For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believethin Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
God manifested His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, with NO HOPE of salvation, destined to the lake of fire, which is the 2nd death, Revelation 20:14-15, that He sent Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to be the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world, John 1:29,35.
No longer was a lamb or bullock or a kid of the goats required, for it was not possible for the blood of bulls or goats to take away sin, Hebrews 10:4. These literal sacrifices found in the Old Testament were but a type or symbol of the True Sacrifice which was to come into the world, Christ Jesus.
Christ was the Perfect Sacrifice; He was sinless, without spot or blemish or any such thing, 1 Peter 1:18-19; Leviticus 1:3,10. It was Him & Him alone, who could atone for the sin of humanity. He is the way, the truth & the life and no man cometh unto the Father except through Christ, John14:6.
As the sinner in ancient times, placed his hands upon the head of the animal and confessed all of their sins upon the head of that said animal before sacrificing it, Leviticus 1:3-5;16:21, so the sinless Father placed upon the head of His sinless Son, the sin of all humanity, before He gave Him up to die on the Cross.
He made Him, who knew no sin, to be made sin for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21.
“The LORD has laid on Him, the iniquity of us all…He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.”
Isaiah 53:6-7
He came unto His own and His own received Him not, but as many as received Him and accepted Him as their Saviour, Redeemer & Lord, to them, He gave power to become the sons of God, John 1:11-12.
Behold! What manner of love, the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons & daughters of God! 1 John 3:1.
“God is love, in this was made known the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us.”
1 John 4:8-10
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”
John 15:16
Friends, this is true love, a love which our fallen human minds will never fully grasp; the love shown by our Creator for His perishing creatures who have fallen to sin.
A way has been made that we may be redeemed and saved from the coming destruction. Sin and satan must be destroyed and those who shun the love of God, revealed unto us through no greater gift than that of His Son Jesus Christ, shall perish along with the devil and his angels.
Grace has been bestowed upon us, even though we are underserving of it; unmerited favour has been extended from the Holy Father to us, sinful creatures, “and how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”
“Everything that God could do has been done for the salvation of man. In one rich gift He poured out the treasures of heaven. He invites, He pleads, He urges; but He will not compel men to come unto Him. He waits for their cooperation. He waits for the consent of the will….”
“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.“
Zechariah 13:8-9 KJV
Today it is believed that as Christians, when we go through the trials and tribulations that come our way, we are somehow being punished by God, but all one has to do is to read the account of Job. The life of Job clearly shows us that we are not being punished through trials but rather we are being refined.
The Lord permitted the devil to try Job, Job 1:8-12; Job 2:3-6, so that through the affliction, Job would be refined as silver is refined and tried as gold is tried. By remaining faithful through it all, Job was well rewarded by God and this lesson was written for all mankind, that we may also know and understand “that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose”, Romans 8:28 KJV.
As a result of the lukewarm state of the Church today, the professed people of God, have fallen asleep. The Church for the time being is no longer persecuted as it was in the days of the early & middle aged Church, so today, Christians are not used to hardships and afflictions, therefore, because they have “no root”, “when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately” they stumble, Matthew 13:21 NKJV.
But Scripture is clear:
“The LORD trieth the righteous…”
Psalm 11:5 KJV
God permits the fires of affliction to come upon us that we may, through suffering, be made pure as gold. It is His will, that we endure hardships, for when we do, we will draw nigh unto Him, through prayer, through fasting, through the study of the Scriptures, that we may gain strength to endure and then He will draw nigh unto us, James 4:8 KJV
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.”
Psalm 119:71 KJV
The Psalmist tells us that it is good when we go through trials and afflictions, for by doing so, we run to Christ in the midst of the fire and we learn of His statutes and His will by spending time in His word. This is all part of the process of sanctification which God is working in us through the ministration of the Holy Spirit.
“The very trials that task our faith most severely and make it seem that God has forsaken us, are to lead us closer to Christ, that we may lay all our burdens at His feet and experience the peace which He will give us in exchange.
Patriarchs & Prophets pg. 129
Take another example found in Scripture – The three Hebrew young men- Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego. Were they not cast into the fiery furnace by the hands of Nebuchadnezzar? Said the king:
” Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.… Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.”
