upgraded March 7, 2010
YOU are caught up in a war.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
YOU are in a spiritual war that began shortly before the devil, and a third of the angels who followed the devil, were hurled down from Heaven:
Revelation 12:7-9 (NIV) And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12:4a (NIV) His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.
Luke 10:17-18 (NIV) The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."
Grace is unmerited favor. The grace of God is the unmerited favor of God. The grace of God is the favor of God that YOU do not merit. In this war that YOU are caught up in, through the grace of God, YOU have a free-will to choose whom YOU will serve.
Joshua 24:15 (NIV) "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Through the grace of God, YOU have a free-will to choose, BY FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, to serve God; or YOU have a free-will to choose to serve the devil, by continuing to commit sin. If YOU fail to exercise YOUR free-will to choose to serve God, YOU will, by default, be choosing to continue in service to the devil. Other than YOUR free-will choice to serve God, or YOUR free-will choice to commit sin; YOUR life is not YOUR own.
Jeremiah 10:23 (NIV) I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.
YOU will either, THROUGH FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, serve God, by doing what God wants YOU to do, or YOU will serve the devil by doing what the devil wants YOU to do. Frank Sinatra's song, "I Did It My Way", is the song of the deceived. YOU will either serve God by living a Holy life, or YOU will serve the devil by sinning. If YOU are deceived into thinking that YOUR life is YOUR own, and YOU can do what YOU want to do, then I challenge YOU to decide that YOU want to stop sinning. YOU will find that YOU cannot have YOUR way and stop sinning no matter how hard YOU try, and no matter how much YOU want to stop sinning.
Ecclesiastes 8:8b (NIV) As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
The devil will tempt YOU to sin. If YOU are sinning, then YOU are giving in to the temptation to sin, and YOU are doing what the tempter wants YOU to do. If YOU are doing what the tempter wants YOU to do, then YOU are serving the tempter. The tempter is the devil. The truth is that YOU cannot live YOUR life, YOUR way. YOU are either serving God, or YOU are serving the devil. I am not talking about someone else, I am talking about YOU!
Ephesians 2:1-2 (NIV) As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
1 John 5:19 (NIV) We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
2 Timothy 2:25-26 (NIV) Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
God created Adam as a physically alive, spiritually alive, perfect man, without sin. After God created Adam as a physically alive, spiritually alive, perfect man without sin, Adam sinned. When Adam sinned, Adam committed spiritual suicide, and thereby incurred a spiritually dead sinful nature for himself, and for all of Adam's descendants. All of mankind descended from Adam, consequently every person is born with a spiritually dead sinful nature. Because of their spiritually dead sinful nature, immediately after birth, every person begins sinning. Every descendant of Adam who is born, is born physically alive, but spiritually dead. YOU are a descendant of Adam. YOU were born with a spiritually dead sinful nature. Because of YOUR spiritually dead sinful nature, YOU have sinned.
Romans 3:23 (NIV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
1 John 1:8 (KJV) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
As proof to YOU of YOUR spiritually dead sinful nature, YOU know that YOU have told a lie.
Psalms 58:3 (NIV) Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.
Because YOU were born spiritually dead, after YOU were born, YOU immediately begin committing acts of sin, which are acts of death.
James 1:14-15 (NIV) but each one is tempted when, by his own desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
God is Perfect Love. God is Perfect Mercy. God is also Perfect Justice. In accordance with God's Perfect Justice System, every person who commits a sin deserves to die. Because of the sin that YOU have committed, YOU deserve to die.
Romans 6:23a (NIV) For the wages of sin is death,
When YOU physically die, YOU will be judged according to what YOU have done, and according to what words YOU have spoken.
Revelation 20: 11-12 (NIV) Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV) "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
If YOU continue committing acts of sin, and if YOU continue sinning by telling lies, death will claim YOUR soul. Because of YOUR sinful deeds, death will be able to perfect death's claim on YOUR soul. Consequently, YOU will be thrown into Hell.
Revelation 20:13-15 (NIV) The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
In accordance with God's Perfect Justice System, in order to be able to balance God's scales of perfect justice, redeem YOU, a spiritually dead sinful person, and instate YOU in a relationship with God; a perfect man, who is spiritually alive because He has never sinned, was required to die as a Blood-Substitution-Sacrifice to compensate for Adam's sin and YOUR sin. No descendant of Adam, with the same spiritually dead sinful spirit as the devil, can live without sin; and every descendant of Adam is born with the same spiritually dead sinful spirit as the devil. So, perfect justice required the spiritually alive, sinless, Lord God Himself to come to earth, live a sinless life, and die as a Blood-Substitution-Sacrifice for Adam's sin and YOUR sin, allowing YOU to be spiritually reborn, and instated in a relationship with God. Jesus Christ is the Lord God, and did this.
Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Luke 1:26-38 (NIV) In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
The fact that Mary granted permission, is proof that the Holy Spirit of God was asking permission. After gaining Mary's permission, the angel Gabriel left Mary.
Luke 1:38a,b (NIV) "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.
God also sent an angel of the Lord to advise Joseph, the virgin Mary's espoused husband, that the Holy Spirit of God had placed the Seed of God into the virgin Mary.
Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV) This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
If Jesus Christ was not conceived by the Holy Spirit of God, as the Holy Word of God states, then Jesus Christ would simply be another spiritually dead, sinful descendant of Adam. If Jesus Christ was simply another spiritually dead, sinful descendant of Adam, then Jesus Christ's Blood-Substitution-Sacrifice would be inadequate to satisfy God's Perfect Justice System, and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ would not have balanced God's scales of perfect justice.
If YOU disbelieve that the Holy Spirit of God planted the Seed of God into the virgin Mary, and conceived Jesus Christ, the Son of God; then in accordance with the Holy Word of God, YOU are a pagan, and a sinful spiritual child of the devil, and if YOU do not repent, YOU will spend eternity in HELL!
The physical conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit of God, is a fore-glimpse of the spiritual conception of the "Born Again" Children of God, by the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus Christ is the Lord God, and came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died as a Blood-Substitution-Sacrifice for Adam's sin and YOUR sin, allowing YOU to be spiritually reborn, and instated in a relationship with God.
Luke 19:10 (NIV) "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Romans 3:22-26 (NIV) This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Romans 4:25-5:1 (NIV) He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 5:8-19 (NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 8:3 (NIV) For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
1 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
1 Corinthians 15:2-4 (NIV) By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NIV) For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NIV) All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Galatians 1:3-4 (NIV) Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Colossians 1:19-22 (NIV) For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--
1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV) For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.
Titus 2:11-14 (NIV) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Hebrews 7:25 (NIV) Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 9:26-28 (NIV) Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews 10:10 (NIV) And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 Peter 2:24 (NIV) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 3:18 (NIV) For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
1 John 2:2 (NIV) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 3:5 (NIV) But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
1 John 4:10 (NIV) This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
YOUR ONLY hope, is for YOU, THROUGH FAITH IN THE BLOOD-SUBSTITUTION -SACRIFICE OF JESUS CHRIST, to become "Born Again" spiritually.
John 3:1-22 (NIV) Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." 22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
Jesus Christ came to earth, lived a sinless life, and was Crucified on a cross in order to atone for YOUR sins with His Sacrificial Blood. All that is required for YOU to claim this unmerited favor is to:
Repent - Feel sorry/regret for YOUR sin; turn from YOUR sin.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Acts 3:19-20 (NIV) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus.
Acts 17:30 (NIV) In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
Believe - Believe in YOUR heart that Jesus Christ is the Lord God, and that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Believe that Jesus Christ's Sacrificial Blood has the power to cleanse YOU from YOUR sins.
John 3:36 (NIV) "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
Confess - Confess YOUR sins in prayer to Jesus Christ, and ask Jesus Christ to forgive YOU for sinning. Pray/talk to Jesus Christ wherever YOU are physically located, like YOU would talk to another man; Jesus Christ is YOUR High Priest, and He will hear YOU.
1 John 1:9 (NIV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Confess - Confess to other people that Jesus Christ is the Lord, and YOUR Lord.
Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
Receive - Pray/talk to Jesus Christ like YOU would talk to another man, and ask Jesus Christ into YOUR heart as YOUR Lord and God; then receive Him.
John 1:12 (NIV) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
Comply - Comply with God's law, which includes baptism. (The only way that YOU can know God's law is for YOU to read God's Holy Word, which is the Holy Bible.) Be very, very careful of who YOU get to baptize YOU, as Judeo-Christian Organized Religion is full of the children of the devil who may dispute, twist, and/or misuse God's Holy Word in order to damn YOU to Hell. Judge what anyone says by whether what they say is in total compliance with the entire Holy Bible. If a person disputes what the Holy Bible says, do not listen to them, do not get them to baptize YOU, and get away from them before they mislead YOU into their sin.
