The Names Of God Part 70 The Eternal Security of the Born-Again Believer

Can I Lose My Salvation? By Curtis Hutson (Starts on Page No. 9) with excerpts from Arthur Pink from his 3 volume set on the Gospel of John and from Millard Day from his book called “basic bible doctrines” and from Hal Lindsey from his book called “Combat Faith” All Scriptural quotes are taken from the New International Version Unless otherwise indicated at the beginning of the verse Such as: (KJV)==> King James Version (NKJ)==> New King James Version (RSV)==> Revised Standard Version Example: JOH 1:1 (NKJ) For a comprehensive, but very “easy to read” account of the “literal” Fall of Adam, which necessitated Christ’s Death, I strongly suggest reading the book by Hal Lindsey entitled “The Liberation of Planet Earth” which can be ordered at any book store, or found in most Public Libraries. ** NOTE ** If Adam wasn’t real, than the Bible and Christ’s death was meaningless. Because Jesus claimed that the reason He had to come and die was to Undo that which was lost at the Fall. 1Corinthians 15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. Matthew 18:11 “For the Son of Man has come (NKJ) to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10 “for the Son of Man has come (NKJ) to seek and to save that which was lost.” Few other questions cause as many doubts and uncertainties among Christians as the misunderstood issue of ETERNAL SECURITY. No Christian can attain spiritual growth until he first com- pletely understands the answer to: Can I lose my salvation? The Eternal Security of the Born-Again Believer First of all, what is meant by the term “born again”? Jesus makes it clear in the gospel of John that it is imperative for this “new birth” to take place if one is ever to know or understand the things of God. JOHN 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, (NKJ) “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Importance of the New Birth It is profoundly significant that the new birth formed the first subject of the Savior’s teaching in this Gospel according to John. In the first two chapters we learn of a number of things He did, but here in John 3 is the first discourse of Christ recorded by this apostle. It is not how man should live that we are first instructed by Christ in this Gospel, but how men are made alive spiritually. Christ plainly intimated the supreme importance of the new birth by affirming that “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v.3). If then the kingdom of God cannot be seen until a man is born again, the new birth is shown to be a matter of a vital moment for every descendant of Adam. The full force of these first words of Christ to Nicodemus appears to be this: “Unless one is born again, he cannot come to know the things of God.” Such being the case, the new birth is seen to be a thing of profound impor- tance. A better translation for the words “born again” would be “born from above” as the process of baptism is done completely and solely as an act BY God in the believer THRU the Holy Spirit. A brief discussion of baptism will follow “The Character of the New Birth ” as there are many varied beliefs on the subject.

The Character of the New Birth Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. An unregenerate man who has no relish at all for spiritual things, who is bored by the conversation of believers, who finds the Bible dull and dry, who is a stranger to the throne of grace, would be wretched in heaven. Such a man could not spend eternity in the presence of God. Suppose a fish were taken out of the water, and laid upon a salver of gold; suppose further that the sweetest of flowers surrounded it, and that the air was filled with their fragrance; suppose, too, that the strains of most melodious music fell upon its ears, would that fish be happy and contented? Of course not. And why not? Because it would be out of harmony with its environment; because it would be lacking in capacity to appreciate its surroundings. Thus would it be with an unregenerate soul in heaven. What is regenerate or regeneration? It is the spiritual change wrought in man by the Holy Spirit, by which he becomes the possessor of a new life. But what is the new birth? Precisely what is it that differentiates a man who is dead in sins from one who has passed from death to life as Jesus claims in John 5:24? JOH 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. Upon this point there is much confusion and ignorance. Tell the average person that he must be born again and he thinks you mean that he must reform, mend his manner of life, turn over a new leaf. But reformation concerns only the outer life. And the trouble with man is within. The new birth, then, is something more than reformation. Others suppose, and there are thousands who do so, that being born again means becoming religious. Nicodemus was not only a religious man, he was a preacher (Pharisee), and yet it was to him Christ said “You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.'(John 3:7) There are still others who believe that the new birth is a change of heart. In the one who has been born again there is no change of heart though there is a change of life, both inward and outward. The one who is born again now loves the things he once hated, and he hates now the things he once loved; and, in consequence, his whole line of conduct is radically affected. But, nevertheless, it remains true that his old heart (which is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked”) remains in him, unchanged, to the end of this life. JER 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, (KJV) and desperately wicked: who can know it? The new birth is the impartation of the new nature. When I was born the first time I received from my parents their nature; so, when I was born again, I received from God His nature. The Spirit of God begets within us a spiritual nature. Every born again person has, therefore, two natures within him; one which is carnal, the other which is spiritual. These two natures are contrary the one to the other (Galatians 5:17; Romans 7:21-25; 8:1), and in consequence, there is an unceasing warfare going on within the Christian. It is only the grace of God which can subdue the old nature; and it is only the Word of God which can feed the new nature. GAL 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ROM 7:21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ROM 7:22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ROM 7:23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ROM 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ROM 7:25a Thanks be to God– ROM 8:1 Therefore, there is through Jesus Christ now no condemnation for those our Lord! who are in Christ Jesus,

