God
the Father
- God the
Father is the one and only true God in His role and status as the Sovereign,
Almighty, and highest supreme authority over all: “the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him” (Deu 4:35), “Hear, O Israel:
The LORD our God is one LORD”
(Deu 6:4), “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not
give to another” (Isa 42:8), “Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Isa 44:8), “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me … there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else” (Isa 45:5-6), “But
the LORD is the true God, he is the living God” (Jer 10:10),
“there is one God; and there is none other but he” (Mar 12:32), “My
Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all” (Jhn 10:29), “that they might know thee the only true
God” (Jhn 17:3), “there is but
one God, the Father, of whom are
all things, and we in him” (1Co 8:6), “One God and Father of all, who is above all” (Eph 4:6), “Thou
believest that there is one God; thou doest well” (Jas 2:19), “For there is one God” (1Ti 2:5), “Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev
4:8).
- God the
Father is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ: “My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? … O my God, I cry in the daytime … thou art my God from my mother’s belly” (Psa 22:1-2, 10), “I
delight to do thy will, O my God” (Psa 40:8), “The LORD said unto my Lord”
(Psa 110:1), “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mat 27:46; Mar
15:34), “my Father is greater than I” (Jhn 14:28), “I ascend unto my
Father, and your Father; and to
my God, and your God” (Jhn 20:17), “God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Rom 15:6), “And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (1Co 3:23), “the head of Christ is God” (1Co 11:3), “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (2Co 11:31), “Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:3; 1Pe 1:3) “That the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory” (Eph 1:17), “God and
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Col 1:3), “therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Heb 1:9), “Him that
overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go
no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of
the city of my God, which is new
Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name”
(Rev 3:12).
- The throne of
God is the Father’s while the Son is seated next to Him on His right hand—we
are never told that the Father is seated on the left hand of the Son: “Sit
thou at my right hand” (Psa 110:1), “being by the right hand of God
exalted” (Act 2:33), “who is even at the right hand of God” (Rom 8:34),
“set him at his own right hand”
(Eph 1:20), “Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col 3:1), “sat down
on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:3), “who is set on the
right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb 8:1), “sat
down on the right hand of God” (Heb 10:12), “is set down at the right hand
of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2), “is on the right hand of God” (1Pe
3:22), “am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev 3:21), “the throne
of God and of the Lamb” (Rev 22:3).
The
Son of God, Jesus the Messiah or Christ
- The Son of
God is equal with God the Father in deity and divinity: “In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jhn 1:1),
“but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God”
(Jhn 5:18), “I and my Father are
one” (Jhn 10:30), “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self
with the glory which I had with thee before the world was” (Jhn 17:5), “Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God”
(Phl 2:6).
- He is the
agent God the Father used to create all things: “All things were made by
him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (Jhn 1:3), “from
the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by
Jesus Christ” (Eph 3:9), “For by him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him”
(Col 1:16), “his Son, whom he
hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Heb
1:2).
- He is the
only begotten Son of God: “the only begotten of the Father” (Jhn 1:14), “For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (Jhn 3:16), “God
sent his only begotten Son into the world” (1Jo 4:9).
- God the
Father called Jesus His Son: “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat 3:17), “a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear
ye him” (Mat 17:5).
- Many times Jesus
called Himself and was acknowledged as the Son of God but never once
called Himself God as the supreme authority: “Thou art the Christ, the Son
of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona” (Mat 16:16-17), “for he said, I am the Son of God” (Mat
27:43), “Truly this man was the Son of God” (Mar 15:39), “Then said they
all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I
am.” (Luk 22:70), “but said also that God was his Father, making himself
equal with God” (Jhn 5:18), “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” (Jhn
9:35), “Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the
world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?” (Jhn
10:36), “that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (Jhn 11:4), “We
have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the
Son of God” (Jhn 19:7).
- He preexisted
His incarnation: “he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (Jhn 3:13), “He that
cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and
speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all” (Jhn
3:31), “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven … For I
came down from heaven” (Jhn 6:33, 38), “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?” (Jhn 6:62), “Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this
world; I am not of this world” (Jhn 8:23), “I came forth from the Father,
and am come into the world” (Jhn 16:28), “And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the
world was” (Jhn 17:5), “The first man is
of the earth, earthy: the second man is
the Lord from heaven” (1Co 15:47).
- He was born
of a virgin because God is His Father: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa 7:14), “Now the
birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of
the Holy Ghost” (Mat 1:18), “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luk 1:35), “God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman” (Gal 4:4).
