Questions That the Religions of the World Ask ── VI) If the LORD God is all-knowing, why create humans, knowing most would go to “hell”?

by Leonard V Johnson

We pray and hope that this article will help you better understand this question that many have.

I have a new question for you here──If the LORD God is omniscient, why were human beings created, knowing that most would go to “a place of eternal torment and punishment”?

Well … A conversation I had recently with AI touches on this subject, “‘An Epiphany Concerning the Original Sin’.” You can also listen to this article HERE.

Will Everyone Be Offered Eternal Salvation?

As we proclaim unto the world──the LORD God has had a Master Plan… From the Beginning!

God’s living word teaches us that “God is love” – 1 John 4:8. That “Our God is the God of salvation” – Psalm 68:20. That “’ No one is good but One, that is, God’” – Mark 10:18. And, that there is no other than God, there is none like Him, “declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done” – Isaiah 46:9-10.

In fact, this very question was the first question placed before me as I began this life-long journey of learning and discovery of God’s living word, “Stop and think! Would a Creator, having supreme intelligence, wisdom, and love, to think out, plan, design, and bring about all creation - this earth and all life upon it - have left human beings in ignorance of His purpose?”

The answer is a resounding and definite no.

Could this not be one of the major reasons why our very own Creator was sent to Earth? ──

“’ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes [on] Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.’” – John 3:16-17.

“’ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’” – John 10:10.

Well… is the view that the LORD God had originally──from the beginning──planned to offer eternal salvation to every human being biblical? The answer is a definite yes. And it can be proven by and through God’s living words.

Sadly, however, the overall majority of people worldwide, who claim to believe what the Holy Bible says, have been taught that salvation will not be offered to all, and that most will have to suffer eternal torture and torment for not being saved in this age.

Yet… let us see and hear clearly what the Spirit has to say ──

“’ and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.’” – Luke 3:6, the Challoner-Rheims Version of the Catholic Bible.

“The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.” – Isaia 52:10, Confraternity – Douay Version of the Catholic Bible.

Both our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul have called this coming age “the age to come” – Matthew 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Hebrews 6:5. The Greek word is “aiōn,” meaning eternity, age (time period). It’s also known as “the times of restitution” ── in Greek, “apokatastasis,” meaning restoration. This Greek word is used in the Book of Acts 3:21, “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” – KJV. Our mighty Lord and Savior’s government ── truly, the only real hope for world peace ── will be established upon the Earth!

We are told by our beloved Apostle Peter to always remember this one thing, that ──

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9.

In the LORD God’s “age to come,” eternal salvation will be offered to all that has ever lived or will ever live! And as I had an epiphany concerning the “original sin” ── that had Adam not sinned, the original sin would not exist; however, his descendants, also having free will, would each need to decide for themselves whether to choose ‘the tree of life’ or ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ (cf. Philippians 2:12).

We believe with all our heart, soul, and mind that God’s living word teaches us that all will ultimately be offered and given an opportunity for eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, and will be forgiven their sins upon their repentance unto God. And “upon their repentance” is all throughout God’s living word ── cf.

“’ If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land.’” – 2 Chronicles 7:14.

The LORD God promises to forgive and heal UPON THEIR REPENTANCE.

There is no other name under the heavens “given among men by which we must be saved” – Acts 4:12.

“’ Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2) as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3) And THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.’” – John 17:1, 2-3.

Pay close attention to the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ only speaks of two Gods here ── not “three in one.” (Be sure to read and study today, “Is God a Trinity?”).

Truly, truly, as the LORD lives, “every knee” shall come to bow before the LORD – cf. Romans 14:11; Isaiah 45:23.

Nearly everyone who has ever lived or will ever live (surely, 99.99% ── note Luke 15:4-6) will come to repent and accept our Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and will ultimately be gifted eternal life within the family of God – the kingdom of God! And… the few who absolutely refuse will not be given eternal torment and punishment but will rather be given ── eternal death (cf. Revelation 20:15; 21:8).

God’s living word does not teach anywhere that there is, in any version, some type of Dante’s Inferno that so many people believe is so ── within the crust of the Earth! God’s word does not teach blanketed universal salvation unto all ── but rather, the glorious gift and opportunity for eternal salvation will be offered to all, either in this age, or the age to come.

L O V E was the motivating factor for God the Father to send His only begotten Son to be victorious and to die a most horrible and excruciating death to be resurrected unto life ── so that the world would not be condemned but may be saved. It truly means that all could be saved (not that all will be saved). Yet, all ── even unto the most vile and evil of all peoples ── will have an opportunity to repent with all their heart, their soul, and mind unto the LORD God for their lawlessness, and will have an opportunity for eternal salvation! The LORD God’s Plan is not limited to only a select few “special ones” like so many religious groups teach ── God’s Master Plan includes all human beings that have ever been born or will be born.

Do you believe that our Lord Jesus died for the world or only a few?

“My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, And ALL FLESH shall bless His holy name Forever and ever.” – Psalm 145:21.

Here the Hebrew word for “all” is kōl, meaning all, everyone, everything, totality of a mass or collective. “A very common particle, occurring about 5400 times. Of these all but about 800 are in a genitive relation with the following word, signifying thus, ‘the whole of something.’ It is commonly translated ‘all’ if the following word is plural, and ‘every’ if the word is singular … It can also have a suffix attached to it: ‘the whole of it, all of it.’” 1

Our beloved Apostle Paul wrote, under divine inspiration ──

“For the LOVE OF CHRIST compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15) and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-15.

Logically, for our Lord Jesus to have died for all, then all must have an opportunity for eternal salvation. And since the LORD God is indeed omniscient, they had a Plan from the beginning that nearly everyone who would live would have an opportunity to choose ── eternal salvation.

Again, our beloved Apostle Paul ──

“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in [judgment], even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came TO ALL MEN, resulting in justification of life.” – Romans 5:18.

Indeed, Adam’s offense brought world judgment, but our Lord Jesus’ righteous sacrifice opened the door FOR EVERYONE ── yet each person must still receive that free gift through acceptance, repentance, and faith. Individual choices are crucial within the LORD God’s Plan… From the Beginning.

As mentioned earlier, the Apostle Peter, “REPENT therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing [restoration] may come from the presence of the Lord, 20) and that He may send JESUS CHRIST, who was preached to you before, … 21) … which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” – Acts 3:19-20, 21.

