The Devil’s Plan

The Devil’s Plan From The Beginning Has Been Working For Him!

Sometimes I believe that the people of God are asleep with their eyes wide open. This proves to be pretty much a fact as while we have our physical eyes wide open, our spiritual eyes are closed to what the devil has been doing from the creation of mankind on this Earth. The only way the people of God can see with their spiritual eyes is to believe what God has told us down through the years, which is what He has had recorded in the scriptures for all to read, understand and believe.

If only we would open our eyes to what the scriptures are telling us, it would become very clear as to what the devil has been up to in order to subvert the plan of God from the beginning and is continuing to this day.

If we would just look at what God has told us in the scriptures just one thing about the devil and what he has done, it should be clear about what he has been doing all along. Let’s look at the statement in scripture that tells the whole story as follows:

Revelations 20:1 thru 3 says that the devil will be prevented from continuing to deceive the people of the World for one thousand years. This will occur at the start of the Millennium when Christ returns to catch away the believers into Heaven. It also says that a seal will be put upon the devil. It is my belief that the seal will be marking the devil as a liar. He will be proven to be a liar and when he is exposed, the people will cease to believe the false doctrines he has promoted and the word of God contained in the bible is nothing but the truth.

Now the question that needs to be answered is how has the devil been deceiving the people and what has he been deceiving them about? To begin to answer this, we need to go back to the beginning when mankind was put on the Earth and see what the devil was doing then.

After God had created the man Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden, God spoke to the man and told him that if he ate of the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil” he would surely die. Since Adam received that word directly from God, he accepted it as being the truth. Without a doubt, since the woman Eve was not present at that time when God spoke to Adam, it must have been that Adam told Eve about what God had said. I just wanted to make a point here that the woman Eve didn’t hear this word straight from God as Adam did, she got it secondhand.

Now when the serpent approached the Woman Eve and questioned what God had said about dying the day they would eat of the tree, the woman Eve was deceived into not believing what the man Adam quoted God as saying and she misinterpreted God’s word since she didn’t receive it directly from God and doubted the truthfulness of it. Since the woman Eve didn’t die after eating of the fruit, she convinced the man Adam that what God had said was not true.

Now if we fast-forward into the present time, we find that history has repeated itself and the same thing is occurring today. The word of God that was spoken by the man Jesus and was passed on to the church, which is typed in the bible as a woman, has also been misinterpreted since they didn’t first hand hear the words spoken by Jesus and have misrepresented the truth of God’s word to the people. Once again the woman, the church has been deceived by the devil just as the woman Eve was.

Anytime there is an intermediary, there is a chance, a good chance, that the facts of a story will be distorted or misinterpreted. In the modern terminology, the saying of “if you don’t hear it from the horse’s mouth, don’t believe it”. By the same token, if you can’t hear God’s word directly from Him, there is a good chance you won’t hear it right from someone else that is attempting to tell you what He said.

That’s where the bible comes into play. Since we can’t hear the actual words of God or from Jesus, we need to pay more attention to what has been written in the scriptures and allow Him to speak to our hearts as to what the truth is and not allow someone else to interpret it for us.

The devil has for hundreds of years been deceiving us by deceiving the preachers in the hundreds of churches that have sprung up all over the World. All of these different churches and preachers using each one their own interpretations of what the scriptures are saying is just another tool the devil is using to deceive the people into believing his lies and distortions of the word of God. To reinforce that, the devil has been instrumental in the production of hundreds of different versions of the bible so, as they say, improve the understanding of what the scripture is saying.

Do you now see how the devil is deceiving the World and will be until God muzzles him and proves to the World that we have been lied to for such a long time. Well that time is about to come because we are now closer to the return of Christ than we ever have been. The time is about to come when Christ will judge all of us as to whether we have believed the truth of God’s word, the gospel of salvation, instead of the devil’s lies that have been spoken from the pulpits by those who have not held to the truth of the scriptures. The bible tells us that the scriptures are of no private interpretation, but we continue to allow others to tell us what they mean in their own words because they have been deceived by the devil.

Scripture tells us that satan himself has been disguised as an angel of light and his ministers are disguised as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. Jesus also said not to follow those who deceive you into believing that Christ is in a certain assembly, for he said there will be false Christs and false prophets showing great signs and wonders that will be used by the devil to deceive you into believing something other than the written word of God that He has provided for us.