- Being 100% divine
in substance, nature, and kind, He became 100% human in substance, nature,
and kind—He does not possess a hypostatic dual nature: “And the Word was
made flesh” (Jhn 1:14), “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh” (Rom 8:3), “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came” (Rom 9:5), “was made in the
likeness of men” (Phl 2:7), “God was manifest in the flesh” (1Ti 3:16), “Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same ... Wherefore in all things it behoved him
to be made like unto his
brethren” (Heb 2:14, 17), “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh is of God” (1Jo 4:2).
- He is the
Messiah, Christ, or Anointed of God: “And after threescore and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself” (Dan 9:26), “the Spirit of
God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him” (Mat 3:16), “Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mat 16:16), “We have found the
Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ” (Jhn 1:41), “I know that
Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us
all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he” (Jhn 4:25-26), “this is indeed
the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (Jhn 4:42), “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me” (Luk 4:18), “I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of
God, which should come into the world” (Jhn 11:27), “thy holy child Jesus,
whom thou hast anointed” (Act 4:27), “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Ghost and with power” (Act 10:38), “God, even thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Heb 1:9), “But these are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”
(Jhn 20:31), “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God”
(1Jo 5:1)
- In His
ministry, He operated as a Prophet dependent upon the Holy Breath of God
for the miraculous works He performed—there is no record of Him performing
any miracles before being anointed by the Holy Breath of God: “The LORD
thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy
brethren ... I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren” (Deu
18:15, 18), “This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee” (Mat
21:11), “But of that day and that
hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the
Son, but the Father” (Mar 13:32), “That a great prophet is risen up among
us” (Luk 7:16), “This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee”
(Jhn 2:11), “no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be
with him” (Jhn 3:2), “for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him” (Jhn 3:34), “The Son can
do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do” (Jhn 5:19), “I can
of mine own self do nothing” (Jhn 5:30), “Then those men, when they had
seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet
that should come into the world” (Jhn 6:14), “When Christ cometh, will he
do more miracles than these which this man
hath done? ... Of a truth this is the Prophet” (Jhn 7:31, 40), “the Father
that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (Jhn 14:10), “How God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing
good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with
him” (Act 10:38).
- Jesus
submitted Himself to the Father and always did His will: “not as I will,
but as thou wilt” (Mat 26:39), “My
meat is to do the will of him that sent me” (Jhn 4:34), “I seek not mine
own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (Jhn 5:30), “For
I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that
sent me” (Jhn 6:38), “I do always those things that please him” (Jhn 8:29),
“I come to do thy will, O God” (Heb 10:9).
- He lived a
perfect life without sin: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased” (Mat 3:17), “no unrighteousness is in him” (Jhn 7:18), “Which of
you convinceth me of sin?” (Jhn 8:46), “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin”
(2Co 5:21), “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15), “Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot” (1Pe 1:19), “Who did no sin” (1Pe 2:22),
“he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin” (1Jo 3:5).
- He is the
only way of salvation: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me” (Jhn 14:6), “And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent” (Jhn 17:3), “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”
(Act 4:12), “When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Col
3:4), “For there is one God, and
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Ti 2:5), “Whosoever
denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father” (1Jo 2:23), “Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He
that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the
Son” (2Jo 1:9).
- He is the
Lamb sent by God to give Himself a sacrifice for our sins: “God will
provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Gen 22:8), “Your lamb shall
be without blemish … it is the
LORD’S passover” (Exo 12:5, 11), “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and
as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isa
53:7) “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world ...
Behold the Lamb of God!” (Jhn 1:29, 36), “I lay down my life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (Jhn
10:17-18), “And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the
sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!” (Jhn 19:14), “Christ
also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a
sacrifice to God” (Eph 5:2), “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us”
(1Co 5:7), “he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb
9:26), “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for
ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb 10:12), “the precious blood
of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1Pe 1:19), “a
Lamb as it had been slain … Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Rev 5:6,
12), “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8).
- His shed
blood and death on the cross paid in full the price for our sins: “But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our
iniquities” (Isa 53:5), “For this is my blood of the new testament, which
is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mat 26:28), “Who was
delivered for our offences” (Rom 4:25), “Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom
5:6), “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1Co 15:3),
“For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him” (2Co 5:21), “Who gave himself for our sins” (Gal 1:4), “In whom we
have redemption through his blood” (Eph 1:7), “Who his own self bare our
sins in his own body on the tree” (1Pe 2:24), “And he is the propitiation
for our sins” (1Jo 2:2), “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood” (Rev 1:5).
