The Gift of God ── Eternal Life

by Leonard V Johnson

This will be the fourth in a series of articles that I am writing on most important subjects. Repentance and the glorious kingdom of God. Today, let’s continue this with the glorious gift of God ── eternal life.

Even though we know that the LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God; which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) has everything under control, and we know His word regarding leaders. “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1). I can’t help but wonder how far the United States of America will fall when President Donald Trump is no longer the “Leader of the Free World”! How long can this present evil age exist without the LORD God? This world’s news has been boiling over, the Russian & Ukrainian war, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck off the Russian coast, causing a tsunami warning, the rise of political violence and hate in America! Great tensions in the Middle East. The European Commission is working on a proposal to cut off Russian oil and gas imports ── remember in 1941 with Japan, and the aftermath of Pearl Harbor? Then, there’s Sky News Australia, on their Lefties Losing It – Why are they like this, showing Lefties screaming their heads off over the conflict in Gaza! And, they act – truly – as if they’ve been possessed by a demon! 

Then, some people are in fear of an unthinkable nuclear World War III. One in which every man, woman, and child could be annihilated on earth. What is the ultimate solution to this world’s woes and tribulations? Because ── one doesn’t need to be a financial analyst or a rocket scientist ── to know that this world is in trouble. Is this world at the 11:59 hour? Just what is the ultimate solution?

Well… religious fanatics scream, “Jesus is the solution!” And that all you have to do is believe, just accept Christ, and you will be saved. And that’s truly what they preach. They preach the name of Jesus Christ, they preach in His name, throughout the world. So almost all people worldwide have heard of the name Jesus, and that He is the Messiah – the Christ. And that all they need to do to go to heaven is just accept Jesus, believe in Jesus, and that Everyting a go be alright!

My dear friends, there is much more than just that. 

Let us hear and see some very shocking words of our Lord Jesus, of what He said. Notice in the Book of John, chapter 8, and let’s begin with verse 30 ── 

“As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.” – A New English Translation by Fred R. Coulter.

And this is what this world’s Christianity is trying to get people to do today. Just believe in Jesus. Even at that time, there were many who just believed in Him. Because there is a great difference between believing in Him and believing on Him. 

Notice that our Lord Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in Him, “’ If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.’” To abide IN HIS WORD means that not the hearers of the Law, but the DOERS of the Law shall be justified. That if you abide in His living word – if you do His word, as the Way of living. And, to REPENT, to come out from among the churches of this world, change the way you’ve been living that is causing all these terrible tribulations worldwide. THIS IS THE GLORIOUS MESSAGE FROM JESUS CHRIST! And sadly, nearly everyone does not hear or see what the Spirit has to say. 

Continuing, He said, “’ And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’” Yet, they answered Him, “’ We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.” They confronted Him and wanted to argue. They believed in Him. Because these were Jews who believed in Jesus, they asked, “’ How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”   

And our Master, Elder Brother, and Savior answered them, “’ Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.’” Again, the wages of sin is DEATH. Romans 6:23. Again, when I first saw this within God’s living word ── in the beautiful Oregonian spring of ’81, I think it was ── I was flabbergasted! Now… even though I hadn’t been to a worldly church before (except I went once to a Sunday school with a neighbor of mine in 1976), I knew what these worldly churches’ doctrine was concerning their “wages of sin.” It was immortality ── in hell. 

Now… the wages of sin. Wages are what you get paid for something you have done. And, if sin is what you do, then the wages for sin is DEATH! Not eternal life in hell, where you continue to burn, and burn, and then burn up some more – for all eternity. And God’s living and eternal word teaches us that there are two deaths. Read our free, no-obligation PDF booklet regarding death, “What Happens After Death?”   

And another good read is “Does the LORD God Truly Want to Forgive You?” which speaks of these two deaths.

Listen up, my friends, your Bible says that the wages of sin is DEATH – not living forever while being burnt and burnt, and burnt some more forever and ever! And let’s notice the second part of Romans 6:23. “ … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Yet, these churches teach that you’ve already got eternal life – an immortal soul. God’s living word teaches us, twice, that the soul that sins shall die – Ezekiel 18:4, 20. Indeed, we are a living soul. What came out of the dust of the ground became a LIVING BEING (Genesis 2:7). The human physical body then is a soul.