As the bible says: “multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision”. What will be your decision? Will you believe God’s word or the interpretations of men? Will the devil count you as part of those he has deceived or will you stand for the truth of God’s word.

My friends, the time is near and a decision needs to be made. Who will you stand with? Will it be a certain man who has seduced you with smooth talking, or with great signs and wonders that prove nothing, or will you stand with the truth of God’s Word before He summons us to meet Him in the air?

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The Unpardonable Sin

There are really two sins which are brought out in the bible that people can commit that are unpardonable and can prevent them from obtaining eternal life. The one that is the most obvious is the sin of unbelief in the gospel of Christ. This one is without a doubt the one that is most prominently committed by most people in the World today.

The second is spelled out in bible scripture as committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke about this and is quoted in the bible as follows:

Matthew 12: 31- 32  Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

 The unforgivable sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit has been interpreted in various ways, but the true meaning cannot contradict other Scripture. It is unequivocally clear that the one unforgivable sin is permanently rejecting Christ (John 3:18; 3:36). Thus, speaking against the Holy Spirit is equivalent to rejecting Christ with such finality that no future repentance is possible.

Jesus had performed a great miracle of creation, involving both healing and casting out a demon, but the Pharisees rejected this clear witness of the Holy Spirit. Instead they attributed His powers to Satan, thus demonstrating an attitude permanently resistant to the Spirit. (Matthew 12:22-32)

If a person is a true Christian and commits the unpardonable sin, however it is defined, he will not be saved. This much is not hard to understand—but it is very important. So, understanding the sin that “shall not be forgiven” most certainly is relevant to the real Christian! That person must be very careful not to commit this sin.

It should be understood that I used the term of being a “true Christian” in the above statement. Rather than to get into a debate over defining the word Christian, as many people have their own interpretation of what a Christian is, I believe a more accurate description should be “a believer in the Gospel” instead of the term Christian. Although I do consider myself as being a Christian, others may disagree because I might not in their estimation fulfill their requirements of what they believe a Christian should be.

The true Christian who is a believer in the gospel cannot be determined by appearance, but can be identified by the words they speak in relation to other people, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God. The scripture does state that the words we speak are very important to our future fate as follows by the words of Jesus.

Matt 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that people shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

Now concerning a “true Christian” or as a believer as I prefer to refer to a person as being; The apostle Paul wrote, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God” (Rom. 8:14). Christians are those who have the Holy Spirit leading them. But is having God’s Spirit absolutely essential to being a Christian? A few verses earlier, Paul said, “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any person has not the Spirit of Christ, they are none of His” (vs. 9)! It is that simple! One either has the Spirit of God, and is a Christian, or does not have it, and is not a Christian—is “none of His.” All those who are truly converted must have the Holy Spirit in them.

So now what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Is it simply taking God’s name in vain—swearing? Is any form of swearing “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”?

The key to understanding this is to properly define the word blaspheme. The Greek word, here translated “blaspheme,” means “intentional indignity offered to God or sacred things.” This is important to grasp. Intent is involved.

The word “blaspheme” in Webster’s Dictionary means to “speak irreverently or profanely of or to God, to curse or revile.” Another part of their definition says “any remark or action held to be irreverent or disrespectful.” Many of the different Bible Dictionaries describe blasphemy as “insulting, cursing, lacking reverence for God, claiming deity.”

There can be no question that calling the Holy Spirit, who is God and Lord Himself, the devil himself, is without a doubt the most blasphemous statement you could possibly make against Him. Calling the Highest of all Beings the lowest of all beings is without question the worst possible thing that these Scribes and Pharisees could have done. Not only was this the height of pure stupidity, but it was also the height of pure arrogance and pride

Since we as nothing but mortal beings and are not as God who knows the heart of every person, we are not able to determine the motive or intent of those things that people speak. It could be that some use words that are blasphemous because of what they believe and some for a reason to be antagonistic.

No matter what our motives are, it is our words that can condemn us. Although we can’t control our thoughts, we can prevent our thoughts from becoming words. Until you have the mind of God, that you will never have, it is better to not use blasphemous words against anyone or anything where the Holy Spirit could be involved. It is better to keep our mouths and our tongue in check and live, than to speak words that could condemn us to hell along with the devil and those who he has corrupted.

