guidance through prayer. His belief in life after death has a scientific foundation.
“Science has found that nothing can
disappear without a trace. Nature does
not know extinction. All it knows is
transformation. Now, if God applies this
fundamental principle to the most minute and insignificant parts of His
universe, doesn't it make sense to assume that He applies it also to the
masterpiece of His creation - the human soul?
I think it does.”
Sir Isaac Newton, the brilliant scientist from the eighteenth century who discovered the ‘Law of Gravity’ stated, “If the Bible is true, the time is coming when men shall travel at 50 miles an hour”. How did the so-called brilliant French atheist and freethinker, Voltair respond to that statement? “Poor Isaac! He was in his dotage when he made that prophecy. It only shows what Bible study will do to an otherwise scientific mind.”
US
President Thomas Jefferson declared: “I have always said, and always will say, that the studious perusal of
the sacred volume will make better citizens, better husbands, and better
fathers”.
Daniel Webster, the author of the
famous dictionary which bears his name, stated unequivocally: “I have read it (the Bible) through many
times. I now make a practice of going
through it once a year. It is the book
of all others for lawyers as well as divines.
I pity the man who cannot find in it a rich supply of thought and rules
for conduct?”
Secular humanists as well as advocates
of the New Age Movement are eager proponents of diabolical doctrines. They teach that human beings need no God but
themselves! Their major doctrine is that we are gods!
NEW AGERS REJECT GOD!
The Mormons still teach Joseph Smith’s ridiculous delusion, which stated: “As man is now God once was and as God now is man may become”. WHAT NONSENSE! Here is a simple yet profound question for the Mormon leadership: “If God was once a man like we are but became God at a later date, who created the man THAT BECAME GOD?”
Their teachings about God are as
ridiculous as that of Joseph Smith’s,
regarding the MOON: “The inhabitants of the moon are more of a uniform size than the
inhabitants of the earth, being about 6 feet in height.
“They dress very much like
the Quaker style and are quite general in style, fashion or dress. They live to be very old: coming generally, near a thousand years. This
is the description of them as given
by JOSEPH
THE SEER, and he could ‘see’ whatever he asked the father in Jesus name to
see.” (‘Journal of Oliver B. Huntington’, Vol 3,
page 166 of typed copy at Utah State Historical Society)
On July 24,
1870, Brigham Young, the second
President of the Mormon L.D.S made this ridiculous statement:
“Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the MOON? …when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find the most learned are as ignorant in regards to them as the ignorant of their fellows. So it is in regard to the inhabitants of the SUN. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 13, page 271 – July 24, 1870)
FROM ONE TO MANY!
“First God himself, who sits enthroned in yonder heavens, IS A MAN like
unto yourselves that is the great secret… I’m going to tell you how God came to
be God. We have imagined that God was
God from all eternity… God himself is the father of us all dwelt on an earth
the same as Jesus Christ himself did… You have to learn how to become gods
yourselves; … No man can learn you more than what I have told you.” (Times &
Seasons, Vol 15, page 613-614)
The Mormon apostle Orson Pratt made this statement concerning Mormon doctrine of a
plurality of gods: “If we should take a million of worlds like
this and number their particles, we should find that there are more gods than
there are particles of matter in these worlds…” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 2, page 3-5)
The Mormon Latter Day Saints teaches that
‘God the Father’ had a father, and that God’s father also had a father, and so
on. Brigham
Young, the second President of the Mormon L.D.S. made these statements:
“He (God) is our father – the father of our spirits, and was once a man in mortal flesh as we are, and is now an exalted being. How many gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not gods…It appears ridiculous to the world, under their darkness and erroneous traditions, that God has once been a finite being…” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, page 333)
Heber
C. Kimball, who was a member of the First Presidency, made these
observations: “…then we shall go
back to our father and God, who is connected with one who is farther back; and
this father is connected with one still farther back, and so on…” (Journal of Discourses, vol 5, page 19
“…for our God is a natural man…the first of
all mechanics. Where did he get his
knowledge from? From his father, just
like we get our knowledge from our earthly parents.” (Ibid., Vol 8, page 211)
Joseph
Smith stated on July 26, 1857: “I want you to tell them, and tell all the great
men of the earth that the Latter Day Saints are to be their redeemers… Believe in God,
believe in Jesus, and believe in Joseph his prophet, and in Brigham his successor. And I add, if you will believe in your heart
and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph was a prophet, and that Brigham was his
successor, you shall be saved in the kingdom of God…” (Journal of Discourses, Vol 6, page 229)
In the ‘History of the Church’, Vol 7, page 281, Brigham Young made this blasphemous statement: “Every spirit that confesseth that Joseph Smith is a prophet, that he lived and died a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true, is of God, and every spirit that does not is of anti-Christ”.
Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth President of the Mormon L.D.S., says that there is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith: “If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth… then this knowledge is of the most vital importance to the entire world. No man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. (Doctrines of salvation, Vol 1, page 89-190)
How stupid and deceived Joseph Smith and Brigham Young really were! To think that people could believe such garbage is almost unbelievable! New Agers and Secular Humanists actually believe that they are equal to God or more intelligent than their creator!
These poor deluded souls think they are
Gods or in the process of becoming Gods! How Satan must rejoice, having
deceived millions of otherwise intelligent people!
It is
possible that some may end up like Adolf
Hitler, who was obsessed with clairvoyants
and spiritist mediums! The infamous murderer who called himself Den
Fuhrer (the leader) had God’s name inscribed on his soldiers’ belt
buckles.
No doubt
Hitler was referring to himself as God, for even though he was a Roman Catholic, he violated God’s laws, murdering
and killing six million Jews and millions more who were a threat to his
diabolical regime!
It is no wonder then, that Hitler voiced
his fear and distrust of Germany’s Evangelical Christians. They rejected him and his New Age beliefs and
clung to the Gospel of Christ, even in the face of death!
Here is a
diagram and summary of Humanist Manifesto 1 and 2 from ‘A Battle For The
Mind’. Douglas R. Grosthius states that there
are six distinctions of the New Age
Movement. They are as follows:
(1) All is one (4)
A Change in Consciousness
(2) All is God (5)
All Religions Are One
(3) Humanity is God (6)
Cosmic Evolutionary Optimism
1.
An imperial god (force)
2.
An eternal universe
3.
An illusory nature of
matter
4.
A cyclical nature of life
5.
The necessity of
re-incarnation
6. The evolution of man into Godhood
7.
Continuing revelations from
beings beyond the world
8.
The identity of man with
God
9.
The need for meditation (or
other consciousness changing techniques)
10.Occult practices (astrology, mediums, etc)
11.Vegetarianism & holistic health
12.Pacificism (or anti-war activities)
13.One world (global order)
14.Syncretism (unity of all religions)
Theologians teach that there are three approaches people may take to God, the Bible, and the Church! Here they are:
1)
ATHEISTIC
APPROACH - Proponents of this
ideology say that there is no God and the Bible is only the writings of
men. Atheists, communists and some
evolutionists hold to this viewpoint!
2)
RATIONALISTIC
APPROACH - Those who believe this
teaching say: Whatever corresponds to
reason, whatever we can see, hear and understand in the Bible about God, we
accept. However, whatever we cannot
reason out or rationalize about God and the Bible, we will reject! Many false cults favour this philosophy of
religion!
3)
ORTHODOX
BIBLICAL APPROACH - We who
adhere to the orthodox Biblical approach accept everything about God that we
can understand. Everything in the Bible,
which corresponds to reason, we accept.
We go a step further, however.
Whatever we cannot understand or are
unable to reason out about God and His Word, if it is in the Bible we take
it by faith, because we realize that it is impossible for the created being
to fully understand our Creator. And His
Word is absolute, authoritative and true!
Speaking to his friend, Joshua Speed in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln said: “Take
all this book (the Bible) upon reason that you can, and the balance
on faith, and you will live and die a better man.”
4) REALISTIC
APPROACH - New Testament, Full
Gospel, Pentecostal believers go a step further. We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ really
works! We not only sing the song ‘Standing on the Promises’, we stand on
God’s Word. We believe the Full Gospel!
