THE GREAT TRIBULATION

I have said in my earlier blog that the correct method to understand the bible where signs and symbols are used is to let the bible interprets the bible - for the bible indeed interprets itself. The prophetic book of Daniel and the Lord Christ's explanation of the Olivet Prophecy in  Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 explains much of the frightening spectre which will follow in the final stages of this church age before His Return to rule the world together with the resurrected saints who are members of the true church of God.

The opening of the fifth seal gives an overview of the coming Great Tribulation - a period of two-and-half-years of suffering in all of human history, when Satan unleashed his fury on mankind one last time before giving up his throne to the Lord Christ. Such cataclysmic events have been prophecied in many books of the Old and New Testaments. The Apostle John was in the spirit (Rev 4:2) when he witnessed all these heavenly previews of future events, much like he saw the vision of events of the close of this age as all the seven seals were opened one after another.

When the fifth seal was opened, John saw the souls of those who were slain cried for justice (Rev 6:9). This is a symbol of all the martyrs who were slain right through the dark period of the Middle Ages and of the future martyrs yet to come during the Great Tribulation (Rev 6:11). Symbolically, they were to wait in their sleep (rest) till the prophecied number of martyrs of lukewarm Christians who later repented are fulfilled! The Lord Christ prophecied this in Matthew 24:9-10.

The large majority of Christians in this end-time are Laodiceans, luke-warm Christians who are busy doing their own things, including many churches busy with their 'churchy stuff ', but all done in the name of God! Many are deceived and fallen into wrong doctrines and practices. Only the sufferings and persecutions of the Great Tribulation will awaken them towards repentance. Even then, only half will truly repent (Matthew 25: 1-12) and pay a heavy price with the cost of their lives (Rev 3:18).

The Great Tribulation will also be a time of war - probably World War III - famine and diseases together with great deception as symbolised by the Four Horsemen of the Apolycapse (Rev 6:2-8). The world is so deceived that they will see the false Christ as the true Messiah and the real Christ as the false Messiah, ultimately fighting Christ at His Return! Most clergymen are so confused that they cannot see and understand the true gospel of the kingdom of God that Christ was sent by the Heavenly Father to preach to the world (Matthew 4:17; Mark1:14-15; 16:15; Luke 4:43). The merciful God has commanded the true church to 'prophecy again'  in this end-time (Rev 10:11) of all the truth because only the truth will set the people free from the clutches of the great deceiver. Many wrongly presume that the true gospel is only Christ death on the cross, when in reality it is the one and only way to the kingdom of God (salvation and eternal inheritance) which all true believers must first seek and find (Matthew 6:33).

 Christ sacrificial death on the cross is a means to an end - the end goal is the reconciliation of all human beings to God the Father through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with the cancellation of the death penalty for all those who believe in Christ and believe Him, including the gospel He came to preach! The end of it all is to enter the kingdom of God  (John 3:3-7) as a son of the Heavenly Father. This can only happen through resurrection by being born again in the first resurrection (the better resurrection - Hebrews 11:35) to immortality at the last trumpet (1 Cor 15: 50-55) to become a divine member of God's Royal Family for all eternity! (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2,9). There has to be a new creation (supernatural birth) because flesh and blood CANNOT enter the kingdom of God. Sadly, most people simply don't get it because the counterfeit movement (part of the Babylonian Mystery - Rev 17:5) of this world has so blinded the masses (2 Cor 4:4; Rev 12:9). Many are sincere but they are sincerely wrong!

The people of the largely English speaking world in USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are modern day descendants of the 'lost ten tribes' of Israel. The Great Tribualtion will also have a major impact upon them as well as the Jews of Israel and elsewhere who are descendants primarily from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Since bible prophecy is often dual, the A.D.70 destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army is a fore-runner of another similar event to occur as stated by the Lord Christ in Luke 21:23-24 , 'And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled'.  Much of the prophecies in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations are in reference to the later fulfilment of the Great Tribulation.

In the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus Christ told His close disciples as recorded in Matthew 24:14, 'And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.' Since the first century AD, the true gospel has not being preached in earnest as it was largely hidden to be mistaken as the church and saying the sinner's prayer in the hearts of men. But the time has come for all the truth to be revealed in this end-time as the period of time the prophecies were sealed is now over (Daniel 12:9). All who have ears, let them hear and be wise so as to understand (Daniel 12:10).

THE FOURTH SEAL OF REVELATION

The rider on the pale horse, unveiling the Fourth Seal of Revelation, is a prophecy about the pestilences and diseases that will strike the earth with greater intensity as the prophectic clocks ticks closer to the Second Coming of Christ. In Matthew 24:7, Christ stated that pestilences and diseases will be a sign of His Return and of the end of the age.

Reports are emerging that mankind is fighting a no-win battle against diseases and epidemics. Not only are new diseases emerging, but old diseases like tuberculosis and malaria are mutating into antibiotic-resistant forms. Poverty, war and poor sanitation are spawning epidemics in many parts of the world. It used to be that the third world countries are at risk. But no longer so as globalisation brings people and super germ closer home to even the developed countries!

The stark reality is that many people die without even knowing what really hits them. New and more potent drugs developed are trailing behind the proliferation of super germ that baffles even the best medical minds. Diseases like tuberculosis, yellow fever and cholera which once taught being eradicated are making a come-back in more potent form. Some of the fatal diseases are able to transmit from birds and cattles to humans.

Revelation 6:8 states, 'And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword and with hunger, and with death, and the beasts of the earth.' Frightening as it may seem, these are God's word of prophecy that will come at the appointed time. The sense of hopelessness and helplessness engulfing much of the undeveloped nations will descend upon even the developed world - unless they turn to the true living God!

All these deadly diseases happen primarily because man has failed to abide by God's laws of health and right living. As warned in Leviticus 26:15-17 and Deuteronomy 28:58-62, when man failed to obey God's commandments, plagues and sicknesses will follow. Those who obey will have no fear of life threatening diseases to come. Psalms 91:5-10 spell it out clearly, 'You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, which is my refuge even the most High, your habitation; there shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.' Such is the promise of God to those who obey Him. The question is, will you believe and abide?

THE THIRD SEAL OF REVELATION

The first horseman (white horse) represents religious deception and the second horseman (red horse) represents war. The third horseman (black horse) represents famine (Rev 6:5), one that follows directly after a bitter war that is prophesied to happen just before the return of Jesus Christ. Some sixty years prior to the Apostle John penned Revelation, the Lord Jesus Christ gave a similar reply to His disciples when asked when the end of the age would come. 'For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places.' (Matthew 24:7).

There are numerous biblical accounts of famines from the time of Abraham (Genesis 12:10) to Joseph (Genesis 41:56) to the famines caused by warfare, corrupt leadership and sins (2 Samuel 21:1; 2 Kings 25; Jeremiah 16:4; Isaiah 14:30). After the city of Jerusalem was ravaged by the Roman army in 70 A.D., the famine was so severe that according to Jewish historian Josephus, many people resorted to cannibalism!
During the first several centuries after the first millennium A.D., also known as the Dark Ages, wars and diseases took their toil on soldiers and civilians alike. Some whole cities were struck by famine that famished people did resort to cannibalism.

The famine of modern times is usually structural in nature due to poverty and neglect. Images of drought, famine and hunger in Third World countries are all too familiar scenes splashed over the mass media. Inspite of massive aids given to many of these countries, the problems seem to stay. Some of the main reasons are due to war and corruption that allow funds and resources to be channelled to the wrong causes.

In places where war and corruption are not so rampant, land and water pollutions have done irreparable damage to crops and their yield. The biblical law of land sabbath (Leviticus 25:2-5) by allowing the land to rest every seventh year to replenish its nutrients has been ignored. The result is poor crops and poor harvest. Many people today, especially the young, are malnurished. This is because the foods are no longer providing the required nutrients due to over-cultivation of the land. Popping of vitamins and minerals may help to some extent, but they are not feasible for the masses, especailly for those living in the Third World.

Man has not only ignored the land sabbath, but has continually contribute to destruction of the eco-system that God has created. All the greed and selfishness of man has brought the problems of this world to its knee. Just like the 'Parable of the Prodigal Son' (Luke 15:11-32), it took 'severe famine in that land' (verse 14) for him to come to his senses. It looks like it may take the next big one to wake many from their slumber.

The Good News to follow after the calamity is that in the coming kingdom of God, all His laws and statutes will be obeyed. The result is abundance, fruitfulness, peace and blessings like never before. The prophet Amos put it succinctly in Amos 9:13-15 thus, 'Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountain shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of my people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them - says the Lord your God'.

In the age to come after Christ's return, the world will be taught the whole truth and counsel of God. The people who survived the Great Tribulation will then hunger and thirst after righteousness. That will be the time when deception, war, famine and pestilence will be eradicated  (Revelation 7:16-17). Are you praying for it ?-Your kingdom come (Matthew 6:10).