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Looking for the end of the World?

Are you looking for the end of the World, or expecting it to come anyway soon? Well you might as well put your mind at ease, because it isn’t going to happen anyways soon. If you are living today, in the year of 2012, the end of the World will not occur for over one thousand years from now. How is that? I’ll tell you the reason according to what the Bible describes. What I am about to describe to you is not my or anyone else’s interpretation of Bible scripture. Instead, it is the events that are described in chronological order, but you cannot tell, because the scriptures of the Bible are not written in chronological order.

Though many theologians have attempted to calculate when the end would come, it cannot specifically be pinpointed. There is not enough data written in the Bible to even come close to identifying what year it might come in, so don’t be in a hurry to pack your suitcase and get ready to go anywhere.

As I have stated, the Bible describes the conditions and events that must occur before the end of the World will comes and as I will show you, it has to be over one thousand years in the future. Until only one event happens, which will set things in motion that lead up to the end, can anyone even get close to predicting in what year or within many years as to when it will occur.

The one event that will occur that triggers the start of the timetable will be when Christ returns for certain believers that are members of the Body of Christ and who are to be known as the Bride of Christ. Now I’m not going to get into the details about who this group that will be known as the Bride of Christ is, or who those are that are not a part of that group is because that is covered in detail in some of the other articles which I have written.

The following events will occur as is described in the Bible.

1.    Christ will return for the second time to carry off into Heaven those who will be chosen as His Bride. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) (Matthew 24:40-41& Luke 17:34-36) This will be known as the Rapture of believers who are still alive at that time and the First Resurrection of believers who have passed away, both groups who were members of the Body of Christ. Revelations 20:4 describes those who are taken by Christ in the Rapture and the First Resurrection.

2.    It should be undeniable by everyone that at this time in the year of 2012, satan is still alive and well, performing his evil deeds on this Earth and continuing to deceive the people concerning the truth of God’s word just as he has done since his appearance in the Garden of Eden. It is at this time when Christ returns for those who are His, that the devil is bound for one thousand years in order to prevent him from deceiving those who will be left on the Earth for this thousand year period know as the Millennium. (Revelations 20:2-3) During this thousand years after Christ removes His Bride from the Earth, there will remain on the Earth both other believers who were not members of the Body of Christ as well as all of the unbelievers that existed.

3.    At the end of the One thousand years known as the Millennium, satan is freed from his captivity and allowed to continue his deception of those who were left on the Earth. (Revelations 20:7-8)

That should be enough information for those who fear the end of the World is at hand and should have confidence that those who are alive today will not be alive when that day comes.

Although everyone should take heed that the only way to avoid the final judgment of God at the end, is to take the necessary measures to become a member of the Body of Christ while they still can. As you can see by the scripture of Revelations 20:6, those who were members of the Body of Christ and became His Bride have no fear of the second death as a result of the final Judgment by Jehovah our God.

One other thing that is falsely taught that you should not believe. There is going to be no great tribulation during the thousand year Millennium, neither is there going to be any man that will be the antichrist during that time. This is all some man’s interpretation of scripture out of context and a figment of man’s imagination designed to sell books and movies.

The great tribulation, if we are to call it that, will occur after the thousand year Millennium and just before the Great White Throne Judgment of Jehovah. The spirit of antichrist was in the World during the first century at the time of the Lord’s Apostles and is still at work today, but it is not a certain man.

Why should you believe all of what I have written? You should believe the truth of it because it is according to Bible scripture and because “the Lord Jehovah will do nothing until He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets”. (Amos 3:7)

So declares Jehovah and thus will it be according to His Word.

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When God Speaks

When God speaks to you what is your reaction, what do you do? When God speaks to your heart shouldn’t you act right then about what He has said to you? Do you recognize that God is speaking to you if He does it in a dream or by way of that still small voice that speaks to your mind, or through somebody else, or because of a circumstance that occurs that could not be a coincidence?

One important thing that you need to consider is that you need to determine whether it was God’s voice speaking to you or the devil’s. Do you know how to tell the difference?