BAPTISM… Baptism is for believers, it is not for the unsaved. Water baptism does not in any way add to our salvation, nor does it in any way enter into it. We are saved by faith and by grace through faith, and on the ground of the shed blood of Christ; and this, not only from our original sin, but from all sin, and from all our sins. The teaching that water baptism in any way atones for our sins is unscriptural. The expression “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16) doubtless has to do with the kingdom age rather than with the Church age. Note the following context in verses 16-18: MAR 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. MAR 16:17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; MAR 16:18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” These signs surely do not always follow faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in the present age. Some Bible teachers believe they are Kingdom-age signs. The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled all righteousness for us when He died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Baptism symbolizes all that, and when a believer submits himself for water baptism and is buried under the water as a dead man and then is raised up again as in resurrection, he is proclaiming his faith in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as the means by which he is saved. So then, baptism is an outward expression by the believer to symbolize what has already actually taken place inwardly by the Holy Spirit. That baptism meant death, to be followed by resurrection, can be seen from our Lord’s saying to James and John in Mark 10:38; MAR 10:38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” He also says in Luke 12:50; LUK 12:50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! In Matthew, the Lord Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan River; and when John would have prevented it, He said…. MAT 3:15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. This speaks of a symbol, a type, as the Lord Jesus actually ful- filled all righteousness for us when He died on the cross, was buried, and rose in resurrection; so water baptism symbolizes all this, and it may be said that the sinner fulfills all righteousness when he dies and is buried (is buried beneath the water), and is raised in resurrection (is raised up from beneath the water); this is said by the apostle Paul in Romans 6:4-5…. ROM 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ROM 6:5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. And also in Colossians 2:12…. COL 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. I believe baptism by immersion would more accurately symbolize (typify) His death, burial, and resurrection. As further proof, in Acts 8:38-39 Philip and eunuch “went down into the water” for baptism; ACT 8:38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ACT 8:39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. John baptized in the Jordan River, where it speaks of the Lord Jesus “coming up out of the water” (Mark 1:10); MAR 1:10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. and John was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was “much” water there (John 3:23). Why was “much” water to be desired, and why not baptize at one of the numerous and nearby wells, if sprinkling were to be used? The answer, it seems, is apparent. But nonetheless, any form of water baptism is still a symbolization only. An outward expression of faith. I believe that all children, before the age of reason, are covered by the blood of Christ. If it would take a sinner, such as any of us are, to baptize a baby to save him/her from God’s judgment (before the age of reason), then it would no longer be God’s grace alone, but God plus our works, which is unscriptural (Ephesians 2:8-9). God does not need us to show Him how to be merciful. EPH 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– EPH 2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast. JOH 3:23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, (KJV) because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. JOH 3:23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, (NIV) because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. That water baptism is in no way essential to salvation, that it does not form one of the conditions which God requires the sinner to meet, is clear from many considerations: 1.> If baptism be necessary to salvation then no one was saved before the days of John the Baptist, for the Old Testament will be searched from beginning to end without finding a single mention of “baptism”. Furthermore, if baptism is an indispensable prerequisite to the forgiveness of sins, then all who died from Abel to the time of Christ are eternally lost. But this is absurd. The Old Testament Scriptures plainly teach otherwise. 2.> If baptism be necessary to salvation, then every professing believer who has died during this present dispensation (this dispensation being the Church Age which is from Pentecost till the Rapture) is eternally lost, if he died without being baptized. 3> If baptism be necessary to salvation, then we must utterly ignore every passage in God’s Word which teaches that salvation is by grace and not of works, that it is a free gift and not bought by anything the sinner does ==>> (Ephesians 2:8,9; Ephesians 1:13,14; 2Corinthians 1:21,22; Romans 3:23,24; 1Peter 1:3,4; 1Timothy 2:5. EPH 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– EPH 2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast. EPH 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, EPH 1:14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession– to the praise of his glory. 2CO 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 2CO 1:22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ROM 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ROM 3:24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1PE 1:4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade– kept in heaven for you, 1TI 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 4.> Finally, if baptism be essential to salvation, it is extremely strange that the apostle Paul should have written to the Corinthians “I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius” (1Corinthians 1:14). As the “True Church” is really made up of all “born from above” believers, and is referred to in the Bible as “the body of Christ”, a brief discussion on “The Church” is also in order. ** NOTE ** The True Church has always been comprised of believers from within all denominations. Some denominations may have unscriptural doctrines and beliefs, but God looks into the heart of each individual, and knows those few who have really placed their faith “in Christ”. Upon believing and trusting in Christ’s finished work at the cross for all your sins for all times, God then places His seal within you which is the Holy Spirit. To Show that God knows His own, and that they are the “few”, and not “the many” as some would teach is spoken of by Christ in John 10:14; Mat 22:14. JOHN 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. MATTHEW 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” 1SAMUEL 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