And we find this to be true ── one of the first known holy prophets, Enoch, spoke of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was preached (cf. Genesis 5:18-24; Jude 14-15).

The vast majority of people have NEVER HEARD the True Gospel ── especially the truth concerning the kingdom of God. And, of those who have heard it ── those who had been awakened to God’s living truth from the 30s to the 60s were also exposed to some very serious doctrinal errors. Again, the vast majority of people have never heard the True Gospel of “the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence,” including the truth concerning God’s Master Plan of Salvation… From the Beginning.

The worship of an ancient Asherah Pole (AI-generated)

Note that the Prophet Isaiah ── prominently regarded as a Messianic prophet ── reveals to us that the LORD God has shut the eyes of idolaters, so that they cannot understand, yet also reveals that the LORD God is willing to blot out their transgressions upon repentance ──

“And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god!’ 18) They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

21) ‘Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! 22) I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. RETURN TO ME, FOR I HAVE REDEEMED YOU.’” – Isaiah 44:17-18, 21-22.

Now, will the LORD God condemn to eternal death those who worship false gods for something He has not let them properly understand yet? No, of course not. We challenge some pretty traditional views about this supposed hell and its eternal punishment.

The Apostle Paul, standing upon the Areopagus speaking to some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (Acts 17:18-32) (AI-generated)

As the Apostle Paul stood upon the Areopagus in Athens, he said ──

“Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30) Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but NOW commands all men everywhere to repent.” – Acts 17:29-30.

Ignorance of the Law is no excuse

Yes, the LORD God commands all men everywhere to repent (see: Luke 13:3, 5), But we are also told that, though the LORD God has allowed Satan the Devil to ‘blind all who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them’ (2 Corinthians 4:4), the Law of God is written (almost instinctively) upon men’s hearts ──

“’ If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD, THOUGH HE DOES NOT KNOW IT, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity.’” – Leviticus 5:17.

“’ And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48) But he WHO DID NOT KNOW, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For Everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.’” – Luke 12:47-48.

Our Apostle Paul also explains it this way ──

“For as many as have sinned WITHOUT law will also perish WITHOUT law, and as many as have sinned IN the law will be judged by the law 13) (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14) for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15) who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my [which is also our Lord’s] gospel.” – Romans 2:12-16.

The Apostle Paul ── divinely inspired ── is teaching about the LORD God’s impartial judgment and how both Jews and Gentiles are held to the same divine standard. He’s highlighting how this moral awareness isn’t a learned behavior, but something much deeper ── like a divine fingerprint on every person. Even when people claim moral relativism or say they don’t know right from wrong, their own conscience betrays them by feeling guilt or defending their actions. Conscience serves as this internal witness, constantly either accusing or defending our actions. Again, it’s like the LORD God having a moral fingerprint embedded in every person, making everyone accountable regardless of whether they’ve heard the Law or not.

This is what the Apostle Paul is addressing here ── those who sin WITHOUT the law will perish WITHOUT the law, but he also shows that the LORD God judges people according to the light they’ve received. Our Lord Jesus says, ‘Much is given, much is expected in return.’ The conscience still bears witness even without ever hearing the True Gospel, so there is still accountability, but God’s judgment takes into account what knowledge each person actually had access to. However, this moral law written upon the hearts of all men means that ignorance isn’t a valid defense before the LORD God.

And what he is saying in Acts 17:30 ── the era of ignorance and of overlooking such things as idolatry is done. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s glorious resurrection unto life changed everything, making repentance a worldwide command, not a suggestion.

Certainly, the LORD God knows that all men will not repent in this age, so the LORD has planned an ‘age to come.’

Now, the LORD God allowed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed for their wicked sins which were grave (Genesis 18:20; 19:24), the very same wicked sins that “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” – Galatians 5:19-21. Now, if what the Protestants teach and believe is correct, then all who were in Sodom and Gomorrah will be tortured and tormented in “a place of eternal torment and punishment.” Yet, it is not correct; notice the living words of our Savior ──

“’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day [speaking of the Day of Judgment] for Sodom than for that city [that city that outright rejected His Gospel Message]. 13) Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14) But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15) And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades [the grave].

16) He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.’” – Luke 10:8-16.

This passage is showing us our Lord Jesus sending out seventy disciples as messengers ahead of Him, giving them specific instructions for their mission. He is preparing them for both acceptance and rejection, emphasizing that they should carry nothing and stay in one house when accepted. In verse 12, our Lord Jesus makes a powerful point: He emphasizes that outright rejecting His Gospel Message carries heavier consequences than ancient Sodom will receive. Our Lord Jesus is distinguishing between different levels of responsibility based on knowledge. And we can connect this to what our Lord Jesus says in Luke 12: 47-48. Fewer stripes for those who didn’t know. Both are guilty, but there’s definitely a difference in the severity of judgment. This is the key principle that our Lord Jesus is laying out here──accountability scales with knowledge and opportunity.

Let us now turn to Ezekiel 18 ──

“’ For I have no pleasure in the death [the second death] of one who dies,’ says the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore TURN AND LIVE!’” – Ezekiel 18:32.

The LORD God clearly wants all men to live. Would the Lord GOD then have devised a Plan that would result in the overall majority of mankind going to “a place of eternal torment and punishment”?

Our LORD God certainly did not.

The Apostle Paul's inspired, uplifting, and comforting words ──

“For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven [the Third Heaven] itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25) not that He should offer Himself OFTEN, as the high priest [had entered] the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another── 26) He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, ONCE at the end of the ages, He has appeared TO PUT AWAY SIN BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF. 27) And as it is appointed for men to die [the first death] once, but afterward the judgment, 28) so Christ was offered ONCE to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time apart from sin, for salvation.” – Hebrews 9:24-28.

So, there is coming a time that whoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved ──

“’ And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’” – Acts 2:21.

So, it was the Plan since the foundation of the world that the Son of God would be slain for many──not the few. Of course, the LORD God knew that Adam and Eve would sin ── they had, like their descendants have, freedom of choice; therefore, the LORD God has a Master Plan… From the Beginning! Also, and I want you to notice, that it was appointed for men to die once (a physical death), but then judgment. (Be sure to read and study, “Why Death?”).