THE SECOND SEAL OF REVELATION

The white horseman of the four horsemen of the apocalypse is perhaps the most insidious because it produces universal religious deception. His followers go forth conquering and to conquer based on the false belief that the white horseman is Christ Himself, when in reallity it is Satan in disguise! Their minds and doctrines are so warped that they are preaching 'another gospel' (Gal 1:6-9) and following 'another Christ' (2 Cor 11:4) without even knowing it. They will buy into the lies of the false prophet and false Christ (always looking for signs and wonders) and ignore the warnings of the true prophets. Instead, they will be busy looking for signs and wonders (spiritual toys) and compromise the truth with the nations (such as joining the ecumenical Charismatic Movements) to fight the true Christ when He returns (Rev 19: 15). They are unable to distinguish the truth from falsehood. The Lord Christ will then say to these people, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (those churches that are outside the Governmental Authority of Christ - Luke 19:27)!' All who refused to be ruled by Christ in the church age will be disqualified to rule in His coming kingdom.

The second seal opens with the red horseman waging religious wars on mankind all in the name of religion! The six thousand years of human history is plagued by conflicts and wars with sufferings and destructions beyond imagination. Was Christ referring to wars in general or any specific war? The answer is both. Mankind has undergone alternating periods of war and peace. But the red horseman refers to a very serious war (probably a nuclear WW III) that could wipe out all humans on earth if not for the divine intervention of Christ Himself (Matt 24:22)!

The key to understanding bible prophecy is to let the bible interprets itself. The Olivet prophecy spoken of by the Lord Christ in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 interprets the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6 penned by the Apostle John. Only those who are under the Government and rule of Christ can understands because only the Lord Christ can open the seal. In Matthew 24:6-7, Christ taught His disciples, 'And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.' In A.D. 70, the city of Jerusalem was ravished by the Roman army with the Jewish population almost decimated and the temple destroyed. Duality of bible prophecy tells us that the anti-type of this will happen again during the Great Tribulation just before Chrust returns!

Many politicians had hoped that World War II was the war to end all wars. But that was not to be. Today the hydrogen bomb can be a thousand times more deadlly and destructive than the atomic bomb.  What Christ warned in Matthew 24:22 and in Revelation 6 could not be fulfilled at any other period in human's history. Satan is the mastermind behind all human conflicts when he took away peace at the Garden of Eden. He knew his days are numbered (Rev 12:12) and he is unleashing disasters during the Great Tribulation to do maximum damage before he surrendered the throne to Christ. The damage will be so devastating that even cities will be laid waste, without inhabitant (Jeremiah 4:7).

The first 10 verses of Joel chapter 2 and Revelation 9:17-18 paint a gruesome picture of what lays ahead. The very elect of God who are not taken in by deception will be provided a place of safety (Rev 3:10 ;12:14). The rest will suffer immeasurably worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined in August 1945! The very thought of this made prophet Habakkuk sick (Habakkuk 3:16). God in His mercy will intervene at the last minute to prevent total annihilation of mankind. This will happen at the blast of the seventh and final trumpet by the seventh angel  with a loud voice declaring, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!' (Revelation 11:15). Jesus Christ will then become the King and Ruler over all nations of the world.

The Good News that follow after the cataclysmic events was the gospel that Jesus Christ came to preach (Luke 4:43- initiated by the Heavenly Father) and expect all His true disciples to do likewise (Mark 1:14-15;16:15). All implements of war will be destroyed (Isaiah 2: 2-4) and converted to useful tools for unimagined productivity. Even the cruel nature of the animal kingdom will be changed (Isaiah 11: 6-9). Deserts and wastland will blossom (Isaiah 35: 1-2) and the weak, the blind, the lame and the deaf will be healed (Isaiah 35:3-6) and much more! The true saints will be in the First Resurrection to minister and preach the whole truth to all the human beings that survived the cataclysmic events ('The people who survived the sword' -Jeremiah 31:2). What a wonderful world that would be.

THE FIRST SEAL OF REVELATION

Bible prophecy is history written in advance. Looking at world events unfolding before our very eyes, the end-time prophecies are nearer than we think. Mankind can know and understand because the Revelation of bible prophecy comes from God the Father Who gave it to Jesus Christ. Christ then sent it to His angel who in turn gave it to the Apostle John (Revelation 1:1). Blessed are those we reads and obey the very Word of God (1:3). The Apostle John recorded these events which have great relevance for God's servants of the end-time church. The end-time bible prophecies were sealed for our times (Daniel 12:9) and only the wise shall understand (Daniel 12:10).

John was in a vision at the island of Patmos where he was in exile. Only Christ was found worthy to open the seven seals. The first seal that John saw was a white horse. The rider of this white horse must not be confused with the rider depicted in Revelation 19:11. The one in Revelation 19:11 is Jesus Christ Who will return to earth to establish the kingdom of God at His Second Coming. The rider of the white horse in Revelation 6:2 represents false Christ, false Christianity and counterfeit church which will go forth to deceive the majority before the Lord's return!  The fact that it resembles the true Christ and true Christianity shows that the false one looks and sounds convincing. The counterfeit is hard at work in deceiving the masses -For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work (2 Thess 2:7).

The false prophets and preachers are gone out into the world to ensnare the naive and gullible (1 Tim 4:1-2). The rider of the white horse in Revelation 6 had a bow while the horseman in chapter 19 goes forth with a sharp sword that strikes the nations (19:15). This signifies that the true Christ will return with power to judge the world with the Word, for the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). The counterfeit white horseman comes with a different source of power derived from the great deceiver. The real Christ wears many crowns (19:12) whereas the counterfeit one wears only one crown (6:2). The one crown probably represents his mastery of the art of deception. The false Christ looks and sounds so convincing that many servants of the Lord were also being deceived!

The first four seals represents a prelude to the Great Tribulation. The fifth and sixth seals usher in the cataclysmic events of the Great Tribulation while the seventh seal brings in the Day of the Lord - the last one year of the Great Tribulation when God will judge His people. After that Christ will return to set up the kingdom of God on earth with Jerusalem as the Headquarters. These two white horses depict different events in different time setting - the false Christ and counterfeit Christianity intensifying at the beginning of the end-times and the true Christ appears in person with His resurrected saints at the end of the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 14:5b).

Many Christians today are taken in by 'signs and wonders'. They forsake the warnings of Christ, 'For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.' (Matthew 24:24-25). Human beings are so fickle-minded and gullible that they will follow with a herd instinct to where the glamour and glories are!  They will be punished during the Day of the Lord for those who are still living. Some will repent and turn to God for mercy but at the price of severe sufferings and even the cost of their lives (Isaiah 13:6,9).

The false Christianity started at the time of Nimrod and his wife Semiramis. Their followers practise the Babylonian Mystery Religion which till today, their doctrines and practices have taken roots in many churches. The false doctrine of the immortal soul is one such false doctrine - the belief that one who is dead has a soul that lives on in the spirit realm. This gives rise to the false doctrine of 'going to heaven if you believe in Christ when you die or forever burn in hell if you do not.' This is contrary to the teachings of Scriptures. 'The soul who sins shall die' (Ezekiel 18:4 and 20). 'But the dead know nothing' (Eccl 9:5). 'For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth' (Psalm 37:9,11,18,22,29,34). Christ Himself affirmed this truth, ' No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven' (John 3:13). Is it any surprise then when Christ told His people that where He goes you cannot come (John 8:21)? At the Mount of Olives, Christ told His disciples, 'Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:5). The wicked do not have eternal life in hell, they will simply be annihilated at the lake of fire (Malachi 4:1).

Shortly after the first Apostles died at the close of the first century A.D., the counterfeit Christianity movement went into overdrive. Christian and fiction writers alike think up creative ideas and myths to propel Christianity into a popular religion accepted by the masses. Many of the Christian writers were influenced by Greek philosophers, thinkers and writers and their ideas were readily accepted by the Catholic church of the early centuries as part of their doctrines. Church history shows that only a small miniority were kept pure to the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. Many of these  saints were persecuted and martyred in cruel deaths throughout the centuries of the early church.

As prophesied in Revelation 12:6, the true church of God had to flee in the midst of severe persecution. The council of Nicea was formed in 325 A.D. to resolve the differences in Christian doctrines. The end result was that even the council condemned the practice of true Christianity. The Roman Emperor Constantine, a sun-worshiper, enforced the decree of compliance mainly for political reasons.

The true gospel of the kingdom of God was suppressed for fear of coup d'etat by the Jewish people who were largely mistaken in believing that the kingdom of God would be ushered in during their time to overthrow the Roman Empire. They were expecting a Messiah with supernatural power and charisma to deliver them from their oppressive masters - the Roman authorities. Little did they know that the meek and gentle Jesus Christ's first advent was to deliver the good news of the gospel of His coming kingdom (to displace Satan from the throne of this world), to die for the sins of mankind to cancel out the death penalty (through resurrection) and found a church of called-out saints (to qualify as sons of God in the divine Royal Family) for His eventual return to save all of mankind who has ever lived with the hope of life in eternity!