Daniel 3:24-26 KJV
Why fear? When the fiery trials come, “think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” but rather, draw close to God in prayer and claim the promises of God. He will never leave us nor forsake us. As it was with the three Hebrew young men, the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ the Righteous, shall be in the midst of the fire with us, preserving us.
Christ Himself has promised:
“when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
Isaiah 43:2 KJV
God Himself weighs every trial that satan wishes to bring before us. As the devil requested permission to tempt and afflict Job, so must he seek the permission of the Most High to afflict us. But God is faithful, He weighs every test before permitting the devil to afflict us for He knows that if we are faithful in the midst of the fire, calling upon Him for the strength to endure the suffering and the affliction and holding fast unto the promises found in His word, we shall, like Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, “come forth [out] of the midst of the fire”, for He shall preserve us.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV
Friends, we have not suffered as Christ has suffered for us. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, scourged and beaten, pierced through with nails and a spear, His visage was so marred more than any man. And if this wasn’t enough suffering, He was crucified upon the Cross all that we, sinful, fallen mankind, may inherit eternal life through Him. This is Love.
Therefore, when we are afflicted, when the furnace of affliction has been turned up seven times hotter upon us, let us rejoice, inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, that, when His glory shall be revealed [at the 2nd Coming] we may be glad also with exceeding joy. “For I reckon”, says the Apostle Paul, “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 KJV.
“But he that endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
“As the days of Noah were, so shall also the Coming of the Son of Man be.”
Matthew 24:37 KJV
By studying the life of Noah, Genesis 6 & 7, much can be learned as we see the Day quickly approaching.
The story of Noah typifies those faithful believers who will be alive at the Second Coming of Jesus, when He comes in glory to save His saints and destroy the wicked. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2Thessalonians 1:6-10.
As Noah was a righteous and holy man, living in a perverse and wicked generation, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, Genesis 6:8, so, God’s faithful, Bible believing Christians, living in this perverse and wicked world, must walk with God daily as did Noah. We must live in accordance to His statutes and Commands and be obedient to His Word, daily seeking to please Him, that we may also find grace in the sight of a Holy and Mighty God. We must be found spotless, without blemish and without any guile found in our mouths, by God’s grace.
When told that he was to build an ark, Noah wasted no time, he quickly got to work, building and preaching for 120 years that the coming destruction of the world was nigh upon the pre-flood race. He was focused in doing the work which God had prepared for him, he was obedient to God’s Word, “a preacher of righteousness” to a corrupt generation, 2 Peter 2:5KJV.
Likewise, as we see the Day of God quickly approaching, so must we also be preparing. We must be seeking God daily in prayer and supplications, getting our lives in order and conforming to the Word of God, for it is“a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path“, directing our steps in this dark world.. We must be obedient to God’s Word as Noah was and also proclaim the good news of Christ to the world, the everlasting Gospel. We must preach the imminent Second Coming of Jesus to the nations, that others may also have the opportunity to know the truth as it is in Jesus, for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Like Noah we must be preparing our households and families, pointing them in the direction of the Ark of Christ.
At the time that the flood waters came, the masses were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, the world went on as usual, the inhabitants had no regard for spiritual things and for their soul’s salvation and they knew not the impending judgement that was to fall upon them. The wicked world of that time rejected the gospel as it was preached by Noah and it was to their own demise. Matthew 24:37-39 KJV.
So will it be at the Second Coming of Christ, as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days preceding Christ’s return.
God will have a faithful people upon this earth that will proclaim true Bible Christianity, not the Babylonian, false doctrines that are prevalent in the churches today, lulling the people asleep. These faithful Christians will preach Bible truth, Old and New Testament, they will preach the atonement of Jesus Christ as the only acceptable propitiation for our sins, and they will proclaim with a loud shout His imminent return and with it the destruction of this world along with its wicked inhabitants, who shall be destroyed by the sword of His mouth, with the brightness of His Coming, Revelation 19:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:8KJV.
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.”