Only a Few In This Present Evil Age

In this age ── and one can ask, “How many ages have there been since creation?” The standard historical or theological interpretation is six, which came from Alexander of Hippo (whom we at the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries do not believe that he ever was a saint of our glorious LORD God). God’s living word doesn’t actually mention how many ages there have been. But, in this age, only a few will truly be called by Father God, accept our Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, believe the gospel message, properly repent, be properly baptized, having hands laid upon them, and receive the glorious gift of the Holy Spirit──only a few, as our Lord Jesus speaks to us in the likes of Matthew 7:13-14 ──

“’ Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to [eternal] life, and THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT.’”

Our Lord and Savior Jesus came to save more than just a few. And He will in the ‘age to come,’ since only a few were prophesied to remain faithful in this age.

Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us (which is consistent with Ezekiel 37:9; Daniel 7:2 - they all use this directional language symbolically rather than pointing to specific geographic regions) that there are those last who will be first, and there are first who will be last──in the kingdom of God. I speak more concerning this in the sermon “Least in the Kingdom.”

The Apostle Paul before the high priest Ananias, Governor Felix, and Tertullus in Caesarea. Acts 24:1-22 (AI-generated)

God’s living word speaks of two resurrections from the dead ──

“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept [speaking of the Pharisees here], that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just ① and the unjust ②.” – Acts 24:15.

“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and HAS BECOME the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. … 23) But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, AFTERWARD those who are Christ’s at His coming.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed── 52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at THE LAST TRUMPET [the SEVENTH TRUMPET BLAST]. For the trumpet will sound, and the DEAD [IN CHRIST] will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

“’ Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. … 28) Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice. 29) and come forth──those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, ①

And those who have done evil, to the resurrection of [judgment]. ②’” – John 5:25, 28-29.

“And I saw [in vision] thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the [life] of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. [Be sure to read and study the online booklet “Who or What is the BEAST That Rises Up Out of the Sea?” to learn just who is the final beast, and this mark]. And they lived and reigned with Christ [on the Earth] for a thousand years. 5) (But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished). This is the first resurrection.” – Revelation 20:4-5.

Verse 6 ── “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, …”

The second death (see also Revelation 20:15; 21:8) is a permanent, eternal death.

We should not fear people who can kill the physical body but cannot kill our spirit. But rather, we should fear Him who can destroy both the spirit (and it cannot be truly destroyed but can be separated from God) and the physical body in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28). If the incorrigibly wicked, after their resurrection from the dead──having been gifted the opportunity to repent, to change, to seek the LORD God with all their heart, soul, and mind, and to accept our Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and to believe the True Gospel Message──refuse, then they will be “cast into the lake of fire” which is the second death.

So, to be clear: This second death is permanent. And I want to make this distinction ── When the Prophet Elijah stretched himself out THREE TIMES on a widowed woman’s son in Zarephath, and cried unto the LORD, ‘I pray, let this child’s life come back to him’ and he revived and lived again (1 Kings 17:17-22), or Lazarus of Bethany, whom our Lord Jesus loves, died, and our Lord Jesus raised him from the dead (John 11: 11-44), or even many of the saints who had fallen asleep, having their graves opened, and raised from the dead (Matthew 27:52), shows us that people can physically die, be resurrected, and then die again.

This being thrown into “the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death,” is not an eternal torture, torment, or writhing forever and ever. In Revelation 20:10, “forever and ever” is properly translated “into the ages of eternity.” It is a permanent death.

God’s living word DOES NOT speak of an eternal torment──but rather, those who outright refuse the LORD God after the second resurrection will simply be put out of their misery for their own good as well as for others who will accept the LORD God’s Way. □

Sources:

1 Harris L. R., Archer, L. Gleason, Jr., and Waltke K. Bruce. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 1980, #985a, pg. 441.

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God ── In the Old Testament?

by Leonard V Johnson

Greetings, dear Brethren, Co-Workers, and Friends around the world ── like Iztacalco, Mexico, Bogotá, Colombia, Baghdad, Iraq, Al Minya, Egypt, and Phnom Perih, Cambodia. Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries.

Is the glorious gospel of the soon-coming Kingdom of God mentioned and taught in the Old Testament? And just how did our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles Peter and Paul preach the glorious gospel?

Our Lord and Savior would not have been able to read the New Testament, yet He certainly preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 1:15). And He quoted from Scripture!

John the Baptist preached the glorious gospel of the kingdom. The Apostle Peter certainly preached on the very day when the fullness of the Feast of Pentecost had come (AD 31), a message of salvation that would bring on that day about three thousand who repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Now, Peter quoted Scripture, but he didn’t quote from the New Testament. After his conversion, the Apostle Paul preached the glorious gospel of the Kingdom of God “and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence” – Acts 28:31. Yet, through the majority of his ministry he did not have access to any of the Books recognized now as the “New Testament” ── in fact, he himself would come to write fourteen Books of it!

So, truly, the only Books that our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles had access to and were familiar with and preached from were what we now regard as the Old Testament.

Ye Old Testament

According to Publishers Weekly ── In 2025, Bible sales reached historic highs in both the United States and the United Kingdom, with U.S. sales hitting a 21‑year high of 19 million units — up 12% from 2024 and more than double 2019 levels. 1 It has been translated into nearly every language and dialect, including into the Khoisan group of languages with their clicks. Yet, this most translated and constant best seller is the least read, studied, and least understood Book! And even those who do read it and study it consistently often avoid large swaths of it – the depths of the Old Testament ── as in genealogies.

Apparently, the very word “old” as opposed to “new” has made most people feel as if they no longer need to read the Old Testament ── like it had nothing to do with the New Testament, or it was only for the Jewish people.

The Holy Bible ── which is God’s living word in print ── has 66 “Books” in the Authorized Version, the 1611 King James Version. So, are those first 39 “Books” of God’s living word now unnecessary ── or did the Creator, our God, have a reason for inspiring them and for us to read, study, and understand them, even here in the 21st century?

Our Lord Jesus Came Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God

Certainly, some questions can be asked and pondered upon ── to Whose authority did He represent? Where did He get His understanding of love and grace, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation ── and the understanding of the Kingdom of God? When our beloved Apostle Peter preached concerning grace and salvation, Whose authority did he base his understanding? When the Apostle Paul began to expound and proclaim unto the Gentiles concerning the glorious gospel of the Kingdom of God, and those things pertaining to our Lord Jesus Christ, from what “Books” did he preach from?

