In this final posting of the Why Jesus Came To Earth series we will be addressing several Biblically-stated answers to the question, the most famous of which is John 3:16 and 17.  Here we find the Lord expressing the Father’s desire that all people enter into a salvation-producing relationship with Him.  Though verse 16 it the most beloved verse in the Holy Scriptures, few people quote is verse 15 which is one of those “fine print” verses that I have never heard quoted relative to the next two, which means that it is rarely studied.  In this verse Jesus tells us that in order to qualify for salvation one must believe in God.  No problem so far.  Everyone who has ever darkened the door of a church building believed in God.  Elvis Presley believed in God, testified about Him, prayed to Him, sang about Him and proclaimed to have been saved by Him.  But his world-known religiosity was all in vain.  Read The Real Elvis.  Key word–Elvis.  Elvis, along with Satan, Adam, Eve, Cain, Joseph Stalin and billions of church members and their leaders believed (had, have faith) in God.  But as the Apostle James tells us, belief in God is useless unless the believer obeys (works) what he claims to believe–God’s Word–the very basis of faith (Rom. 10:19).  Read James 2:10,14,17,18,20, 24,26 for an eye-opening expose’ of faith relative to professing Christendom.                                                                                                                                           This posting concerns the fact that the Word (Jesus) came to earth so that man could have life and have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10).   While doing so He also arranged for man to have an instruction manual that would tell him exactly how to bring His desires for mankind to fruition.  He began to fulfill His desire with the selection of a heathen by the name of Abram (changed to Abraham) through Whom He would raise up a people whom He would scatter throughout the entire world where they would serve as His lights (carry and manifest his Word) to the heathen nations whose peoples were known as Gentiles.  In due time they would also be offered salvation.       But first He needed to provide His chosen people, called Israelites, with a condensed, stone-etched version of His rules (Law) for attaining eternal life.  They would use this Law as instructions for their thoughts, words and actions while they were in flesh (human) form.  During this time man would obey His Ten Commandments and, when this world ended, would join Him in an earthly paradise where they would live forever in paradise with the members of the Godhead.                                                                                                                                                                       After giving the Israelites His Ten Commandment Law the Word would have his original prophet (Moses) write five books filled with His Father’s Words.  The Word would be given those words through the Holy Spirit.  The Word would then speak them to the prophets who would record what He had told them and speak those Words to the Israelites.                                                       In two of Moses’ books the Lord laid out His explicit and easy-to-understand plans which explained in simple terms how man could live the earthly life He had planned for him.  The Books were Leviticus and Deuteronomy, specifically chapters 26 and 28.  Let us visit one of those chapters, specifically the first 14 verses which reveal to us the abundant life the Father wants true believers to experience while on this earth in human form.  As we study His Words remember that THIS IS GOD’S WILL FOR ALL OF MANKIND AND HAS BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING.  For convenience we will study only the Deuteronomy 28 verses in that they are almost a mirror image of those found in Leviticus 28.                                                                                                                                 Beginning in verse one the Lord states that IF the people listened to the Words (the Ten Commandments–5:6-21) that He had spoken to them earlier that day and obey those Words, that He would set them (the people) high above all other people on the earth (vs 1).  In verse two He again said that the blessings He would list would be theirs IF they harkened (listened to and obeyed) His Words.                                                                                                                                                      Beginning in verse three the Lord listed the blessings He wanted them to have in this life, blessings He would pour out on them IF AND ONLY IF they obeyed His Law.  He would bless the fruit of their bodies and their fields, the fruit of their cattle and their flocks, their basket and their storehouses.  He would bless them when they come into their houses and when the went out of their houses.  Their enemies would come at them one way and flee in defeat seven ways.  He would bless everything the put their hands to do.  They would be a holy people unto Him IF …. Other nations would be afraid of them.  He would give them rain in due season.  They would lend to other nations and would borrow from none of them.  They would be the head above all other people IF ….                                                                                                                                                        The almighty makes it abundantly clear that He wants the best for all of His human creation.  To receive His best one must do one thing: OBEY HIS LAW.  Otherwise–read verses 15-68.  Then compare those verses to the world today.  L.J.