I feel compelled to remind the reader of Romans 2:5 where the Apostle Paul tells the sinners in the church at Rome that their sins are not being forgiven when they repent of them. Rather, they were being “treasured (saved) up” and will continue to be accumulated until the Day of Judgment. Why? Because they continued to sin, making their repentance irrelevant. He also reminded them that, in the eyes of God, each sin constituted another crucifixion of His Son. This has been the pattern among church people for hundreds of years as Satan has used his false prophets to deceive professing Christians into believing that they are saved, born again and rapture-ready. This ministry was created to tell the church world the Gospel Truth. As was the case with Jesus and the early apostles, the words of His true apostles are rejected by 99% of those who hear and read them today.

The remainder of this series will address the sin situation that dominates professing Christendom. That situation is SIN and the church’s attitude toward it. Before moving on we need to allow God to define sin using His Holy Bible. God defines sin as the transgression (breaking) of His Law (Genesis to Revelation). This definition is found in First John 3:4. For our convenience He condensed His Law into the Ten Commandments which He wrote on stone tables and hid from man whom He knew would take hammer and chisel in hand in order to change it. Man, operating under the direction of his god (Satan), did change the Law spiritually by removing commandment number four and replacing it with a law borrowed from sun worshipers who had been forced into “the church” upon threat of death. Read Simon of Samaria for the history of the changes made to the word of God by those who call themselves His people. The key word for the series is Simon. By replacing God’s commandment, the counterfeit church nullified the entire Law (Jam. 2:10). As a result, the false church has denied herself the possibility of living eternally in the presence of God and Christ. As Jesus prophesied in Matthew 7:13,14; 22:14, only a few (10,000) will join Them in Their Kingdom Headquarters with New Jerusalem as its capital. These are the saints who will join Christ in the clouds at the time of His return to earth, an event known as the “First Resurrection.” Read The Kingdom of God and The Three Resurrections. Key words–Kingdom and Resurrections respectively. More on the 10,000 true saints later.

Who will be the First Resurrection saints–God’s Very Elect holy ones? These are they who, throughout their post-conversion lives, obeyed God’s Ten Commandment Law. What does God’s Law have to do with righteousness and sin? Everything. This is explained in First John 3:4 where we are told: “To transgress (break) the Law is sin; for sin is the transgression of the Law. When the God-seeker is converted, he is JUSTIFIED, meaning that ALL OF HIS PAST SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, RENDERING HIM HOLY/RIGHTEOUS–TOTALLY CLEANSED OF SIN. Holiness and righteousness mean sinlessness–the end results of obedience to God which is commanded of all who would receive salvation upon Christ’s return to earth. Read Romans 6:18 and 8:4. Notice 6:18 says that God’s true saints are “free FROM sin, not free TO sin,” which is a foundational doctrine for all of professing Christendom. The difference between “from” and “to” is the difference between life and death.

In First Timothy 1:5-11 Paul writes that the Law is good, and that it is designed for sinners–to show them God’s way (“walk”) of life. Sin is the breaking of the Law. Sinners are to be taught the Law so that they will know that they are sinners and that they are the enemies of God. The righteous need not be taught the Law, for they already know, believe and obey it. THEIR OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW MAKES THEM RIGHTEOUS. In verses 1-4 Paul tells Timothy to command other ministers NOT TO TEACH ANY DOCTRINE OTHER THAN WHAT THEY HAD BEEN TAUGHT. In verse five he notes that the end (telos–end result) of the commandment (Law) is love from a pure heart which results in a good conscience based on true faith. In verse 7 Paul tells Timothy that he is to admonish others not to deviate from the Law which is good in that it teaches sinners how to come to God and remain with Him. In verses 10 and 11 Paul again tells Timothy not to deviate from the “glorious Gospel of the blessed God” which he calls “sound doctrine.” In verse 3 he warns against teaching “any other doctrine.”

