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The “Gospel”
During the Great Tribulation
The
Righteous Will Live by Faith
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Elementary
Teachings of the Gospel
My comments in the
previous paragraphs may have caused some of you a
great amount of distress. You may want to ask:
“So, if this is true, then just what is the
everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ?” I would
respond by saying, “The everlasting gospel
is the truth about the relationship that exists
between the government of God, Jesus Christ,
Lucifer and fallen man.” The following six
statements explain this relationship.
1)
Before there was anything in the universe, there
were three eternal beings that we call God the
Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. (1
Timothy 1:17; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 9:14;
Matthew 28:19,20) The laws of the Trinity are
righteous, supreme, eternal and nonnegotiable.
(James 1:17; Psalms 119:89, 160; Daniel 4:34;
Habakkuk 3:6; Romans 16:26-27) All violators of
God’s laws will receive the wrath of law
that requires death by execution. (Genesis 2:17;
Exodus 12:12,13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 15:1;
Revelation 20:13-15)
Note:
God’s wrath is defined in this presentation
as the fair and unbiased administration of a
penalty as required by law. When Adam and Eve
sinned, they were to be executed the very day
they committed their sin because any violation of
God’s law is death by execution. (Genesis
2:17; 6:7; 13:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9) Why is
the consequence so drastic? Here is the problem.
When sin occurs, the nature of the violator is
instantly changed – the sinner becomes
anti-God. (Adam and Eve radically changed from
having a propensity toward righteousness to
having a propensity toward rebellion against God.
This happened the very day they sinned. Remember
how they ran and hid from God? This behavior
shows the sudden change in their nature. (Genesis
3:8; Romans 8:7) From the beginning, God decreed
that the penalty for sin was death by execution.
To a liberal society, this may seem a bit harsh.
However, God knew the ultimate result of sin
– He knew sinful beings would eventually
attempt to destroy Him and all He had made if
they had enough power, time, and of course, if it
were possible. (See Revelation 12:7-9; 17; 12-14;
19:19,20.) Violators of God’s law cannot
escape the moral changes that sin brings. It is
“natural” for all sinners to be
anti-God. The only way to maintain a universe
free from the chaos and deadly infection of sin
is to totally eliminate sin and all who choose to
continue in lawlessness. (2 Thessalonians 2:12)
Consequently, God executes the wicked (including
the devil and his angels) at the end of the
thousand years with fire. (Notice that they are thrown
into the lake of fire! Revelation 20:15)
Dying from the consequences of sin (cancer,
stroke, accident, illness) is not to be equated
with paying the penalty of sin (death by
execution). If this was not the case, all the
Father would have to do was wait for Jesus to
grow old on earth and die “a natural
death.” Please understand this point: The
penalty for sin is not natural death. Now, follow
this logic to its conclusion: This is the very
reason why Jesus had to be executed at Calvary.
2)
At a point in time (approximately 6,000 years
ago), God the Son created life on this planet,
including man. (Genesis 1:27; John 1:10;
Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) At that time, Jesus
placed man under the obligation of law with the
promise of immediate death by execution if man
violated the law. (Genesis 2:17) Unfortunately,
man disobeyed his Maker. (Genesis 3:6)
3)
Just as Adam and Eve were about to be executed,
Jesus, the Creator of man, stepped “in the
way” and offered to die in man’s
place.(Genesis 3:15; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1,2;
2 Thessalonians 2:7) The law of God, which
condemned Adam and Eve to death, could not be
changed. After Adam and Eve sinned, the Father
had no option but to give the world to Lucifer as
the spoils of his conquest. (Luke 4:6) However,
when Jesus made the gracious offer to become
man’s intercessor, the Father accepted
Jesus’ offer based on certain conditions.