The Bible points to something that can be applied in order to determine if the voice you hear is truly God’s voice informing you about something or instructing you to do something that would benefit the Kingdom of God, of which the Church is a part of. That method, which is contained many times in the scriptures, is as follows: “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established”. There are six places in scripture where this appears as follows:

1.    Deuteronomy 17:6 where it says: “ at the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death, be put to death”.

2.    Deuteronomy 19:15 where it says: “at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.”

3.    Matthew 18:16 where it says: “in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”

4.    Second Corinthians 13:1 where it says: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established”.

5.    First Timothy 5:19 where it says: “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.”

6.    Hebrews 10:28 where it says: “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.”

There is one thing that you can have confidence in and that is, God will never tell you anything by any means that is in contradiction to Bible Scripture. This must be tested by your own examination of scripture to determine its reliability and not take any person’s word for it, no matter if that person is a preacher, a teacher, an evangelist, a pastor or a prophet. Anything that is revealed to you, by any means that contradicts bible scripture has its origin from satan. No matter if you are a believing Christian, no matter if you are certain that the Holy Spirit dwells in you or not and no matter if a supernatural sign points to the thing you have received or not, if it contradicts Bible scripture it is not from God. The Bible specifically points out in Revelations 13:13 that satan has the power to perform such things for his benefit through anyone that he chooses to use.

Paul the Apostle made a case that even if an Angel from Heaven preaches anything in contradiction to what he has preached it is wrong and that Angel must be accursed. God will not send anyone, even an Angel from Heaven that will preach anything that conflicts with pure Bible scripture.

Test everything that you receive, either from a dream or from the still small voice that speaks to your heart or from another person that says they speak what God has given them. Test everything from the “two or three witnesses” rule and be certain that Bible scripture is in agreement on some kind of basis with what you have received.

Now this final statement is for any of you that God has spoken to by one of His methods and you have failed to act upon the message from Him which has a Biblical basis, then you may have rejected God’s plan for you. If God showed you something in a dream that He wanted you to do and the devil hindered you, so for some reason you didn’t persevere to act upon it, then God is probably displeased at your failure to act upon His instruction. If God showed you something in a dream about someone He is using, but you rejected the notion, it was because satan hindered you from doing it.

Test everything that you encounter, if it was from God and would benefit His Kingdom ministry then it must be His will. If something that you believe was God’s will and you acted on it, but it was to mislead or harm someone, then it was not God’s will, instead the devil was behind it. The motive behind every action must be determined whether it was the desire to do good or evil. If it was to do good, then it must be from God. If it was to do harm, satan must be behind it. Do that which is good and please God and He will guide your steps in this life. Are you part of His plan for mankind? If so, then act upon what He guides you to do and reject the wiles of satan who only wants to hinder God’s plan.

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The Foundation of our Faith

The Foundation of our Faith

This is a very important issue that should be approached with an open mind and an open heart. What I am about to relate to you are facts that are contained in the Bible and I implore you to follow along with me by verifying in your Bible that what I am about to say is according to Bible scripture and not any man’s interpretation.

We start off by looking at a saying that Jesus related to us that is contained in Matthew Chapter Seven and Luke Chapter Six. Jesus said that when a person builds his house, it must be built upon a solid foundation so that it will continue to stand when adversity comes. He tells of a man that built his house upon the sand for his foundation and when trouble came the house fell. Then He told of a man who built his house upon a rock for the foundation and when adversity came the house stood solid because of the strength of the foundation.

There was another foundation for a house that Jesus spoke about. In Mathew Chapter Sixteen Jesus asked Peter who he thought Jesus was. Peter said that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus then admitted to Peter that he had said the truth and that He (Jesus) was the Christ and the Son of God. Jesus went on to say that His Church would be built upon the rock or the foundation that He was the Son of God. So even though Peter received this revelation of who Jesus was from God the Father, the Church was to be built upon the foundation of the knowledge about who Jesus was.

Because of having the Church built upon the correct foundation, it would stand and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Paul the Apostle said that no other foundation can the Church be built on except Jesus Christ and the knowledge that He was the Son of God. The Prophet Isaiah spoke of this foundation and spoke of God laying a corner stone in Zion which Peter spoke of Jesus being the corner stone of that foundation.