THE CHURCH… The word Church as used in the New Testament means a called-out or assembled body of people. It has two applications: 1.> The visible or local church (1 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:2; 1 Tim 3:15); a gathering of professed believers, but not necessarily Christians, existing under various names, maintaining many differ- ences in doctrine, and known to the world as “the church”. 1CO 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ–their Lord and ours: GAL 1:2 and all the brothers with me, To the churches in Galatia: 1TI 3:15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 2.> The true Church; that company of people being gathered by the Holy Spirit into one Body, of which Christ is the Head (1 Cor 12:12-13; Eph 1:22-23, which company includes only those born-again people from Pentecost to the first resurrection (1 Cor 15:52), regardless of nationality, whether Jew or Gentile (Col 3:11), and seen in heaven as the Bride of the Lamb, forever reigning with the King and forever sharing in His glory (Rev 19:7-8; 21:9). 1CO 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 1CO 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. EPH 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, EPH 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills every- thing in every way. 1CO 15:52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imper- ishable, and we will be changed. COL 3:11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircum- cised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. REV 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. REV 19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) REV 21:9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” The Eternal Security of the Born-Again Believer

By Curtis Hutson Nearly everywhere I go I find people troubled because they do not know that they are secure. They think that because of their sins, their negligence, their failing to endure to the end, or some other reason, they may lose their salvation. Those who think they are saved now but could lose their salvation later have one of two problems: First, they are trusting to some degree in their good works to save them; or Second, they do not understand that by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior their destiny is in the hands of God. Perhaps they have taken the word of someone whom they trust. Or they have not studied the Bible carefully and do not realize that God has determined that all who believe “in Him” HAVE everlasting life and will go to Heaven when they die. The first group, those who believe that leading a poor Christian life will result in the loss of their salvation, actually needs to have the plan of salvation made clear to them. Somehow they have not completely understood that Jesus Christ fully paid for all our sins when He died on the cross and that our conduct or good works have nothing to do with salvation. Of course, we ought to live good; and God has ways of dealing with disobedient children. But we are saved by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” It is a clear cut problem of “grace or works.” Ephesians 2:8,9 makes it plain; EPH 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– EPH 2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast. The Second group needs to study carefully what the Bible says about the security of the believer. With that in mind, let me share with you several thoughts. I. GOD PROMISED AND GOD PRODUCED ETERNAL LIFE

John 3:14-16 says: JOH 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, JOH 3:15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. JOH 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Again, in Titus 1, verse 2, we read: TIT 1:2 a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, First John 2:25 says, 1JO 2:25 And this is what he promised us– even eternal life. Now when God promises something, He is bound by His honor to produce. If He did not produce what He promised, He would sacrifice His honor and integrity. But what God promised He produced. The Bible says in I John 5:10,11: 1JO 5:10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 1JO 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. John 10:27-29 says: JOH 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. JOH 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. JOH 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. And we read in Romans 6:23: ROM 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God promised and God produced eternal life for the believer. II. THE BELIEVER HAS EXACTLY WHAT GOD PROMISED AND PRODUCED Many Scriptures make it unmistakably plain that the man who is trusting Jesus Christ as Savior has eternal life. John 5:24 says, JOH 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, (RSV) he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Notice the Bible does not say, “He that believes on the Son will have….” It says, “has”. That is present tense. That means the man who is trusting Jesus Christ completely for salvation has everlasting life now. It is not something that God promised him, provided he meets certain additional conditions. It is something he has the moment he believes on Christ. But notice that Jesus goes a little further than saying we have everlasting life. He makes it doubly sure in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” In addition to saying that the believer has everlasting life the moment he believes, Jesus adds the promise that he shall not come into condemnation; that is, the sentence of sin will never be put on the believer again. The condemned criminal is the man who has been arrested, tried and had sentence passed upon him. He is under the sentence. He is condemned. The sentence for sin is death. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death. . . .” That death is described in the Bible as the second death, the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14: “Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” ROM 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. REV 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. (NKJ) This is the second death. But now Jesus says the man who believes on Christ not only has had the sentence lifted, he is not condemned; but He further promises that “he shall not come into condemnation. . . .” (or judgment). The sentence of sin will never again be placed on the believer. He goes even further in John 5:24 and says, “. . .but has passed from death to life”. Not that he is going to pass from death to life. The man who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ has already passed from death to life. John 3:36 says, JOH 3:36 “He who believes in the Son (NKJ) has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Here again you have the word “has”. This is present tense. The man who believes on the Son has everlasting life now. Everlasting life is not something God promises in the future, but it is the present possession of every believer. Now the words “everlasting” and “eternal” do not mean a short duration. They do not mean life for a day, a week, a month, a year, nor even a hundred years. But they mean life for all time and all eternity. The word “everlasting” in John 5:24 and John 3:36 which describes the life of the believer is the same word “everlasting” in Romans 16:26 that describes the duration of God, “. . .according to the commandment of the everlasting God”. If God Himself is everlasting, then the life of the believer is everlasting. ROM 16:25 Now to Him who is able to establish you (NKJ) according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began ROM 16:26 But now has been made manifest, (NKJ) and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith– More than forty-five times the terms “eternal life” and “everlasting life” are used in the Bible. If the believer has anything, he has everlasting life; for that is precisely what God promised and God produced. III. GOD NOT ONLY GIVES ETERNAL LIFE, BUT PROMISES THAT THE BELIEVER WILL NEVER PERISH

John 10:28 says, JOH 10:28 “And I give them eternal life, (NKJ) and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. When you look up the word “never” which occurs in John 10:28 in the Strong’s Concordance, you find that it comes from four different Greek words, which spelled in English letters are OUME, EIS, HO, and AION. Looking up each of these words in turn in the Strong’s Concordance you find that OUME (#3364) means, “not at all, by no means, in no case, never”. EIS (#1519) means, “place, time, purpose”. HO (#3588) means “male, female, or (even) neuter”. AION (#165) means, “perpetually, eternally”. Put the meanings of all these root words together; and you find that when Christ said “never” here in this verse, it carries with it very powerful assurance–more than one word “never” ordinarily carries with it in our minds. Looking at John 10:28 with this additional light we could write it this way and give it the emphasis Christ did when He spoke it: “And I give them eternal life and they shall NOT AT ALL, BY ANY MEANS, IN ANY CASE, IN ANY PLACE, AT ANY TIME, FOR ANY PURPOSE, WHETHER THEY ARE MALE OR FEMALE, PERPETUALLY AND ETERNALLY, ever perish…” IV. BELIEVERS ARE KEPT BY GOD, THEY DO NOT KEEP THEMSELVES The Bible makes it plain again and again that the believer is kept by God. If we had to keep ourselves, I would admit that we could be lost again and probably would be. In one of Spurgeon’s sermons he said, “If it should ever come to pass that sheep of God could fall away, alas my fickle, feeble soul would fall ten thousand times a day”. No, we cannot keep ourselves. Thank God, we are kept by God Himself! In II Timothy 1:12 Paul said, 2TI 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. Here the apostle actually says, “I am convinced {that is, I am thoroughly convinced} that he is able to guard what I have entrust- ed to him…” It is my business to trust Jesus Christ as Savior. It is His business to keep me. First Peter 1:3-5 says: 1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1PE 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible (NKJ) and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 1PE 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God (NKJ) through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In these verses we are told that the inheritance is reserved for us and we are reserved or kept for the inheritance. The Bible says, “To an inheritance incorruptible….” That means that it will not corrupt, will not decay. It will last. It will be there when we get there. Peter continues, “To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, that does not fade away….” There have been occasions on earth when men have received a great inheritance; but when the lawyers, the courts and the state were finished, the majority of the inheritance had faded away. But here the Bible says our inheritance “does not fade away”. Then he continues: “…reserved in heaven for you”. It is reserved. No one can take it. It is yours if you have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. But not only is the inheritance reserved in Heaven for you; but the Bible says, “Who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation….” The word “salvation” here denotes our final redemption, when we are saved from the very presence of sin, that is, when Jesus Christ comes for us and we see Him and are made exactly like Him. (see First John 3:2 below) 1JO 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. No, the believer does not and could not keep himself. He is kept by God. John 10:28-30 says, JOH 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. JOH 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; (KJV) and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. JOH 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. JOH 10:30 I and the Father are one.” The believer is in the hand of God. And the Bible says that no man can pluck him out of God’s hand. Several years ago I was discussing eternal security with another preacher. In the course of the conversation I read John 10:28, “…no man can pluck them out of my hand”. The preacher interrupted and said, “Yes. But the Bible does not say that we cannot get out of His hand”. I responded, “You do not build doctrine on what the Bible doesn’t say. Rather, you build it on what the Bible does say”. I continued, “The Bible says, “no man can pluck them out of my hand”. You are a man, aren’t you?” “Why, yes”, he said. “In that case, you could not pluck yourself out of His hand either because the Bible says `any man'”. John 6:39 says, JOH 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. It is God’s will that no saved person will ever be lost. He says He will “lose none”. And since we are at least something, this means that we can never be lost again. Colossians 3:3-4 says, COL 3:3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. COL 3:4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. According to these verses, the believer is under double lock and key. I heard an old preacher illustrate this verse by saying, “Suppose you had three barrels–a big barrel, a medium-sized barrel, and a little barrel. You take the little barrel, and put it into the medium-sized barrel, then put the medium-sized barrel into the big barrel. Then in order to get to the little barrel you would have to tear open the big barrel and the medium-sized barrel”. He continued by saying, “God is the big barrel, Jesus is the medium-sized barrel, and I’m the little barrel. My life is hid with Christ in God”. And he shouted, “Before the Devil could get to me, he would have to tear away the big barrel and the medium-sized barrel. And before he could ever do that, I would have already slipped away to Glory!”