From that moment in time, Jesus became man’s
intercessor and will continue to do so until the
problem with sin is fully resolved. Jesus’
great love for Adam and Eve and their offspring
prompted His decision to live on Earth and die
the second death (the penalty for sin). During
Jesus’ earthy life, He would be tempted to
sin, just as Adam had been tested. (Hebrews 4:15)
He became an over comer and lived a sinless life;
therefore, He was executed as Adam and Eve
deserved-the guilt of their sins would be
transferred to Himself. (1 John 2:2,3; 2
Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 1:5)
The Bible
indicates that any person’s guilt can be
transferred to Jesus if they submit to the
authority of Jesus and live by faith in a hostile
world. This is good news of the everlasting
gospel-anyone who puts their faith in Christ as
their “atonement” Lamb will receive
eternal life at the appointed time and escape the
execution awaiting the wicked at the end of the
1,000 years. (Luke 8:1; Acts 5:42; Ephesians
2:8,9; Malachi 4:1; Revelation 20:13-15)
Remember, the Father accepted Jesus’ blood
as atonement for sin because He too, loved the
human race as much as Jesus. (John 3:16) Yes,
Lucifer had been successful in leading Adam and
Eve to sin, but the Father promised that the
world would be returned to its rightful owner
(and all of the “faith” people who
would live on it) if Jesus were successful in
redeeming man from the condemnation of eternal
death. (The spoils do go to the victor!) (Psalms
2:7-12; John 17:6; Hebrews 1:2, 8-13; Daniel
7:13,14)
Note: Two
points need to be injected here. First, Jesus
created the human race for the glory of the
Father. (Colossians 1:10-17) When Jesus offered
to become man’s Redeemer, the Father
promised to give Jesus the world as a gift for
the price He would have to pay. (John 17:2-6)
Jesus was found worthy to receive His kingdom in
1798. (Daniel 7:9,10, 13,14; Revelation 5. For
those individuals who are alive during the Great
Tribulation, every decision to belong or not
belong to the Kingdom of God will be made by the
time the seventh trumpet is sounded. (Revelation
11:15) Jesus’ first action after taking
possession of His kingdom will be to avenge the
suffering of His saints. (This is the purpose of
the seven last plagues.) Ultimately, Jesus
destroys His enemies. (Revelation 6:10,11; 15:1;
16:4-7; 19:15-21; Hebrews 10:13)
The
second point that needs to be made is that
although Jesus’ intercession averted
Adam’s and Eve’s execution that day,
they did die years later due to the consequences
of sin. This is why the Bible often speaks about
the first death as a temporary sleep (1
Corinthians 15:51; John 11:11-13; John 6) and the
second death as the eternal or everlasting death.
(Revelation 2:11; 20:6; 21:8) Many Bible students
fail to distinguish between the consequence of
sin and the penalty of sin. The wicked will
be resurrected at the end of the 1,000 years to
acknowledge their guilt and receive the penalty
for their rebellion, which is death by execution.
4)
Since all men have violated God’s law
(Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:10; Romans 3:10), then all
men fall under the penalty of law, death by
execution. For those who reject Christ’s
atonement, this execution will occur at the end
of the 1,000 years. (John 5:28,29; 12:48;
Revelation 20:6, 12-15; Colossians 3:5,6)
5)
The good news from God is that no one needs to
perish! (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16; 1 John 5:13) The
righteousness required for salvation has been
provided for all through the life of Jesus
Christ. (Romans 5:10; 1:17; 3:21) The penalty for
sin has been paid by the death Jesus
Christ. (Galatians 3:13,14; 1 Peter 3:18) Unfortunately,
human nature is naturally drawn to rebel against
God, His laws and Kingdom and it is often hard
for sinners to accept the “good news.”
(Romans 8:7,8) Consequently, the only way a
person can wholeheartedly submit to god’s
laws is to be born again. (John 3:3) The
“born again” experience cannot be
generated by human will. (We cannot make
ourselves born again.) This is something alone
that God creates in our hearts and the
transformation is nothing less than a miracle.
(John 3:6) The Bible also states that the born
again life requires constant renewing. (2
Corinthians 13:5; Romans 12:2) However, the flip
side of the coin is this: If anyone knowingly
insists on remaining in a rebellious state
against God, they will be considered a rebel who
will be resurrected at the end of the thousand
years. According to God’s law, those who
rebel must pay the penalty for their rebellion
and they will be eternally destroyed in the lake
of fire. (Mark 3:29; Hebrews 10:26,27; Revelation
20:11-15)
6)
How does a person put their faith in Christ? To
have faith in Christ means that out of a heart
full of love and gratitude for what He has done,
a person willingly submits to his authority. (1
John 5:2-4) Does obedience merit salvation? No.