Just like a watchman (Ezekiel 3:16; 33:1-33), my role is to inform and warn as the Scriptures command. Those who reads these prophecies, let him/her understands (Matthew 24:15). We have to be vigilant as bible prophecy states that during the last days, the Babylonian Mystery Religion will again surface with greater intensity to dominate the world's religious scene. The Ezekiel warning (Ezekiel 33) is timely for Christians living in our times to guard against religious deceptions. However, all of us have to account to God someday for the truth made available to us. Those found to be faithful stewards of all that are entrusted to them (including the Word of truth) will be amply rewarded.

THE HOPE OF GLORY

In Colossians 1:27-28, we read of the hope of glory, which is Christ in you so that everyone who understands the gospel and abide in Christ Jesus will be made perfect. But what actually does these verses mean? Is it simply believing in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and nothing else and then get to heaven when we die? If that was so, the Apostle Paul would not have to mention 'stewardship' and 'mystery' in the preceding verses of 25 and 26. It is more than just meets the eyes.

Jesus Christ is the only firstborn Son of God. While on earth in the flesh but before His resurrection from the dead, He was the begotten Son of God (John 1:14). The word 'begotten' means not yet born. After His resurrection, he became the Son of God - the firstborn among many brethren - meaning that He will not be the last for many will follow after the last trumpet sounded at His Second Coming (1 Cor 15:52). But who are these who will be born again at the first resurrection as spiritual immortal sons of God? These resurrected saints are the overcomers (Rev 3:21) who are the 'called, the chosen and the faithful (overcomers)' (Rev 17:14). But what do they overcome? While in this mortal life, they will be tested (1 Peter 4:17) and have to overcome the temptations of Satan and his demons, the pomp and glamour of a materialistic society and the selfish and sinful nature of self. This is the hope of glory for the saints.

Those who are called and predestined to become the sons of God will have to overcome deceptions from the great deceiver. Many Christians are ignorant of the false doctrines that have infiltrated the church throughout the centuries. Most of them have their roots in the Babylonian system which the Bible has warned, 'Come out of her (the Babylonian system), my people (the true church), lest you share in her sins (idolatry) and lest you receive of her plagues (cataclysmic events during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord)' - Rev 18:4. Sadly, most people pay no heed to God's word even if they know about it. Many will be sorry when the time of reckoning comes. Understand this - only those who are found worthy will escape all these things (the Great Tribulation) - Luke 21:36.

The hope of glory is not just about resurrection as immortal spirit beings but also to become members of God's divine family. God is a Family and He is the Head of the divine family as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named (Eph 3:14-15). Many Christians mistakenly think that they are already 'born again' when they say the sinner's prayer. But this is not so. Christ told Nicodemus specifically, 'unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God' (John 3:3); 'that which is born of the flesh is flesh (natural physical birth) and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (supernatural spiritual birth at RESURRECTION) - John 3:6. This is affirmed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 15:50, 'that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God'.

Those who claim that the kingdom of God is the church of the here and now are being deceived because Christ states that 'many will come from the east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (God) - Matthew 8:11. Since the patriarchs are nowhere to be found in any church of the church age, they are in effect claiming that Jesus Christ lied and that is blasphemous!

The kingdom of God is a world ruling government that shall never be destroyed, not ruled by people (humans) and will stand forever (Daniel 2:44). Those who are called to be sons of God will be trained in the government of God to train and teach (royal priesthood) and ruled over humans with Christ when He returns. They will inherit the nations during the millennium.These saints were and are the begotten sons (not yet born as immortal spirit beings) and heirs of the promise that will inherit all things in the kingdom of God (Matthew 24:47). Those who are called in the church age are members of the true church of God who will become the Bride of Christ to form the Family of God (Rev 19:7-9). Those who do not possess the spiritual character qualities of Christ and with righteous deeds will not qualify (Matthew 22:11-14).

Make no mistake about this - the ultimate quest for any human being is to be born into the divine family of God - it is also the gospel that Jesus Christ came to preach, the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15). That is why he told His disciples to 'seek first the kingdom of God (your goal is to see and enter the kingdom as sons of God's divine royal family) and His righteousness (God's spiritual laws and commandments) and all these things (all your needs and longings) shall be added to you' - Matthew 6:33. There is no higher calling for man's destiny in all of eternity!

The family structure is the bedrock on which God's divine family will derive its members. It is the very foundation on which every civilization is built upon. Those who break this spiritual law will find themselves on the wrong side of the eternal divide. The Apostle Paul warned that those who are immoral (including homosexuals and adulterers) and idolaters (including those who worship paganism) will not inherit the kingdom of God - Eph 5:5; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21.The family unit is the channel for God's plan and vision to reproduce His divine family for His eternal purpose. This is what is meant in 1 Cor 2:9 when the Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah 64:4, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him'. Indeed, this is the blessed hope of glory for all who understand and obey, for it is the ultimate quest of being!

THE GREAT DECEPTION

Ever since the first century Apostles died, the church of Jesus Christ has been under constant attack with many false doctrine and half truth about what the true Gospel is all about. Not only that, even the true identity of the person of Christ has been masked to project Him as someone He is not!

For those who have been following my blog posts will know, the true Gospel is about the kingdom of God and Christ the Savior is the means to inherit the kingdom of God - the end destiny for mankind. Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father not only to save mankind from condemnation of death - the death penalty due to sin - but also to proclaim the true Gospel of the kingdom which God the Father sent Him to proclaim. The kingdom of God has yet to come and that is why Christ told all His true disciples to pray to God the Father, 'Thy kingdom come' - Matthew6:10. Many were deceived thinking that the kingdom of God is the church of this age. If that is true, then why would Christ told His disciples that it is not for them to know the time and season why asked when the kingdom of God would be restored - barely fifty days hence to Pentecost when the church would be founded just before His ascension to heaven! (Acts 1:6-8). It simply just doesn't make sense.

Besides, Christ said in Matthew 8:11 that 'many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (God)'. If the kingdom of heaven (God) is the church of the here and now as many proclaim, then where on earth are the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? In the closing words of the parable of the sower, the Lord Jesus Christ also told His disciples recorded in Matthew 13:43 that 'the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father'. If the kingdom of God is the church of the here and now, who among the saints have shine forth so brightly? Have they done so, the world would not have face so much trouble and conflicts! No, my friends, the kingdom of God is NOT yet here but will be installed when Christ returns to earth to reign with His saints (Daniel 7:13,14,18,21,22,27; Rev 11:15)  for a thousand years to restore all that had been lost to the great deceiver!

Over one billion folks the world over who proclaim to be followers of Christ worship on a Sunday. But the Bible states categorically that the Sabbath is on the seventh day of the week which falls on Saturday. The power that be of the Roman Empire then had changed the time of worship to that of Sunday which is the first day of the week. The fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy (Exodus 20:8) has been most ignored as the world's system maintain Sunday to be the public holiday. But Sunday was originally kept by pagan worshippers of the sun god! This is one of many idolatrious practices that have infiltrated the church.

Then there are Christmas and Easter holidays which have nothing to do with Christ as the Savior was not born on December 25th and was not resurrected on Sunday, but on a Saturday! The easter egg is a symbol of fertility used in the worship of an ancient fertility goddess Ishtar, aka Ashtoreth as was known in Israel during biblical times. It was idolatry condemned as an abomination to the Lord! The original  word 'Pascha' is the Greek equivalent for Passover and not Easter. The word Easter in Acts 12:4 in the KJV has been mistranslated. Millions if not billions of people celebrate Christmas and Easter annually without a proper understanding of the significance. The irony is that such festivals are not even mentioned in Scriptures let alone commanded to observe, but churches ignore the celebration of holy days like the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles which were observed by Christ and the early Apostles.

As disciples of Christ, we are commanded to worship God as instructed in Scriptures (Deut 12: 32) and not in any manner we like for man's ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8). No wonder that man-made religious systems have so blinded man that they cannot see Christ's true Gospel of the kingdom of God which He was sent by God the Father to proclaim as the Good News - the hope for all mankind, especially the poor and oppressed - when all wrongs and injustices will be put right. That will be the time when this upside down world will be put rightside up - the time of restitution of all things during the millennial reign of Christ - perhaps even the earth will be tilted straight up with extreme climate and freak weather patterns resigned to history.

Some may say that celebrating Christmas and Easter are a remembrance of Christ and honoring Him. But there is no command in Scriptures to celebrate Christmas and Christ was not born in December - probably in September or October. Together with Santa Claus, these celebrations compromise with paganistic worship practices.Though they are meant to be fun and good for the merchants and the economy, they have nothing to do with Christ and God's plan for mankind. By adopting the method of pagan idolatry and tagging them as part of Christian worship is a direct violation of the First Commandment -  'You shall have no other gods before me' (Exodus 20:3). If they have to be celebrated, they should not be roped in as part of church worship.