The GOLDEN RULE

Well … a large majority of my generation (Generation X) was taught the Golden Rule ── the principle of treating others as one would want to be treated. Our Lord and Savior certainly taught the GOLDEN RULE – “’ Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.’” – Matthew 7:12.

Let’s speak of this Golden Rule for a moment. While typing this article up, I went and read a few publications on this “Golden Rule” ── because people the world over demand respect, love, and appreciation, often whether they deserve it or not. Surely, you want respect? Because to receive respect, we should respect others. Do you want kind words? Because to receive kind words, we should use kind words to others. “’ It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” The LORD God’s Golden Rule is also a part of the second greatest commandment ── “’ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

What I came to discover, reading and studying just a little of some of the ancient texts and versions of this “Golden Rule,” is that no other saying or philosophical system is equal to our Creator’s ── the living Jesus Christ’s! Some examples ──

• Confucius, or rather Confusion, “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others.”
• In Taoism, “The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own.”
• In Mohism, “If people regarded other people's states in the same way that they regard their own, who then would incite their own state to attack that of another?”
• The ancient epic of India, Vyasa says, “Do not to others what you do not wish done to yourself; and wish for others too what you desire and long for yourself.”
• Tamil tradition, “Do not do to others what you know has hurt yourself.”
• In ancient Greece, “Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing.”
• In Zoroastrianism, “That nature alone is good which refrains from doing to another whatsoever is not good for itself.”

In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ’s Golden Rule ── in fact, the very One who created this very rule (cf. John 1:3) is not the “ethic of maxim reciprocity” so commonly espoused throughout the world. Most people claim that this Golden Rule is but a shared ethic among all religions. THIS IS NOT TRUE! Our Creator’s command has a very IMPORTANT difference. Notice that those sayings above are similar to our LORD God’s Golden Rule, yet are stated rather negatively and rely on passivity. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s command is a positive command to show love PROACTIVELY. Notice that the ones above are not proactive. We are to look for ways to act positively.

Now, in nearly every publication I reviewed, it said that our Lord Jesus Christ simply “borrowed” the idea of the Golden Rule from many Eastern religions. However, the texts of Confusion and Mohism above were written 400-500 BC conservatively. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ quotes His Golden Rule from the Book of Leviticus 19:18. “’ You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.’” Moses wrote Leviticus after the Israelites left Mount Sinai, between 1440 and 1400 BC. So, who “borrowed” from whom?

Also, how many noticed the last part of our Lord Jesus’ Golden Rule? He tells us where He got this Golden Rule, “ … ‘for this [the Golden Rule] is the Law and the Prophets.’”

So, our Lord Jesus Christ was expounding upon the Old Testament ── not doing away with it. In fact, His very life and gospel message were an explanation of the Old Testament. A MAGNIFICATION. When the self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees would ask Him a question, He would often answer, “’ Have you not read …?’”

In fact, the whole gospel message of our Heavenly Father brought to us by His Son is a gospel message of love ── but what kind of love? AH ── you didn’t know there are different kinds of love? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ explains ── when a pharisaical “expert in the law” asked Him a question, testing Him, saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ The Lord Jesus answered him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. … And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ This is the GREAT COMMANDMENT of love that our Savior and Lord gave ── the “new” commandment ──

“Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had FROM THE BEGINNING. The old commandment is the word which you heard FROM THE BEGINNING. 8) Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is ALREADY SHINING.” – 1 John 2:7-8.

“’ On these TWO COMMANDMENTS hang all the Law and the Prophets.’” – Matthew 22:34-40.

Our Lord Jesus quoted His answer from His living words in Deuteronomy and Leviticus!

The time when our Lord Jesus was confronted by Satan the Devil, He pointed out and encompassed the entire precept, “’ It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but BY EVERY WORD that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4. And, this very direct response to Satan the Devil was taken directly from His living word that He had inspired His Prophet Moses to pen in Deuteronomy 8:3!

The Apostle Peter and the Gospel of the Kingdom

Simon Peter, Servant and Apostle of Jesus Christ (ai-generated)

Notice ──

“Of this salvation [of this gospel of the Kingdom and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ] the prophets [of the Old Testament] have inquired and searched carefully, who PROPHESIED OF THE GRACE THAT WOULD COME to you, 11) searching what [way], or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ [which] WAS IN THEM was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12) TO THEM [the prophets of the Old Testament] it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you THROUGH THOSE who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven ── things which angels desire to look into.” – 1 Peter 1:10-12.

So, even more and greater knowledge of God’s coming Kingdom and the teachings which concern our Messiah, has been revealed to us than was the prophets of old, they prophesied of the grace that is now. Spiritual truths that even the angels desire to know. And in his second epistle, he warned us that there would come unstable people who would twist, to their own destruction, some of the harder things to understand by the Apostle Paul, “as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” – 2 Peter 3:14-16.

The Apostle Paul and the Gospel of the Kingdom

Apostle Paul - "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." - 1st Cor. 1:3. (Ai-generated)

The very source of the gospel that our beloved Apostle Paul preached is recorded for us in the Book of Acts ──

“So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from BOTH THE LAW OF MOSES and THE PROPHETS, from morning till evening.” – Acts 28:23. This inspired statement regarding the testifying and teaching of the Apostle Paul was at the very end of his ministry ── long after he had turned from Judaism and had embraced and accepted JESUS CHRIST and had begun preaching and testifying of the glorious gospel message ── the message of the soon-coming Kingdom of God and of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

The Apostle Paul was commissioned by our LORD God to carry the gospel message to the Gentiles. A few months ago, while speaking with a professing Christian relative, I was asked if I had ever heard of Pauline Christianity. He asked, “Are you aware that Saul preached a different gospel other than the four gospels?” I told him that I had heard of this Pauline Christianity and that I denounce it quite strongly. The Apostle Paul was commissioned, and the evangelists and elders under him, to carry the same gospel message to the Gentiles around the world at that moment in time. His personal instruction to the Evangelist Timothy, and to all those under him ──

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2) PREACH THE WORD! …” 2 Timothy 4:1, 2.

Verse 11 – “ … for the ministry of the Word.” – NET.