Those who
repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, receive new
life and are born again (John 3: 3,7).
Those who are hungry for the Holy Spirit and ask Him in faith, are
filled with the Spirit (Luke 11: 13).
And the sick are healed in answer to believing prayer (James 5: 14, 15)! The
Gospel of Jesus Christ works!
Millions of
people across the world today, are baptized with the Holy Spirit and speak in
tongues - which is the initial evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts
2: 4; 10: 17; 11: 17)
God is pouring out His Spirit upon the
pagan as well as believers in this End-time hour and great miracles of divine
healings, providence and protection are happening regularly among His people!
Many years ago, Anglican Bishop Polloch of Great Britain made this
statement: “The Bible is a corridor between two eternities down which walks the
Christ of God: His invisible steps echo
through the Old Testament, but we meet Him face to face in the throne room of
the New; and it is through that Christ alone, crucified for me, that I have
found forgiveness for sins and life eternal.
The Old Testament is summed up in the word Christ: The New Testament is
summed up in the word Jesus; and the summary of the whole Bible is that Jesus
is the Christ”.
LIFE’S COMPLEX QUESTIONS!
Like Job -
the ancient Bible character - many of our more than seven billion people
wonder, “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14) Preachers, prophets and philosophers never
stop poking their long index finger toward us, with the all-important question,
"WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?"
Attending
the pietistic branch of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a child, I remember
the almost apocalyptic tone in our Pastor's voice, as he pronounced the Benediction. “And now, unto Him which was and which is,
and which is to come...one true God.
World without end! Amen.”
In my young
heart, I wondered about a God who is without beginning and end. And the same yesterday, today and forever! I also pondered my own existence in a world
that will be eternal. One, which
transcends death - a world that will never end!
And I
shuddered at the prospect of having to participate in this “world of forever”,
in either Heaven or Hell - whether I liked it or not. I wasn't so sure that I wanted to live
forever, even if it was in a perfect paradise of peace called Heaven!
Have you
ever tried to rationalize,
philosophize or ponder these issues?
I'm sure most everyone reading this book has
experienced similar thoughts, fears, feelings or frustrations! WHY?
Because of the uniqueness of
birth, the uncertainties of life, the absolute certainty of death and the fear
of eternity!
I'm happy
to report that at age 24, I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, which forever
sealed my allegiance and love to Him. As
well as my eternal destiny, with the redeemed!
It was at
that moment that I began to really live!
And the older I become, the more thankful I am to God for His provision
of eternal life for us all, through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ! I
now have the answers to the perplexing questions of life and death!
NO. 1 - WHO AM I?
“And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness...So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them...” (Gen. 1:26-27) “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7)
WHO AM I? I am a human
being created in God’s image. I am
unique, made in His likeness. There is
no one exactly like me, among the more than 7 billion people upon this clod!
It's
difficult to comprehend how marvellously we have been created, with individual
lip prints, fingerprints and footprints.
Each one of us is an eternal spirit that will live forever! Every human being is unique and special:
created in the image of God.
He has a plan for each of our lives!
The Bible says: “I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right
well. My substance was not hid from
Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of
the earth. Thine eyes did see my
substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." (Ps. 139:14-16)
God created
three kingdoms to live on planet Earth: 1)
The Plant Kingdom; 2) The Animal Kingdom; 3) The Human Kingdom.
Plants have life but they
have no mind or spirit. Animals have life like the plants, but they have a
mind. They can feel happiness or sadness and they can understand, to a point. Animals can also be affectionate or
ferocious. Animals do not pray or
worship God, however, because they do not have an eternal spirit or soul!
Man has life like the plants and a mind like the animals, albeit a far superior intellect. But man also has an eternal soul or spirit through which he can fellowship with God!
It is important to note that only man has an eternal spirit or soul that was given by Almighty God! And that eternal spirit came from God! Who am I? A special creation of God! I am blessed by the Lord, needed by my fellowman and endowed with compassion and love for others, in order to bring God's saving and healing power to my generation!
NO. 2 – WHERE DID I COME FROM?