- He rose from
the dead on the third day in the same flesh that died on the cross: “Behold
my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (Luk 24:39), “he shewed unto
them his hands and his side”
(Jhn 20:20), “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach
hither thy hand, and thrust it
into my side” (Jhn 20:27), “For we are members of his body, of his flesh,
and of his bones” (Eph 5:30), “a Lamb as it had been slain” (Rev 5:6).
- He ascended physically
and bodily into heaven: “he was received up into heaven, and sat on the
right hand of God” (Mar 16:19), “he was parted from them, and carried up
into heaven” (Luk 24:51), “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he
that came down from heaven, even
the Son of man which is in heaven” (Jhn 3:13), “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?” (Jhn 6:62), “he was come from God, and went to God” (Jhn 13:3), “Until
the day in which he was taken up … while they beheld, he was taken up; and
a cloud received him out of their sight” (Act 1:2, 9), “He that descended
is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens” (Eph 4:10), “For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Ti 2:5).
- Jesus
Christ’s power, authority, and name is not inherent of Himself but has
been given to Him by God the Father: “until I make thine enemies thy
footstool” (Psa 110:1), “All things are delivered unto me of my Father”
(Mat 11:27), “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat
28:18), “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his
hand” (Jhn 3:35), “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into
his hands” (Jhn 13:3), “for my Father is greater than I” (Jhn 14:28), “Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted” (Act 2:33), “Him hath God exalted”
(Act 5:31), “For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all
things are put under him, it is
manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when
all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be
subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all”
(1Co 15:27-28), “And hath put all things
under his feet, and gave him to be
the head over all things to the
church” (Eph 1:22), “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given
him a name which is above every name” (Phl 2:9), “he hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they” (Heb 1:4), “Thou hast put all
things in subjection under his feet” (Heb 2:8), “angels and authorities
and powers being made subject unto him” (1Pe 3:22), “Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev 5:12).
- He will
return a second time: “waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(1Co 1:7), “our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming” (1Th 2:19), “at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th 3:13), “unto the coming of the Lord”
(1Th 4:15), “unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th 5:23), “unto
the coming of the Lord … the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (Jas 5:7-8),
“Behold, I come quickly” (Rev 22:7, 12).
- He is the
Judge of all the earth: “And hath given him authority to execute judgment
also, because he is the Son of man” (Jhn 5:27) “it is he which was
ordained of God to be the Judge
of quick and dead” (Act 10:42), “Because he hath appointed a day, in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” (Act 17:31), “In the day when
God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel”
(Rom 2:16), “for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ”
(Rom 14:10), “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done
in his body, according to that
he hath done, whether it be good
or bad” (2Co 5:10), “the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and
the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” (2Ti 4:1), “Who shall give
account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead” (1Pe 4:5),
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away” (Rev 20:11).
The
Holy Breath of God
- The Holy Breath
(Spirit) is the Breath of God the Father: “And the Spirit [Breath] of God moved upon the face
of the waters” (Gen 1:2), “And the Spirit [Breath] of God came upon Saul” (1Sa 11:6), “And the Spirit [Breath] of God came upon Azariah
the son of Oded” (2Ch 15:1), “And the Spirit [Breath] of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the
priest” (2Ch 24:20), “and brought me in a vision by the Spirit [Breath] of God into Chaldea” (Eze
11:24), “and he saw the Spirit [Breath]
of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him” (Mat 3:16), “the
Spirit [Breath] of your Father
which speaketh in you” (Mat 10:20), “I cast out devils by the Spirit [Breath] of God” (Mat 12:28), “But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit [Breath] of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father” (Jhn 15:26).
- God the
Father gave His Breath to His Son Jesus Christ—the presence of the Holy
Breath is the presence of Jesus Christ: “And I will pray the Father, and
he shall give you another Comforter” (Jhn 14:16), “the Spirit [Breath] of life in Christ Jesus”
(Rom 8:2), “the Spirit [Breath]
of Christ” (Rom 8:9), “the Spirit [Breath]
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered
... who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us” (Rom 8:26, 34), “Now the Lord is that Spirit [Breath]: and where the Spirit [Breath] of the Lord is,
there is liberty” (2Co 3:17),
“the Spirit [Breath] of his Son”
(Gal 4:6), “his Spirit [Breath]
in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts” (Eph 3:16-17), “He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit [Breath] saith unto the churches” (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6,
13, 22).
- The presence
of the Breath of God is equivalent and tantamount to God’s own presence: “I
am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world” (Mat 28:20), “we will come unto him, and make our abode
with him” (Jhn 14:23), “lie to the Holy Ghost [Breath] … thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Act
5:3-4).
