At some point in a person’s life, God’s singular, universal purpose for his/her existence on this earth will be made known to him/her. That purpose is to walk (live) in a state of holiness, righteousness and godliness until that life ends. Either in this life or during the thousand-year millennium that will follow the return of Jesus Christ to earth, each human being who ever lived will be given the opportunity to spend eternity with the Lord on this earth in the Kingdom of God. Read The Three Resurrections and Who Will Comprise the Great Multitude? Key words–Three and Multitude respectively.

The goal in this life is to be among the “few” who will meet Christ and His angels in the clouds during the first resurrection. These are God’s VERY ELECT FIRSTFRUITS, HIS LITTLE FLOCK who will teach His ways to the rest of mankind during the soon-coming millennium. Always remember that it is God’s will that all of mankind be saved and spend eternity with Him in the paradise that will be His kingdom (Jn. 3:16,17/ 1 Tim. 2:4). Those in the first resurrection will be those who, following true conversion, will have obeyed the Lord’s commands that are being discussed in this series, as well as other Truths. OBEDIENCE TO THESE AND OTHER SCRIPTURES IS THE PURPOSE GOD HAS FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER LIVED. Let us continue to examine some of the commands God has issued that, IF OBEYED, will enable us to rise to meet the Messiah in the clouds at the time of His Second Advent. Do not allow Satan’s “only believe” ministers deceive you as they deceived me in the past.

It is impossible for us human beings to obey God’s commands using our own power. As a man, Jesus admitted that He was totally powerless in and of Himself, saying: “I can, of My own self (power), do nothing. The works that I do are done by the power of Him (God) Who lives within Me (Jn. 5:30; 14:10; 12:49). Notice that not even Christ’s Words were His own, but rather those which the Holy Spirit gave Him to speak. Like all true saints, GOD LIVED WITHIN HIM IN THE FORM OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT. It is ONLY through the power of the Holy Spirit that God’s apostles preach, perform miracles, etc. They do what they do in God’s name, meaning under His authority to use His Holy Spirit power. The number one use of the Holy Spirit is to overcome Satan’s temptations to sin against the Lord by disobeying His Law.

GOD’S PROMISES ARE ONLY TO THOSE WHO OBEY HIM. THESE ARE THEY WHO COMPRISE HIS TRUE CHURCH. ONLY THEY WILL RISE IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION–“THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST(IFIED)” (Lk. 14:14). THESE ARE THEY WHO, HAVING BEEN JUSTIFIED, RETAINED THEIR JUSTIFICATION TO THE END OF THEIR LIVES BY OBEYING GOD (Rom. 2:13). HAVING BEEN JUSTIFIED (HAD ALL PAST SINS FORGIVEN) THEY WERE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS. THOSE WHO REMAIN RIGHTEOUS UNTIL THE END OF THEIR LIVES WILL BE SAVED AND BORN AGAIN UPON CHRIST’S RETURN (Mat. 10:22/ Rom. 2:13).

Unless we overcome Satan as did Jesus we will not be allowed to sit with Him on His throne in the Kingdom of God (Rev. 3:21,22). As was the case with the Messiah, we can overcome the enemy only by the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within us. Only with true conversion do we receive the Spirit into ourselves. Very few in today’s world are true converts to Christ. Billions have believed and continue to believe that they are saved, born again, etc. in this life. This is proved wrong in the series titled Born Again. Key word–Born. Because they do not have the Holy Spirit, so-called “sinners saved by grace” (all Catholics and Protestants) are deceiving themselves, having turned God’s grace into lasciviousness–a license to sin as Jude 4 explains. Because they have been so deceived by Satan (Rev. 12:9), billions of people will be left behind when Jesus calls those “IN HIM” up to Himself during the first resurrection. Read First Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Jn. 2:5. There is no alternative to overcoming Satan. Either we overcome him or he overcomes us. There is no middle ground, no gray area. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “SINNER SAVED BY GRACE.” NO ONE IS SAVED OR BORN AGAIN IN THIS LIFE. THE LORD GIVES US THIS LIFE TO EARN THE RIGHT TO ENTER HIS KINGDOM BY OBEYING HIS LAW. THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT BY “WORKS” IN JAMES 2:10,14,17,18,20.24,26. “WORKS” SIMPLY MEANS OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD/LAW/GOSPEL,TRUTH/LIGHT.

Relative to the subject of this series, I suggest that you prayerfully study the following Scriptures: 1 Jn. 3:3; 12:48-50/ Phil. 2:12/ 2 Tim. 2:15/ 1 Cor. 9:24-27/ Mat. 1:21; 5:6; 6:33/ 1 Pet. 1:15,16; 2:5,9; 4:18/ Isa. 55:7/ Eze. 3:20/ Rom. 6:19-23/ Mat. 1:21; 6:33/ Rev. 3:8/ Isa. 55:7/ 2 Pet. 1:21/ Eph. 2:20/ 2 Tim. 3:16/ 1 Jn. 3:1-10. This is what God meant when He gave us His Bible Study Program as presented in Isaiah 28:9-13. This type of study is what I call “fine print hunting.” L.J.