(Romans 1:17; 3:21,22; Hebrews 4:2-6) Is
obedience necessary for salvation? Yes. (1 John
2:1-5) I know this sounds contradictory, but
actually, the relationship is simple. Faith
demonstrates obedience to God because the
individual believes that god is Sovereign
and there is a humble recognition that His
commands are to be obeyed above all others.
(Hebrews 11) Presumption, on the other hand,
excuses transgression (rebellion), whereas
obedience reveals our faith in God. (Romans
1:5,6) Obedience is a definitive way that faith
can be refined and tested. (James 1:3; 2:17-26; 1
Peter 4:17; Hebrews 5:8,9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8;
John 14:15,23) Salvation is guaranteed to all
who are willing to go, to be and do as God
directs. GO-BE-DO! (John 3:16; Romans 10:9; 1
Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 4:19) Faith begins
with a willing and submissive attitude. (Luke
23:42,43) Faith recognizes the authority of God
by producing appropriate deeds. (James 2:17, 19)
The ultimate test of faith happens when loyalty
to God stands in direct conflict with dire
circumstances. (Genesis 6; Daniel 3 & 6)
Note:
Many Christians today face a serious problem
without recognizing it. Most Christians read and
quote Bible texts in their Nike tennis shoes,
instead of putting on the sandals of the
apostles. In other words, too many Christians
manipulate the conversations in the Bible (based
on preconceptions) and glibly make them say
things that were never intended. Here are two
examples: “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.” (John 3:16) Individuals who read
the Bible often mistreat this verse “while
wearing Nikes!” Jesus uttered these words to
Nicodemus. To understand the meaning of this
verse, you have to “put on the sandals”
of Nicodemus and consider the frame of mind he
had at that time.
The words
of Jesus to Nicodemus could be paraphrased like
this: “Nicodemus, the Father loves everyone
in the world, not just this tiny nation of Jews.
To restore all humankind to Eden, the Father
provided the necessary atonement for sin. You and
your fellow citizens are too parochial in your
view of God’s love. Everyone who submits to
My teaching will have eternal life. I have only
spoken the words the Father gave Me. If you
accept Me as the Son of God, you must recognize
that your religion and your religious acts cannot
save you. They are worthless in terms of
salvation, because man is saved by faith alone.
If you believe that I am the Lamb of God, sent
here to fulfill all that the ceremonial system
points to, then you need not take a lamb to the
temple alter ever again. If you believe that I am
the Son of God and my teaching is from God, you
will not be able to conform to the religious
customs of your people. I have come to set you
free of that obligation. If you confess that you
believe that I am the Messiah, the Holy One
predicted by the prophets of Israel, you will be
cut off from your family, friends and this
nation-but, be assured of this, you will receive
eternal life.”
Another
example of a verse (and many others exist) that
is often misrepresented is this: “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. For
it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved.”(Romans 10:9,10)
Many Christians quote the preceding two verses as
though the words contain a magical statement, as
if merely to quote this verse before other people
and believe that Jesus rose from the dead will be
enough to save them eternally! Paul had no such
thought in mind when he wrote these words. Again,
let us take off the Nikes and put on the sandals
of the roman converts and consider what Paul was
actually saying to the Romans who had suffered so
much torment at Caesar’s hand. Paul’s
words could be paraphrased as follows: “If,
when you are standing before the authorities for
your faith, and all your possessions are being
confiscated from your house because your name was
placed on the proscription list, and when you are
being beaten with 39 lashes because you refused
to bow down before Caesar as a god – when
this happens, if you still confess with your
mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Master and not
Caesar, and if you can still believe in your
heart that god raised Jesus from the dead and He
will raise you also-this is faith. Your faith in
God will save you, although you may, like me,
lose your life in Rome for serving Christ!
However, keep this in mind: Neither giving away
your possessions nor standing in defiance of
Caesar will save you. Remember that we are saved
by faith alone in Christ. Therefore, submit to
the teaching of Christ, confess that Jesus is
Lord of you life, acknowledge your faults, but
stand firm in your loyalty to the commandments of
Jesus and your faith will save you!”
To
understand the Bible writers and the intended
meaning of their words, we need to be sure we
understand the culture and customs of people and
the period in which the words were written. To do
less is to make nonsense of the Bible. The point
here is that anyone can enjoy a fellowship with
the writers of the Bible (even across the passage
of time), if he or she strives to understand the
issues and circumstances surrounding the writer
and the time in which he lived.
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