Throughout the centuries, man has stolen Christ true identity and given Him a complete makeover - without His approval. He was often portrayed as the long-haired guy with a halo on His head. But in the Hellenistic Greek culture of His days, man had short cropped hair as seen on statues, busts and carvings of that period. Though Christ was a Nazarite, He was not under a Nazarite vow which would forbid drinking wine or touching a dead body - both of which he partook while on earth. His short hair enabled Him to escape from the religious leaders with ease by merging with the crowd of men who have short crops!

To be sure of one's salvation as a born again immortal spirit being (sons of God) in God's divine family, one has to understand these truths, believe and obey them. Only by understanding the truth and practising them will set them free. All those who are not called and predestined to be sons of God will have to wait for the second resurrection to take place towards the end of the millennial age, judge by Christ and be taught the truth by the resurrected saints who form the royal priesthood. When truly repented and  forgiven by the blood of Christ, they will be born again as immortal spirit beings (children of God) in the kingdom of God.

THE NEW COVENANT

The central message of Christ's Gospel of the kingdom of God is about changing the hearts and minds of human beings - the epitome of God's creation. This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them. (Hebrews 10:16). The purpose of life and death for all mankind is dependent upon whether man will allow God, through His Holy Spirit, to do just that. For those who submit to the will of God, they will inherit eternal life of immortality. But for those who would not, their life will be only physical and temporal. All human beings will be given the opportunity for God to work through them, either in this age or in the age to come.

Christ's first advent was to found the church to begin the process of transforming the hearts and minds of a  small group of those God has called, a renewal process through partaking of the body and blood of Christ known as the New Covenant (1 Cor 11:25-26). There will be forgiveness and great blessings for all recipients of this New Covenant. But only after His Return will all people experience the full impact of this promise.

The New Covenant that Christ came to deliver did not in any way abolish the Old Covenant (also known as the Sinai Covenant).The Law of God still stand except they are no longer engraved on stones but on the tablets of the  hearts and minds of the recipients of the promised New Covenant. Since God is impartial (Romans 2:11) and no respecter of persons, He has extended this promise to all peoples regardless of race and nationalities for those who would willingly obey Him.

The Old Sinai Covenant established the historical ancient kingdom of Israel. The New Covenant will establish the kingdom of God that will encompass people of all races and nationalities to rule the whole earth upon Christ's return. That is the meaning of Christ's commandment to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) . Notice that He did not command the church to make all nations of disciples - not in this church age!

In the Old Testament, God chose righteous individuals of character to be the bearer of His covenants. He first chose Noah who already was serving God from his heart when the peoples around him were evil to the core. After Noah, God chose Abraham and made personal covenants with him (Genesis 15:8; 17: 1-11), for Abraham was a man of faith and obedience. And then God made a covenant with David that through him, the Savior of the world will come. That is why the opening verse of Matthew 1:1 reads,  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham'. It is through Abraham and David that God's plan of salvation for mankind will be fulfilled!

It is worthy to note that God makes an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:7).This everlasting covenant concerns Abraham's natural and spiritual descendants. His natural descendants would be numerous as the dust of the earth (Gen 13:16) and spiritual descendants (Galatians 3:29) as numerous as the stars of the heavens (Gen 15:5). While the natural descendants will hold on to the land of Palestine, the spiritual descendants will inherit the kingdom of God. Most of Abraham's spiritual descendants are Gentiles (those of the church age), even though they came to the knowledge of salvation much later than the Israelites, they shall be the first to inherit the kingdom of God  - for many who are first will be last, and the last first (Matt 19:30). The fact is that without a divinely transformed heart and mind, no one can be born again as an immortal son of God to inherit the kingdom of God!

God's promise to David is an everlasting Dynasty (2 Samuel 7: 12-16; 1 Chron 17:12). This is fulfilled in Jesus Christ who will be the everlasting King in the coming kingdom of God to be established on earth upon His return. The Sinai Covenant that God gave to Israel had its limitation. Without the gift of God's Spirit indwelling the people, it would be impossible to fully obey all of God's commandments. That is why the high priest of the Old Testament has to enter the Holy of Holies every year to perform the rituals of cleansing and forgiveness of sins.Only with an indwelling Spirit of God inside the minds of repented true believers can God's Law be fully obeyed. But this promise has yet to be fully consummated as the Spirit of God is given only to those who are the called and chosen in this church age. However, when Christ returns, the Spirit will be made available to all mankind for the word of God says that the Spirit of God will be poured out on ALL flesh (Joel 2:28) so that all people (living and resurrected) will learn of God's Law and His ways (Isaiah 2:2-4) and the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).

The New Covenant does not do away with God's Law. What has changed is that the intent and purpose of the Law shall be observed and obeyed from the heart and mind with the help of God's Holy Spirit. The ceremonial duties of the high priest is no longer required as Jesus Christ became our High Priest that is perfect in all ways as He is also the Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:6). The problem is not in the Law of God per se, the problem of the Sinai or Old Covenant was that the people lack the willing heart to obey because the Spirit of God was not given them. Only the patriarchs and matriarchs, the prophets and a select few were given the Spirit of God to help them. In a sense, a veil of blindness was over the natural descendants of Abraham even up till this day when they read the Old Testament . However, when they turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, the veil is lifted (2 Cor 3:11-18). Under the New Covenant, the shed blood of Jesus Christ permanently blots out the sins of all those who repented and turn to Him. If they abide till the end, the death penalty of sin (Romans 6:23) for them will be annulled forever!

The Law of God given to the peoples in the Old Testament era was a blessing to them only if they obey. The two chapters in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 clearly spell out the blessings and curses for obedience and disobedience respectively. Right behavior and right living bring peace, health, safety and prosperrity and the reverse will incur the judgments and curses of God. If the ancient nation of Israel had taken heed, they would have been a model for the surrounding nations to follow and abide in God's Law. We who live in the church age are so fortunate and ought to be grateful to God for Christ has become our High Priest to assist us in our journey of discipleship for those who would abide and obey His commandments. Christ sums it up succinctly,' You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; and You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.' (Matthew 22:37-40).  The world is currently in great turmoil shows the extent of defiance of God's Law. Great blessings and grace will follow all those who live it out in their lives.

THE FULL GOSPEL

The Gospel of grace has been preached for some two thousand years, but the Gospel of the kingdom of God has been relatively sidelined for the same period of time. The Gospel of grace is about the salvation of mankind that Jesus Christ came to die for the sins of this world, so that man can be reconciled back to God. The Gospel of the kingdom of God is about the coming Government of God that God will restore through Christ to bring about world peace and righteousness (Revelation 11:15). They are two sides of the same coin yet diffferent in context and purpose. The Gospel of grace is the means by which born again sons of God will be able to inherit the kingdom of God as members of God divine Family. The kingdom of God is the ultimate destiny of man for which purpose they were born into this world.

But strange as it may seem, the majority of Christians simply have no clue what it is all about. Some think that the kingdom of God is the church, others think it is the faith in Jesus Christ. Still others opined that it is everything about Christianity. But the Scripture is clear that the two are not the same. Acts 8:12 states, 'But when they believe Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God AND the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptised'. Similarly, another passage in Acts 28:32, the Apostle Paul 'preaching the kingdom of God AND teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him'. From these two passages, it is clear that the Gospel of grace and the Gospel of the kingdom of God are two separate matters.

It would seem that one has to believe both sides of the Gospel for one to be born again as sons of God and members of the God divine Family. Jesus Christ while He was on earth, He kept talking about the kingdom of God again and again, even in most of His parables to His chosen disciples. In Luke 4:43, Christ states categorically, 'I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent'. The preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom of God is one of Christ primary purpose for coming down to earth. His role as a Prophet is to bring the good news of the Gospel to the world as given Him by God the Father. But tragically, very few in Christiandom truly understand. That is the end game for mankind.  His death and resurrection is the way to the kingdom of God, for those who would accept salvation on God's terms - a 'give' way of life through discipline and obedience.

When Christ emerged as an overcomer (and hence qualify as King in the coming Kingdom) through the testing in the wilderness by Satan, the first thing He did was to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). Since He qualified as the Firstborn Son of God (Adam failed the test), He will rule the coming kingdom of God together with 'His brethren' ('second born' sons of God) who will be resurrected and born again as spirit beings to help Christ rules as the King of kings and Lord of lords in the coming millennial age. Such important teachings in the Bible is seldom preached in churches, if at all. Most of the time, one hears only social gospel rehashed over and over again! But there is no record in the Bible that either God the Father or Christ approved the preaching of such gospel.

It is clear that most would not want to hear the Gospel of the kingdom that Christ came to preach, let alone propagate it. During the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, he did not want the Gospel of the kingdom to be preached for fear of rebellion and coup d'etat. That was why Christ warned His audience, 'Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven (God), but he who does the will of my Father in heaven'. (Matthew 7:21). Notice that the will of God the Father is for mankind to hear the gospel of Christ  and Christ preached the gospel of the kingdom of God - the message of good news that was commissioned by the heavenly Father. All witnesses are commanded by God to hear Him (Christ)! The kingdom of God will usher in the supernatural intervention of God in the affairs of man (Rev 11:15), when the whole world will be ruled by Christ and His disciples as immortal and powerful spirit beings.