Lamentations 3:22 KJV
In His mercy, the Father has provided for His people a true Ark in Jesus. May we heed the message of warning and get back to true Bible based Christianity and find ourselves in the Ark, before God closes the door.
Repent and turn from your sins for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Whether one believes it or not, Christ is coming soon, turn from your wicked ways and live, lest you be destroyed as those living in the days of Noah were also destroyed because of the hardness of their hearts.
“Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
Numbers 21:8 KJV
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:14-15 KJV
In most cases of Scripture, the serpent is generally used to represent the devil, the great dragon called satan, Revelation 12:9, Genesis 3:1, however we see here that Jesus compares himself with the serpent. At first glance this may seem like blasphemy of the highest order and may even confuse many but lets take a closer look.
In speaking to Nicodemus in John 3:14-15, Christ was foretelling His death upon the cross and comparing it to the brazen serpent which Moses made in the wilderness. The idea of Christ being lifted up and crucified on the cross is seen here as a type of banner or standard or flag, that is lifted up. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, evenso must the Son of man be lifted up” Christ said.
After coming out of Egypt and brought into the wilderness, the children of Israel, quickly looked back to the pleasures of sinful Egypt, as did Lot’s wife to Sodom, and began to complain and murmur against God and against Moses. As a result, God allowed fiery, venomous serpents to come upon them and to bite them and those that were bitten quickly began to die of the poisonous venom. However, in realising their ungratefulness and their sin, they confessed their sin to God and cried out “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord” Numbers 21:7. Because of God’s mercy and long suffering nature, He heard their prayers and commanded Moses to build a serpent of brass and set it upon a pole, that whosoever should look upon it shall live.
Now it isn’t to say that in looking upon a pole with a snake upon it had the power to take away the effects of the poison, but it was in looking by FAITH, believing in God’s Word and His power to heal from the effects of the venom, that they would be saved.
Likewise, we all have been bitten by the old serpent called the devil and satan and have been infected by the venom of SIN. We all, as a result, have been condemned to death like the Israelites in the wilderness, for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” says Paul, Romans 3:23. Again he says, “now all these things happened unto them [the Israelites] for ensamples (examples), and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come,” 1 Corinthians 10:11.
Therefore, God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, as the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins, the only real antidote for the venom as it were. He came as the Son of Man, and suffered as we suffer, was afflicted with temptation as we are afflicted, “For in that He Himself, hath suffered being tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted”,Hebrews 2:18.
As the serpent is used to represent satan and his sinful nature, so did Christ become sin for us. He took our sins upon Him and went faithfully to the Cross, lifted up as the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up before the children of Israel. “For He [God] hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The serpent which was lifted up on the pole, directly foreshadows Christ, the Sinless One, who bore our sins, and was lifted up upon the Cross of Calvary and says Christ “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, evenso must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Christ was lifted up for you and for me. It is by His sacrifice upon the cross that our sins are forgiven and our slates made clean. We have all been bitten by the fiery serpent called the devil and have been infected with the deadly venom of sin. Therefore, lift up your heads and look to the Cross; look to Jesus as He has been crucified for your sins and for mine, believe in His power to cleanse you from all sin through His death, the death that we rightfully deserve, and the promise is, we shall not perish but have eternal life.
“…I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
John 8:12 KJV
As the small seedling breaks forth from the soil and strives to find the rays of the sun that it may grow up into a mature plant bearing fruit for the farmer, so must the Christian strive to walk in the light as Christ is in the light, for He is the “Sun of Righteousness” Malachi 4:2 KJV . By following the light of Christ day after day, shall we grow up “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”, Ephesians 4:13 KJV, and by this work of transformation and daily sanctification that takes place in us by the Holy Ghost, shall we bring forth fruit for the Husbandman of the vineyard, Isaiah 5:1-3,7; Matthew 21:33.
Scripture teaches us that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” and if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, engaging in the works thereof, then “we lie and do not know the truth.”1 John 1:5-6. Furthermore, Christ has said to us, His Church, that we must follow His example. As He was the light of the world while he dwelt here, working the works of the Father, so are we now called to pick up the baton which He has passed onto us, to work the works of Him that sent us into the world to proclaim the everlasting gospel & His soon return to all men.