There was someone else that said he might be laying the foundation for the Church and the faith to be built upon as follows:

William Branham made a statement about the coming of a person that was to take the people back to the truths of the Bible and straighten out all of the errors that had been taught and that he thought that he might be laying a foundation for that ministry to build upon.

The only problem was is that he did not lay the same foundation that Jesus said should be laid. Jesus said that the knowledge of Him being the Son of God as was revealed to Peter wound be the foundation His Church would be built on. The foundation that William Branham laid was not that Jesus was the Son of God, but that He was God Himself. The foundation was wrong and the person who was to build upon that foundation knew it was wrong and couldn’t build upon it.

William Branham said that he received a revelation that Jehovah of the Old Testament was Jesus of the New Testament, but that wasn’t the revelation that the Apostle Peter received. William Branham said that Jesus was God, but Peter said that Jesus was the Son of God and Jesus agreed with Peter. Now one of them was wrong. Who do you think we should believe?

Most of the mainstream churches also believe that Jesus is God. Why is that? They believe that because the original Catholic Church decided that long ago. Back in 325AD out of necessity when Emperor Constantine insisted that the Bishops of all the churches had to come to an agreement or they couldn’t return home to their churches. So when they all agreed that Jesus was God, they made Mary the Mother of God. What nonsense that was, that God had a Mother. So down through the years as the Catholic churches split off into these other denominations that belief continued to exist. Could this be where William Branham and many other preachers received their revelation from?

If the Church of God is not built upon the right foundation it will fall. The foundation of the Church must be built upon the same revelation that Peter received, that Jesus was the Son of the Living God and not God Himself. If the Church doesn’t believe that, then they don’t believe the Gospel which said that God sent His Son and not that God came Himself in a flesh body.

What now is the foundation of your faith? Have all the believers in all the churches wasted years of their lives believing the false doctrine that the devil has deceived everyone to believe? The Church of God cannot and will not fall because there will be some who will hold to the truth of the scriptures.

Will you be one of the faithful?

  

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Did Jesus lie to us?

Jesus lied to us according to William Branham and most other preachers.

Do you really know what your Salvation depends upon? It depends upon each and every person to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the absolute that we must all put our faith upon and nothing else.
The Gospel is that God the Father sent His only begotten Son into the World and all that would believe in Him would receive eternal life. Jesus Himself said that all who would believe the Gospel and were baptized would be saved and those who would not believe the Gospel would be damned.

The only choice that we have is to believe the Gospel that is written in the scriptures, that God sent His Son and receive eternal life or not believe that Jesus was the Son of God and perish in our sin.

There are many who have been falsely taught that God the Father did not send His Son, but that God Himself made a body and came Himself in the person and the body of Jesus. If you believe that false teaching then you do not believe the Gospel and you will be lost for eternity out of Heaven and the presence of God.

The Apostle Paul referring to Psalms 40:6-8 said the following:

Heb 10: 5  Wherefore when he (Jesus) came into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offering you would not, but a body have you (God) prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin which were offered by the Law, you have had no pleasure. Then said I (Jesus), Lo, I come to do your will, O God. He (God) took away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sin: But this man (Jesus), after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of God;  For by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: for after that he (God) had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, said the Lord (God), I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sin and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these are, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh (the flesh of Jesus).

 Look in your Bible and you can plainly see that God the Father made a physical body for Jesus to come to the Earth in, for Jesus to do the will of His Father. Nothing here says that God made a body for Him personally to come in. This is nothing but false doctrine, not considering what the scripture says, propagated by false teachers who have put their own interpretation to it.

This man Jesus who was the Son of God, born of a woman in order to become a son of man sat down on the right hand of God His Father after offering Himself for a sacrifice of the sin of the World. To deny that Jesus was the Son of God is to deny the truth of the Gospel that says God sent His Son.

The Angel Gabriel told Mary to call His name Jesus and He would be called the Son of God. The author of the Gospel of Mark stated that Jesus was the Son of God. John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Son of God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus referred to Himself many times as the Son of God. In the book of First John he said that whosoever will confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in that person. Do you then confess that Jesus is the Son of God or will you hold to the false belief that Jesus is God Himself?