The Apostle Paul warned in Galatians 1:6-9 that those who preached another gospel (such as social gospel) will be accursed - stated in verse 8 and repeated in verse 9 - showing the seriousness of such disobedience, perhaps a double curse! Make no mistake, it is the Gospel OF Christ and not a Gospel about Christ. Christ is the means to the consummation of the Gospel! No one has the right to alter the Gospel commissioned by God the Father, preaching the means and not the end of the Gospel message. It has to be the full Gospel or it is no Gospel at all!

That was why wherever and whenever Christ or His disciples preached the Gospel of the kingdom of God, miraclous healings, signs and wonders follow to authenticate that that is the Gospel that God wants preached. In these lasts days, the Gospel of the kingdom of God will again come into focus. As Christ said at the Mount of Olives, 'And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come' (Matthew 24:14). The preaching of the Gospel was at hand when Christ started it (Mark 1:14-15) and still is at hand now as long as Christ has yet to return to usher in His kingdom. Herbert W. Armstrong was the man that spent most of his life on preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God in obedience to God's commandments.

Since then and till now, the kingdom of God is open to all who will strive to enter and inherit it (one must enter in order to inherit the kingdom of God) - Matthew 11:12. And the only way to enter and inherit it as members of God's royal Family is to born again (John 3:3,5) as spirit beings come the First Resurrection when Christ returns. The only way to qualify is to be an overcomer (Rev 3:21) through discipline and obedience with the help of the Spirit of God (Philippians 2: 12-13).That is why people who are called and will to be chosen will keep on pressing into the finishing line as if in a competitive race. Will you have the faith of Christ to take the word of God at its face value or would you rather obey the words of man trumpeting some wrong cause? Christ is standing at the 'door of your heart' to give the final call (Rev 3:20) and the choice is your to make.

THE PROCESS OF SALVATION

For a long time, I was led to believe that a person 'once saved is always saved'. But I later discovered that the Bible does not teach such a thing. My study of the Scriptures shows that salvation is often misunderstood in the Christian fraternity. Many are of the assumption that once a person has Jesus in his heart, he is heaven bound. But before we can discuss salvation, one has to be first converted as a true believer. When does one become truly converted? Is it simply just saying the sinner's prayer? It is more than just meets the eyes.

A true Christian is one who has the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within him/her, for Romans 8:9 clearly states, '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'. This happens at conversion when the convert repents, undergoes water baptism and prayed over through the laying on of hands for the impartation of the gift of the Spirit of God. However, things do not just stop there. The believer has to undergo a life of striving and growing in the knowledge of God and overcoming of the pull of the flesh, Satan and the lure of society in order to qualify eventually as a son of God. It takes time and hard work to become an overcomer.

Christ commands us to 'strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many , I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able'. (Luke 13:24). In other passages He warns His faithful, 'And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22; 24:13). However, God has given us the Spirit of power for a purpose. We can tap into God's Spirit of power to fight the battles of temptation, persecution and demonic influence. We can emulate the Apostle Paul's example as stated in Colossians 1:29, 'To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily'. Paul was exercising the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome all adversities in his life!

There are actually three phases to the process of salvation -past, present and future. At conversion, the believer's past sins are forgiven - justified by the blood of Christ. The convert is no longer alienated from God but reconciled to Him. The believer is 'saved' from the penalty of death (Romans 6:23) but complete salvation has yet to take place. After that the process continues throughout his life - being sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is ongoing as the convert is 'being saved ' (present continuous tense - 2 Cor 2:15) which begins at conversion and ends at death or being taken up to be with Christ at His return, whichever comes first. The santification process is usually long and laborious and often involves many trials and tribulations in the life of the believer. For 'we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God' (Acts 14:22b). The life of those called and chosen to become sons of God must undergo testing, learning, discipling and overcoming and with a spirit of humility enters it (Luke 18:17).

The third and last phase is when the believer is resurrected to immortality as a spirit being at Christ Second Coming - glorified to be with Christ. Our redemption from this mortal body has yet to happen (Luke 21:28).  All the patriarchs and matriarchs of the faith are still 'sleeping in the graves' awaiting salvation (Hebrews 11:13). None has received the promised salvation yet. All true believers are forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ at His crucifixion. However, they SHALL BE SAVED (future tense) by His life (Romans 5:10), which occurred at His resurrection. Likewise, all His faithful saints will be resurrected (yet to happen in the future) to immortality to be members of God's divine Royal Family at His Second Coming (1 Cor 15:50-54, 1 John 3:2). Only the called and chosen sons of God will have their rewards (1 Cor 15:58; Rev 22:12). Sadly, few understood this truth, and those who do have not the faith to believe the words of God and go on to embrace and teach man's false doctrine of 'going to heaven when you die'. Such feel good and social gospel are popular because these are what people with itching ears would like to hear. Christ clearly teaches that no one has ascended to heaven, except the Son of Man (John 3:13). The Apostle Peter in Acts 2:34 tells us that King David did not ascend into the heavens. If David being a man after God's own heart did not go to heaven, what more the shenanigans!

Basically, the Christian life is one of striving and learning. Striving to overcome the wrong value systems and deceptions of this world (with Satan on the throne) and learning to understand the truth as revealed in the Bible and how to tap the power of God's Spirit to be an overcomer. We must submit to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). A true believer is one who will 'come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need' (Hebrews 4:16). Those who are lazy and too proud to ask God for help but always depend on others to lift them up in prayers do not have the maturity and character qualities to become sons of God. Since they depend on man (and will be disappointed) they are of all men most to be pitied for their destiny could be hanging by the skin of their teeth!

WHO IS GOD?

Most people have a vague idea of who God is, even those who claimed to be Christian. Studies have shown that when university dons were interviewed on who God is, most could not provide a definitive answer. The person of God and His Word - His truth - has long been suppressed by the intellectuals of this world (Romans 1:18). Instead, they have substituted evolution as the answer for their being and removed God from the equation.

Modern science and education have placed emphasis on what is material and things that can be seen and observed. The spiritual dimension is almost totally ignored. However, most of the world's problems and evils are spirtual in nature where human eyes do not see and human ears do not hear.

Traditional Christianity believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, but this is not found in the Bible. The Scripture is clear that there are only two God Beings in the universe. God the Father and the Word - the latter became God's begotten Son Jesus Christ when He incarnates as a man to save mankind from their sins. John 1:1-14 tell us what happened even before the angels and the universe were created. God the Father and the Word - the Head and Spokesman of the Divine Family respectively - were the only Supreme Spirit God Beings of the whole universe.

God the Father is the Supreme Creator. His profession is creation of something 'out of nothing' for which no other beings can perform. He is the great Planner and Designer and the Word (before He became Jesus Christ) was the One who spoke them into existence through the power of the Holy Spirit! The analogy of the Holy Spirit is like a tiny robot created by a skillful surgeon using nano technology to perform surgery in the body of his patients. Is the tiny 'intelligent' robot the surgeon? The answer is no. But is the 'intelligent' robot controlled by the surgeon, capable of performing the medical purpose for which it has been deployed? The answer is absolutely as it is the power tool at the hands of the skillful surgeon!

The Godhead of two Supreme Spiritual Beings is an open concept for God to grow His Family. The Trinity doctrine teaches a 'closed'  family concept conceived from pagan practices which originates from the worship of Nimrod, his wife Semiramis and son Adonai! If the Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead than Christ must have ignored Him in His prayer to the Father in John17 and also in the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Besides, once a believer becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within him. If the Holy Spirit is a unique God Being, He would have to be splitted into countless multiple parts. Some theologians and preachers may be schizophrenic, but God is not! Clearly, Satan's objective of using the false Trinity doctrine is to limit God and deny man from knowing God's Master Plan in reproducing Himself through the Divine Family.

The Trinity doctrine was the creation of the Roman Emperor Constantine. In A.D.325, the Council at Nicene approved the doctrine and Constantine passes it into Law. Since he was the political ruler then, he has full power to squash any dissent coming from the true church of God. Those who failed to accept the concept and other false doctrines were fiercely persecuted and martyred!

Ephesians 3:9 tells us unequivocably that God the Father created all things (the universe) through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Word and He spoke and it was done (Psalms 33:9). God the Heavenly Father tells Jesus what to do (John 8:28-29), Jesus speaks and the Holy Spirit is the power that responds to Christ's every command. Jeremaih 27:5 teaches that the Spirit of God is the power behind all His creation on earth, including man and all beasts of the earth. Similarly, God gives the power of His Holy Spirit to whom He sees fit and who obey Him (Jeremiah 27:5b; Acts 5:32).

Throughout Scriptures, God is revealed as a person who has hands, legs, eyes, ears and hair on His head. Man looks like God for we are all created in His image (Gen 1:26). Christ told Philip, 'He who has seen me has seen the Father' - John 14:9 - is a reference to the fact that we look like God the Father in shape and form. The main difference that man differs from his Creator is that God the Father and Jesus Christ have perfect holy character, righeousness and love that man can never attain in his mortal lifetime. They live by the perfect and righteous law that governs the whole universe in perfect harmony!