Ye are the light of the world…Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14,16 KJV
Christ Himself, veiled His divine nature, and took on human flesh and blood when He came to this earth. He was part of humanity like you and I, the Son of Man, tempted in all points such as we are, yet He committed no sin, Hebrews 4:15. He walked in the light of the Father, and came to reveal to mankind the glory and character of God, because no man can see or shall see the face of God and live, for He dwells in light unapproachable, Exodus 33:20; 1 Timothy 6:16.
Following this example of Christ, we are now called to walk in the light, that we may also reflect His character and His glory to the world. We are to walk as Christ walked, and live as He lived and by doing this, the world shall see Christ in us “the hope of glory” and shall also be led unto Him. 1 John 2:6; Colossians 1:27.
O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Isaiah 2:5KJV
He that followeth after Christ, shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life. His Word shall be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, leading us and directing us into all truth. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. John 8:12; Psalm 119:105; 2 Corinthians 4:6.
But this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, through Christ and through His faithful, obedient followers, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. For everyone that doeth evil deeds, hates the light, neither do they come into the light lest their deeds be rebuked. John 3:19-20. Satan has covered this world in darkness and has covered the minds of its inhabitants in gross darkness. They refuse to heed the light of Christ and as a result they remain captives of the enemy. Therefore as a plant, because of its inability to receive light for a prolonged period of time and is thus covered in darkness, dies, so do all who refuse to walk in the light of Christ die spiritually.
But to those who heed the call of the Spirit and receive the Word of God in their hearts the Prophet Isaiah says, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”Isaiah 9:2. Paul in agreement with this also says that we “are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”1 Thessalonians 5:5. We are children of the light for we are children of God, for “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” , “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God.”
Therefore let us continue to strive towards the light as the plants of nature strive to follow the direction of the sun’s rays, for it is only by this that they shall grow up into their full stature producing fruit. Likewise, as we keep following the light of Christ, pressing on and persevering despite the conditions of life, so also shall we grow up unto the fulness and stature of the True Light, Jesus Christ, bearing fruit for the Master, for by beholding, we become changed.
Jesus is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. His children are the children of light. They are renewed in His image, and called out of darkness into His marvellous light. He is the light of the world, and so also are they that follow Him. They shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The more closely the people of God strive to imitate Christ, the more perseveringly will they be pursued by the enemy; but their nearness to Christ strengthens them to resist the efforts of our wily foe to draw them from Christ.
Testimonies for the Church, Volume 1, page 405, paragraph 2
Throughout the Scriptures, we always find that before God pours out His judgments upon the wicked, He always sends a message of warning, that the wicked may have opportunity to turn from their wicked ways and be saved.
Whether it be Noah preaching to those living before the Flood, Lot warning the inhabitants of Sodom & Gomorrah, Moses admonishing Pharaoh before the great Exodus, Nahum warning those of Nineveh, or the Prophet Jeremiah, warning the children of Judah before their fall to Babylon, God is the same yesterday, today and forever more; He never changes.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Hebrews 13:8 KJV
With that being said, do we not expect the God of all the universe, to proclaim a message of warning to this final generation? Will not God have a faithful people living upon the earth in these last days who shall proclaim the present truth for this time, as He had with the Patriarchs and Prophets of old?
Of course He will! For He never changes His ways of working. Therefore, it behooves us to find out what is this message of warning that God has given to us and to heed its call, for “the great day of the LORD is near, it is near and hasteth greatly.Zephaniah 1:14 KJV
By a careful study of the Old Testament, one would observe the way in which God operates when He gives a message of warning to wicked. He first gives the message to His faithful people, who in turn share that message with that particular sinful nation; it is usually always a message of repentance. Generally, we find that the people refuse to repent except a small remnant and God then brings destruction upon the unrepentant whilst saving that remnant who did heed the message and turn from their ways.
We are told that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, 2 Peter 2:5 KJV. He proclaimed to the world a message of repentance in his day, admonishing them to turn from their sinful ways and to seek refuge in the ark because destruction was imminent. However, unfortunately only seven others apart from Noah heeded the call and God destroyed all the others by a global, catastrophic flood. 2 Peter 3:20 KJV.