And the LORD God said to Adam, in the day (and the Hebrew word is yôm, which can mean “by extension: an indefinite period of time – such as “the day of the Lord”) 1 that you eat of it you shall surely die. And again, I want to add, had they chosen the tree of life, they would still have lived out their days and died; and indeed we find this did happen, “So all the days that Adam lived were 930 years; and he died” – Genesis 5:5 – but would have, after losing consciousness, “in the twinkling of an eye,” been resurrected unto eternal life! The LORD God never granted Adam eternal life. Because decay and death are NATURAL LAWS. And this is what we read in Hebrews 9:27 ── “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” As well as 1st Corinthians 15:22 ── “For as in Adam all die, …” and all people have been dying because of the natural laws of decay and death. But, and here is the glorious part of this verse, “ … even so [nevertheless] in Christ all shall be made alive.” Alive again to judgment. Everyone is going to have to account for everything they did, being judged out of the things that are written in your Bible. 

So, our Lord Jesus said, “’ Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.’” So, you become a servant of sin, and it literally becomes your master. And that is what has happened to this present evil age – it has become a slave to sin – transgressing the glorious and holy LAW OF GOD, summed up in the Ten Commandments. This is why there is no lasting world peace. Brethren, we are Ambassadors for Christ, and we are to be a LIGHT UNTO THE WORLD! A CITY THAT SITS ON A HILL THAT IS NOT HIDDEN! And, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the PRINCE OF PEACE.

Alright. Let’s go a little further into Chapter 8. Notice verse 43. Our Lord Jesus said to them, “’ Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.’” In other words, they couldn’t hear or see what the Spirit has to say. They would rather do what the god of this present evil age wants all people to do, as He goes on and says, “’ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. …’”   

Well… you might have heard of this before. What about what is called “the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man”? In essence, a person’s view of God determines their view of man and life. A low conception of the LORD God leads to a low doctrine of man as well as a low standard of morals. What about this ── and it’s been said in different ways, like the WE ARE THE WORLD song with the line, “We are all a part of God’s great big family” ── we’re all the children of God?

No. No, we’re not. God’s living word teaches us that until you receive the glorious gift of God’s Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ, and become a DOER OF GOD'S LAW, you are a child of the devil.

Did that just blow your mind? Are you now cursing my name? Well… we only teach what our Lord Jesus’ living word says. And our Lord Jesus said, “’ You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.’” And here, these were people that believed in Him. “’ He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. … 45) But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me.’”   

Within these articles, we’ve been talking about two things that we all have to do. The very first words that the Apostle Mark recorded for us, our Lord Jesus saying, “ … ‘REPENT, and BELIEVE …’” – Mark 1:15. He came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. Now… the overall majority who heard Him didn’t believe Him, and many were threatened because of what He preached. And they didn’t repent, and they certainly didn’t believe. These first two steps are the hardest. The hardest thing to do is to admit you’ve been wrong. And the second thing is to believe the LORD God ── to truly believe what God says. The Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries teaches what the LORD God’s living word says ── unless we stand corrected.

So, just believing in Jesus Christ alone is not enough. Even atheists may believe in Jesus. While some atheists may believe in Jesus as a historical person, they certainly don’t believe in His glorious miracles and of His divine quality. “(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the DOERS of the law will be justified.” – Romans 2:13. Now… It’s a spiritual Way of life, not a physical way of life. As an example, the LORD God’s Law doesn’t tell you how to build an automobile. But, if you build an automobile, you are to build it ethically. Question: Do you think the manufacturer of Volkswagen was ethical? Remember the 2015 Volkswagen emissions scandal? The LORD God’s eternal and relevant Law tells us how to love God and how to love our fellowman. The Law of God is the Way we must live.

Staying here in Mark ── notice chapter 7, and beginning in verse 6. “ …’ Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7) And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8) LAYING ASIDE THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, you hold the tradition of men ── … 9) … All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.’” And the churches of this world tell you, the ministers of these churches, are telling you that the Law of God is done away with – or, was “nailed to the cross.” Yet, God’s Law is the LORD God’s Way of life! Throughout His universe is the Law of God! Now… the Word who would become our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, existed with God the Father perhaps billions, if not trillions of years before mankind was ever created ── living together in peace. And They continue to live in peace. It is the Way of love and law. Law must exist to maintain order. Yet, your ministers are telling you that God’s Law was done away.

Again, He said to them, “’ All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.’” So, yes. You can worship God in vain. The traditions of men have become traditional “Christianity”! And it is time that all of us begin to wake up, and the time has come when the LORD God is sending voices out unto the world ── and these voices are here with you TODAY! Saying, “’ Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.’” Come out of her traditions and be ye separate!

Now… as you might be aware, I was producing The WatchMan Report nearly every week for a while. It was consuming a lot of time. I absolutely loved producing it, but it was eating away at other things I felt were even more important. Now we have what is called Some World News In Relation to Biblical Prophecy, which is usually biweekly. We try and keep you informed as to the connection between God’s living prophecies for our future and what is occurring in the world ── what you are reading or listening to in world news. 