There is one passage in 1 John 5:7-8 that was added by the editors of the Latin Vulgate translation, probably in the fourth century AD that was not in the original bible manuscripts. It reads, 'For there are three that bear witnesses in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth; the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.'  The Apostle John in his inspired writing always speaks of the Father and the Son and never as the Father and the Word except in the uninspired passage quoted herein in 1 John 5:7-8.

The Holy Spirit is like water that can be poured out, so said the Apostle Peter who quoted prophet Joel in Acts 2: 18. Can you pour out a person from one to another, like the Charismatics who claim in their Holy Ghost meetings? If the Holy Spirit is a person as what traditional Christianity claims, then it is highly disrespectful to associate Him as water, oil, wind and dove! If the Holy Spirit is a God Being like the Father and the Son, then David would not have pleaded with God to not take away the Holy Spirit from him, when he could have ask the Spirit not to leave him! (Psalms 51: 11). Rather, it is the Spirit of God that emanates from the God Beings that makes them omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient.

Many people think that the Godhead consists of a one Person God is a misnomer. The truth of the matter is that the Godhead consists of Two Supreme Personage but in total agreement with one vision, purpose and mission in all that they are and do. That is the true meaning of One God. God's Law is the Law of Righteousness and Love that keeps the universe in perfect harmony until Lucifer and his demons rebelled against the government of God and cause havoc throughout the whole universe. Man is destined to be born again as immortal spirit members into God's divine Family to restore all that has been lost! (Rom 8:19-23).

THE CHURCH OF GOD

It is worthy to note that the one church Christ has founded is named the Church of God. The name - Church of God - is mentioned 12 times in the New Testament, which denotes God's church and sanctity.
From about A.D.50 to around the 1950s, the Gospel of the kingdom of God which Christ was sent by God the Father to proclaim to mankind was not widely preached! But this was prophesied to be so by the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 'But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this world has blinded, 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.'

In New Testament Greek, the church (ekklesia) is the called-out ones of a congregation of people. They are callled by God (John 6:44) to separate themselves from the practices and the 'get' way of life of this world whose god and ruler is Satan (2 Cor 4:4). The church is called to depart from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. The kingdom of light is the kingdom of God that will be established on earth once Satan is bound (Rev 20:3).

The church of God is not the means by which God is trying to save the whole world. There is no record anywhere in Scriptures of Jesus trying to give the 'altar call for salvation'. In fact, He spoke in parables that the masses will not understand what He was trying to teach His disciples. When asked by His disciples why He spoke in parables, He replied, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries  of the kingdom of heaven (God), but to them it has not given.' (Matthew 13:10-11). But to those who are outside  (those not being called), all things come in parables (Mark 4:11b).

What then is the purpose of the Church that Jesus founded?  Apart from having eternal life through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Church is to learn the way of God's government with the 'give way of life' and develop the character of Christ in order to become the king priest in the life to come. This gift of eternal life will happen in the future at the time of first resurrection for those who are called in this church age, for we shall be saved (future tense) by His life  - Romans 5:10. Those who are called to be kings and priests will rule and teach probably over one hundred billion resurrected mortals at the second resurrection during the millennial age with God's whole truth. They have first to be tested to become qualified in this life and age (1 Peter 4:17) just like Jesus did in the wilderness with Satan at His first advent (Matthew 4: 1-11).

The Master Plan of God involves God reproducing Himself in man to be born again as immortal spirit beings into His divine Family! The Church is the firstfruits whereby God is accomplishing this as He predestined those He has called (John 6:44) to become begotten (means not yet born) of the Father - the Head of the God Family. Human family and reproduction is a typology of this truth. Christ in John 10:30 says, 'I and My Father are one' - signifying that there are only TWO supreme personages in the whole universe - and the Jews are about to stone Jesus for blasphemy. Jesus was cool and collected in His reply, quoting Psalms 82:6, 'You are gods'. The Feast of Tabernacles depicts the coming millennial reign of Christ together with the born again spirit beings of the divine Family of God.

Traditional Christianity assumes that the Church exists as a 'soul saving station'. If that is the case, then how were people before the time of the founding of the Church saved? Scriptures is clear in Genesis 3:24 that after Adam and Eve sinned, the tree of life and God's Holy Spirit were cut off from mankind. Except for the select few who were predestined by God to be His sons - who were sealed with the Spirit of God until the time of redemption (Eph 1:13-14), the rest of mankind cannot know God unless God reveals His truth to them (1 Cor 2:13-14). Even for the true Church of God in this present age, it forms only a tiny proportion in relation to the world's population. Are they implying that God is the loser and Satan is the winner. The whole world has been deceived by the great deceiver (Rev 12:9) about the real purpose and time order of God's Master Plan!

No doubt some may say that in the Old Testament era, Israel was the 'Church'. That is acceptable. But note that its primary role was not to proselytise to the pagan world around. In fact, on many a count the Isrelites cannot even save themselves, let alone the Gentiles! But the masses in Christiandom do not realise that the Gospel cannot be proclaim to the world until Christ had overcome Satan at the wilderness and His glorification (John 7:39), only then could the Spirit of God descend upon the Church to empower Christ's disciples. The first Adam and his descendants have failed to reclaim the government of God lost to Satan. Christ has to come as the second Adam and succeeded as an Overcomer to replace Satan and founded the Church for those called out of Satan's world!

Notice that the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the GOVERNMENT will be upon the shoulder of Christ (Isaiah 9:6-7) who will return to reign and inherit as KING over all the nations of the earth (Psalm 82:8). One of His purposes at the first advent is to announce the Gospel of the kingdom of God to the cities (Luke 4:43). But to those who are not being called, Christ made no attempt to reach out to them. Is God then a respecter of persons? By no means as all those who are called by God are called not just for salvation but for a specific purpose and task (1 Cor 12:18). There are no pew seaters for those called into the kingdom of God! They are being trained for reaching the whole of humanity when God called the masses after Satan is taken into incarceration.

Those called in this church age have a harder task as they have to overcome Satan, the pull of society with its corrupt system and the fallen nature of man. However, their rewards are also much greater for those who overcome shall share the throne with Christ as the 'Bride of Christ' with all the inheritances and rewards that come from the Father in heaven. The Church of God then, is the instrument by which the Heavenly Father goes about calling those who are willing to be trained and disciplined in God's government and righteous way by rejecting Satan's way of government. They will in due time be resurrected unto salvation as immortal God beings to assist Christ in bringing salvation to the whole of humanity during the millennial age!

When God's divine Family (church of the firstborn - Hebrews 12:23) are gathered together with all of humanity (the general assembly - Hebrews 12:23), they will all bow their knees to worship Christ and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). The supergovernment of God is strictly a God Family business as those without the fruits of the Spirit and righteous deeds will not qualify (see parable in Matthew 22:1-14). And for those who understands what has been written here are probably called by God to become members of His divine Family but you have to make a choice whether to be so chosen - 'for many are called but few are chosen' (Matthew 22:14; 20:16b).

RENEWAL OF THE MIND

Contrary to popular belief in Christiandom, simply saying the sinner's prayer to seek forgiveness of one's sins may not be sufficient to get one saved. The sinner's prayer may indicate that the sinner is remorseful of one's sins, but that does not mean repentance. Repentance means to turn away from one's sinful past, cutting off root ties that hold a person in bondages. While remorseful is fill with sorrow and regret for what one had done, by itself it has no power to change for the better. Repentance is Godly sorrow and it involves mindset change. Scriptures tell us that repentance is toward God the Father and faith is toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). The significance of this verse will be explained as we proceed along. It is worthy to note that true repentance is required for true conversion in order to receive God's Holy Spirit for empowerment as the change agent.

The problem with an unconverted mind is that the person is either full of himself/herself or with some idol still stuck in the subconscious mind. Pride and prejudice either rules the unconverted mind or some form of idolatry do. God has to humble the person before he/she can be of any use in the work of God. To be truly converted is to be repented - a lifelong process - and be filled with the things of God and not the things of this world. Only repented persons are truly converted, and true conversion is an essential requirement to inherit the kingdom of God to become members of His Divine Family.

A sure way to fill our mind with the things of God is to have the thoughts of God - to think like God from God's perspective. Such is the renewal of the mind that the Apostle Paul talks about in Ephesians 4:23. A kind of mind siege by the power of God's Spirit. When we set our mind on the things above, and not on the things on the earth (Col 3: 2), we are allowing the Spirit of God to fill our mind. In order for the Spirit of God to fill our mind, we have to first empty what is contrary to His will and purposes for our lives. This is a sure way to prevent sin from getting a hold on us.

The goodness of God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). The goodness is the divine exchange that God was prepared to die on our behalf to pay the penalty of sin and fulfill the law of God. That is why repentance has to be toward God and not toward man. It has to be godly sorrow and not human remorsefulness. The first step is to recognise any idol or idols and smash them out of our way. Next is to repent of all our sinfulness before God the Father. The third step is to fill our mind with the things of God with the renewal of our mind by the Spirit of God.