- The Parakletos (Intercessor, Advocate) is
Jesus Christ Himself interceding for us at the right hand of the Father:
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter [Parakletos]” (Jhn 14:16), “But the
Comforter [Parakletos], which is the Holy Ghost [Breath], whom the Father will send
in my name” (Jhn 14:26), “But when the Comforter [Parakletos] is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father” (Jhn 15:26), “for if I go not away, the Comforter [Parakletos] will not come unto you”
(Jhn 16:7), “Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no
more” (Jhn 16:10), “the Spirit [Breath]
itself maketh intercession for us … It
is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Rom 8:26, 34),
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate [Parakletos] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1Jo
2:1).
- We receive
the promised Holy Breath at the time of water baptism: “Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost [Breath]” (Act 2:38), “For by one
Spirit [Breath] are we all
baptized into one body” (1Co 12:13).
- The Holy
Breath of God dwells in the hearts of all believers: “I will put a new
spirit [breath] within you” (Eze
11:19), “a new spirit [breath]
will I put within you” (Eze 36:26), “the Spirit [Breath] of God dwell in you” (Rom 8:9), “his Spirit [Breath] that dwelleth in you” (Rom
8:11), “the Spirit [Breath] of
God dwelleth in you” (1Co 3:16), “the Spirit [Breath] that dwelleth in us” (Jas 4:5), “the earnest of the
Spirit [Breath] in our hearts”
(2Co 1:22), “the Spirit [Breath]
of his Son into your hearts” (Gal 4:6), “his Spirit [Breath] in the inner man” (Eph 3:16).
- The Holy
Breath in our hearts is the earnest of the Father’s promise to raise us from
the dead: “I send the promise of my Father upon you” (Luk 24:49), “but
wait for the promise of the Father … but ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost [Breath] not many days
hence” (Act 1:4-5), “having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Ghost [Breath]” (Act 2:33), “the
earnest of the Spirit [Breath]
in our hearts” (2Co 1:22), “the earnest of the Spirit [Breath]” (2Co 5:5), “that we might
receive the promise of the Spirit [Breath]”
(Gal 3:14), “that holy Spirit [Breath]
of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance” (Eph 1:13).
- The Holy
Breath of God helps us in various aspects of our lives: “Howbeit when he,
the Spirit [Breath] of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth” (Jhn 16:13), “the comfort of the
Holy Ghost [Breath]” (Act 9:31),
“strengthened with might by his Spirit [Breath] in the inner man” (Eph 3:16), “The Spirit [Breath] itself beareth witness with
our spirit [Breath], that we are
the children of God” (Rom 8:16), “my conscience also bearing me witness in
the Holy Ghost [Breath]” (Rom 9:1),
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit [Breath], and the Spirit [Breath]
against the flesh” (Gal 5:17), “I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me” (Phl 4:13), “The spirit [Breath] that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” (Jas 4:5).
Man
- Man was
created after the image of God: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen 1:27), “God created
man, in the likeness of God made he him” (Gen 5:1), “in the image of God
made he man” (Gen 9:6), “he is the image and glory of God” (1Co 11:7), “For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:10), “after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph 4:24), “after the image
of him that created him” (Col 3:10), “men, which are made after the
similitude of God” (Jas 3:9).
- Man is a
physical being made from dust—man is not a non-physical being living inside
a physical body as if wearing flesh like a suit of clothes: “And the LORD
God formed man of the dust of
the ground” (Gen 2:7), “for dust thou art”
(Gen 3:19), “he also is flesh”
(Gen 6:3), “which am but dust
and ashes” (Gen 18:27), “thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou
bring me into dust again?” (Job 10:9), “All flesh shall perish together,
and man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:15), “For he remembered that
they were but flesh” (Psa 78:39),
“we are dust” (Psa 103:14), “all are of the dust, and all turn to the dust
again” (Ecc 3:20), “he that is of the earth is earthly” (Jhn 3:31), “Shall
the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” (Rom 9:20), “The first man is of the earth, earthy” (1Co
15:47), “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2Co 4:7), “For we
know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved” (2Co 5:1).
- Man is alive by
the breath of God in his nostrils: “breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life” (Genesis 2:7), “the God of the spirits [breaths] of all flesh” (Num 27:16), “and the breath of all
mankind” (Job 12:10), “the breath of the Almighty hath given me life” (Job
33:4), “thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust”
(Psalm 104:29), “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and
the spirit [breath] shall return
unto God who gave it” (Ecc 12:7), “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils” (Isaiah 2:22),
“he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25), “the
Father of spirits [breaths]” (Heb
12:9), “For as the body without the spirit [breath] is dead” (Jas 2:26).
