Believe Jesus is He

Jesus clearly tells us that unless we believe He is He, meaning that He is who He really is, that we will perish in our sins. We know from Revelation this means eternal separation from Jesus, and enduring the second death, which is the lake of fire where the smoke of our torment rises "day and night, forever and ever". Hardly a minor detail.

This morning in worship my heart was settling on the One whom I was worshipping, and it rested soundly on this truth...

Jesus did not become God after being man, but rather was God in all His glory BEFORE becoming man, and was simply returned to His glory after being resurrected. Jesus, the eternal God, laid His life down for me.

...who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and  coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the  point  of death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:6‭-‬8 NKJV

And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
John 17:5 NKJV

who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Hebrews 1:3 NKJV

Verbal Confession and Salvation

Isn't it true that if someone says Jesus is Lord that they are saved? First of all "Lord" must be defined.

lord
lôrd/
noun
1.
someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler.
"lord of the sea"

So by definition a Lord is someone whose will cannot be thwarted. (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY WHO SAY "LORD, LORD" THAT WILL BE CAST OUT BECAUSE THEY FAILED RO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS LORDSHIP AS DEFINED.) If someone confesses Jesus as LORD, are they not saved?

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Ro 10:9 NKJV

A verbal confession is made from the abundance of the heart.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. FOR OUT OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART HIS MOUTH SPEAKS.
Lu 6:45 NKJV

Our hearts are desperately wicked from birth.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Jer 17:9 NKJV

So, unless God changes a person's heart, the true confession cannot even be made. God must regenerate a man first, then the verbal declaration is the proof of the work of God.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Eze 36:26‭-‬27 NKJV

Lordship Salvation

Am I missing something, or is this Lordship Salvation a useless argument over words? There has to be proof in the pudding. That is why God saves us at all.

But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God : “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord ,” says the Lord God , “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.  Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. Not for your sake do I do this, ” says the Lord God , “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”
Ezekiel 36:21‭-‬28‭, ‬31‭-‬32 NKJV

There are only two kinds of trees. Good and evil, the flesh and the Spirit, and both are evident by their fruit.

You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Matthew 7:16‭-‬20 NKJV

So what does that fruit look like?

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19‭-‬21 NKJV

Or...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who  are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:22‭-‬24 NKJV

It is not that we make Jesus Lord, as He is already Lord of all, but we glorify Him as Lord. We glorify God as God, the ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN WHO DOES ALL HIS WILL, and we glorify Him as such. This is the result of regeneration, and the night and day difference between wrath and peace.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Romans 1:18‭-‬21 NKJV

John 3:17

OK... What is John 3:17 saying?

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
John 3:17 NKJV

The entire world is currently under condemnation, for all have sinned. The purpose of the Law is to make ALL guilty and condemned before God so that NO FLESH may glory before Him.

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:19-20 NKJV

EVERY MOUTH has been stopped, and all are condemned to Hell. This is just, fair, and righteous for ALL have sinned.

When Jesus came to the earth in the form of a man He had come specifically to redeem His people, those the Father has loved from the foundation of the world. This redemption is COMPLETE, NOT potential. All that the Father will call to Jesus will believe, and they are saved from the condemnation.

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Romans 8:30 NKJV

Those Who Fall Away

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:2 NKJV

And this:

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 7:22-23 NKJV

This is similar to this:

the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
Luke 12:46 NKJV

And this one:

the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,  and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 24:50-51 NKJV

And better expounded here:

Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their  bodies  were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
I Corinthians 10:1-2, 4-6, 11 NKJV

These verse MUST be used when interpreting these other verses so that they can be properly reconciled.

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:4 NKJV

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they  went  out  that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. BUT YOU have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
I John 2:19-20 NKJV

This is why we are commanded to search out our salvation with fear and trembling. There are many who think they are somewhere they aren't.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV

Secure

I have had a few conversations recently about whether or not a person can lose their salvation or not. In fact, I left a church over this very topic. Listen to what the Bible says, and you decide.

Remember that the Holy Spirit is the GUARANTEE, and God CANNOT lie.

