Either we exhibit the moral characteristics of God in our daily lives, or we exhibit the moral characteristics of Satan. In the eyes of so-called “sinners saved by grace” (99% of professing Christendom) one can be hot and cold, light and darkness and can serve God and Satan. However, as the Scriptures plainly reveal, in the eyes of God ONE IS EITHER HOT OR COLD, LIGHT OR DARKNESS. Jesus spoke this Truth in His message to the Laodicean Church, which represented the modern church in His messages to the seven churches which represented the seven church eras that would come and go until the world’s final era, the church age in which we are now living. Read Revelation 3:14-20 to discern His attitude toward those in the modern church who are both hot and cold, whom He compares to vomit. Read Who Are God’s People and “My People Who are Called by My Name.” Key words–People and Called respectively.

In the previous postings relative to this series I have used the Holy Scriptures to reveal the level of spiritual rightness in which we must live our lives (“walk”) in order to rise to meet the Messiah upon His return to earth. Read the Three Resurrections. Key word–Three. Focus on the first resurrection–“the resurrection of the firstfruits (1 Cor. 15:23).” In First Peter 3:12 we are told that “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous” who will rise to meet the Messiah upon His Second Advent when He will return with salvation. At this time “our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). That salvation will be awarded to those who have retained their righteousness “until the end” of their lives (Mat. 10:22).

Which brings us back to the subject of this series: Jesus Christ living in the true convert in the form of the Holy Spirit which empowered Him to manifest God in word, thought and deed. His life was the example we must emulate if we want to spend eternity with Him. Simply stated, we must “walk as He walked” in this life (1 Jn. 2:6). The Holy Scriptures reveal that there is a choice that we must make, and that the choice is total–WE CHOOSE EITHER GOD OR SATAN.

This is not a new Law brought out by the New Testament Church in 31 A.D. At two separate times and to two different generations of Israelites we find Moses and Joshua respectively telling the Israelites that they had before them light and darkness, blessing and cursing. The people were told to choose which deity they would serve–God or Satan. The choice was solely theirs to make. One choice (light and blessings) was to manifest the Biblical God in their lives; the other choice (darkness and cursings) was to manifest Satan in their lives. Notice that there was no gray area because, in God’s eyes, gray and darkness was the same.

Nothing has changed. When we obey God’s Law we manifest Him; when we break God’s Law we manifest Satan. Jesus calls Law breakers “workers of iniquity” (Gk.–lawlessness) whom He will cast out of His presence on Judgment day (Mat. 7:22,23). Read this passage carefully and notice that, the iniquiteous (Law-breaking) people will have been super religious. Some had been ministers. However, JESUS WILL HAVE NEVER KNOWN THEM. In Matthew 25:1-12 we find that five “virgins” (church members) had backslidden. Notice that when they arrived at the marriage feast of the Lamb (Jesus), He would not allow them in because “I do not know you” (vs 12). He had known them in their righteous past, but not in their sinning present.

Why will Jesus not know those who, having earlier been wise virgins relative to their relationship with Jesus, had later entered in apostasy and had fallen away from Him. The frantic efforts of the fallen virgins to get prayed up, studied up, churched up, etc. was not enough. They had failed to maintain their holiness “to the end” and would therefore not receive eternal life (Mat. 10:22). PEOPLE HAD STOPPED SEEING GOD IN THEM. However, people had continued to see God in the wise virgins who, because of their continued holiness, would be allowed to marry the Bridegroom.

If they do not change, billions of foolish virgins living today will be shut out of the marriage feast of the Lamb because they did not manifest God during their earthly lives. Though their false prophets have assured them that they are saved, born again, etc., it is all a Satanic lie because THEY HAVE LIVED IN DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD’S LAW WHICH, BY GOD’S DEFINITION, IS SIN (1 JN. 3:4). They will have been deceived by Satan into believing that the Law was “nailed to the cross.” However, the opposite is true. The Biblical Truth is that Jesus did not nail the Law to the cross; THE LAW NAILED JESUS TO THE CROSS. Each time a church member sins he/she nails Him to the cross AGAIN. When church people sin they “crucify Christ afresh” (Heb. 6:6).

A passage that is often used to “prove” that once having been “converted” one cannot become unconverted. That passage is Romans 8:38,39 where we are assured that noting can separate us from the LOVE of God. Read that passage carefully while remembering that GOD LOVES THE WORLD, including those who openly reject Him. Notice that everything that could NOT SEPARATE the believer from the LOVE OF GOD is OUTSIDE of the believer. As the parable of the foolish virgins proves, we can remove ourselves from Him. Isaiah 59:2 warns that “sin separates us from God.” God will not force anyone from leaving Him. Though we are “sealed,” WE CAN BREAK THAT SEAL. Read the series on God’s sealing of the believer. Key word–Sealing. We must manifest God in our daily lives as long as that life exists if we are to spend eternity with Him. IN ORDER TO LIVE WITH HIM IN THE FUTURE WE MUST LIVE AS HIM IN THE PRESENT. We must be able to say as did Jesus: “Those who have seen me have seen the Father.” “Can two walk together unless they agree” (Amos 3:3)? We must prove our agreement with the Lord by manifesting His characteristics in our lives. This proves our love for Him. We can do that only by obeying His Law (Jn. 14:15,23; 15:10; 8:31/ 1 Jn. 2:3-5; 3:1-10), AS DID JESUS OF NAZARETH.

If we desire to live with the Lord forever we must separate ourselves from the Law-rejecting Catholic/Protestant Religious System as He commands in Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1. Read that passage carefully and do what God says. Like Jesus before us, we must have no relationship with Satan’s church system. We are not to so much as “touch” it, as was God’s command concerning the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. As Adam and Eve show us, we associate with “the church” at our peril. L.J.