2 Timothy 2:19 (NIV) Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."
John 8:10-11 (NIV) Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
God has guaranteed through God's Holy Word, that YOU will find God when YOU seek God with all of YOUR heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
While YOU are seeking God, and before YOU become "Born Again", YOU will not be able to stop from sinning; because, like Simon Peter prior to the Day of Pentecost, YOU will still have a dead sinful spirit.
1 John 2:1 (NIV) My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
When YOU become "Born Again" YOU will become a complete new person, because YOUR formerly dead, sinful spirit will have come to spiritual life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
When the Holy Spirit of God breathes the "breath of life" into YOUR spirit in order to give YOU spiritual life, YOU will become "Born Again" spiritually; just like God breathed the "breath of life" into Adam's physical body, in order to give Adam physical life.
Genesis 2:7 (NIV) the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Acts 2:22-24 (NIV) "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
If YOU obey God's commands by not committing sin, when YOU physically die, death will not be able to hold YOU; any more than death could hold Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ had no sin. Because death cannot hold YOU and drag YOU to Hell, YOU will be free to spend eternity in Heaven with YOUR Father/God.
John 8:36 (NIV) "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
Romans 6:18-23 (NIV) You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If YOU become "Born Again" of the Holy Spirit of Life, YOU will be able to live without committing ANY sin.
1 John 3:4-10 (NIV) Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
If YOU are committing any sin; YOU are not following God, because God has never, and will never commit any sin. If YOU are committing any sin; YOU are following YOUR spiritual father the devil, because committing sin is what the devil did, and does. If YOU are committing any sin, then YOU are sinful. If YOU are sinful, then YOU are not "saved", YOU are not "redeemed", YOU are not a "Born Again" Child of God; YOU are a sinful, spiritual child of the devil, on a course for eternity in Hell with YOUR spiritual father the devil. YOU have a free-will. If YOU fail to choose, THROUGH FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST, to live a Holy life, then know that the end result of YOUR sinful life will be eternity in Hell. DO NOT BE DECEIVED about the end result of YOUR sinful life. If YOU are sinful, then YOU are not filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and YOU cannot understand what the Holy Spirit of God is trying to tell YOU.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Daniel 12:10b (NIV) Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
Some people have attempted to make this message about me. This message is not about me. YOU will not have to answer for me on the Day of Judgment. YOU will have to answer for YOU, and YOU will answer for whether YOU believed in Jesus Christ, and complied with the Holy Word of God. It is the record of what YOU have done, that will prove whether YOU believed in Jesus Christ, and complied with the Holy Word of God. Jesus Christ IS the Holy Word of God.
John 1:1-14 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Ensure that YOU are a "Born Again" Child of God, evidenced by the ONLY Biblically referenced proof, found in 1 John 2:3-4 printed below:
1 John 2:3-4 (NIV) We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
God's commands were illuminated by Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:37-40 printed below:
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
After YOU become "Born Again", if YOU commit sin, YOU will be committing spiritual suicide; death will reclaim death's hold on YOU, and YOU will be back on the road to eternity in Hell!
Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV) It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
2 Peter 2:20-22 (NIV If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
The devil is the thief whose ONLY desire is to steal, and kill and destroy.
John 10:10a (NIV) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;"
The devil is YOUR enemy and it is his desire to steal from YOU, to kill YOU, and to destroy YOU.
1 Peter 5:8b (NIV) Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour;
Jeremiah 4:7 (NIV) A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant.
The devil will tell YOU any lie that YOU will listen to, in order to manipulate YOU into any position that will enable the devil to destroy YOU.
John 8:44 (NIV) "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
If YOU want to carry out your father, the devil's desire, then YOU are a spiritual child of the devil. I am not talking about someone else, I am again talking about YOU!
Even though the devil desires to destroy YOU, God completely, totally restricts the devil from acting upon the devil's desires. Without the permission of God, the devil cannot touch one single hair of YOUR head. Because God has given YOU a freewill, the devil is allowed to tempt YOU to destroy YOURSELF; and the devil is allowed to tempt other humans, who by default also have a freewill, to destroy YOU.
The devil would like to, "steal and kill and destroy" - John 10:10, everything that God created; but the devil is particularly concerned with destroying every human, since humans have an eternal soul. The devil deceived and thereby spiritually destroyed Adam and Eve, the first two humans that God ever created. If YOU are not serving God, then YOU are assisting the devil in destroying YOURSELF. If YOU are assisting the devil in destroying YOURSELF, then the devil does not have to spend much time on YOU; as his able assistant is doing an effective job of destroying YOU. That assistant is YOU. YOUR assistance of the devil, allows the devil more time to focus on those people who are positioning themselves for eternal life with God.