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
II Corinthians 1:21-22 NKJV

When a person is regenerated, he is filled with the Holy Spirit. Such a person is secure in Christ.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 NKJV

There is only one reason people fall away.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they  went  out  that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
I John 2:19 NKJV

The Lie of Universal Salvation

One of the greatest lies found in today's apostasy is the since we are commanded to love our enemies by Jesus that this is proof that God will be kind to those who hate Him. They say "Why would God command us to do something He, Himself, won't do"? This is a carnal question asked by the unregenerate who have a god of their own imagination. We are commanded to love our enemies because God will repay.

Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:  Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 KJV

Will Jesus be Sad When He Returns?

Yesterday a brother told me that he believed it was going to break Jesus' heart that so many are to be cast away into eternal damnation. This is a logical from an Arminian view, but it is not Biblical.

God delights in judgment and righteousness.

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord , exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord .
Jeremiah 9:24 NKJV

When Jesus returns He will not come with a sorrowful heart. He will come to execute the righteous judgment of God, and to destroy those who hate Him. He will not be sad because some of those He tried to saved were not saved. He will be perfectly satisfied as He tramples out the winepress with the wrath of God because all that He came to save are saved.

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND Lord OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”

Revelation 14:9-11 ESV

Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Revelation 6:16-17 ESV

Quit Being a Coward

Listen. IF you are a Spirit filled believer, then know that God has done this not for you, but for all who are His. We are sent forth IN the Name of the very creative power of the Universe. What are you afraid of? Those people you are scared to offend are those who lie on the other side of the gate of Hell, and they need your courage to crash through those gates to save them.

“The Spirit of the Lord God  is upon Me, Because the Lord  has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those  who  are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord , And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:19-20 NKJV

Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:17-18 NKJV

Don't We All Believe in Jesus?

You know why there are so many beliefs about God and Jesus? I will tell you.

The Bible says that the names of the elect were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world. It also says that the beast, false religion, will rise up and EVERYONE whose names were NOT written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will worship the beast. The only ones who will not be swept away into false religion are the elect.

Revelation 13:8 NKJV

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 17:8 NKJV

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So that means that ONLY THE ELECT WILL BE KEPT BY GOD from being fooled and worshipping the beast. Guess what happens to everyone who worships the beast? Whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world.

Revelation 14:9-11 NKJV

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his  mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

One of us is dead wrong, and it is going to carry catastrophic eternal consequences. Forever is a long time.

Challenge Your Faith

Here is a question to challenge those who profess Christ. We sing of and talk about God's love for us, and many even profess that love to be unconditional. Time to challenge your faith, if you dare care to test what you think you know.

1. IF you must "choose" God in order for Him to save you, would that not make His love conditional?!

-You must either conclude that God's love is conditional, or that He loves you BEFORE you decided to glorify God as God.

2. IF God loves everybody the same, how do you tell someone being damned to Hell that God loves them?

- You must become a Universalist and blatantly make Jesus a liar by claiming that Hell is temporary and that suffering the undiluted wrath of God is somehow loving, or you conclude that God has a peculiar love for His bride (Imagine that).

Please feel free to comment on either point. Can your faith withstand testing? If it is built on Truth, it should.

What I Teach is...

It appears to me that I haven't taken the time to properly convey things to some, so I am going to attempt a concise and pointed narrative.

For some reason some of you think I judge others by comparing them to me. Well... If I did that, that wouldn't be a bad thing because comparing anyone to me would ALWAYS make the other person look good. I know who I am, and I am a wretched sinner.

Here is what I teach in a nutshell (if I can be so precise).

We are ALL born into sin, and deserving of God’s holy wrath. We are born SLAVES to sin. That means sin owns us. We cannot do ANY good and our hearts are deceitful and wicked.

