In the first two postings we learned what God said through the Apostle John concerning “walking as Jesus walked,” in other words, making Him the Lord of our entire lives. John knew that in order to please the Father one has to live (“walk”) as Jesus lived in total obedience to His Father in order to maintain Their Father-Son relationship. We must do the same, and for the same reason. As he sometimes did, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to one of his and John’s fellow apostles in which he expresses the same expectations. Let us turn to the letter he wrote “To Titus, my own son in the common faith to whom I proclaim grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Christ our Savior” (1:4).

Paul reminds Titus of what the Lord commands of him and His fellow apostles. Bear in mind that the Lord’s apostles were then and are now put forth by Him as examples for their disciples to emulate in every aspect of life. The apostles were then, and are today, God’s representatives, as was Jesus as He walked before the people of His day. Therefore, what Paul wrote to Titus applied to all apostles and disciples then and now. Just as Jesus said about Himself, when people see a true son of God they are seeing God Himself in human form. When they read the Holy Bible they are reading God Himself in written form. Because perfection cannot be improved, God does not change.

The problem for God’s people today is the same as it was when Jesus and the apostles walked the earth– only true sons of God recognize true sons of God. As Jesus warned, those in the worldly church have a totally different view of His spiritual brethren–they reject them because God’s saints obey His Word (light) which exposes their darkness (disobedience of His Word). An added cause for the world’s rejection of God’s people is the fewness of their number. This was prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 7:13,14; 22:14. In summary, most religious people do not recognize God’s church. Those few who do recognize her reject her, just as John warned would be the case in First John 3:13 and as Jesus prophesied in John 15:18.

Concerning being rejected by “the church,” God’s true saints will one day be hated, not only by false Christians, but by “all men” in “every nation” (Mat 10:22; 24:9). The time is coming when God’s true saints will be so much different from the other 99.99% of the world that everyone on earth, including church people, will be OPENLY hostile to God’s true saints. This has been happening to me for several years in the form of phone calls, emails, letters to the local newspaper, etc. I even received hate mail from a prison inmate. These communications have so far been individual in nature. That will change. The day will come when websites like mine will not be allowed to exist. The following is a warning to anyone who would obey God.

In Revelation 12 where we are told of a time when Christ’s true saints will be pursued by an army, only to have the earth open up and swallowing it (vs 16). Why would a nation’s army be chasing a tiny group of beliers who have no weapons other than the Word they refuse to stop speaking and obeying. There has to be a reason for such concerted animosity toward God’s tiny church. I suspect that mass resentment will be triggered by the masses’ lack of things such as food, water and protection against disease and “natural disasters” while God’s people will be immune from them. One can understand how hatred for such people would be natural.

The power of God’s people remains to this day a virtually unknown reality, even to some in the true Church of God. Read The Unknown Power of God’s Very Elect. Key word–Unknown. Recall that Elijah told King Ahab, who had life and death power over him, that there would be no rain in Israel until he (Elijah) allowed it to rain. It did not rain for three years during which time a deadly famine wreaked havoc throughout the nation (1 Ki. 17:1; 18:1). The famine was so great that the people were forced to eat their mules. Note that the same types of power displays will take place when God’s Two Witnesses walk the earth in the future (Rev. 11:3-6). Would such a situation taking place world-wide not bring on the wrath of those suffering at the hands of the two witnesses?

Just before the beginning of the Great Tribulation the Lord will take His people to a place of safety where they will be protected and provided for over the next 3 1/2 years. It will, in my opinion, be during that exodus that the army will pursue them and will be swallowed by the earth. During the Tribulation and the following Day (year) of the Lord there will arise a one-world government operating under the influence of a one-world church. Those in that church will believe that God’s people are causing the horror that will have encompassed the earth. Their rage will be brought to a boil when they see that God’s people are not suffering as they are. Under the power of the Serpent (Satan), the people will try to attack them. In desperation, the military will be called upon to deal with a few thousand men, women and children. Such a scenario in which God’s church is on the run from government forces is only a guess on my part. But why else would a mighty, world-ruling military be chasing a tiny group of unarmed people? Once the church is safely ensconced in “her place” literal hell will arrive on earth for a 3 1/2 year stay (Rev. 12:6,14). Jesus describes what we are experiencing today as merely “the beginning of sorrows” (Mat. 24:8).

In 2:1 Paul admonishes Titus to speak sound (Jesus as Lord) doctrine to the church of his day. He was to tell his disciples to make Jesus their Lord in this life so that He can be their Savior in the next life. Titus is to instruct elderly men to be temperate, sound in the faith, loving and patient. He is to instruct elderly women to be holy, honest and self-controlled. He is to teach young women to love and obey their husbands and to cherish their children. They are to be good house-keepers, sensible and pure so as not to dishonor the Word of God by disobeying it. Titus is to tell the people to MAKE JESUS THE LORD OF THEIR LIVES.

In 2:6-10 Paul tells Titus to instruct young men to be sober-minded, grave, incorruptible and to have sound speech so that no one can HONESTLY have a negative word to say about them. In verses nine and ten Paul tells him to instruct servants to obey their masters without comment or resistance and to obey the doctrine of God in all things. Note that servants were to be obedient to their human masters in every way. This being the case, are we not to serve our heavenly Master at least as humbly and reverently?

Jesus is indeed the Lord of the lives of His Very Elect saints who are “in Him.” Recall that it is only those who are “in Christ” who will rise in the first resurrection upon His return to earth to establish the Kingdom of God in the Holy (Promised) Land (1 Thes. 4:16,17–note verse 16). These first resurrectionists will forever be with Him “where He is.” Scripture tells us that He will be in the headquarters of the Kingdom of God. No human being except Jesus has ever lived in heaven or will ever do so. The belief that the people go to heaven or hell upon their demise is a church myth which “everyone knows” is true. Read the Kingdom of God and The Three Resurrections. Key words–Kingdom and Three respectively. Also read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe and Life After Death. Key words–Caretakers and Life respectively.

Let us make Jesus our LORD in this life so that He will be our Savior in the next life. Let us make sure that we are part of that first resurrection by keeping Him as our LORD during our present “walk” as we yearn for His return. And return He will, and soon, I believe. Let us not wait in vain, as will those Jesus speaks about in Matthew 7:21-23. Let us “walk” in absolute obedience to His Word while we await His arrival. Let us humble ourselves before Him and praise Him for what He has done and what He has promised to do for those who obey Him. Paul said that human eyes and ears have neither seen nor heard what God will do for those who love him (1 Cor. 2:9). Note that WE MUST PROVE OUR LOVE FOR HIM BY OBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS (Jn. 14:15,23; 15:10/ Mat. 19:17). That includes #4. L.J.