- Man is a
living soul, being, or creature—biologically, man is no different than the
animals: “And the LORD God formed [yatsar]
man of the dust of the ground …
the man whom he had formed [yatsar]”
(Gen 2:7-8), “And out of the ground the LORD God formed [yatsar] every beast of the field”
(Gen 2:19), “they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons
of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth,
so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no
preeminence above a beast” (Ecc 3:18-19), “the moving creature that hath [nephesh] life … every living
creature [nephesh] … the living
creature [nephesh]” (Gen
1:20-21, 24), “man became a living soul [nephesh]” (Gen 2:7), “The first man Adam was made a living
soul [psyche]” (1Co 15:45), “And
the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life [psyche], died” (Rev 8:9), “every
living soul [psyche] died in the
sea.” (Rev 16:3).
- Physical death
passed upon all men because of Adam’s sin: “till thou return unto the
ground” (Gen 3:19), “death passed upon all men” (Rom 5:12), “For since by
man came death … For as in Adam
all die” (1Co 15:21-22), “And as it is appointed unto men once to die”
(Heb 9:27).
- When man dies
he is no longer alive—man does not continue living as a disembodied non-physical
being: “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing”
(Ecc 9:5), “For in death there is
no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?” (Psa 6:5),
“Shall the dust praise thee?” (Psa 30:9), “Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah Shall Your
lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? (Psa
88:10-11), “The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into
silence” (Psa 115:17), “For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise
You” (Isa 38:18), “For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for
all live unto him” (Luk 20:38).
- The righteous
dead are spoken of figuratively as being asleep: “thou shalt sleep with
thy fathers” (Deu 31:16), “thou shalt sleep with thy fathers” (2Sa 7:12),
“my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers” (1Ki 1:21), “for now shall
I sleep in the dust” (Job 7:21), “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till
the heavens be no more, they
shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep” (Job 14:12), “And many
of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake” (Dan 12:2), “Howbeit
Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of
rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” (Jhn
11:13-14), “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will
of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption”
(Act 13:36), “they also which are fallen asleep in Christ” (1Co 15:18), “We
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1Co 15:51), “them also
which sleep in Jesus” (1Th 4:14).
- Man’s only
hope of living again is to be resurrected back to life from the grave: “And
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see
God” (Job 19:26), “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan
12:2), “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men
most miserable” (1Co 15:19), “concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1Th 4:13).
- Babies are
born pure and children grow up innocent of good and evil in God’s sight:
“But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring
in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they
shall fall in this wilderness.” (Num 14:31-32), “For before the child
shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good” (Isa 7:16), “Whosoever
therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest
in the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 18:4), “It were better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that
he should offend one of these little ones” (Luk 17:2), “Verily I say unto
you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child
shall in no wise enter therein” (Luk 18:17), “For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil” (Rom 9:11), “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full
age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb 5:14).
- After maturing
to an age of accountability before God, we all sin: “For there is not a just man upon earth,
that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecc 7:20), “For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), “all have sinned” (Rom 5:12),
“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin” (Gal 3:22), “If we say
that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”
(1Jo 1:8).
- We all sin because
we succumb to the temptations of the devil: “when the tempter came to him”
(Mat 4:3), “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to
man” (1Co 10:13), “the wiles of the devil” (Eph 6:11), “the tempter have
tempted you” (1Th 3:5), “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted
of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man”
(Jas 1:13), “the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Rev
12:9), “And the devil that deceived them” (Rev 20:10).
Salvation
- The true
saving gospel message was preached at the time of creation in the
beginning but hidden in a mystery—any message that does not agree with
what was preached in the beginning is not the saving gospel: “And God
said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen 1:3), “And I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15), “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
(Jhn 1:1), “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead;
so that they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20), “Adam’s transgression, who is
the figure of him that was to come” (Rom 5:14), “the revelation of the
mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest”
(Rom 16:25-26), “a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God
ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of
this world knew: for had they known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1Co 2:7-8), “For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1Co 15:22), “But
if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost … the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ … For God, who commanded the light to shine out
of darkness” (2Co 4:3-6), “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world”
(Eph 1:3-4), “And to make all men
see what is the fellowship of
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ” (Eph 3:9), “For this cause shall a
man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning
Christ and the church” (Eph 5:31-32), “Even
the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is
made manifest to his saints” (Col 1:26), “But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these
last times for you” (1Pe 1:19-20), “the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world” (Rev 13:8).