Psalms 51:5 NKJV

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

Jesus came as God in the flesh around 2000 years ago and was born of a virgin mother. He lived a sinless life and was crucified for the sins of those whose names were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, and was raised from the dead all according to Scripture. In this act Jesus became the sin of the believing ones and suffered the wrath of God in our place, and HIS righteousness is imputed to those that He died for.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

For He made Him who knew no sin to  be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

When a person turns to God with ALL of their heart through the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit, such a person is born again (filled with the Holy Spirit) and made new. We are given remission of sins through faith in Jesus Christ, and sanctified through the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 NKJV

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

The spiritual state of a person produces FRUIT, which is the by product of what is going on in our heart. If a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, they produce like fruit in their lives. If a person is not filled with the Holy Spirit, still a slave to sin, they produce like fruit in their lives.

Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who  are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

These things are manifest as a RESULT of the God/god in a person's life. If Jesus is our God, then we are in right standing before. If Jesus is not God to a person, they are guilty of idolatry and abide under the wrath of God.

The RESULT of Jesus being God to a person is that the person is free from sin, and is being sanctified (made like Christ) to the glory of the Father. The  RESULT of Jesus not being God to a person is that the person is a slave to sin, and GOD GIVES THEM OVER to the destructive behaviors of the flesh.

This is a HEART issue, NOT a "do it yourself" project. ONLY Jesus can save you and make you free. I NEVER speak about me, but ALWAYS about God, for a person must fully turn to Him with ALL of their heart. If the fruit of the flesh is evident in a person's life, they must be made aware of their idolatry that they might return to God and be healed.

Why Regeneration Must Happen First

Jesus says that the Seed, the Word, can only bear fruit when it falls on "good soil" in the parable of the Sower.

Matthew 13:8, 23 KJV

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Since the heart of a man must be "good soil" in order for the Seed, the Word, to bear fruit, God must first replace the heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Since the heart of flesh occurs simultaneously when God indwells a man with His Holy Spirit, this is the moment of salvation. Faith is the result.

2 Corinthians 1:22 KJV

Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

God must regenerate a man BEFORE He can receive the Word. Be not deceived. Salvation is entirely in the Hand of God Himself.

Can a Person Lose Their Salvation?

There is a very stern warning in Hebrews chapter 10 about trampling the blood of Christ under foot, and again in the Gospels about the servant who is caught being evil when Jesus returns. These verses are used by some to say that one can lose their salvation.

Matthew 24:48-51 NKJV

But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’  and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,  the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of,  and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 12:45-46 NKJV

But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,  the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Hebrews 10:26-31, 38 NKJV

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the  testimony  of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

These verses are about the apostasy that was to come, and even now is taking place. The apostasy is those who worship the beast and are lead astray. Like Judas these were called, but not chosen. The Bible has much to say on this.

Matthew 22:11-14 NKJV

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him  into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Luke 22:22 NKJV

"And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

John 17:12 NKJV

"While I was with them in the world,  I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

Jude 1:4 NKJV

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I John 2:19 NKJV

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they  went  out  that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

Those whose names were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world are kept by God, for God, and through God. All praise to Him who keeps us, for we can do nothing on our own.

Revelation 17:8 NKJV

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV

"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

Let  your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 10:39 NKJV

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

Revelation and Today.

There are many verses in Revelation that speak of the time that is now my friend. TODAY Jesus is ruling with an iron rod. TODAY the Kingdom of God is at hand. TODAY we are kings on the earth.

Revelation 12:9-12 NKJV

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Revelation 22:10 NKJV

And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND.

These things are TODAY.

Revelation 22:11-17 NKJV

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the  Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are  dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

After Jesus returns and judgment comes, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed, and He will make all things new.

II Peter 3:10-13 NKJV

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of  persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:1-7 NKJV

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and  be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Those of us whose names are written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will be partakers with Him in the new creation, but all the rest will have their part in the second death, the lake of fire, INSTEAD.

Revelation 21:8 NKJV

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

What a Glorious Salvation

Leviticus 6:7 NKJV

So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord , and he shall be forgiven for any one of these things that he may have done in which he trespasses.