But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:37 KJV
Likewise, as it was in Lot’s day, so shall it be in the day when Christ is revealed and the unrepentant receive their reward. Luke 17:28-30KJV. Lot was sorely perplexed by the apostasy that surrounded him day by day as he dwelt in Sodom. 2 Peter 2:7-8 KJV. He preached unto those that dwelt in the land, including his family members, Genesis 19:14 KJV, yet they heeded not the call. Therefore, “the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all“Luke 17:29 KJV, only Lot and his two daughters were saved.
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly…
2 Peter 2:6 KJV/Jude 1:7 KJV
Did not Moses give countless warnings to Pharaoh to let God’s people free from bondage or else He would destroy them?
Did not the Lord send countless Prophets, time after time unto the children of Israel, warning them of their harlotries and to turn from their sinful lives? But they rejected the call and even killed many of the Prophets that were sent unto them.
Says the Lord ” O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee…” Matthew 23:37 KJV.
God is merciful and long suffering with us all. He does not wish that any of us should perish but that we all should turn from our unrighteous deeds and be saved through His Son Christ Jesus, For He is the way, the truth and the life. It is for this reason, that He sends countless messages of warning to mankind, throughout all generations.
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
Ezekiel 18:23 KJV
One may say that yes, God warned those in the past, but what about us today? Where is the message to this final generation? Friends, God does not change.
This message is found in the Book of Revelation. It is the final message of warning given to mankind before Jesus comes to harvest the wheat and to uproot and destroy the tares (weeds). It is one message with three parts, found in Revelation 14:6-12 KJV. It is the three angel’s messages, a message which must go to all the world, to “every nation and kindred and tongue and people”, Revelation 14:6 KJV.
It is a message of love, for God wishes that we should all accept salvation in His Son and be saved, yet it is also a message of justice because all who refuse to heeds its call, will, like the ancient people of old, be destroyed.
The first message calls us to the time of judgment. It points us to the final work that our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, is doing for us in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary. He is blotting out our sins and examining the Books to see which of us are fitted for the Kingdom of Heaven, for He says, “Behold, I am coming soon and my reward is with me to give to every man according as His work shall be” Revelation 22:12 KJV. It is quite evident that if Christ is returning to reward every man, both righteous and unrighteous, then there must be a work of investigation before hand. That work of investigation is quickly coming to a close as we can see that Christ’s Second Coming is soon upon us.
This message also points us back to God’s title as the Creator of “heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters”, and all that is in them, Revelation 14:7 KJV.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves.
Psalm 100:3 KJV
What better way to remember the Creator than by observing that day which He has sanctified and made holy, “because that in it He had rested from all His work” He created and made, Genesis 2:3 KJV.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it (made it holy).
Exodus 20:8-11
After heeding the first message, we are directed to the second. It warns us of the moral fall of Babylon, that great harlot, who commits fornication with the kings of the earth and by whose trade the merchants of the earth wax rich and the inhabitants of the world are deceived by her false teachings. Revelation 17:1-5 KJV. The warning message goes forth, “Come out of her my people” , Revelation 18:4 KJV. It must be then that God has many people in Babylon, and as result, when His people shall hear the call to come out which shall be preached by His servants, they will then heed the message and come out.
I would suggest a read of our Beginners Bible Study Guide on The Harlot which is free for download. This guide will help to give a better understanding on who is Babylon in our day.
The final message goes forth, warning the inhabitants of the earth not to bow the knee in submission to the beast and its religious laws which shall be set up, for if any do this, then they shall receive the mark of this beast and ultimately shall be destroyed as the wicked inhabitants of the pre-flood world were also destroyed.
The first message calls us to worship God, the third warns us against worshipping the beast & his image for we are to have no other gods apart from the one true God, Jehovah.