- Our sins severed our relationship with God and made
us His enemies: “And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the
evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other
gods” (Deu 31:18); “And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see
what their end shall be: for
they are a very froward
generation, children in whom is
no faith” (Deu 32:20); “The LORD is
far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Pro
15:29); “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and
your sins have hid his face from
you, that he will not hear” (Isa 59:2); “Then shall they cry unto the
LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at
that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings” (Mic 3:4);
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom
5:10); “Because the carnal mind is
enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be” (Rom 8:7); “And you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath he reconciled” (Col 1:21); “Ye adulterers and
adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with
God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of
God” (Jas 4:4).
- God reconciled us to Himself through His Son Jesus
Christ: “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1);
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Rom
5:10); “And all things are of
God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ” (2Co 5:18); “And
that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross” (Eph
2:16); “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to
reconcile all things unto himself” (Col 1:20); “to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people” (Heb 2:17); “Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and
from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love” (2Jo
1:3).
- Death is the
penalty for our sins—it’s not living eternally in a place of fire: “for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:17); “every
man shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deu 24:16); “but every man
shall die for his own sin” (2Ch 25:4); “he shall die: because thou hast
not given him warning, he shall die in his sin” (Eze 3:20); “the soul that
sinneth, it shall die” (Eze 18:4, 20); “I said therefore unto you, that ye
shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (Jhn
8:24); “and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned” (Rom 5:12); “That as sin hath reigned unto death” (Rom 5:21);
“For the wages of sin is death”
(Rom 6:23); “The sting of death is
sin; and the strength of sin is
the law” (1Co 15:56); “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die” (Rom
8:13); “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (Jas 1:15); “And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev 20:14);
“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death.” (Rev 21:8).
- Eternal life
is getting victory over death to never die again: “He will swallow up
death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all
faces” (Isa 25:8); “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will
redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues” (Hos 13:14);
“Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and
are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection” (Luk
20:36); “The last enemy that
shall be destroyed is death”
(1Co 15:26); “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and
this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass
the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (1Co 15:54);
“For we that are in this
tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed,
but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life” (2Co 5:4);
“But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel” (2Ti 1:10); “that through death he might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who
through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb
2:14-15); “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Rev
2:11); “Blessed and holy is he
that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power” (Rev 20:6); “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death” (Rev 21:4).
- Christ’s resurrection from the dead and His return
to raise the dead is our victory over death: “may have everlasting life:
and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jhn 6:40); “As the living Father
hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he
shall live by me” (Jhn 6:57); “I am the resurrection, and the life: he
that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (Jhn 11:25);
“because I live, ye shall live also” (Jhn 14:19); “But if the Spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit
that dwelleth in you” (Rom 8:11); “And God hath both raised up the Lord,
and will also raise up us by his own power” (1Co 6:14); “For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his
own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his
coming.” (1Co 15:22-23); “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be
to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Co
15:55-57); “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up
us also by Jesus, and shall present us
with you” (2Co 4:14); “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1Th 4:16).
- Our salvation
will be consummated at the return of the Lord when we are bodily
resurrected from dead: “that great and notable day of the Lord come: And
it shall come to pass, that
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Act
2:20-21), “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more
they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:17), “For the creature
was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope ...
For we are saved by hope” (Rom 8:20, 24), “for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom 13:11),
“the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air … for an helmet, the
hope of salvation” (1Th 4:16-17, 5:8), “unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb 9:28), “For yet
a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry … the
saving of the soul” (Heb 10:37, 39), “at the appearing of Jesus Christ …
the salvation of your souls”
(1Pe 1:7, 9).
- Salvation from death at Christ’s return comes to
those that belong to Him and go to their deaths in faithful service to
Him: “whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:8); “fallen
asleep in Christ” (1Co 15:18); “in Christ shall all be made alive” (1Co
15:22); “they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1Co 15:23), “the dead in Christ”
(1Th 4:16); “the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus” (2Ti 1:1);
“These all died in faith [faithfulness]”
(Heb 11:13); “the dead which die in the Lord” (Rev 14:13).
- Having a
correct view of the Father and the Son is essential to salvation: “no man
knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save
the Son” (Mat 11:27), “That all men
should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth
not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him” (Jhn 5:23), “I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
me” (Jhn 14:6), “But to us there is
but one God, the Father, of whom are
all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1Co
8:6), “truly our fellowship is
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1Jo 1:3), “Who is a liar
but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that
denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath
not the Father” (1Jo 2:22-23).