The devil has attempted to physically, and spiritually destroy God's chosen people (The Jewish people) since the time of Abraham, and the devil has attempted to physically, and spiritually destroy the "Born Again" Children of God, since the Holy Spirit of God was given on the Day of Pentecost, following the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was the devil who tempted his children in the Roman Empire, to martyr the "Born Again" Children of God in the Roman Coliseum; and it was the devil who tempted his children in the Roman Catholic Church, to martyr the "Born Again" Children of God, during the Inquisition. It is the devil who is tempting his children individually, and his children within governments around the world, to persecute and martyr the "Born Again" Children of God today.
In the United States of America, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights have kept the devil's children from being able to openly martyr the "Born Again" Children of God; but judges who are the children of the devil, and view the Constitution as a "Living Document", coupled with members of the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal government who are the children of the devil, are currently stripping as rapidly as possible, the protection afforded by the Constitution. The devil's children are currently minimizing the Constitution's protection, in order to better facilitate the persecution and martyrdom of the "Born Again" Children of God, that has already begun. The murder of unconvicted men, women, and children in the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas; The murder of Samuel and Vicki Weaver at Ruby Ridge, and the assault on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are all a portent of the escalating persecution and martyrdom by the devil's children; in that the devil's children within the government are carefully selecting as targets, "Christian" people that the devil's children within the government feel that they can justify their assaults against. Once the devil's children within the government get the masses of people acclimated to governmental persecution and martyrdom, then the various members of the government who are the children of the devil will be able to persecute and martyr the "Born Again" Children of God without restraint, by labeling the "Born Again" Children of God as enemies of the state.
The devil's war with God that began in Heaven referenced in Revelation 12:7-9 (printed above) IS OVER. GOD HAS DEFEATED THE DEVIL! Michael and his angels have hurled the devil and his angels down from Heaven. God now controls the devil and the devil's angels completely, precisely, and exactly with an iron scepter. God's complete, precise, and exacting control of the devil is presented in the document The Mercy Of God Has A DEADLINE! The only war that the devil is now able to wage, is with living humanity, which at this precise moment in time includes YOU. God has also defeated the devil in the devil's war with YOU, if YOU will simply accept the victory! God defeated the devil for YOU at the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. All that is necessary for YOU to claim the victory over the devil is for YOU to accept the Blood of Jesus Christ as atonement for your sins; reject the devil as YOUR spiritual father and accept God as YOUR spiritual Father; which will enable YOU through faith in Jesus Christ to live a Holy life by complying with all of God's instructions found in God's Holy Word, the Holy Bible. Through faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ, YOU will be able to resist the tempter, and stop sinning.
The devil's war that YOU are caught up in, started shortly before the devil was hurled down from Heaven. That war will not stop until the devil is thrown into "the lake of fire and brimstone" for eternity with all of those that he has deceived and thereby destroyed. I pray that it is not YOU!
Revelation 20:10 (NIV) And the devil that deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
God only wants for YOU what is in YOUR complete best interest. If YOU want for YOURSELF what is in YOUR absolute complete best interest, then YOU must serve God. When YOU were born into this life, YOU were only, and at the very longest given the time to make one all-important decision: Will YOU serve God? If YOU are even given time to make that one decision, then at the very longest, shortly thereafter, YOUR life will be over, and YOU will go into eternity. Other than that one decision, nothing else is important for YOU, everything else is extraneous and fleeting. Because time is so fleeting as to almost be a surreal figment of YOUR imagination, YOU will face God so soon in time, as to almost be NOW.
James 4:13-14 (NIV) Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV) "Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath.
There is a clear and distinct difference in Judeo-Christian Organized Religion, and the "Born Again" Children of God.