Trying times are about to come upon all of God’s people. A time of trouble such as never was, since there was a nation is to come upon all of us that dwell upon the earth, Daniel 12:1 KJV. The serpent is wroth with God’s people and will seek to make war with them to destroy them, Revelation 12:17 KJV, but we must keep our eyes on Christ. No matter the circumstances, let us remain faithful by God’s grace, and give the message of warning to this dying world, which God has given to His faithful servants to give to all mankind.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Onward Christian soldiers, marching onto war, with the Cross of Jesus, going on before.
S. Baring Gould, 1865
The faithful Christian is a soldier in the Lord’s Army. Clothed in the full armour of God, he or she is to go forth under the Blood stained banner of Prince Immanuel, step by step and day by day, gaining the victory until the glorious Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian world today under-estimates the power of the enemy and as result they step foot onto the battle field of life unprepared and Satan makes a mockery of them, accusing them before the Lord “day & night”. But hear the words of the Apostle Paul as he writes these words under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God:
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:11-12 KJV
Satan despises the children of God. He was not able to defeat Christ at the Cross, for He, Christ, rose again on the third day in glory. Therefore, Satan turned his wrath from Christ, to those who faithfully follow Christ, that is, His Church, His Bride. Throughout the ages of the Christian Church, whether it be during the time of the Apostles and the Early Church, the Middle Aged Church or even today, Satan, working through his various agents, has sought to wipe out the Church of God from upon the face of the earth. Says the Apostle John in the Revelation:
And thedragon was wroth with thewoman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:17 KJV
‘The great dragon….that old serpent called the devil and satan’, Revelation 12:9 KJV, has been exceedingly wroth with the Woman or the Bride of Christ throughout all ages and as we near the closing of this earth’s history and the Second Coming of Christ, he seeks to make war with the faithful believers, called the Remnant, that he may destroy them and wipe them from the face of the earth.
The devil is called ‘the prince of this world’ by Christ in John 14:30 KJV. He usurped the dominion of this earth from Adam, who was first given dominion over it, Genesis 1:26 KJV. As a result, he takes this world to be his own and the inhabitants of it he numbers as his subjects; all prisoners and slaves to sin. However, God always has a faithful people upon the earth who refuse to give their authority unto Satan and it is those faithful individuals throughout all the ages of the Church and more so now at the end of time, that the dragon is wroth with and seeks to make war with them.
A faithful remnant of believers fix their eyes upon their Commander, the ‘Captain of the host of the Lord‘ is their leader. They are clothed in the full armour of God: their loins are girt about with truth, they have on the breastplate of righteousness, their feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. With the shield of faith equipped and the helmet of salvation furnished, they stand firm in the faith of Jesus, bearing arms with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and they follow the Lamb, withersoever He goeth. Ephesians 6:14-17; Revelation 14:4 KJV.
John tells us that “the devil is come down unto you , having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”, Revelation 12:12 KJV, therefore, it behooves us as professed Christians to be fully clad in the armour of God, that we “may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”, Ephesians 6:13 KJV.
Christ is our Commander, He “shall fight for us and” we “shall hold our peace”Exodus 14:14 KJV, but we need to be fully equipped in the armour of God that we may be able to stand upon the battlefield of life. No one can be victorious without this armour.
We see in the Christian Church today many professed believers who refuse to put on the armour of God. They neglect Bible study, they sit under ministers of the gospel who are not preaching the truth, they do not fix their eyes upon Christ, striving to live as He lived and walk as He walked, their lives do not align with the Biblical standard, rather they follow the worldly standard and they presumptuously run onto the battlefield claiming “we are not under the law but under grace”, as a result satan shoots his fiery darts at them and takes them as his captives. They have no root, their foundation is not built upon Christ, who is the Rock upon which we must stand, but rather they are likened unto the foolish man who built his house upon the sand.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:26-27 KJV
Friends, now is the time is to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light as faithful soldiers in the Lord’s Army.
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Ephesians 4:24 KJV
So, you have heard the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus and the message has stirred your heart. You have become convicted of your sins and believe with all your heart that “Jesus Christ is the Son of God” Acts 8:37 KJV. You decide to surrender your life to Christ and be baptised, choosing to become a disciple of Jesus and walking along this new path that God has laid out for you to follow. But what does this all mean? What does it mean to “walk in the newness of life?” Romans 6:4 KJV. Who is the old man? and what has happened to him? All these and more are the questions we sometimes have when we first accept Christ and to have a better understanding of these principles, would help to cement in our mind why we decided to follow Christ and why we continue to endure despite the many difficulties and afflictions.