Hebrews 9:7 NKJV

But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance;

Hebrews 10:1-4 NKJV

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices  there  is a reminder of sins every year. For it  is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

Hebrews 10:11-14 NKJV

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

Hebrews 10:19-21 NKJV

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God,

BECAUSE OF THIS WE WILL NEVER KNOW THE COST AND CONSEQUENCE OF OUR SINS.

Hebrews 10:16-18 NKJV

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord : I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” then  He  adds,  “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is remission of these, there  is no longer an offering for sin.

This is the salvation of God. The thing is that Jesus' atonement, since it covers ALL of our sins EVER, is not applied to everyone.

Revelation 14:10-11 NKJV

he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

THIS IS WHY THIS TOPIC IS SO IMPORTANT. PEOPLE SEEM TO NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT THEIR SALVATION IS.

What are We Saved From?

Jesus suffered the wrath of God so that we won't have to. It is from God's wrath that a person is saved.

I Thessalonians 5:9 NKJV

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

I Thessalonians 1:10 NKJV

and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Romans 5:9 NKJV

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

And yet... Not everyone is saved from that wrath.

Revelation 14:10-11 NKJV

he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Who Did Jesus Come to Save?

Who are the promises of salvation made to, and who did Jesus come to save?

Matthew 15:24 NKJV

But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

John 4:22 NKJV

You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

Acts 5:31 NKJV

Him God has exalted to His right hand to  be  Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Since Jesus obviously came for Israel, it is good that we allow God to define who Israel is.

Romans 9:6-8 NKJV

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are  they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

Romans 2:28-29 NKJV

For he is not a Jew who is  one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he  is a Jew who is  one inwardly; and circumcision is  that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

II Corinthians 1:20-22 NKJV

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

Galatians 3:26-29 NKJV

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Propitiation for the Whole World.

You know why it says that Jesus is the propitiation for the whole world? Because Jesus is THE ONLY acceptable payment. That is why. Not because all people are to be saved. There is NO OTHER payment that can ever satisfy. God says that the consequence of sin is death. Only a Life can fill that debt. Jesus IS the Life. Either He paid paid your debt or He didn't. Period. Any man who drinks of the wrath of God will not recover from it.

I John 4:10 NKJV

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to  be the propitiation for our sins.

Acts 4:12 NKJV

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

I John 2:2 NKJV

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

I Timothy 2:5-6 NKJV

For there  is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,

II Corinthians 5:17-21 NKJV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he  is  a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to  be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Here Paul is obviously not talking of every man, because if He does not "impute their trespasses to" every man their would be none who drink of the wrath of God as judgment.

Revelation 14:9-11 NKJV

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his  mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Salvation

In 2011 I was sitting in ICC, the Idaho private prison, and a year into my genuine search of knowing God. I didn't have anyone to hold my hand and tell me what to believe. I had God and the Bible.

I had just tried to read Isaiah, but found the book was still concealed to me. I was at a place where I was searching out my salvation with fear and trembling. Was my salvation something I could lose, or was it secure? When God was with me in the past, did He then leave me when I had turned my back on Him? I had been baptized with the Holy Spirit before all of the drugs, sex, and guns, so had God withdrew His Spirit from me when I was in rebellion after that?

Since I couldn't understand Isaiah, I went to Jeremiah, still seeking the answers to my questions. What is the truth about my salvation? It was through the book of Jeremiah that God profoundly answered the questions I so desperately needed.

He showed me that I had always been His. He had created me to come to Him, and for this purpose I was born.

Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

John 3:34 NKJV

For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.

John 18:37 NKJV

Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Jeremiah 1:9-10 NKJV

Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”

It was at this time that the faith given to me, that which is commonly called Calvinism, became solidified in my heart. God had created me for Him, and I had always been His. I was nothing more than His chosen vessel brought forth by Him and for Him, and He has pursued me with an everlasting love.

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Jeremiah 1:11-12 NKJV

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”

Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV

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

From this point forward no man would ever move me from these truths, and God has only continued to build on them. It was with this understanding that I came to know who I am in Christ. After this God opened up the book of Isaiah to me, and I was able understand everything I read.

Romans 9:6-8 NKJV

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are  they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.