Judeo-Christian Organized Religion is composed of individual social organizations that are held together by tradition, and the psychological and emotional manipulation of the laity, by a substantially corrupt clergy. These clergy possess a contorted, depreciated, and self-serving perspective of the Holy Word of God. With respect to knowledge of and communion with God, and adherence to God's Holy Word; Judeo-Christian Organized Religion today is almost exactly like Judeo-Organized Religion at the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Judeo-Organized Religion historically was, and continues to be held in high esteem, adored, and even worshiped in lesser and greater degrees by the participants. In His ministry, Jesus Christ contrasted the difference in the worship of religion, and the worship of God. The elite members of Judeo-Organized Religion, Crucified Jesus Christ and replaced Him with the leaders of Judeo-Organized Religion. The members of Judeo-Organized Religion continue to be involved in essentially a worship of their Religion, a worship of their current prominent Rabbi's, and the ancestral worship of their deceased prominent Rabbi's. Rabbi Shlomoh ben Yitzchak of medieval France, also known as "Rashi", one of the foremost Jewish Commentators of the last 2,000 years, has put forth some interpretations of the Holy Bible that are as ridiculous as the 77 virgins offered to Islamic Jihad Martyrs by the Qur’an. Additionally, the members of Judeo-Organized Religion have historically been involved in a worship of the stars. The signs of the Zodiac were, and still are in many of the ancient Jewish synagogues, reflecting a historical worship of the stars. The signs of the Zodiac are currently displayed in the ancient mosaic floor of a historic synagogue in the Bet Alpha National Park in Israel, and the signs of the Zodiac are also displayed in the ceiling of a replica of an ancient synagogue in Joppa, Israel. Even the street signs of Joppa, Israel today have the signs of the Zodiac displayed on them.
Jeremiah 8:1-2 "At that time, declares the Lord, the bones of the kings and officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped."
The members of Judeo-Organized Religion cannot credibly deny the ancient Jewish practice of worshipping the stars, yet many of the Jewish people currently refuse to acknowledge that the ancient leaders of Judeo-Organized Religion were fallible.
Isaiah 56:10-12 (NIV) Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. "Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better."
The members of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion are following the members of Judeo-Organized Religion when they worship their own respective religion, and their own respective Judeo-Christian Organized Religion leaders. The worship of the Roman Catholic Pope is a clear and undeniable example of the worship of a Judeo-Christian Organized Religion leader, by their members. How do the people of YOUR denomination act, when a supreme leader of YOUR denomination comes into their presence?
In contrast to the members of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion; the "Born Again" Children of God are those individuals who KNOW and have a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Currently, in many places throughout the world, the "Born Again" Children of God are often growing together with the members of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion. The "wheat" and the "weeds" are growing together just as Jesus Christ referenced in Matthew 13:24-43.
Matthew 13:24-43 (NIV) Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' " 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' " 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' " He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world." Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."
In many places, the members of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion are now ostracizing the "Born Again" Children of God, and beginning to force the "Born Again" Children of God out of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion. This will conclude in the members of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion persecuting many of the "Born Again" Children of God to death. In other places like China, the members of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion, allied with the government, are already martyring the "Born Again" Children of God.
The members of Judeo and Judeo-Christian Organized Religion are doing this, because most of the people in Judeo and Judeo-Christian Organized Religion do not KNOW God, or the Holy Word of God, and because the "Born Again" Children of God, KNOW their Father/God, and will not compromise the Holy Word of God.
John 16:1-4 (NIV) "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you."
As the appointed time for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ comes close; the members of Judeo-Christian Organized Religion are continuing to plunge deeper into apostasy, but tragically, the "Born Again" Children of God are sound asleep.
Matthew 25:1-5 (NIV) "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep."
The Holy Word of God reveals why the "Born Again" Children of God are so lethargic. The Holy Spirit of God states in the Holy Scriptures that the "Born Again" Children of God are destroyed, and perish for two reasons; "lack of knowledge," and "no vision":
Hosea 4:6a (NIV) my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
Proverbs 29:18a (KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish;
Proverbs 29:18a (NIV) Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
"lack of knowledge" on the part of the "Born Again" Children of God is the result of a deficiency by the clergy in accurately forth-telling the Holy Word of God; "no vision" on the part of the "Born Again" Children of God is the result of a deficiency by the clergy in accurately foretelling future events. Either deficiency, if uncorrected, will result in the destruction of the "Born Again" Children of God.
My heart is grieved because of the condition of the "Born Again" Children of God. In my grief, the Holy Spirit of God gave me this Holy Scripture:
Ephesians 4:11-16 (NIV) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
In Ephesians 4:11-16 (printed above), the Lord God calls some of the "Born Again" Children of God for five specific works of service. Those five specific callings referenced in Ephesians 4:11 are: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
Hebrews 5:4 (NIV) No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
I do not understand how the Lord God chooses, and the Holy Spirit of God appoints different individuals for specific works of service.
John 15:16a (NIV) "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."