In other words, the gospel of the Kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul had just written ──

“ALL SCRIPTURE [speaking here of the Old Testament, the New Testament had not been fully written] is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” – 2 Timothy 3:16.

And flowing in thought from that, we come to Chapter 4:1-2. The conjunction of οὖν, “therefore,” because ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God and is profitable, PROCLAIM IT! Truly, the scope of “the Word” ──

• The gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ.
• The “whole counsel of God” – Acts 20:27.
• Moral instruction for righteous living – cf. Titus 2:11-14.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! PERISH THE THOUGHT ── the Apostle Paul did not come up with his own “Pauline theology”! He never disagreed with Moses, or any other prophet of the Old Testament, or with our Savior, Jesus Christ ── his instructions was, again, to the Evangelist Timothy, and to all those that were under him, “from childhood you have known the HOLY SCRIPTURES [the Old Testament], which are able to make you wise FOR SALVATION THROUGH FAITH WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS.” – 2 Timothy 3:15.

So the Apostle Paul, under the glorious inspiration of the Spirit of God, and using his full authority of apostleship, in this epistle, is stating that the OLD TESTAMENT is PROFITABLE for doctrine ── not some self-proclaimed “Pauline theology” ── the very same truths that were preached by Enoch, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Elijah, Elisha, by John the Baptist, and by our Savior and great High Priest in the heavenly realms, Jesus Christ ── and their source for the doctrines of God? The Old Testament.

The Apostle Paul had no doctrines that were contrary to any single “Book,” or “Chapter,” or “Verse” from Genesis to Malachi. In fact, he was highly pleased because those citizens of Berea who had heard the gospel, checked the Scriptures (the Old Testament) daily on the things he was proclaiming to them ── the gospel of the Kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 17:11).

Notice ── in his epistle to the Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul told the brethren that the things that occurred within the Old Testament were examples, written for our admonition ── “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” – 1 Corinthians 10:11.

Evangelist Philip and the Gospel of the Kingdom

Evangelist Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch - Acts 8:26-40 (Ai-generated) 

Evangelist Philip preached and testified about our Lord Jesus Christ, His crucifixion, and of the soon-coming Kingdom of God, and of salvation ── from the Old Testament! Notice the verse that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading ──

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” – Isaiah 53:7.

The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Of whom does the prophet say this, was it himself or someone else?’ Then Philip, beginning at this very passage, taught JESUS to him! Evangelist Philip began explaining that this is referring to the Son of God, sent by the Almighty Father in Heaven to become a human being, to live a perfect life, and then to be like “a lamb to the slaughter” ── to be sacrificed for the sins of all mankind. But, of course, Isaiah 53 is not the only chapter in the Old Testament that applies to our Savior, Jesus Christ; many more were needed for Philip to explain completely the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ completely out of the Old Testament. (Be sure to read and study our free no-obligation online PDF booklet “Many Convincing Proofs That Jesus Is Christ”).

Surely, Philip could have turned to Genesis 3:15, the prophecy regarding our Lord Jesus and the woman ── ‘between Satan the Devil’s seed and her Seed’ ── how her Seed was to redeem mankind from sin. This would have shown him that a Savior was going to be needed from the very beginning ── that even if Adam had chosen the tree of life, he would have still lived out his physical life and then died. Now, during Adam’s long lifetime, he had many physical children. Every single one of Adam’s children would have had to choose for themselves the ‘tree of life’ or the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A Savior was still going to be needed. I speak of this in “Conversation With AI Regarding ‘An Epiphany Concerning the Original Sin’”).

Philip could have easily turned in the Torah, to Genesis 12, 15, 22 about the glorious promise that the LORD God of the heavens and of earth had made to Patriarch Abraham, how “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, …” How He had promised, “’ The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet … from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” – Deuteronomy 18:15.

Could we dare say that Philip knew of ── or might have had an early copy of ── the original Book of Enoch that prophesied of the Son of Man? ──

“He will be a staff for the righteous, that they may lean on Him and not fall; And He will be the light of the nations, And He will be a hope for those who grieve in their hearts. All who dwell on the earth will fall down and worship before Him, And they will glorify and bless and sing hymns to the name of the Lord of spirits. For this reason He was chosen and hidden in his presence before the world was created and forever. …

For in His name they are saved, and He is the Vindicator of their lives.” – 1 Enoch 48:4-7. 2

Surely Philip would have mentioned the 70 weeks’ prophecy in Daniel 9 ──

“’ Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.

25) Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem UNTIL MESSIAH THE PRINCE, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

26) And AFTER the sixty-two weeks MESSIAH SHALL BE CUT OFF, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

27) Then [H]e shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. …’” – Daniel 9:24-26, 27.

This was a prophecy concerning the time of Jesus’ birth. Now, certainly, the Prophet Daniel had read the Book of Jeremiah and realized that there was a certain 70-weeks that would transpire before the nation of Judah would return to Jerusalem – understanding that they would not be in captivity forever, they were going back to Jerusalem, they were going to rebuild the wall, they were going to rebuild the temple – and the Messiah was going to come at that time! At the end of this sixty-nine-week prophecy – that is exactly what happened! Because, if you look back into history (cf. Herodotus’ Histories 3. 150-160) when Darius I, king of ancient Persia (who reigned from 522-486 BC), subjugated the Babylonians – and Flavius Josephus wrote, “when Babylon was taken by Darius, and when he, with his kinsman Cyrus, had put an end to the dominion of the Babylonians, he was sixty-two years old” (Antiquities 10.11 §4). And you look at that date, the 70-weeks depicted a time – that at exactly at the end of that 69-week prophesied period, Jesus the Messiah was born in 4 BC. It’s an amazing prophecy! I pray tell, was Evangelist Philip aware of this awesome prophecy?

And speaking of the dominion of the Babylonians, reading from the Prophets, Philip could have easily read him, “ …’ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.” – Zechariah 4:6.

A prophecy that was recorded for us around 520 BC during Darius I, king of ancient Persia’s reign. It’s set in Jerusalem, where returning exiles would build the Temple again after a 16-year hiatus. And it’s all about the LORD God’s power, not human strength. Basically, the LORD of hosts says, ‘Listen, Zerubbabel, you think you need muscles for My temple project? No! It’s My Spirit that’ll get the job done!’