Let’s turn in our Bibles to the Book of Revelation – a book of the past and the future – chapter 17. The Apostle John speaks here of what was shortly to come to pass in these last days, leading up to the glorious and powerful return of Jesus Christ. Beginning in verse 1 ── “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.’” In other words, she sits around the world. Verse 2 – “’ with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’ 3) So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” – the seven resurrections of the “Holy” Roman Empire, the final resurrection consisting of ten kings or kingdoms. Verse 4 – “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, …” – and what do those colors remind you of? Both harlotry and the colors of that great universal church! “…and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5) And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS [the Mother of protesting daughters] AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6) I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” – and that phrase there, ‘the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints.’

So, this is a harlot. And, if you’re uncomfortable with that word ── the King James Version of 1611 has an even worse word. It’s right there in your Bible, the Book of the Apocalypse. “with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, …” Well… this harlot is the Roman Catholic Church, and the governments of the Earth interact quite significantly with her, especially through her influence and control over large segments of the population. Exerting intimidation on governments and allowing her to influence policies and maintain a strong economic base. And, besides all that, they travel around the globe NOT preaching the gospel, the gospel that our Lord Jesus preached ── the very Message God the Father sent by Him, but rather, preaching man’s message about a Christ that did away with His Father’s commandments, and replaced them with His own. No. Our Lord Jesus said, “ … ‘I have kept My Father’s commandments …’” “’ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done …’” Woman is often depicted as a church in Scripture. Here, a woman represents a church. So, this is speaking of a deceptive and deceiving universal church.

Turning back a few chapters to chapter 12, the Apostle John speaks of ‘the great dragon, Satan the Devil, who has deceived the whole world.’ And Satan the Devil gave her power and a throne ── great authority. Notice chapter 18, the first four verses. “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven [the atmosphere], having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.” Now… the Apostle John is seeing this in one of his many visions. “And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!’” A great religious institution that has ‘fallen, is fallen.’ Completely wiped out! A religious Babylon!

Interestingly, and this is just a thought ── you know you read over in Revelation chapter 20 that Satan the devil, is placed into a great Abyss, as it were a spiritual prison. And you say, “Where will that be located?” And, just a thought here – wouldn’t it be amazing, because we’re told here a little later, notice Verse 21 – “…’ Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.’” The city of Rome will become dust! What if the place of Satan’s Abyss is under the ocean, under the ruins of Rome! Right down with all the dead bones of all the dead popes down through all the ages! Maybe it’s a perfect place to put them and all his demonic beings! 

Tuning now to the inspired writing of the Apostle Paul, notice 2nd Corinthians chapter 6, verse 16 ── “And what agreement has the temple of God [God’s true Church – the Church of God, His called out ones] with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.”      

As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.’   

17) THEREFORE ‘Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.’” 

18) ‘I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.’” 

Brethren, God’s living word is crystal clear, but our peoples need to wipe the dust off their Bibles ── and if you’re in a hotel room in the USA reading this, check your nightstand drawer; does Gideon still place Bibles in the drawers? ── Look into your Bible and see just what God’s living word truly teaches. 

Our Lord and Savior – our Master – says, ’Come out of her, My people!’ Come out of this present evil age, this world and its evils ── come out of those liberal protests that are against the rule of law and order ── and be ye separate. Come out of living a life that is contrary to the Way of God. God desires us to live a life, the Way God the Father lives, the Way that our Savior Jesus Christ lives. The Way of love. Love for God and love for our fellowman ── no matter what our fellowman's religion, political affiliation, or sexual gender is.

• No other gods before Me
• No graven image
• Do not take My name in vain
• Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy 
• Honor your father and your mother 
• Do not murder 
• Do not commit adultery 
• Do not steal 
• Do not bear false witness 
• Do not covet  

Love does not mean love of yourself. Love does not mean vanity. Love is love towards the LORD God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and it means love toward your neighbor as much as yourself. You must love yourself to the extent that you take care of yourself, this body, this mind, this temple of God’s Holy Spirit. To love your fellowman as yourself, and to love the LORD God even above yourself and your neighbor. THE HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS LAW OF GOD! □  

1) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Strong, James. Zondervan, 2001, #3117, pg. 1508. 

Additional Articles of this Series

Sign of the Times ── It's About the Kingdom of God!

Repent ── and Surrender To God! ── Our Master and Elder Brother Jesus Christ came to proclaim the kingdom of God, which is the government of God. 

What Are the Requirements For the Kingdom of God? ── Now, we’ve been going through some of the New Testament, and seeing why it is that a great many people believe exactly opposite of what God’s living word truly says.