V. JESUS IS THE SAVIOR He is referred to as “Savior” at least twenty-four times in the New Testament. Titus 2:13 says, TIT 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope– the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Now what is a savior? Suppose you are drowning. There you are in the middle of the ocean. Suppose someone threw you a book entitled Three Easy Lessons on How to Swim. Would he be a savior? No. Perhaps you could call him an educator, but you could not call him a savior. Suppose another man came by , got out of his boat, jumped in alongside you and demonstrated various swimming strokes, showing you exactly how to swim. Would he be a savior? Of course not. He might be a good example, and give a good demonstration, but he is not a savior. What if he lifted you into his boat, dried you off, gave you dry clothing, fed you, took you within ten miles of the shore, and then threw you out again into the ocean? Would he be a savior? Absolutely not! A savior is one who takes you safely all the way to the shore. When God says He gives you eternal life and He will never cast you out or lose you, He means it, because He is a true Savior. If you do not trust Christ as your Savior, if you do not put your case in His hands and fully depend on Him to get you to Heaven, then you will not go. John 3:36 says, JOH 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” On the other hand, if you do trust Christ as your Savior, Him only and nothing or no one else (not angels, saints, visions, etc.), then you will go to Heaven, because He is a Savior. [VISIONS WILL BE DISCUSSED ON THE LAST PAGES OF THIS ARTICLE==>PAGE 29]. First Timothy chapter 2:verse 5 makes it emphatically clear that there is no one in heaven or earth that can bridge the gap between God and man except Christ and Christ alone. Below is that verse and just a few more out of many as an example: 1TIMOTHY 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, JOHN 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ACTS 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” ISAIAH 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. PHILIPPIANS 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, PHILIPPIANS 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, MATTHEW 11:6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” REVELATION 19:9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” REVELATION 19:10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” REVELATION 22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. REVELATION 22:9 But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” Jesus Christ is not one who teaches you how to save yourself; He is the one who saves you. Luke 19:10 says, LUK 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” There is not a verse in the Bible that teaches that God places the believer in a position to be saved provided he does other things. No. No. The Bible says He saves the believer. Romans 10:13 says, ROM 10:13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Eternal security is not a totally separate doctrine from salvation. If you are not saved forever, then you are not saved at all. VI. JESUS DIED FOR ALL OUR SINS Many of those who believe that you can lose your salvation think that you lose it for some sin you commit after you are saved. Several years ago I had an experience that I don’t believe I shall ever forget. It was Thursday night, and I was out sharing the “gospel message”, which is the “good news” of the payment for sins (in full) through faith in the finished work at the cross by Jesus Christ, and accredited to us by God’s grace as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9. EPH 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– EPH 2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast. I had been asked to make a visit at a certain address. When I knocked on the door, I was greeted by a friendly gentleman in a business suit. When I went inside, I saw that there were four other men present. I had been there only a few minutes when one of the men said: “Oh, you’re one of those that believe once saved, always saved. You are wrong about that”. I knew then that the men were preachers and that I had been invited to the home simply to argue eternal security. I said, “Now, men, I do not use the expression `once saved, always saved’. But I do believe in the eternal security of the born-again believer, that is, the man who has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior is secure. He can never lose his salvation”. “Oh”, they argued, “yes he could”. I quoted a number of verses, and they quoted verses back to me. After sometime I asked, “Well, if a man could be lost after he is saved, what would he have to do to be lost?” Immediately one of them responded, “Don’t go back to sinning”. And the others agreed. I said, “All right. You are saying that if a man goes back into sinning after he is saved, then he is lost”. “Yes. That is right”, was their quick reply. “All right. Answer several questions for me. First, you did invite me here tonight to argue about eternal security, didn’t you?” “Yes. That’s right”. “You knew that Thursday night is the night that I always go out to share the gospel message, didn’t you?” “Yes, we did”. “Don’t you think it would be a good thing if you had let me go out and share the gospel tonight instead of inviting me here for the sake of arguing about eternal security?” They agreed it would. I continued, “You men are preachers. Don’t you think it would have been good if you had gone sharing the gospel instead of setting up this meeting with me?” They agreed it would have been good. I opened my Bible to James 4:17 and read, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it,____”. And I asked them to read the last word. They stuttered a moment and quoted other verses. I said, “no. No. I want you to tell me what James 4:17 says, `Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it,____’. What?” Finally one of them said, “Sins”. JAM 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. “Then according to this verse, you are sinning right now. Because you know it would have been good if you had gone out sharing the gospel message, and if you had allowed me to go ahead with my soul- winning visits tonight. According to this verse you are all sinning; and according to your teaching, you are all lost”. “Oh, no”, they said, “No”. “But you have admitted that you are sinning”. “Oh, we know it. But”, said one of them, “we have not sinned enough yet”. I smiled and said, “Take this Bible and show me where it teaches how much sin you have to commit to be lost”. Of course they could not find such a verse. The truth of the matter is, Jesus Christ died for all our sins. First Peter 2:24 says, 1PE 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. Isaiah 53:6 says, ISA 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. And Second Corinthians 5:21 says, 2CO 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Every