I know that the reason why the Lord God chooses, and the Holy Spirit of God appoints different individuals for specific works of service is for the edification of the "Born Again" Children of God.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (NIV) There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
I am sure that the Holy Spirit of God creates in those who are chosen, a burning desire to serve in the work to which they have been appointed.
"The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it." - Mother Teresa 1910-1997
The function of those that are chosen by God as prophets, referenced above in Ephesians 4:11-16, is to predict certain future events, and to speak the Holy Word of God. Prophets are to foretell the future, and forth-tell (tell-forth, speak) the Holy Word of God.
1 Peter 4:11 (NIV) If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 19:10 (NIV) At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
The Holy Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit of Revelation.
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV) I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
The Holy Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit of God will guide YOU into Truth.
John 16:13 (NIV) "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit of Truth.
John 14:6a (NIV) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life."
Jesus Christ is the Holy Word of God.
John 1:1-5 (NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
The Holy Spirit of God that dwells within a true prophet of God will guide YOU into the Holy Word of God (forth tell), and tell YOU what is yet to come (foretell).
Prophets serve as vessels of God in which the Holy Spirit of God can reside. Prophets also serve as conduits through which the Holy Spirit of God can channel truth to other people.
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NIV) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Amos 3:7 (NIV) Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
While God reveals "His plan", God does not always reveal all of the details of "His plan". Many of the prophets did not understand about what they were writing.
Daniel 8:27 (NIV) I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
1 Corinthians 13:9 (NIV) For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV) For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Some portions of prophecies will not be revealed until God is ready to reveal them.
Daniel 12:8-9 (NIV) I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end."
It is not always necessary for prophets to understand about what they are writing. Some of the prophecies are not given for their day. If prophets do not understand the visions, how can they impose their own personal interpretations on the prophecies? It is only necessary that they write exactly as the Holy Spirit of God directs them.
Malachi 2:7 (NIV) "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty."
At other times, the Holy Spirit of God gives prophets knowledge, and the ability to understand mysteries, in order for them to serve.
Daniel 2:27-28a (NIV) Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries."
1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV) If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
In addition to gaining insight from dreams, visions, and the counsel of the Holy Spirit of God, prophets also search the Holy Word of God in order to understand more about God and the future.
Daniel 9:1-2 (NIV) In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom--in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
1 Peter 1:10-12 (NIV) Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
The prophecies are written for the edification of the church that exists, within the particular period of time, that the prophecy pertains to.
Revelation 22:16 (NIV) "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
More than 40 individual men, across a period of about 2,000 years, were inspired by the Holy Spirit of God to write God's Holy Word. These inspired writers wrote Holy Scriptures that give different views concerning God, God's Love, God's perfect order, and God's perfect plan to redeem sinful man. One view may be panoramic, one view may be of minute detail, somewhat like an architect's drawings. One view may be drawn from a distance, one view may be from close up. As all of the architect's drawings must mesh perfectly and compliment one another in order to accomplish the architect's plan, so must the Holy Scriptures mesh perfectly, and compliment each other in order to accomplish the Lord God's plan. The Holy Scriptures do mesh perfectly and compliment one another. It is certainly easy to believe that the writers of the Holy Word of God wrote exactly as the Holy Spirit of God inspired them. History has proven, and is continuing to additionally strengthen the proof that, all of the writers of the Holy Word of God, and all of the Holy Scriptures mesh perfectly. The Holy Word of God is truly magnificent.
I asked the Holy Spirit of God what work I could do to serve, and what I could do to keep the "Born Again" Children of God from being destroyed.
Habakkuk 2:2-4 (NIV) Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."
Daniel 12:10 (NIV) Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
The Holy Spirit of God has revealed to me that all of the "Born Again" Children of God, who are working in service, will be persecuted.
2 Timothy 3:12 (NIV) In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV) "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
John 16:1-4 (NIV) "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you."
At the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it was not, "the tax collectors and the prostitutes" - Matthew 21:31-32, who committed the Sacrificial killing of Jesus Christ; it was the children of the devil, functioning as members of Organized Religion, under the governmental authority of Rome (now known as Vatican City). Following the giving of the Holy Spirit of God on the Day of Pentecost, it was not, "the tax collectors and the prostitutes", who were persecuting the "Born Again" Children of God. It was the children of the devil, functioning as members of Organized Religion, under the governmental authority of Rome (now known as Vatican City). So will the persecution of the "Born Again" Children of God be again in the coming days.
Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 (NIV) What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.