Let me take this opportunity to quote what William Branham said during one of his meetings, as follows:

“Now, I'm going to tell you what you must not do. Now, you must not misinterpret the Word. It means just what it says. It needs no interpreter (spoken on 8-22-65)

But if you're reading between the lines and try to make It say something, that in between the lines says something different than what the lines says, then it's wrong. (4-27-59)”

Do you see what he said? I totally agree with what he said, but he was guilty of doing just that. Not that I’m picking on just William Branham because all preachers are guilty of the same thing.

Do you remember the song titled “Wasted Years”? Well how many wasted years have you all had listening to and accepting the false doctrines these preachers have presented to you and you have accepted them without question?

The deciding time has come for everyone to decide who they are going to believe. Are you going to believe the Words of Jesus and the Word of God that’s in the Bible, or are you going to continue to believe the false doctrines that you have been taught?

Think again on your belief of the Gospel as it was preached by Jesus. Will you believe Him when He said that God sent Him into the World and receive eternal life, or will you continue to believe that Jesus is God and not God’s Son? Choose your fate by what you chose to believe. If you’re not going to believe what God’s Word says in the Bible, then throw it away and let some false teacher tell you what you need to know.

Does your faith depend upon a revelation? I hope that it’s a true revelation from God and not man. I’m not asking you to believe me about what I’m saying, just look and see what the Bible says and if you have an open heart, God will reveal that the words of Jesus are the truth and you will receive the revelation that will save your soul.

Chose this day who you will trust your soul to, will it be Jesus or some preacher that interprets the Bible for you.
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The Last Sermon, Believe it and Live Forever

The Simplicity of the Gospel

This could be the last sermon you’ll ever hear before the end comes. This sermon will be the actual words of God as was spoken through Jesus Christ and no interpretations of any kind will be added to it and nothing will be left out of it.

Do you have a bible handy? Then get it and follow me as I lead you to the most important message that it contains. What is so important about this message? This message and your acceptance or failure to accept it will determine where you spend eternity. Will it be Heaven or Hell?

The only way you can be saved and inherit eternal life is to believe the Gospel of Christ. Here are the words of the Gospel as it was spoken by Jesus Christ.

 John 3:14: As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Mark 16: 15 And Jesus said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.

Now there it is! The Gospel that Jesus received from God and preached during His Earthly Ministry. It needs no interpretation, it says what it means and means what it says. Unless you believe exactly what it says, that God sent His only begotten Son and through Him you will be saved. God did not make Himself a body for Him to come into this World, He made a Son to be born of a woman that would become the Christ, the anointed one, for His Son to do His will and provide a way of salvation for every person on the Earth. Note in verse 17 that God said that the World might be saved through Him. Not just certain elected people through predestination, but everyone in the World that would believe the Gospel.

Can you and will you believe the Gospel? You must believe that Jesus was the Son of God and not God Himself. If you don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God, then you don’t believe the Gospel. Only those who believe the Gospel, just as Jesus preached it will be saved. If you try to interpret it to mean something else that would be against the Word and the will of God.

If all of the churches since 325AD and forward to this time and all the people who have accepted the false teaching about Jesus being God, do not repent and believe the Gospel as it stands, according to Jesus you will be damned.

Only Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

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Gifts of the Spirit

The Bible tells us that God promised us that He would pour out His Spirit on His people in the last day.(Joel 2:28 & Acts 2:17) That Spirit is spoken of in the Bible as the Holy Spirit that is given to those who believe the Gospel of Christ and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38)

Those who receive the Holy Spirit of God are also given certain gifts to be used in the church for the work of the ministry, for the perfecting of the saints and for the edifying of the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:12)

Those gifts of the Spirit that God endows upon the believers are: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, gifts of healing, the working of miracles, the gift of prophecy, the discerning of spirits, the speaking of different kinds of tongues (languages) and the interpretations of tongues (languages).

Every believer that has received the Holy Spirit has been endowed with one of these gifts to be used in the church, but many of the people have not recognized having received one or more of these gifts and never make use of the gift they have been given. If anyone that knows they have received the Holy Spirit have not realized the gift that has been given to them, they should ask God to reveal to them in some way what it is and begin to use the gift for the good of the church. If you are made aware of the gift that God has given you and you don’t use it, you will lose it.