God is eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, everywhere present, just, perfect, and benevolent: His Word is immutable (permanent, changeless). He is triune - Father, Son and Holy Spirit! We were created in His likeness and are spirit, soul and body!
The Bible
states that our ‘spirit man’
came from God and when death takes place, our spirits will again be separated
from our bodies and we will return to God!
“Then shall
the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God,
Who gave it.” (Ecc. 12:7) King Solomon
speaks of God placing a little bit of “eternity in our hearts”! (Ecc. 3:11)
WHAT IS THAT ‘ETERNITY’? It is our conscience! St. Paul calls it “the Word of God in our
members”. (Rom. 7:18-25; 8:1-2) The Hebrew word for man (Gen. 1:27; 2:7) is ‘adahm’ or ‘adam’, which
literally means, “The blood of God”!
The truth
is that we all have a spark of God within us.
Our spirit (inner man) is eternal, created by God! The Eternal took of Himself (His own life),
to make man! The word ‘blood’ as denoted here is
figurative: “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11), since God is
Spirit and has no blood!
The Bible says, “And the
Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life: and man became a living soul”. (Gen. 2:7)
The Hebrew
word for image is ‘damoot’ which means, “an exact duplication in kind”. When God made Adam (man), He made him just
like Himself - eternal and triune. That
is why people everywhere have a desire to worship their Creator. We are spiritual beings made in God’s
likeness!
The Hebrew word for dust is “afar” meaning ‘minute particles’. A recent scientific report stated that all matter is made up of “minute particles”. The word for ground is ‘adamah’ meaning ‘the totality of all that God is’, and the Hebrew word for breath is ‘nephish’ which means spirit. God breathed His own Spirit into man!
THE MARVELLOUS TRUTH IS THAT ALMIGHTY GOD TOOK OF HIMSELF TO CREATE ADAM. WE ARE GOD’S OFFSPRING. WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD THROUGH CREATION, AND ALSO THROUGH THE NEW BIRTH!
The reason Jesus Christ came from Heaven to redeem us is because Adam was the created Son of God, while Jesus is the Eternal Son of God and is called the ‘Second and Last Adam’. In order to redeem the first Adam (blood of God), Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin woman (without a human father). Jesus came as the “Last Adam” (blood of God) to redeem the children of the first Adam!
He poured
out His pure and perfect blood - which was not contaminated by sin - as a
ransom (payment in full) for our sins. Through His incarnation and the shedding
of His pure and holy blood for us, Jesus was made the propitiation
(satisfaction, expiation, covering) and met the demands of divine justice for
the sins of the world, past, present and future!
The
vicarious (substitutionary) death of Jesus Christ satisfied the wrath of God
against our sins and through His glorious resurrection from the dead, He has
given us power over sin, sickness, fear, death, Satan and Hell!
St. Paul
writes: “And so it is written, the first
man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Jesus) was made a quickening spirit”.
(1 Cor. 15:45) Jesus Christ - the last Adam - had to shed His perfect blood to
redeem fallen man (the blood of God)! “The first
man (Adam) is of the earth, earthy: the second
man (Jesus) is the Lord from Heaven”. (1 Cor. 15:47) Hallelujah!
Satan - the
adversary of God - hates and despises God’s highest creation, man! He also has a plan for our lives: a plan,
which is devious, cruel, evil and destructive!
But, his plans have been thwarted and destroyed because of the ‘glorious
plan of salvation’ deployed on our behalf by our loving Heavenly Father and
Jesus Christ our Saviour, Lord and Deliverer!
Jesus Christ stated, “The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill and destroy. I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly”. (John 10:10). The Bible says, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil”. (1 John 3:8)
When Jesus Christ, the Son of God hung on Calvary’s cross, He was fulfilling the Holy Scriptures. He had come to earth to die for the sins of the world and rise again in power for our justification! (Rom. 4:25)
Just before He died on the cursed tree, He cried, “It is finished”. (John 19:30) He spoke the word “tetelestai” in the Greek language. It is taken from the Greek verb “teleo”, which has three essential meanings:
1. TO BRING TO AN END, FINISH OR COMPLETE SOMETHING.
2. TO CARRY OUT, ACCOMPLISH, PERFORM, FULFILL
3. TO PAY WHAT IS OWED.
St. Paul states: “Let this mind be
in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion
as a man, He humbled Himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
“Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every
name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:5-11)
The key to His exaltation by
Almighty God and His great power, lies in the fact of WHO HE IS - God the Son,
Who through the miracle of the Incarnation (God in human flesh) descended to
this earth to salvage and redeem us by paying our debt through His death on the
“cursed tree”. Jesus shed His precious
blood for us!