Also, among “The Twelve,” Philip could have easily read ──

“’ REJOICE GREATLY, O DAUGHTER OF ZION! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, Your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’” – Zechariah 9:9.

He would have explained that this prophecy had been fulfilled during our Lord Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as recorded for us now in Matthew 21 and John 12:15.

In the Jewish Tanakh, Micah ──

“’ But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.’” – Micah 5:2.

He could have pointed out to the eunuch that, just as King Herod the Great had been told ── it was indeed prophesied that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and that He would eventually be Ruler in Israel!

Philip could have continued in Zechariah, explaining to the Ethiopian eunuch that it was prophesied long ago that the One who would come to fulfill this prophecy of the Messiah would be sold out for a mere 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13).

Philip could have taken out the Tehillim, the “praises,” and read ──

“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the Chief cornerstone. 23) This was the LORD’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” – Psalm 118:22-23.

Explaining that it had been prophesied long ago that our Savior and Lord Jesus would not be accepted by the multitudes but rather rejected, and that it was not just spontaneous or planned that the Son of God had been rejected by His own.

Also, that in Zechariah, how long ago it had been prophesied that the Messiah ── Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God ── would bring grace to all mankind, forgiveness for their sins ── undeserving as it is, and would sacrifice Himself for their sins!

“’ And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.’” – Zechariah 12:10.

And right there in Isaiah, he could have shown him ── some thirty years before the Apostle Paul would write the epistle to the Ephesians ── how the Messiah, the Captain of our salvation, was to have righteousness as a breastplate, salvation as a helmet, and zeal as a cloak! ──

“He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him. 17) For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.” – Isaiah 59:16-17.

" ...' Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be.' ..." - John 19:23-24. (Ai-generated)

And still yet, returning again to the “praises,” reading Psalm 22:1 ── the very last words of our Messiah on the cross as He suffered for the sins of all mankind! ──

’“ي، إلي، لما سبشثن؟’”  – Matthew 27:46.

Reading down a few verses, he could have shown how our Messiah was surrounded by dogs, and the congregation of the wicked had surrounded Him, piercing His hands and feet – Psalm 22:16.

He could have explained how the Roman soldiers had used little tablets or counters (thrown into water-filled urns to seek divine guidance) to cast lots to see who the new owner of His fine cloak would be ── Psalm 22:18.

Philip would have mentioned all these prophesies could only have been fulfilled in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God ──

“Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.” – Psalm 41:9.

Philip recounting to the Ethiopian eunuch how that when our Savior was hanging on the cross, He was offered gall to drink to “quench” His thirst ── and he patiently explained that even this had been prophesied ──

“They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” – Psalm 69:21.

Certainly, just as the Apostle Peter had done on the Day of Pentecost in 31 AD ── here, about 4 years later, Philip would have explained to the Ethiopian eunuch concerning the prophecy in the “praises” regarding the glorious resurrection of the Messiah from the dead ──

“For You will not leave my soul in Sheol [the grave or tomb], Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” – Psalm 16:10.

In covering these prophecies ── and certainly many others ── the Evangelist Philip would have pointed out to the Ethiopian eunuch that this was far from the end, that it was THE CONTINUATION of a great Plan of salvation that the LORD God had envisioned for all mankind!

Continuing in “The Twelve” ── in Zechariah ── that our Messiah came the first time as a lowly Messiah riding upon a colt of an ass, but that upon His second return as King of kings and Lord of lords, He will rule the entire Earth ── 

“I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea [describing our Messiah’s dominion from the Mediterranean to the eastern seas, symbolizing a worldwide rule], And from the River [the Euphrates River] to the end of the earth.’” – Zechariah 9:10.

Surely, Philip would have shown him Zechariah 14 and explained that when our Savior returns, He will put His feet on the very Mount of Olives – Zechariah 14:4.

It’s the Greatest of News in This 21st Century!

Ever since our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ascended back to the upper heavenly realms, we have been in ‘the beginning of sorrows’! Mankind has been suffering under our own rule, our own governments of Democracy, Republic, Absolute monarchy, Totalitarianism, Communism, and social democracy. Theocracy, Islamic republic, People’s republic, Fascism, Socialism, Feudalism, and all the many others! And particularly since the early 20th century, mankind now faces the fact that it can now annihilate every man, woman, and child from the face of the planet!

But, it’s the greatest of good news that this same Messiah, the Captain of our salvation, the Son of God, the One who had the compassion, love, and mercy to sacrifice Himself for you and me, and for all the sins of mankind ── some 1,995 years ago ── will again return soon to establish His kingdom of peace, His kingdom of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! Be sure to read and study all of Chapter 11 of Isaiah.

Well … the LORD God knew that there would be scoffers in the last days, people who would agree with some of the living word of God, but not all of it! God Most High knew that the greater majority of mankind ── until the glorious and powerful coming of His Son as ‘King of kings and Lord of lords’ would not accept the Law, Ordinances, Statutes, and Judgments that His Son, our Lord and Savior, taught ──

“’ It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” – Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3.

The LORD Eternal One knew that He would allow the evil one, Satan the Devil, to deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:9). And that time is nearly over ── the prophecies that the Evangelist Philip preached to the Ethiopian eunuch in approximately AD 35 of the glorious and powerful second coming of our Savior are just about to be fulfilled!

And He has asked, “ … ‘Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’” – Luke 18:8. □

1 Grossman, Cathy, L., Bible Sales Break Records in U.S., U.K., Publishers Weekly, 09 Jan. 2026.

2 Nickelsburg, W.E. G., & VanderKam, C. J., 1 Enoch: A New Translation, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, 2004, pg. 62.

What Do You Mean… SALVATION? (Part II)

by Leonard V Johnson

Do you know just what salvation is? Do you know how to get salvation? When do you receive salvation?

Greetings Everyone! Our dear Brethren, Co-Workers, and Friends in Jackson, Mississippi, Philadelphia, PA., in Burgas, Bulgaria, Hanoi, Vietnam, and Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you so much! In this second part of What Do You Mean… SALVATION? I’d like to begin where we left off ──

Yes, indeed, the wages of sin is ETERNAL DEATH! But we have the glorious hope, the glorious GIFT of the Eternal our God ── ETERNAL LIFE!