For by grace are we saved through faith, says Paul, and not of our own works, lest any man should boast. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was sent to us as a gift, that we might have eternal life in Him and be saved from our sins, if we believe. Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23 KJV; John 3:16 KJV.
When we accept by faith the righteous merits of Christ and His atoning sacrifice for our sins and we are baptised into Christ, we are baptised into His death. As Christ died upon the cross and was laid in the tomb, so we, when we are baptised into Him, we die symbolically. The old man is dead, the fleshly nature is deceased as Christ in His human body also died.
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death…”
Romans 6:3-4 KJV
As Christ died in the flesh, so are we to die to the natural, fleshly, sinful nature which we inherited from our first parents, Adam & Eve, Romans 5:12 KJV. But this death is not just a one-off event, this death is a continuous dying to self each and every day. Notice the words of the Apostle Paul:
“…I die daily.”
1 Corinthians 15:31KJV
However, Christ did not stay dead forever, said the angel at the tomb, “He is not here, He is risen” Matthew 28:6 KJV. Therefore, “like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3 KJV.
The old man has been crucified as Christ was also crucified and as He also rose again, so we also rise a new man, a new creation. Says the Apostle Paul, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV. It is no longer us that lives, but Christ that lives in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure in our lives.
It should be noted that because of the death of the old man, sin no longer has power over us. Christ’s death and resurrection broke the chains of bondage to sin and guaranteed that in Him, that is, in Jesus, we can have the victory over sin; through Christ we have been set free from sin.
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin…. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Romans 6:6-7,18 KJV
This is all good news. But the question begs to differ, how am I to live now that the old man is dead?
Well as mentioned before, this dying to self and casting off of the old man, is a daily process; we must “die daily”. We must continuously put to death the fleshly nature through the strength of Jesus, for in us dwelleth no good thing, however, we can do ALLthings through Christ who strengthens us. Romans 7:18 KJV; Philippians 4:13 KJV.
The new man is guided by the Spirit of God.
As we make that daily surrender to Christ in prayer and devotion and invite God’s Spirit into our lives, He comes in to dwell in our hearts and our minds, to lead us and direct us in the way which we should go. In the Psalms, God says, “I will instruct thee & teach thee in the way which thou shalt go, I will guide thee with Mine eye.” Psalms 32:8 KJV. God will teach us to do His will and His Spirit will direct us.
The children of God are led by His Spirit and when He leads us we are to walk in the way which He directs. No matter how rocky the path may look, no matter the trials and afflictions we may face on this Christian walk, let us remember Romans 8:28 KJV, ” …all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.“
As we are led by God’s Spirit we will be transformed into the image of Christ, reflecting His character to this dark and sinful world; by beholding Christ, we will become like Him in character. This is true Bible Christianity, not that which we see today.
“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.”
1 John 2:6 KJV
We must live as Christ lived, we must walk as Christ walked. This is the characteristic given in the Bible of a true Christian, and the only way that we can live and walk like Christ is if we die to self daily, putting to death afresh the old man and walking in the newness of life being led continuously by the Holy Spirit.
“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth”
1 Peter 2:21-22 KJV
Christ left us an example. We are to follow in His steps. Living as He lived, walking as He walked. Putting away sin from our lives by the power that He has promised unto us, and walking in the newness of life. May we ” put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
This is what it means to be a new creature. This is what it means to put to death the old man and to put on the new man. The question is are we still living as the “old man” or are we striving daily to live as the “new man”. Maybe you have been a Christian for many years, and all these concepts seem to new to you or maybe you are not a follower of Christ but you aspire to be deep down in your heart. Think upon these things friends; put off the old man, put on the new.
“…the Lamb slain from the foundations of the world.”
Revelation 13:8 KJV
It was because God so loved us, that He gave us the gift of His Promised Son, that whosoever should believe on His name, whosoever should accept by faith, the atoning merits of His Son Jesus Christ for the sins of fallen humanity, should not perish but have eternal life; “they shall be His people and He shall be their God.”