When He
cried out “tetelestai”, He was
declaring: “I have completed My mission on earth.
I have FINISHED My work, defeated Satan and opened God’s Kingdom
for repentant sinners who will believe in the efficacy of My shed blood for
their eternal salvation”.
Jesus had brought an END to Satan’s
domination over the human race. No longer could he dominate those who would receive
Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus defeated him fully and totally. Satan,
the Enemy of God and Man is an eternally defeated foe!
The Bible states: “He that committeth sin
is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the
Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1
John 3:8)
“Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same;
that through Death He might Destroy him that had the power of death, that is,
the Devil.” (Heb.2: 14)
He was
declaring that He had Fulfilled all
the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah (332 in all), and that He had Paid the awful cost of salvation!
Isaiah had
prophesied more than 700 years earlier: “But He (Messiah)
was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed”. (Isaiah 53:5).
St. Paul stated: “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened (made alive) together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances which was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. And having spoiled principalities and power, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col.2: 13-15).
“Who (God) hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Tim.1: 10)
All our
sins, fears, torments, sickness and death were nailed to the cross and our sin
debt was cancelled, when Jesus “tasted death for every man” (Heb.2: 9) and “loosed
the pains of death” by His glorious resurrection from the dead! (Acts 2: 24)
St. Matthew
and St. Peter confirmed that Jesus Christ was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah
and the Messiah of the Jews: “When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed
with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that
were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,
saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (Matt.
8:16-17)
“Who His own self bare our sins in His own
body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by Whose stripes ye were healed.”
(1 Peter 2:24)
NO. 3 - WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt. 22:37-39)
There are three reasons why we are on this earth: To love and worship God; To love our fellowman; To be a moderating influence in the world!
We have been placed here to worship and serve God, and to minister the love of God to our fellowman! We are all travellers into eternity. Destination - Heaven or Hell! Blaise Pascal stated: “We were created with a blank space (vacuum) in our hearts that only God can fill”.
A battle is constantly raging between God
and the devil for the souls of mankind.
Who will win that battle for your soul?
That depends upon you! Joshua stated, “Choose ye this day
whom you will serve...As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. (Josh.
24:15)
The Bible says, “Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season”. (Heb. 11:25) On the contrary, St. Paul writes: “Demos hath forsaken me, having loved this present world”. (2 Tim. 4:10)
The Bible says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
He desires our love, obedience and faithfulness! He sent Jesus Christ into the world ,“to seek and to save, that which was lost”. (Luke 19:10). When Jesus Christ had purchased our total salvation through His victorious death upon the cross and the gift of the Holy Ghost was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the Church was born in a blaze of fire and power!
The Bible
states that the Church was “purchased through His blood". (Acts 20:28) We are redeemed, washed, purged, purified,
sanctified, healed and empowered by the precious blood of Jesus Christ!
Why and for what Purpose? To become living stones in His building (1 Peter 2:4-5), members of His body (Eph. 5:30), ambassadors of His Kingdom and proclaimers of the glad Gospel message! (Mark 15:15-16). The Bible says: "Ye are epistles seen and read of all men". (2 Cor. 3:2) Born again Christians are the only Bible that some sinners will ever read!
WE ARE THE
SALT OF THE EARTH! Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the
salt has lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good
for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men”. (Matt.
5:13) What does salt do?
God promised Abraham that He
would spare the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction, if there
were 10 righteous people in Sodom! Ten righteous souls would have held back God’s
judgment on those wicked cities. Think of that – my friend!