God the Father orchestrated the whole plan of salvation for mankind with Jesus Christ taking the cross of calvary in fulfillment of the plan. When we see the goodness of God's plan and the shed blood of Christ we begin to understand why we need to repent toward God and have faith in Christ that only His death and blood is sufficient to pay for our sins. But before one can have his/her mind renewed by the Spirit of God, there has to be true repentance. God is so good that the Father and Son are prepared to sacrifice greatly for mankind. When Jesus Christ became our sin offering, our Heavenly Father also suffered horrifically as the relationship between them was broken for the sake of our salvation that we may have eternal life forever in the kingdom of God!

All of us have some idols in our lives at some point in time. The idols may not necessarily be some man-made gods or someone important. It could very well be the acceptance of your views and opinions by members of your close social networking group! Whatever form it takes, the Lord is not pleased if it takes precedence over the Almighty God. God has to work something in us to yank out the idols in our life for true repentance to take effect. I for one can testify the trials and tribulations that I went through and am still going through toward Christian maturity. Only when we empty of self can the Spirit of God fills our mind to take its rightful place at conversion. When the Holy Spirit of God fills our mind, renewal of the mind takes place. That is what makes the convert a Christian.

A true Christian will have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16; Phil 2:5) as our Lord Jesus Christ was led by the Spirit of God while He walks the earth. To have the mind of Christ is to think the thoughts of God and see events and circumstances from God's perspective. Once a Christian fully understands and practice that, he/she is on the way to become an overcomer. An overcomer of the deceptions of Satan, the lure of wealth and power of society and the temptations of the flesh and pride of life. Such a person will eventually be born again as immortal spirit being to become a son of God to inherit all that  the Heavenly Father has planned for His divine Family.

You can become part of His marvellous plan if you trust and obey His word from Scriptures. That will be the beginning of the abundant eternal life - more than just the chemical existence of this temporal life!

WHY DISASTERS STRIKE

In the past several years, it is becoming too common to hear of disasters taking place all over the world with increasing frequency. What used to be shocking news is now seemingly common - people just take it as part and parcel of life. The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile bear testimony to the fact that we are indeed nearing the time of Christ's Second Coming as He said so in Matthew 24:7. Many theologians and preachers are adamant that a loving God will never has a hand in all these disasters. Yet in the same breath, they proclaim that all who have never heard and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in this time and age are doomed for eternal condemnation in hell!

The fact of the matter is that we need to understand the world as God sees it. This world does not belong to God as our forebear Adam and Eve had long ago cut off man's relationship with his Creator. In so doing, all of mankind had fallen under a curse of sin and death. When Jesus came to redeem man from the Fall, only a small handful who are called out from this world are under His protection.The rest of humanity will have to wait until after His return for their chance of salvation. All these are in God's plan of salvation for mankind hidden in the festivals of the seven holy days found in Leviticus 23.

Has Adam and Eve chosen to obey God in partaking of the tree of life, the Spirit of God will have abide in all of mankind giving God's presence, provision and protection to all who obey Him. But since that was not the case, mankind as a whole is under the sway of the great deceiver to commit sin and more sin as generations passed. The result is untold sufferings and misery throughout the history of mankind. Sadly, just as our forebears had rejected God, so have our generation. Hence, famines, pestilences, natural disasters and wars had and will continue to come till the close of this age when Christ returns to set up God's kingdom on earth. Then and only then will there be peace, righteousness and prospertiy throughout all the earth.

God had to allow man to learn his lessons. The reader may wonder how is that possible since countless innocents would have been dead, often through no fault of their own making! The answer is simply that all the dead will be resurrected to life sometime toward the close of the millennial age and be taught the truth, and nothing but the whole truth about what had actually happened and how they can embrace God's way of life. 2 Peter 3:9 reads, '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.'  

Every human being who has yet to be saved will be given the opportunity to hear of the gospel and God's plan of salvation. Except for a small group who will reject God and be annihilated at the lake of fire, most will repent and accept God's offer of salvation and be born again in the kingdom of God as eternal spirit being. It is within the kingdom of God that eternal life begins.

In this age only a small group of people are called to repentance and have God's protection through His indwelling Spirit. In the Old Testament, there are records of countless helpless people killed, including many women and children before they had the opportunity to repent of their sins. God is a God of love as well as a God of judgment. He blessed those who obey and punished those who disobey Him. There are examples after examples of warnings in the Bible about God's judgments. The case of the Great Flood in Noah's days, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Abraham's days and the ten plagues in Egypt during the time of Moses are lessons for our learning (1 Cor 10:6).

The vast majority of the victims of natural disasters have not been given the opportunity of repentance and hence are yet to be judged. God's perspective of death is only a temporary sleep (John 11:11). All those who died in all the disasters in the history of time will be resurrected and be offered true life where disaster and death will be no more! The facts of injustice and disaster in Luke 13:1-5 testify of the truth that bad things do sometimes happened to good and innocent people. The Lord made it clear that those Galileans who were killed by Pilate were no worse sinners that deserved such fate. Similarly, the eighteen men who were killed when the tower in Siloam fell on them were no greater sinners than others who did not die tragically. But unless we repent, we shall likewise perish! The disasters are a warning for the nations to repent, or worse disasters during the Great Tribulation will eventually take place (Jeremiah 16:4).

Just like the many catastrophes happening in the years leading to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, there will be many disasters leading to the coming Great Tribulation. All these are the beginning of sorrows -Matthew 24:8. God says in Jeremiah 33:11, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.Turn, turn from your evil ways!  This life is only temporal and will soon pass. The real abundant life will come to bring hope to countless billions that will fill earth to the brink. That will be when God will bring about a new heaven and a new earth to house His expanded Divine Family!

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Very often, we hear of the phrase - The Fear of the Lord - being trumpeted at the pulpit to goad church members into actions of some sort. This is taken from Proverb 9:10 which states, 'The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is inderstanding.'  In this post, I will attempt to explain the meaning with its attendant implication and application of the Fear of the Lord.

There is a widespread belief that once a person is saved by grace, the blood of Jesus Christ will free the believer from all sins and he/she is free to live life the way he/she wants. While it is true that salvation is free and nobody can earns it by any amount of good works, the convert is accountable for all his/her actions after salvation. Unless the sins of commission and omissions are repented of before God the Father (Acts 20:21) and confessed through prayer, the believer stands to lose the rewards accorded to him/her.

Those who understand the Fear of the Lord are wise because they will live righteous lives to please God who is the ultimate Judge of all His creation, including all humanity. They know that their reward is the inheritance of the kingdom of God when Christ returns to rule and reign as the King of kings and Lord of lords on earth (Rev 3: 11,21; 22:12). The Apostle Paul uses the phrase ' The Terror of the Lord' to describe the judgment seat of Christ for good works and bad ones (2 Cor 5:10-11). Colossions 3: 24-25 vividly describes the rewards of inheritance and the punishments commensurate with those who have done wrong. It is worthy to note that these admonitions are delivered to those who are believers.

The Lord Jesus Christ warns in Matthew 22:11-13 that those who have no good works to show forth his/her faith will be excluded in the kingdom of God - means that they will not be part of the divine royal Family. The term 'wedding garment' symbolises good works of the saints. While those who claim to be God's ministers but instead serve their own interests (known as 'hypocrites' - Matthew 24:51) will be severely punished. They will be cut into two - probably separation of the spirit and soul making one incomplete - a situation far worse than death!

Let us make this clear - salvation is by grace, but rewards are according to works. But works do not just confine to doing good deeds, it has to begin with right character qualities. For without the right spiritual character qualities and attitudes, all works are merely works of the flesh which God will not recognise!  To be sure of our calling and election, eventually being ushered into the everlasting kingdom of God (2 Peter 1:10-11) with the divine nature, we need to follow the teachings of 2 Peter 1:5-9. The result of an obedient and faithful life is one of honor, position and glory of eternal life to come in the kingdom of God.

In 2 Peter 1:5, we are urged to give due diligence with efforts, striving and yearning after the things of God. This involves putting off the old selfish nature and putting on the new spirit man with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God in us. After repentance towards God the Father, we must have faith in Christ as His words say He would do for us as the High Priest before our Heavenly Father. Virtue is the determination to live for the Lord and not for the pomp and glamour of this world. To have godly virtue one must have the right knowledge, for Christ cautions us in John 7:17, 'If onyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.' Unfortunately, not many Christians would put in the time and effort to search the truth but being swayed into following man's ways and teachings that are contrary to the Word of God. They are worshipping God in vain (Mark 7:7).

With knowledge comes responsibilities, and that is why self-control or self-government is required of us to obey and put right what is wrong. Little wonder the Apostle Paul speaks of disciplining his body in order to win the prize (reward) of his inheritance in the kingdom of God as if running a race to win (1 Cor 9:24-27). He is not talking about salvation which is by the grace of God that he cannot earned. Then there is perseverance or endurance. A true follower of Christ has to endure hardship, trials and tribulations to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22b).