Let’s look at an example in scripture where some have received a gift, but all did not use it properly and because of that, have lost what they had.

This was a parable that Jesus used in order to make this point. He told of a man that was leaving the country and divided up certain talents to three of his servants. This could be taken as Christ being raised up into heaven and had given certain gifts to those who He had left behind. It turns out that two of this man’s servants made wise use of the gifts they had and profited their master when he returned. The third servant had not used his gift in order to profit his master and he lost what he had been given. (Matthew 25:14-30)

Then another example was that of ten virgins who had been given some oil for their lamps waiting for the Bridegroom to return for them. But because five of them has not used their oil wisely, they ran out of oil before he returned and lost their chance of becoming his bride. (Matthew 25:1-12)

Two examples that tell a believer that if they have been given a gift of the Spirit and haven’t used it as God expected, they would not only lose the gift they had, but might be rejected when Christ returns for His Bride at the First Resurrection and the Rapture.

It tells us in First Corinthians 12:28 that God has set in the church “first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues (languages)”. Are these in operation in the church today?

Don’t be left behind to face the Great White Throne Judgment because you were not faithful with the gifts of the Spirit you fail to use. Ask God to reveal to every one of you about what you should be doing for the edifying of the Body of Christ.

Remember that if you don’t use the gift, you will lose it.

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Who are the Elect of God the Bible speaks of?

The Elect of God 

 

  

A question exists in the Church world as to who the term of  "The Elect" is referring to in the scriptures. Following are all of the scriptures in the Bible where the elect of God are mentioned, along with my comments, based upon reviewing these scriptures in context. In the whole of the Old Testament, only Isaiah uses the term of the elect. On one occasion Isaiah gives us a prophecy about Jesus Christ, and in three other scriptures, the elect are the people of the nation of Israel.

 

  Prophecy of Christ
  

Isa 42:1-7  Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus says God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which comes out of it; he that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I Jehovah have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and give you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

  

Vindication is provided in Matthew 12:17-21.

 

  Israel is God’s elect people.
  

Isa 45:4  For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my elect, I have even called you by your name: I have surnamed you, though you have not known me.

  

Isa 65:9  And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and my elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

  

Isa 65:18-22 (KJV)  But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that has not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and my elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

 

In all of the New Testament, the elect is mentioned in ten places. One could say that because God’s Word is consistent and never changes, since the elect people of God is the Israelites in the Old Testament, this will be also true in the New Testament. Even so, we will provide those New Testament scriptures, with contextual vindication where possible.

 

The first two scriptures must stand without specific vindication, except for the continuity of the proof, of all the other scriptures in the Bible.

 

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

 

Mark 13:22 (KJV)  For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if possible, even the elect.

 

The next two scriptures which speak of the elect, describe events that occur after the opening of the sixth seal of Revelations 6:12-14. This is a description of certain events that occur when the Lord returns to the Earth to pronounce final judgment on its inhabitants. But before these judgments are carried out, God’s elect people out of the twelve tribes of Israel are gathered together and sealed.

 

Mat 24:29-31 (KJV)  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send the angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

  

Mark 13:24-27 (KJV)  But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send the angels, and shall gather together the elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

   

The following verse, speaking of God’s elect, ties in with a statement made during the opening of the fifth seal of Revelations 6:9-10. Here the avenging for past suffering of God’s people is spoken of, possibly the tribulations brought on by the Romans, the Roman Catholic Church in the dark ages, and Hitler during World War two.

 

  Luke 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
  

In the following verses, Jesus is speaking of the elect, as being those Israelites who were in and around Jerusalem during its destruction in 70AD by the Roman Army. To put these verses in context, they must be included and studied with Matthew 24:15 thru 22, Mark 13:14 thru 20 and Luke 21:20 thru 24.

  

Mat 24:22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

  

Mark 13:20 (KJV)  And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he has chosen, he has shortened the days.

  

In chapters 8,9,10 & 11 of the book of Romans, Paul is talking about the Israelites when he speaks of the elect and election. Verification of this can be seen by reviewing the following verses: Rom 7:1, 8:15, 9:24,27, 10:1, 11:5,7-12,28.

  

Rom 8:33  Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies.