James 2:10 tells us that to reject one commandment is to reject the entire Law–Genesis to Revelation generally and the Ten Commandments in particular. What does this Godly Truth say about those who reject His entire Law by embracing Satan’s Sunday sabbath–the day sun worshipers paid homage to their god–the sun. In the eyes of God, Sunday Sabbathers worship and serve the sun god. On the previous day they desecrate God’s Sabbath, the day He “blessed” and “sanctified” (Gen. 3:3) and called “My holy day” (Isa. 58:13). Man, not God, changed the Sabbath day from Saturday to Sunday. Read the series on the Sabbath. Key word–Sabbath. In so doing man commits idolatry, for only God can make or change commandments.

In James 4:8 the apostle commands Law-rejecters in the church to “Cleanse your hands you sinners; purify your hearts, you double-minded.” In verse 12 he reminds those in the 12 tribes of Israel whose Lord is Jesus Christ (1:1; 2:1) to do WORKS, meaning to obey the Law (1 Jn. 3:4) which Paul says is holy, just and good (Rom. 7:12). Christians live by their faith. Faith comes from the Law (God’s Word–Rom. 10:19). Faith is taking God at His Word. Faith without works (obedience to the Law) is dead faith. Read James 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26). Faith is a spiritual entity. Dead faith creates a spiritually dead believer.

In Matthew 9:13 we are told to call sinners to repentance. “He who converts a sinner saves a soul from death” (Jam. 5:20). In John 8:34 Jesus tells us that whoever sins is the servant of sin (Satan). John tells us that he who sins has Satan is of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8) In First Peter 4:8 the apostle tells us that judgment is on-going in the church, and that only the righteous will be save, and they just barely.

In John 5:14 and 8:11 Jesus is dealing with sinners whom He has forgiven of their respective sins. Notice His command to them: “SIN NO MORE.” That statement needs no explanation. He did not tell them to cut back on their sinning. Nor did He tell them to be sure to repent after sinning. Rather, He commanded them to stop sinning, period. Why?

Why are we commanded to stop sinning following justification and conversion? Because the end (telos–end result) of sin is death (Rom. 6:21). In Romans 10:4 we find a statement that Law haters use to “prove” that God’s people are not subject to His Law. Here we find these Words: “Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness.” Righteousness means to have no sin. The context proves that Paul is writing about Jesus–His example and His teaching–which, if believed and practiced, results in a believer who walks in righteousness which is necessary in order to receive eternal life. This is born out in Romans 5:21 and 6:22. In 5:21 the church, then and now, is told that sin produces death, but that righteousness produces eternal life. Righteousness is produced by following the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. This is what He meant when He said: “I am (My way is) the way, the Truth (Word of God–Jn. 17:17) and the (eternal) life (Jn. 14:6). In Romans 6:22 we are again reminded of the correlation between holiness (being free from sin, not free to sin) and eternal life. In verses 19-21 Paul tells church members that earlier they had yielded themselves to INIQUITY (LAWLESSNESS). Now, having united with God, they must yield themselves to righteousness and holiness. Being in the church was not enough to affect salvation. Their eternal lives depended on their obedience to God’s Law unto righteousness and holiness, THE END RESULT (TELOS) OF WHICH IS ETERNAL LIFE. Sin–breaking God’s Law–ends in death, regardless of one’s religiosity or church affiliation. Christ’s message to the end-time (Laodicean–Catholic/Protestant) church makes this Truth abundantly clear. Read Revelation 3:14-20 which perfectly describes “the church” in this age which will soon come to an end.

Now about the 10,000 whom I believe will rise in the First Resurrection upon Christ’s return to earth, commonly known as His Second Advent. These will be His Very Elect who will live eternally in the Kingdom of God to be established in the Promised Land with New Jerusalem as its capital. Let us look at three passages of Scripture that, I believe, tells us how many will rise from the earth to meet Christ in the clouds at His coming, then descend with Him to the Mount of Olives. From there they will go with Him into Jerusalem where He will establish the Kingdom of God. Be sure to read that series. Key word–Kingdom.