How then can one become godlike? By gazing and studying into His word on a consistent basis to know and understand His will for our lives. To these are added brotherly kindness and love. If we have the love of God in our life, we will be kind and gracious to others, not just those in the household of faith but even those we dislike! The key to be able to practise this is to adopt the 'give way of life' instead of the world's system of the 'get way of life'. When we understand and put into practice what the Scripture teaches, we will be frutiful in the work of the Lord (verse 8).

Those who practise the works of the flesh like adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,sorcery, heresies, drunkenness, murders, envy etc will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). Unless they repented and confessed their sins, they stand to miss the kingdom of God during the millennial reign of Christ when He returns. The major stumbling block to our inheritance is when our flesh and the Spirit of God are in conflicts striving to gain control of our lives. The Apostle Paul describes such conflict in Romans 7:15-25. We have to learn to become overcomer by starving the flesh and nurture the spirit within us so that the Holy Spirit can work God's will in and through us.

We have to earn our right to inherit the kingdom of God just like Joshua and Caleb earned theirs by entering the promised land. Jude 11 is a timely warning to those who waver (being double minded) in the service of God, 'Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.'  Cain brought a bloodless sacrifice for worship hoping that it will satisfy the demands of God. However, this reminds us that only through the blood of Jesus Christ can man's sin be forgiven and cleansed. Balaam's error was trying to compromise the laws and commandments of God with worldly gains and status. Those who hold on to the doctrine of Balaam (Rev 2:14) are teaching and or practising things contrary to the Word of God. Such people have not understood the severity of the Fear of the Lord. They have every reason to fear for their destiny!

THE SONS OF GOD

The conventional teaching in Christianity is that once a person receives Christ as his/her personal Lord and Savior, the believer then becomes a son or daughter of God. But a closer examination of Scriptures shows that this is not so. It is much more than that. If it were that simple, the bible should not be more than a few pages thick! In this blog, we will discuss who are the potential sons of God and how does a believer qualify as one.

It is God the Father who creates, designs and forms the spirit of man in every human being (Numbers 27:16).
Just as the spirit in man (1 Cor 2: 11-13) differentiates a human being from that of an animal, the Spirit of God indwelling in the mind of a convert differentiates him/her from that of a pre-believer. After repentance and water baptism, the believer will receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands of a spiritual leader. This connection of the Holy Spirit with the spirit in man is what makes a believer a child of God. At that point, the convert is begotten of God on his way to become a  son of God as the Holy Spirit works in cooperation with the human spirit in the mind of the convert (Romans 8:16). However, the convert is like a foetus in the womb of the mother (Gal 4:26), awaiting to be born. The 'mother' is the church who is responsible to feed the new believer the word of truth for the believer to grow into maturity as a son of God.

 A true Christian is one led by the Spirit of God, for they are the sons of God (Rom 8:14). To be led by God's Spirit is to be prompted and directed by the Holy Spirit in the disciple's daily life who is called to develop the spiritual character qualities of Christ-likeness (Rom 8:28-30). The disciple must seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33), and righteousness is the character of Christ-likeness, for Christ will be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jeremiah 23:6) when He returns to establish the kingdom of God on earth.

The potential sons of God have yet to be born again, which will happen at the first resurrection (Rev 20:5)just before Christ returns at the sound of the last trumpet to set up the kingdom of God on earth (Rev 11:15). Once born again, they will become immortal spiritual God beings to be members of the Divine Family (1 Cor 15:54). For flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50) but only immortal spirit being can see, enter and inherit it. Just like the wind which can be felt but cannot be seen (John 3:8), the kingdom of God can only be seen and entered into by spirit beings, not human beings (John 3:3,5)! Potential sons of God are presently heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Christ being the firstborn from among the dead -Rom 8:29d) which after death, will be glorified - meaning, being resurrected from physical death (Rom 8:17). When the sons of God are perfected at resurrection, they will be like Christ (1 John 3:2), no longer able to sin (1 John 3:9).

Christ will bring the rewards of the individual sons of God with Him when He returns (Rev 22:12) - not daughters of God because there is no sex and mariage in the world of the spirit beings (Matthew 22:30). The rewards are given by God the Father who is in heaven, not that the rewards are presented in heaven.The rewards are determined by the Heavenly Father who is the Head of the Divine Family. Earthly marriage and family is a symbolism of God's plan for His own Divine Family. A type of rehearsal for the creation of His eternal Divine Family! Theologians, scientists and philosophers can search and research all their life but can never find the truth, unless the Spirit of God is working in them to reveal His marvellous divine plan for mankind.

 No wonder that 2 Timothy 3:7 states that men are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. The Apostle Paul warns that those who do not love the truth will fall into deception and perish (2 Thess 2:10). Christ on the night before He was betrayed, prayed for His disciples before God the Father, 'Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.' (John 17:17). Truth can never be compromised, for it is the universal spiritual law set by God which cannot be broken. Christ told the Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' (John 8:31-32). That is what the Scriptures meant by righteousness - understanding and obeying the truth as taught by Christ. Details of which can be found in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5 through 7. These teachings are for the sons of God to abide to overcome Satan, society and self. Once they overcome, they will qualify to be born again as sons of God to rule and reign with Christ, just as Christ overcame Satan in the wilderness and qualify to rule as King in His coming kingdom!

The Apostle Paul in his inspired writings from 1 Cor 15:45-49 states, 'The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam (Christ) became a life giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust (flesh and blood), and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man (composed of spirit after resurrection).'  Those who are called and chosen to become sons of God are those whom God is working in their lives. They are literally a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Sadly, these are a small minority who will understand and obey, such 'little flock' (Luke 12:32) will ultimately inherit all that God has destined for them  in the kingdom of God. Make no mistake, only those who enter and inherit the kingdom of God have obtained salvation and have eternal life! Even the patriarchs and prophets of old are still waiting for the first resurrection when Christ returns (Hebrews 11:13).

Potential sons of God are called to take on the divine nature of their Parent (2 Peter 1:4), holy and righteous in character. To accomplish this, disciples basically have to overcome the pride of life and the lust of the eyes that is dominant in this world's value system. Without this understanding and discipline, it is an uphill task like going against the forces of gravity. Christ's sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 is a series of teachings about the give way of life as compare to the get way of life that is practised by the people of this world. But there is hope. The Lord of Righteousness will return to change all that has gone out of sync with God's will for mankind. The Day of Lord will be time when God will supernaturally intervene in the affairs of mankind (Zachariah 14:1-5) to bring about permanent change for mankind and all the governments of this world!

The sons of God will see, enter and inherit the kingdom of God. But many wrongly assume that once they are 'saved, baptised and become a church member' they will so inherit it. In Mark 1:15, Christ preached, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.' Notice that at that point in time, the church has not even being formed. The church came about on the day of Pentecost which was fifty days after Christ ascended to heaven. It is a no brainer to know that Christ message about the kingdom of God cannot be referring to the church. What he was saying is that after overcoming Satan at the wilderness (Matthew 4:3-11), He is now qualified to be King of the coming kingdom of God - that is what He meant by 'the time is fulfilled'. Since the time of John the Baptist, the kingdom of God was being preached and everyone is pressing (striving) to enter it (Luke 16:16). The time to preach the kingdom of God and to qualify to enter it was then and still is now! Only born again resurrected spirit beings can see, enter (John 3:3-8) and inherit the kingdom of God with all the riches of God's inheritance and rewards for those who qualify!

One must accept God's terms to qualify for the kingdom. It is not automatic as many wrongly assume. Most churches failed to worship the Heavenly Father. One of Christ's main goals on His first advent was to reveal God the Father and His will for mankind. Sadly, most simply do not believe Him. The majority will wake up in the second resurrection to find that they have missed the most glorious time of history - the inauguration of Christ on the throne of His Millennial Reign, together with His resurrected saints as kings (Daniel 7:13, 14, 18), probably to different positions of key appointments in His kingdom. They will reign with Christ forever and ever into eternity!  The parable of the Minas in Luke 1912:27 clearly teaches the principle of rewards for those servants who will believe and obey what He teaches. For no one will be fit to rule and reign in the kingdom of God if they do not believe and obey in this lifetime. For those who are servants of God but refuse to submit to His governmental authority for the church, they will be severely punished ((Luke 19:26-27).

Every potential son of God will have his/her role in the church carve out by God (1 Cor 12: 18). They are not at liberty to do as they please. To do so would be like those rebellious servants in Christs' parables in Matthew 24 and Luke 19 who are 'doing their own things' and ultimately lose their rewards and be punished. They are not connected to the Head of the church, who is Christ. Only those who are found faithful and wise will ultimately made rulers over God's kingdom (Matthew 24:45). God's ultimate purpose for the resurrected spirit beings is to propagate His government over all His creation in the universe (Isaiah 9:7). Will you take step to believe and obey Him and be counted as a son of God? Your awesome potential is yet to be!