  

Rom 9:11  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls;)

  

Rom 11:5  Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

  

Rom 11:7  What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeks for; but the election has obtained it, and the rest were blinded

  

Rom 11:28  As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.

  

In Colossians 3:12, when Paul speaks of the elect, He is speaking to his brethren, the Israelites and not Gentiles, as can be evidenced by considering the following verses and their explanation. In Colossians 1:1, Paul is addressing his letter to his "brethren" (Jews), who are part of the body of Christ at Colosse. In Colossians 1:21, he speaks of those he is writing to, as having been reconciled to God. To be reconciled means to be given another chance. The Jews had their first chance as people of the nation of Israel, whom God chose as His people, now they have been given a second chance because of Christ. The only chance the Gentiles have, is through Christ. In Colossians 2:14 thru 16, indicates that they were previously under the law, which the Gentiles never were.

  

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

  

Paul here in Titus, speaks of the faith of God's elect without giving any indication of who that could be. But the elect here are probably those who were chosen by God out of the Israelites to believe in His Son, by faith, and the rest were blinded. Couple this with Romans 11:7.

  

Titus 1:1  Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

  

Rom 11:7 (KJV)  What then? Israel has not obtained that which he seeks for; but the election has obtained it, and the rest were blinded

   

          Peter in these first verses of his letter is addressing believers who are scattered throughout several nations. He calls them strangers, but it could have just as well been interpreted as pilgrims. In the third verse, addressing these people, he speaks of God having begotten them the second time. This must be speaking of Israelites, as they were originally chosen of God to be His people, then were born again as a result of their belief in Christ.

  

1 Pet 1:1-2  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cap­padocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

   

Verse three, speaks of them being begotten again, which the converted Jews can claim, but not the Gentiles.

  

1 Pet 1:3 (KJV)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

  

          Then in verse 18 Peter speaks of the traditions that they received from their fathers and in verse 6 thru 9 of the 2nd chapter, Paul makes it clear that he is talking to the nation of the Israelites. The poor translation of verse 10 allows the reader to suppose that the Gentiles are the subject but verses 11 and 12 makes it clear that the people of Paul's nation are the subject. Verse 25 also makes it clear when it speaks of sheep going astray, then returning to God. The Gentiles never knew God and would not be returning.

  

1 Pet 1:18 (KJV)  Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

  

1 Pet 2:11-12 (KJV)  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

  

1 Pet 2:25 (KJV)  For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

  

Also in verse 6 of the 3rd chapter, speaking to the women, Paul said they were the daughters of Abraham, making them Israelites.

  

1 Pet 3:6 (KJV)  Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters you are, as long as you do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

  

The following verse in first Peter clearly indicates that the elect being spoken of is Christ.

  

1 Pet 2:6  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believes on him shall not be confounded.

   

Paul begins this letter to Timothy saying that he was appointed to be a preacher, teacher and an apostle to the Gentiles (2 Tim 1:11), and he endures all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain salvation. The point to be made is that after saying he was sent to the Gentiles, he also was interested in the salvation of his own people the Israelites, the elect.

  

2 Tim 2:10  Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

   

Throughout the scriptures, the elect are constantly referred to as Christ or the Israelites. Some of the references may be just a little vague, but nowhere in the scriptures does it state that the elect are the Gentiles or a combination of the Jews and the Gentiles.

  

The elect are the chosen ones, or the chosen nation that God originally selected to be His people. Romans chapter 11 probably makes the most pointed distinction when it talks about the elect being one group and those that were blinded being the remainder of the Jews.

  

 

                                                    God’s Election

   

This verse in Exodus, and chapter nine of Romans is speaking of how God deals with the Jews. Romans chapter 9, verses 3 and 4 make this clear.

  

Rom 9:3-4 (KJV)  For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

  

Exo 9:16 (KJV)  And in very deed for this cause have I raised you up, for to show in you my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

  

Rom 9:11-16 (KJV)  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he said to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.

  

Rom 9:17-18 (KJV)  For the scripture said unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore has he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens.

  

Rom 9:20-23 (KJV)  Nay but, O man, who are you that replies against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus? Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

  

All of the scriptures reviewed in the Bible clearly prove that the Elect of God are Jesus and/or the Israelites. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that any gentile or Gentile Nations are God’s Elect.

 

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