sin that I have ever committed or ever will commit was laid on Jesus two thousand years ago, and He died on the cross to pay my sin debt and to suffer for my sins. I told a lady that once, and she said, “I can understand how He died for my past sins, but I cannot understand how He died for my future sins that I have not even committed yet”. I smiled and said, “Lady, when Jesus Christ died, all your sins were future. You were not even born yet”. For an example, if you were standing in the street watching a parade pass by, you would first see the beginning, then that which was coming closest to you, and then finally the end. But, if you were in a helicopter flying overhead, you could see the whole parade from beginning to end at the same time. That is how God sees your whole life and all of your sins. All at once. Even the ones you haven’t committed yet. When you place your faith in Jesus as your Savior, God has already seen (back in 33 A.D.) your life go by like a parade, He took your whole life and the sin and guilt of it and put it all on Jesus Christ. “I guess you are right”, she said. I said, “I know I am right, unless you are a very old lady”. She laughed and said, “Well, I am not that old”. God Almighty dealt with me as a sinner two thousand years ago when He poured His wrath out on Jesus Christ, as Jesus bore my sins in His own body on the tree. After you trust Jesus Christ as Savior, God will never again deal with you as a sinner. All His dealing from that point on will be as with a son. VII. GOD CHASTISES THE BELIEVER WHO SINS

Look at Hebrews 12:6-8: HEB 12:6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” HEB 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? HEB 12:8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Notice in these verses the words “son” and “sons”. Notice the expression, “God is treating you as sons”. If you wonder why some people seem to get away with murder unpunished. Remember that God doesn’t discipline those that are not His. From the moment you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, God will never again deal with you as a sinner. From that moment on He will deal with you as a son. And the Bible plainly says, “He punishes everyone he accepts as a son”. If the believer sins after he is saved, God will chastise him. Discipline is not the same as “getting even” with you for your sins. God disciplines to bring you back in line for the purpose of stopping you from losing rewards. Even though you cannot lose that salvation that God has given you, you can and do earn and lose rewards for the things that we do in this life…as believers’. (See First Corinthians 3:11-15 below) 1CO 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1CO 3:12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 1CO 3:13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 1CO 3:14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 1CO 3:15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Notice in verse 15 it says that even if all your rewards are burned up through God’s testing of the quality and sincerity of your works, you will still be saved and enjoy eternal life with Him forever. We are not told what rewards God offers, but we do know that the least in heaven will be totally happy and peaceful. Notice just a few example verses to show just some of God’s promises for our futures. REV 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. REV 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. REV 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. REV 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. ******** There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” REV 21:5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” JOH 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. JOH 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. JOH 14:2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. JOH 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Let me give you an illustration of discipline. Suppose I say to my son, Now, Son, Don’t play ball in the front yard. Your may break the big window in the front of the house”. If you do, and you break the window, you will be grounded for two weeks. While I am away, my son disobeys me, plays ball in the front yard and breaks the window. When I get home I ask, “Son, did you break that window?” “Yes, Dad, I did”. “All right. Did I tell you that you would be grounded for two weeks if you broke the window?” “Yes, Dad, you did”. “Then I will have to do what I told you”. Does the two week grounding pay for the window? Absolutely not. I don’t care how much time he’s confined to the house, it will never pay for the window. When I finish chastising him, I will have to reach into my pocket, take out the money, and pay the man to replace the window. I chastised my boy, but I paid for the window. If the believer sins after he is saved, God will chastise him (bring him into the divine woodshed). But the chastisement is not payment for sin. Jesus Christ paid for our sins two thousand years ago when He died on the cross. There is no end to hypothetical questions. I’ve been asked over and over again, “But what if…?” “What if…?” A man asked me one day, “What if a man gets out into open, known sin, and then on the way home runs his car into a telephone pole and is killed before he has time to confess his sin and get right with God?” Do you mean to tell me that man is saved?” I said, “Yes, if he had trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior, he is saved. He may have gone to Heaven with a red face, but he was saved”. I must say what the Bible says, JOHN 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” According to Roman law, when a person was put in prison and the certificate of debt was nailed to the door, it would remain there until the sentence was carried out. Then they would take this certificate and write across it the word meaning “it is finished”. They would roll it up, give it to the prisoner, and he could never be punished for those crimes again. Did you know that was one of the last things Jesus shouted from the cross? Just before He bowed His head and said, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit”, He gave a cry of victory. He called from the cross “It is finished”. The Greek word for this is “tetelestai”, meaning “paid in full”. There is no contradiction between the account of Luke 23:46 and John 19:30. The last words Jesus uttered were “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”, but just moments before He shouted the victory over the “sin Issue” saying, “It is finished”. LUK 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. JOH 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, (NKJ) He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. Jesus took our certificate of debt and wrote across it in His own blood, “Paid in full”. We can never be tried for our sins again after we receive the pardon. It’s settled forever in heaven by the blood of the only begotten Son of God. That’s why it says in Colossians 2:14, COL 2:14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Do you know for a fact where you stand with God for all eternity right now? Perhaps you are having trouble accepting these things. If you are, guess who is helping you think that way? Satan never sleeps. 