Sodomites
should be thankful for all the godly people who are holding back God’s judgment
- which is due to fall on many - because of their sins! I urge all who are bound by sexual
perversions, to carefully study Genesis chapters 18 and 19, and thank God for
all the ‘born-again Christians’ who are praying for them!
The Bible
says that if a ‘believer’ is
married to an unbeliever - if she keeps
the faith - her husband and their offspring are sanctified (made holy) by her faith! “For the
unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is
sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.” (1 Cor. 7:14)
The word
‘religion’ comes from the Latin words re and ligio - which means “to hold
back”. We hold back the surge of evil in
the world. We hold back the flood of
unrighteousness, wickedness and lawlessness as well as God’s judgment upon this
world, by our godly testimony and the presence of the Holy Spirit! Note: It
can also mean “to
be bound to”. And we are bound
and tied to Jesus our Saviour, with a compassion for our fellowman!
NO. 2 - IT IS A CLEANSING
AGENT. Salt has a cleansing
property. We cleanse society by God’s
Holy Word that we proclaim and through our righteous lifestyles!
NO. 3 - IT GIVES FLAVOUR AND TASTE. Salt adds flavour and Christians have so much to offer through music, art, literature and clean humour! And Christian Joy! The joyful and balanced lifestyle of Christians shows the strength, peace, resilience and creativity that their individual experiences with God brings to the community!
NO. 4 - IT MAKES PEOPLE THIRSTY. We should make
people thirsty for fellowship with God because of our vibrant faith, wholesome
lifestyle, kindness, gentleness, forgiving spirit and generosity! And Christian Love!
Our lives
should help cleanse people’s hearts by the preaching of the gospel. We should give this world a taste of God’s
goodness, and our testimony and preaching should make people thirsty for God
and His Word!
And in the
Old Testament ‘salt’ spoke of loyalty, faithfulness and trust. Jesus Christ makes us faithful to His
kingdom, to our families, loved ones and those around us!
NO. 4 - WHAT DOES MY FUTURE HOLD?
Jesus Christ spoke of two roads upon which mankind may travel into eternity. One is the way of Truth and Righteousness, which leads to life. And Jesus is the Way! (John 14:6). The other road is the way of Darkness and Sin, and eventual damnation! Satan, the Deceiver, is the Conductor on that train!
Here are Jesus’ Words: “Enter ye in at the straight gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)
The Bible
says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the ends thereof are
the ways of death”. (Prov. 14:12)
Isaiah admonishes, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will abundantly pardon.” (Is. 55:6-7)
Jeremiah chides, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings...” (Jer. 7:3) That means that we must all change our ways if they are displeasing to the Lord! What must we do to receive the forgiveness and blessing of God? Read, honour and obey His Word!
The Bible
says:
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
“The
ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous. For the
Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall
perish.” (Psalm 1:1-6)
There is no better way of being sure we are on the right track, than by heeding the high call of God to our souls! And by copying the godly lifestyles of other men and women of God, we will be certain of spiritual victory! Let us use them as role models for ourselves today!
Here is the Word of God to Joshua: “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
“This book of the law shall not depart out
of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein:
for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success.
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and
of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy
God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Josh 1:7-9)
One who built his house upon the sand and the other, who built his house upon a rock: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
“And every
one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened
unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and
the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and
great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24-27)
Let us all
be like the wise man and be absolutely sure that our lives are built upon our
Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel and not on the sinking, shifting sands of
unbelief, superstition, fear, false religion, and mysticism!
Jesus Christ invites us all to come to Him, for He is the world’s only Saviour. He alone has all the answers to the complexities of life. The Holy Spirit desires to teach us how to live and how to die, when that time comes!
Jesus is
the ‘Great Physician’ Who
heals broken hearts and lives! And He
loves us all and waits for us to call upon His Name for salvation. He said, “Come unto Me all ye that labour and
are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. (Matt. 11:28)
THE WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT:
St. John
warns: “And I saw a great white throne,
and Him that sat on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and
there was found no place for them. And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in
it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
judged every man according to their
works. And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:11-15)
This
Scripture corresponds with the warnings of the Prophet Daniel: “I beheld
till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit. Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of
His head like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His
wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him:
thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand
stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
(Dan. 7:9-10)
WHAT IS OUR
EVENTUAL END?