And eternal life can only be had from the LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God – which at this present time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ). So, as stated previously, we must seek GOD. But we find a tremendous and impenetrable barrier ── our sins. And I don’t know about you, but I find sin exactly the way the Apostle Paul describes it ──

“But if I am doing what I do not desire to do, I agree with the Law that it is good. 17) So then, I am no longer working it out myself; rather, it is sin that is dwelling within me; 18) Because I fully understand that there is not dwelling within me──that is, within my fleshly being──any good. For the desire to do good is present within me; but how to work out that which is good, I do not find. 19) For the good that I desire to do, I am not doing; but the evil that I do not desire to do, this I am doing.” – Romans 7:16-19, NET.

There are certain sins we tend to commit over and over again, and each time we IMMEDIATELY go to the LORD God in heartfelt repentance ── “the desire to do good is present within me; but how to work out that which is good, I do not find.”

Isaiah 55:6-8, which we covered in the first part, says that IF we would seek the Eternal God, we as sinners must forsake OUR WAY, and turn to the LORD God’s Way. The LAW OF GOD IS GOD’S WAY! And sin, the transgression of God’s Law ── which is rebellion and disobedience ── is our way.

So, we forsake our own way ── we forsake the breaking of the TEN COMMANDMENTS, summed up in TWO GREAT COMMANDMENTS ── “’ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ … And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:36-40. At least we try with the help of our Helper! – the Holy Spirit.

The Keeping of God’s Law Alone Won’t Justify!

Well… of course, we cannot keep a spiritual Law perfect with a carnal mind ── 

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6) For to be carnally minded is death [speaking here again of eternal death], but to be spiritually minded is life [eternal life] and peace. 7) BECAUSE the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the Law of God, nor indeed can be.” – Romans 8:5-7.

Now, even if we could keep God’s Law perfect ── never breaking His holy and righteous Law ── our obedience is only what is required of us. It does not make up for our past sins. The death penalty still hangs over our heads. NO FLESH SHALL BE JUSTIFIED OF OUR PAST SINS! A person who was sentenced and then found guilty of committing a heinous crime last month is not magically exonerated from his future execution because he suddenly began obeying all the laws of the land. All the good works in the world ── all the Law-keeping ── cannot justify you of your past sins.

Alright ── where does this leave us? We are now trying our best to obey the LORD God ── to keep the Ten Commandments, the LAW OF GOD. Is this necessary? ABSOLUTELY! ──

“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? CERTAINLY NOT! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Law. …”  – Romans 6:1-2. 

“’ If you love Me, keep My commandments.’” – John 14:15.

But does it justify us?

No!

We, at this stage, are still CUT OFF FROM GOD! Our works ── the keeping of God’s Law, while certainly REQUIRED, still have not justified our past sins ── and will not reconcile us to GOD. And we MUST SEEK GOD and have ACCESS TO GOD to obtain His glorious GIFT of eternal life!

So, even after we forsake our sin ── and we TURN TO GOD’S WAY, as the LORD God commands of us ── the KEEPING OF HIS ETERNAL AND RELEVANT LAW ── that eternal death penalty still hangs over our heads! This is what God’s living word teaches! It’s ETERNAL DEATH ── not ETERNAL PUNISHMENT! GOD’S LIVING WORD TEACHES ETERNAL DEATH! But God’s GIFT is ETERNAL LIFE!

God’s living word teaches that our ultimate punishment will be the second death ── death for all eternity. Now, there is a first physical death ── that is a law (the laws of thermodynamics are fundamental principles that describe how energy, heat, work, and entropy behave in a physical system) ──

“And IT IS APPOINTED for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” – Hebrews 9:27.

There was physical death before Adam & Eve were ever created.

And how are all people ── past, present, and future ── judged? “For as in Adam all die, even so IN CHRIST all shall be made alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:22 ── all people who have died or will die – our first death, “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” – vs. 23. How? By the RESURRECTIONS! (Be sure to read and study our online booklet “The Two Resurrections”).

“’ Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29) and come forth ── those who have done good, to the resurrection of life [the first resurrection], and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of [judgment] [the second resurrection, often called the ‘great white throne judgment’].’” – John 5:28-29.

So, there is going to be a resurrection of the just and the unjust ── they that have done good (who are being judged now, cf. 1 Peter 4:17), and they that have done evil (to a resurrection of judgment)! And if they that have done evil, once resurrected and once called by Father God and begin learning His truth, DO NOT REPENT OF THEIR EVIL, THEIR SINS “’ shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is THE SECOND DEATH.’” – Revelation 21:8, see also Revelation 20:11-15.

How To Gain Contact with the LORD God

There is the Way ── and I want to emphasize the word “the” because many people, like Oprah Winfrey, who peddle and promote that there are ‘many ways.’ As I’ve mentioned several times now ── Oprah Winfrey has unapologetically declared her belief in pantheism: “Well, I am a Christian who believes that there are certainly many more paths to God other than Christianity. … I don't believe that it’s the only way, with six billion people here on the planet.” So, there is the Way that you may gain contact with the LORD God who has ETERNAL LIFE to impart.

“’ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes [on] Him should not perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE.’” – John 3:16.

God the Father GIFTS eternal life ONLY THROUGH HIS SON ── JESUS the CHRIST!

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8) But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us. 9) Much more then, HAVING NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, we shall be saved from wrath THROUGH HIM. 10) For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” – Romans 5:6-10.

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, never incurred the eternal death penalty. He NEVER SINNED AGAINST THE LAW OF GOD. He has said, “ … ‘I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.’” – John 15:10. And He set us an example that we should do as He did.

When our Lord Jesus voluntarily PAID for our eternal death penalty that was hanging over our heads ── He didn’t pay for it for any sins of His own, for there was none ── He sacrificed His life for ours, YOURS AND MINE! He paid the death penalty for us!

The life that He gave was that of THE CREATOR (John 1:3) of us all! Father God created all things through HIM! All things ── including all mankind! Therefore, the life He sacrificed on the cross was greater than the sum-total of all human lives! HIS SACRIFICE PAID THE DEATH PENALTY FOR US!

So, again, let’s notice Romans 5:8-10, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US. 9) Much more then, HAVING NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, …”

‘NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED …’ How? Is it by our works ── the obedience of God’s Law which is required? No. It’s ‘BY HIS BLOOD’! If God the Father has called you, and you have properly repented, been properly baptized, having hands laid upon you, having received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and have indeed accepted our Lord Jesus Christ as not only the ONLY SAVIOR OF ALL MANKIND, but as YOUR personal Savior ── YOU ARE ALREADY NOW JUSTIFIED!