- God’s
children are those with His Breath in their hearts: “But the Spirit [Breath] of the LORD departed from
Saul, and an evil spirit [breath]
from the LORD troubled him” (1Sa 16:14), “Cast me not away from thy
presence; and take not thy holy spirit [breath] from me” (Psa 51:11), “Now if any man have not the
Spirit [Breath] of Christ, he is
none of his” (Rom 8:9), “For as many as are led by the Spirit [Breath] of God, they are the sons
of God … ye have received the Spirit [Breath]
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom 8:14-15), “the Spirit [Breath] of God dwelleth in you?”
(1Co 3:16), “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [Breath] which is in you, which ye have of God” (1Co 6:19), “Who hath
also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit [Breath] in our hearts” (2Co 1:22), “And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit [Breath]
of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6), “ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit [Breath]
of promise” (Eph 1:13), “And grieve not the holy Spirit [Breath] of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30).
- The point of
conversion is repentance through public water baptism: “Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Mat 28:19), “And that repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,
beginning at Jerusalem” (Luk 24:47), “Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God” (Jhn 3:5), “Repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Act
2:38), “Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Act
3:19), “for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Act
5:31), “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be
baptized” (Act 10:47), “but
now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Act 17:30), “repentance
toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Act 20:21), “that
they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Act
26:20), “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into
death” (Rom 6:4), “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ” (Gal 3:27), “not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”
(2Pe 3:9).
- We must
publicly confess Jesus Christ as our Lord—we cannot be a secret Christian:
“A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick” (Mat 5:14-15),
“Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also
confess before the angels of God” (Luk 12:8), “Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews: The same came to Jesus by night” (Jhn 3:1-2), “many believed on him;
but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him” (Jhn 12:42), “Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of
Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews” (Jhn 19:38), “whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved” (Act 2:21), “That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus” (Rom 10:9), “And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phl 2:11),
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in
him, and he in God” (1Jo 4:15).
- We must be
faithful servants to Jesus Christ as Lord to be saved: “the greater light
to rule the day” (Gen 1:16), “thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Gen
3:16), “Well done, thou good and
faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make
thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Mat
25:21), “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I
say?” (Luk 6:46), “Who then is that faithful and wise steward” (Luk
12:42), “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our
duty to do” (Luk 17:10), “the just shall live by his faith [faithfulness]” (Hab 2:4), “So then
they which be of faith [faithfulness]
are blessed with faithful Abraham ... The just shall live by faith [faithfulness]” (Gal 3:9, 11), “Exhort servants to be obedient unto
their own masters, and to please
them well in all things; not answering again; Not
purloining, but shewing all good fidelity [faithfulness]; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our
Saviour in all things” (Tit 2:9-10).
- We must trust
in God the Father that raised Jesus Christ from the dead: “if we believe [trust] on him that raised up Jesus
our Lord from the dead” (Rom 4:24), “whosoever believeth [trusts] on him shall not be
ashamed” (Rom 9:33, 10:11), “and shalt believe [trust] in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved” (Rom 10:9), “Who by him do believe [trust] in God, that raised him up
from the dead” (1Pe 1:21), “he that believeth [trusts] on him shall not be confounded” (1Pe 2:6).
- We must submit
to the roles given to us as men and women to be saved: “I will greatly
multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children; and thy desire shall be
to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee … in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat
the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Gen
3:16-19) “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them … let
him labour, working with his
hands the thing which is good … Nevertheless let every one of you in
particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband” (Eph 2:10, 4:28, 5:33),
“Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing … But if any provide
not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied
the faith [faithfulness], and is
worse than an infidel [unfaithful]”
(1Ti 2:15, 5:8).
The
final destiny of man
- The righteous
will be resurrected from the dead at Christ’s second coming before the
Millennium: “Thy dead men shall
live, together with my dead body
shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the
earth shall cast out the dead.” (Isa 26:19), “And he shall send his angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Mat 24:31), “For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first” (1Th 4:16), “But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1Co 15:23),
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first
resurrection.” (Rev 20:5).
- At Christ’s
second coming, the righteous living will remain alive and be caught up with
the resurrected dead: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1Co 15:51-52), “we which
are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep ... Then we
which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air”
(1Th 4:15, 17).