What a
terrible ending awaits those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus
stated: “When the Son of man shall come in His
glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of
His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations; and He shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And He
shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
“Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world: Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from
Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: And these
shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life
eternal.” (Matt. 25:31-34, 41, 46)
The Bible warns:
“For if the word spoken by angels
was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense
of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation: which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that
heard Him; God also bearing
them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts
of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will”. (Heb. 2:2-4)
Jesus told the story of a rich man who died in unbelief and went to Hell:
“There was a certain rich
man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously
every day: And
there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate,
full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich
man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass,
that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the
rich man also died, and was buried;
“And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame.
“But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou
in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but
now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
“And beside
all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to
you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
“Then he said, I pray thee therefore,
father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five
brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of
torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses
and the prophets; let them hear them.
“And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if
one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one
rose from the dead.” (Luke
16:19-31)
No
wonder Jesus spoke about “weeping and
gnashing of teeth” of those who are everlastingly lost! (Matt. 8:12; 22:13;
24:51; 25:30)
False cults
like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have long denied the existence of hell! And now the Roman Catholic Church has started
on the slippery slope into error, with both the Jesuits and Pope John
Paul II declaring that hell is not a literal place of suffering-
rejecting the Word of God - to be
politically correct!
Although a news story from Vatican City
(July 16, 1999) carried the headline:
‘Hell is Not a Place”, the influential Jesuit magazine Civilta Catolica,
also added: “The existence of hell is
a fact of faith. It is not a place but a condition, a form of existence for
those who suffer the pain of being deprived of God.”
The Jesuits made a good point, however, in stating that: “Hell is eternal not by God’s will, but because men condemn themselves in rejecting God.” The editorial acknowledged that in the past “the church insisted too strongly on fear of hell in order to save mankind from perdition.” It also regretted that the modern world has gone to the other extreme: “People hardly talk of hell any more.”
The
National Post, July 28, 2001 reported that Pope John Paul said that Hell is
not a physical place but “a condition
resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in this life.” The
Word of God, however, clearly teaches that Hell is both a place and the absence
of God!
What will now be done with
the millions of deceased Roman
Catholics who are supposedly in PURGATORY and the thousands of MASSES
that have been said to keep them from going into a burning hell? Will they
refund the millions of dollars paid by parishioners over the years for useless
masses that guaranteed a way out from a fictitious purgatory? The ‘Church that never changes’, continues
to surprise us all!
Jesus declared that Hell is a place of torment and eternal separation from God and the redeemed! Modernist preachers may tell you otherwise, but the Word of God cannot be changed by papal pronouncements or the whims of sinful, backslidden Ministers! We must line up with the Word of God instead of trying to modify the Holy Scriptures to soothe consciences and sinful lifestyles!
HEAVEN IS PARADISE!
In the Apocalypse, Jesus Christ shows us the wonderful New Jerusalem. Oh, what a glorious HOPE we have!
“And He showed
me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on
either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner
of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And
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:
“And they shall see His face; and His name
shall be in their foreheads. And there
shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for
the Lord God giveth them light: and they
shall reign for ever and ever.” (Rev.
22:1-5)
What
happens to a believer at death? St. Paul answers that important question: “Therefore we are always confident,
knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord;
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to
be present with the Lord.” (2 Cor.5: 6, 8).
“For me to live is Christ, and to die is
gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I
shall choose, I know not. For I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire
to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. (Phil. 1: 21-23)
“And the Spirit and the bride say,
Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst
come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17)
Jesus told the dying thief: “This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise”. (Luke 23:43). St. Paul wrote about being “caught up into paradise...” (2 Cor. 12:4), and Christ's message to the Church at Ephesus was, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God”. (Rev. 2:7)
My appeal to everyone reading these lines is: Repent of your sins today, receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, and prepare your heart for the ‘Coming of the Lord’! God bless you, my friend!
Please Note: This article is written in the spirit of grace and for “love of the truth”, without malice to any religion or persons! AMEN.