In First Thessalonians 4:14-17 we find Paul writing about the Lord’s Second Advent when He will call up into the clouds where He will be waiting those who “sleep (have died) in Jesus” (vs 14). Notice that He will “bring with Him” those who have died “in Him”–true saints. This has caused the church to believe that He is referring to the dead who have supposedly gone to heaven following their deaths. Only Jesus has gone to heaven, is now living in heaven, or will ever live in heaven. For Biblical proof read Next Stop–Heaven? A Reality Check. Key word–Heaven.

That the dead in Christ will RISE first to meet Him in the clouds (vs 17) tells us that they will not come DOWN from heaven, but will RISE from the earth. They would need to come down if they had gone to heaven upon their deaths. Following the RISING of the dead from the earth, those who are alive on earth at the time of His coming will then be “caught up” (raptured) to where He and they are. “And so we will forever be where He is.” Where will He forever be? On the earth in the Kingdom of God as the series about heaven proves and the Kingdom of God prove.

In First Thessalonians 3:13 we are told that Jesus will return to earth with “ALL of His saints.” This is referring to the resurrection of God’s holy saints, their ascent into the clouds where they will join Him and His “mighty angels” (2 Thes. 1:7). From there they will descend to the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4/ Acts 1:1-12). The Apostle Jude writes about their arrival on earth, saying that Jesus will arrive with “ten thousands of His saints.” This, we are told in First Thessalonians 3:13, is “ALL OF HIS SAINTS.” Compared to the billions of people who have been supposedly “saved” over the past 2000 years, 10,000 is indeed a tiny minority. These will constitute the “few” Jesus was referring to in Matthew 7:13,14 and 22:14. Let us be among that miniscule remnant who will rise to meet Him in the air upon His arrival, descend with Him to the Promised Land and from there rule, first the earth for 1000 years, then the universe for eternity from New Jerusalem.

One Word determines who lives with and rules with Christ and who doesn’t. That word is OBEDIENCE. Obedience to His Law is the deciding factor. Do not let the salvation merchants take your crown with their ear-scratching messages. Read, study, learn, believe and obey God’s Word and live with Him forever.

In closing I will take the reader to John 15:13,14 where we find Jesus talking to His 12 disciples who, over the previous 3 1/2 years, had traversed land and sea preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, casting out devils, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead in good weather and bad, all the while being persecuted by both the Jewish hierarchy and the Roman Government. Here Jesus is telling them that His love was of such depth and scope that He would lay down His life for His FRIENDS. “You (disciples) are My friends, IF (AND ONLY IF) YOU DO WHATSOEVER I COMMAND YOU.” All that they had done would count for nothing if they failed to obey His commands after He was gone. We are subject to those same commands (the Holy Bible). He will judge us relative to our obedience to HIS WORDS (Jn. 12:44-50). Notice what, not Who, will judge all of mankind. Notice that He Himself will not judge us. THE WORDS HE HAS SPOKEN THROUGH HIS PROPHETS AND APOSTLES WILL JUDGE US (vs 48).

Which brings us back to the question asked by the title of this series: FOR WHOM DID JESUS DIE? HIS FRIENDS. WHO ARE HIS FRIENDS? THOSE WHO OBEY HIS WORDS. This explains why He had the Writings of the prophets and the apostles recorded and preserved for thousands of years. As the Apostle Paul wrote in First Corinthians 10:11, THE LORD’S DEALINGS WITH ANCIENT ISRAEL WERE PRESERVED IN ORDER TO SERVE AS INSTRUCTIONS FOR HIS TRUE SAINTS LIVING AT THE END OF THE AGE. WE ARE LIVING IN THE FINAL (LAODICEAN) ERA OF THE CHURCH AGE. Read Revelation 3:14-20. L.J.