1PE 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1PE 5:9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. The most important thing to realize is that you don’t have to believe everything to become a member of God’s forever family. All you need is faith enough to call out to God in your heart and thank Him that Jesus Christ died for your inability to measure up to His perfect standards. Receive God’s free pardon, and forgiveness for sin, and thank Him for it. Tell Jesus Christ that you want Him to come into your life right now and begin to make it pleasing to God. If you did this, on the authority of God’s Word, I assure you that you have eternal life right now. ******************************************************************* If you think that all of this is great news for your eternal life in the future, but what does it mean for right here and now in this life? Jesus never said that this life wouldn’t have trials. On the contrary, He said that being identified to Him would guarantee trials. The closer you get to God the more Satan will throw pitfalls your way. JOH 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Trials will come, but by depending on the Holy Spirit within you to handle them through you, the peace you can have through the trials will be all that you need to stand up to them. And, at the same time, you will even experience a great inner peace and joy that can be outwardly seen, felt, expressed, and desired by all those who are witnessing your trials. Those who don’t know Jesus will be shocked at how you are bearing up in otherwise impossible situations. This is your opportunity to share with them the reason for you peace “through Christ”. 1PE 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, One more point to make. God used the apostle Paul to write about two-thirds of the New Testament. Paul took the gospel message to the outer limits of the Roman empire. Then, went back and took up collections from all of the churches that he had started to help bail out the “one” church in Jerusalem that the other eleven apostles were trying to keep together. You would think that a person so used by God would have a happy and peaceful life. Listen to Paul’s own words on his experiences. 2CO 11:24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 2CO 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 2CO 11:26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 2CO 11:27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 2CO 11:28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Now what was Paul’s response to all of this? Listen to his own words again: ROM 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 2CO 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2CO 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2CO 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. PHI 4:11b for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. PHI 4:12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. PHI 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 1TH 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Notice that Paul is clearly given supernatural help to bear up under these circumstances, and also take notice at his enthusiastic and positive attitude. Further notice that Paul says in First Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in `all circumstances'”. Not just the good times, but both the good and bad. He doesn’t leave us hanging as to the reason why. He states in Romans 8:28 as follows: ROM 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ROM 8:28 And we know that all things (NKJ) work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. When you first place your faith in Jesus Christ, and Him alone plus nothing, for the full and final payment for your sins God does two things. First, He places the Holy Spirit within you as a down payment, seal, and guarantee of your eternal inheritance with Him. (Ephesians 1:13-14; Second Corinthians 1:21-22) Second, You become one of the “called” which is spoken of in Romans 8:28. EPH 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, EPH 1:14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession– to the praise of his glory. 2CO 1:21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 2CO 1:22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

ETERNAL THINGS THAT ARE NOT SEEN Brief excerpts by Hal Lindsey from his book “Combat Faith” The details of our coming eternal life with God are not fully revealed. Apparently we just wouldn’t be able to take it all in. But enough is revealed to challenge and encourage our faith through the darkest and most difficult moments of this life. Once again, the LORD makes us this beautiful promise in First Corinthians Chapter 2: verses 9 and 10. 1CO 2:9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”– 1CO 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

OUR NEW BODIES Though this body is wearing out, and we sometimes groan with aging, pain, and injuries, we are going to get a new one that is perfect, eternal, and just like Jesus’ resurrected body. He is going to instantaneously transform these temporal bodies into a new form. It appears that our new bodies will be able to travel by thought and walk through solid materials. They will never wear out, experience sickness, pain, aging, or corruption. We don’t have to eat, but we can if we choose to–and not get fat! Our bodies will reflect the glory of God. They will be designed for the spiritual nature and sphere, and will be suitable for the very presence of God. Though greatly beautified, we will be able to recognize each other. Jesus Christ is referred to in the bible as the “second Adam” or “last Adam” as shown below. 1CO 15:45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 1CO 15:46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 1CO 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 1CO 15:49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. PHI 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, PHI 3:21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. 1JO 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. LUK 24:36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” LUK 24:37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. LUK 24:38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? LUK 24:39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” LUK 24:40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. LUK 24:41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” LUK 24:42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, LUK 24:43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.