AH! Right here, we certainly need to understand what the LORD God means by “justification.” What does JUSTIFIED refer to? It’s the Greek word dikaioō, which means “vindicate, declare righteous, to put someone in a proper relationship with another, freed.” (Strong’s #1344). It does not mean “saved.” It does not mean the gift of life. It means the gift of vindication, of acquittal of our past sins – our guilt. IT MEANS THE PENALTY OF OUR PAST SINS HAS BEEN PAID IN FULL BY OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, FOR US!

The penalty stands paid! We are no longer UNDER the Law (Be sure to read and study our article, “’ Under Law’ or ‘Under Grace’?”). The Law no longer has a claim over our lives! We are now under GRACE ── undeserved PARDON. We have been PARDONED from having to pay the death penalty.

IN OTHER WORDS ── “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51) ── the BARRIER between you and God the Father has now been removed! You are now, BY OUR LORD JESUS’ SACRIFICE, granted contact with God the Father ── reconciled to Him!

What Must We Do to Receive Eternal Life?

Sadly, and I have witnessed this ── many religious people, even many ministers, will flat-out tell you, “It is impossible to keep the Ten Commandments!” Are they telling you the truth? What does God’s living word say?

Notice! “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” – Luke 18:18. Our Lord Jesus’ answer, “’ If you want to enter into life, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.’” – Matthew 19:17.

Why, if it is impossible, does the Lord Jesus command us, ‘If you love Me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS’? Those who claim that they “know the Lord” will often use sentimental religious phraseology like, “O’ how good it is to know the Lord!” ── yet they teach against the keeping of the Commandments.

“He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” – 1 John 2:4.

And yet it is true, we of and by ourselves, cannot keep God’s holy and righteous spiritual Law perfect! And the Lord GOD does not contradict Himself. We can keep the letter of the Law, but we cannot keep the spiritual Law perfect. Let me explain.

So, returning again ── we have now been blessed and granted contact with Father God ── in other words, ‘the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.’ Yet, we are mortal, and we possess only a temporary physical existence (cf. Hebrews 9:27). The LORD God alone has eternal life. And LIFE can only come from LIFE. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s death paid the penalty of our past guilt ── our past sins. It reconciled us to Father God ── granting us direct access to Father God without the need of a priest. But it did not grant us eternal life ── it did not yet save us!

What now?

Our Savior, High Priest, and Advocate, Jesus Christ, has told us that it was necessary that He return to the Father’s throne in the upper heavenly realms (John 16:7) in order for the Helper (which is God’s Spirit) to be sent to earth. So, after our Lord Jesus’ glorious resurrection, His ascension back to the throne of God the Father who rules the entire universe, then, some TEN DAYS LATER, when the annual Feast of Pentecost had fully come, the Spirit of God descended from heaven and entered the very minds of all who had properly repented, properly been baptized and had hands laid upon them ── of their past sins against the LORD God and their Way. They were reconciled to Father God ── and had been blessed and gained access ── by faith in Christ Jesus’ shed blood for the remission of past sins (Acts 2:1-4).

His first disciples received the glorious Spirit of God through the work of the resurrected, glorified, LIVING JESUS CHRIST! Now, in truth, the Spirit of our Father is also the Spirit of our Savior (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:17). Thus, it was truly the living Jesus Christ, Himself, entering into them ── our Lord Jesus Christ in Spirit!

~ be sure to watch and study our sermon “The Nature of the Holy Spirit: Being or Force?” ~

Now, if God’s Holy Spirit actually dwells within you, then as God the Father raised His Son from the dead, He shall also “give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [that] dwells in you” – Romans 8:11. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if INDEED the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if ANYONE does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” – verse 9. If His Spirit does not dwell within you, then you are NOT A CHRISTIAN ── no matter how many religious-sounding phrases you might use, or how many worldly churches you may attend!

The LORD God’s Spirit is LIFE! It imparts HIS LIFE to you!

In Conclusion

So, first and foremost, there are TWO THINGS YOU must do.

On that very day of the Feast of Pentecost (31 AD), after our heavenly Elder Brother, Messiah, Advocate, and great High Priest ascended to the upper heavenly realms, there were many who had joined the mob previously that were shouting out “CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!” during His mock trial before the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, Pontius Pilate. Now, they were stricken with fright and astonishment when they heard with their own ears the Apostle Peter, who knew not their language ── speaking their language in his inspired sermon.

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, WHAT SHALL WE DO?” – Acts 2:37.

“ … ‘REPENT, and let every one of you BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST [this time, instead of John the Baptist’s baptismal ministry] for the remission of sins; and you SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.’” – Acts 2:38.

So, TWO THINGS FIRST ──

1. REPENT ── to go unto the LORD God in full submission and heartfelt repentance of disobedience of our past sins, our rebellion against the LORD God. Turning completely unto GOD’S WAY ── which includes the LAW of GOD! The repenting of your sins, the transgression of the LAW of GOD.
2. BE BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST ── a great example is the Ethiopian eunuch. Evangelist Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ‘How can I,’ came the answer, ‘unless someone guides me?’

‘He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation, His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.’

The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Of whom does the prophet say this, was it himself or someone else?’ Then Philip, beginning at this very passage, taught JESUS to him!

The eunuch, convicted in heart, asked Philip, ‘See here is water. What keeps me from being baptized?’

Philip answered, ‘IF YOU BELIEVE WITH ALL YOUR HEART, YOU MAY.’

‘I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD.’

Repentance is toward the LORD God, for the Law comes from the LORD God, but FAITH is toward our Lord JESUS CHRIST (Acts 20:21). Our faith in Christ’s ATONEMENT for our sins is commanded to be expressed by BEING BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. (Be sure to watch and study our sermon, “Proper Baptism”).

         3. AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

This is a gift from God Almighty. It is a “down payment,” conditionally, of eternal life.

So, if YOU are faithful and continue to obey and follow GOD’S WAY ── the Way that the Holy Spirit leads and guides ── then YOU are already a begotten CHILD OF GOD! “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” – Romans 8:14. □