As a result of the sins of Adam, our progenitor, we have all been deemed sinners in the eyes of God;“There is none that doeth good, no, not one” Psalm 14:3 KJV.
“Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Romans 5:12 KJV
Again Paul says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”Romans 3:23 KJV. Let us not forget that, we, in our fleshly human nature are sinners and we stand before the King of the universe, clothed in defiled, wrinkled garments but thanks be to God that He has made a way of reconciliation through Jesus His Son. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” 2 Corinthians 2:19 KJV.
It was ordained in the courts of Heaven, even before the foundations of the earth were laid, before the creation of man and the subsequent fall to sin, that God, in his foreknowledge, made a way of redemption for fallen mankind through His Son. Christ is the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world.
The plan of redemption for fallen humanity was not just an after thought given to Adam after his fall. We were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, rather, we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ who, says the Apostle Peter “verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world” 1 Peter 1:19 KJV.
Eternal life has been made available to all of us in Christ Jesus. God, who cannot lie has made this promise “before the world began” Titus 1:2 KJV, for He, [God] so loved the world, all of His created beings, that He gave His only begotten Son, for the atonement of their sins, that whosoever shall believe in Him, shall not perish, but they shall receive eternal life and a crown of glory and be clothed in white raiment.
Therefore, as we see the end of this world quickly approaching and the 2nd Coming of Christ so near, even at the door, let us remember that Christ thought about you and I before this world was even made. He looked down through the ages of history in His foreknowledge and saw each and everyone of us, and while we were yet sinners, He committed Himself to the plan of redemption by offering up Himself, that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 KJV
We are all born into this world in the fleshy, corrupt nature of fallen humanity. We take the sinful nature of our first father Adam and as a result we are naturally clothed in defiled garments and stand before the God of the universe as sinners.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Romans 5:12 KJV
We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God as Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 KJV, but thanks be to God the Father, for He so loved us, that He commendeth His love towards us, by sending His Son Christ Jesus, to be the propitiation or sacrifice for our sins, that by believing on His Son, by faith, we shall not perish but have everlasting life. See John 3:16 KJV.
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John 4:9-10 KJV
When we accept, by faith, the Blood of Christ, that was shed upon Mt. Calvary for our sins, we are justified before the Father, on account of the righteous merits of Jesus. When we make that public decision to be baptised and commit our lives fully to God, the “old man” within us dies and the “new man” is born. No longer are we seen as a fallen son of Adam, but instead we are seen as a son of God, a brother of Christ, covered in His righteousness, for all our righteousness is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6 KJV.
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life….Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Romans 6:4,6 KJV
But in our own strength, we cannot “walk in the newness of life”, because in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing. “There is none who does good, no, not one,” Psalm 53:3 KJV. However, if we commit our lives to Christ, and surrender all to Him, to walk in all His statutes and commandments, He will work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. He will give us the strength to overcome sin and to walk and live even as He lived. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. The most challenging sin, which seems to so easily beset us, can be overcome when we lay hold of the victory that Christ has gained on our behalf.
“be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 KJV
He who began this good work in us, this work of transformation, this work of sanctification, shall perform it until He comes again. For He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is the will of the Father that we should grow up into the full stature of His Son Jesus Christ, reflecting His image and reflecting His character in this dark and sinful world. By this we shall be reconciled to God. We are called to be Christians not only in name but also in deed, in action, and in lifestyle, for “faith without works is dead”, James 2:26 KJV.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:13 KJV
Christ came in the sinful, fallen flesh of humanity and He overcame at every step of the way. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 KJV. As a result of His victory over the flesh, He grants us that same power to also overcome the flesh, that we may live day by day according to the Spirit. For He that is in the flesh cannot please God, Romans 8:8 KJV.
Therefore friends, having these “exceeding great and precious promises”, “let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in [our] time of need.”2 Peter 1:4, Hebrews 4:16 KJV.
“With man all these things are impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” Matthew 19:16 KJV
Loud Cry Compendium 