OUR NEW DWELLING PLACE The center of God’s new universe will be the New Jerusalem. It will be a city of dazzling beauty made of every kind of precious stone and metal. God Himself will dwell there and the light of His glory will eliminate night and darkness forever. (Revelation 21 and 22) The Lord Jesus’ throne will also be there, and those who have persevered in trials will sit upon His throne with Him. REV 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. Verse 21 in chapter 3 of Revelation says, “to him who overcomes”. What does it mean to be an overcomer? First John 5:5 tells us: 1JO 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. There will be no more curse upon the earth or the heavens. Nature will be returned to its original pre-sin perfection. I love to visit and gaze upon certain places like Switzerland, where the mountains, rivers, and forests are so naturally beautiful. But just think, if some of these places are so pretty now, what will they be without a curse on them? Although our principal dwelling place will be the New Jerusalem, we will apparently be able to observe the rest of the universe, since we will be kings and priests with Christ over all God’s domain. 1PE 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1PE 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. REV 1:6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father– to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. REV 5:9 And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. REV 5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” VISIONS FROM GOD OR FROM SATAN? Most people believe that all miracles and visions are supernatural. In this they are correct. However, most people also believe that all miracles, visions, or apparitions are from God. Some people have seen visions, or apparitions, which have given prophecies of the future that came true. Alas, because they came true it gave those visions a so-called credibility. So that what ever else the visions said must have truth, and must be from God. The Bible says that Satan is also allowed to perform miracles for the purpose of deception to test your faith. “Trials” and “Tests” allowed by God are not to show God how much faith you have, but to show you how real your faith is. The Bible says this about that: DEU 13:1 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, DEU 13:2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” DEU 13:3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. DEU 13:4 It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. Notice in verse 2 that there is no distinction between following (or praying to) other gods, or following (or praying to) visions, saints, or anybody else other than God Himself. To pray to anyone (or thing) is to “deify” that thing or person. That according to God is blasphemy. EXO 34:14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. EXO 20:23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. DEU 4:15b Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, DEU 4:16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, DEU 4:19 And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars– all the heavenly array– do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. The apostle Paul compared two of the churches that he founded. Both of the churches were good churches, but he said that the church in Berea was more noble than the church in Thessalonia. The reason was because they would not just listen, but would examine the scriptures themselves to see if what Paul was saying was accurate. ACCURACY OF THE WORD OF GOD WILL ALWAYS STAND UP TO CRITICISM! ACTS 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. God gives us no other way with which to judge supernatural things, except through testing it to His “written Word”. If it contradicts what His word says, then you should immediately dismiss it. The apostle Paul and the prophet Isaiah put it this way: 1TH 5:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. ISA 8:19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? ISA 8:20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. The “law” and “testimony” in verse 20 are “the scriptures”. Jesus makes it very clear: LUK 16:31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'” MAT 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Moses wrote the first five books of the bible ,and the Prophets wrote the rest. And we know that they are accurate according to both the apostles Peter and Paul. 2PE 1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 2PE 1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2PE 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 2PE 3:16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Notice that Peter refers to Paul’s letters as Scriptures! And now, we will finish this article with a few “Scriptures from Paul”, Peter, Jesus, John, Solomon in the Proverbs, and Revelations. ROM 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 1TI 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 2TI 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, (NKJ) and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 2TI 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage– with great patience and careful instruction. 2TI 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 1TI 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1TI 4:2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 1TI 4:3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 2PE 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them– bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2PE 2:2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 2PE 2:3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. LUK 11:52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” JOH 5:39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, JOH 5:40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. JOH 10:9a I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. JOH 10:10b I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. MAT 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. MAT 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. MAT 22:14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” ROM 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. PRO 30:5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. PRO 30:6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. REV 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. REV 22:19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.