- The righteous
will dwell on the earth renewed from the curse and will inherit land: “For
all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for
ever ... Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the
breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee” (Gen 13:15, 17), “those that
wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth ... But the meek shall
inherit the earth ... For such as be
blessed of him shall inherit the earth ... The righteous shall inherit the
land, and dwell therein for ever ... Wait on the LORD, and keep his way,
and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land” (Psa 37:9, 11, 22, 29, 34), “Thy
people also shall be all
righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever” (Isa 60:21), “Blessed are the meek: for they shall
inherit the earth” (Mat 5:5), “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new” (2Co 5:17), “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea ...
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev 21:1, 4), “And there
shall be no more curse” (Rev 22:3).
- The righteous
will live eternally or perpetually by eating from the Tree of Life: “lest
he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and
live for ever” (Gen 3:22), “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Rev 2:7),
“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which
bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month:
and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations” (Rev 22:2), “that they may have right to
the tree of life” (Rev 22:14).
- The
unrighteous will be resurrected after the Millennium to stand in judgment:
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt” (Dan 12:2), “they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation” (Jhn 5:29), “there shall be a resurrection of
the dead, both of the just and unjust” (Act 24:15), “of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment” (Heb 6:2), “And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them: and they were judged every man according to their works” (Rev
20:13).
- Every person,
righteous and unrighteous, will be judged according to their works: “thou
renderest to every man according to his work” (Psa 62:12), “For God shall
bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecc 12:14), “he shall
reward every man according to his works” (Mat 16:27), “Who will render to
every man according to his deeds” (Rom 2:6), “So then every one of us
shall give account of himself to God” (Rom 14:12), “For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2Co 5:10), “whose
end shall be according to their works” (2Co 11:15), “For every man shall
bear his own burden” (Gal 6:5), “the Father, who without respect of
persons judgeth according to every man’s work” (1Pe 1:17), “I am he which
searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you
according to your works” (Rev 2:23), “the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works … they
were judged every man according to their works” (Rev 20:12-13).
- The
unrighteous will be punished by being beaten and flogged with stripes: “And
it shall be, if the wicked man be
worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be
beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number” (Deu
25:2), “If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and
with the stripes of the children of men” (2Sa 7:14), “Thou shalt break
them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s
vessel” (Psa 2:9), “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod,
and their iniquity with stripes” (Psa 89:32), “The LORD shall send the rod
of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies” (Psa
110:2), “a rod is for the back
of him that is void of understanding” (Pro 10:13), “stripes for the back
of fools” (Pro 19:29), “a rod for the fool’s back” (Pro 26:3), “with his
stripes we are healed” (Isa 53:5), “shall be beaten with many stripes … shall be beaten with few stripes” (Luk 12:47-48), “by whose
stripes ye were healed” (1Pe 2:24), “And he shall rule them with a rod of
iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers” (Rev
2:27), “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations
with a rod of iron” (Rev 12:5), “he shall rule them with a rod of iron”
(Rev 19:15).
- After being
punished the unrighteous will be executed then thrown into the lake of
fire [geenna]: “Fear him, which
after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell [geenna]” (Luk 12:5), “But those mine enemies, which would not
that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luk 19:27), “lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow” (Heb 4:11-12), “out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged
sword” (Rev 1:16), “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and
will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (Rev 2:16), “out of
his mouth goeth a sharp sword” (Rev 19:15).
- The lake of
fire [geenna] is a mass grave
where the bodies of those who died a second time will be eaten by worms
and cremated: “the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me:
for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched” (Isa
66:24), “thy whole body should be cast into hell [geenna]” (Mat 5:29, 30), “destroy both soul and body in hell [geenna]” (Mat 10:28), “having two
eyes to be cast into hell [geenna]
fire” (Mat 18:9), “go into hell [geenna],
into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched” (Mar 9:43-48), “so is the tongue among our
members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course
of nature; and it is set on fire of hell [geenna]” (Jam 3:6), “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of
the second death” (Rev 2:11), “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the
second death hath no power” (Rev 20:6), “And death and hell were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev 20:14), “the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Rev 21:8).
- The
unrighteous will perish, be completely destroyed, and annihilated with no
hope of ever living again: “But the transgressors shall be destroyed
together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off” (Psa 37:38), “Let them
be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the
righteous” (Psa 69:28), “they shall be destroyed for ever” (Psa 92:7), “destroy
both soul and body in hell [geenna]”
(Mat 10:28), “except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luk 13:3,
5), “should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jhn 3:16), “If any man
defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy” (1Co 3:17), “in them that
perish” (2Co 2:15), “shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2Th
2:8), “in them that perish” (2Th 2:10), “There is one lawgiver, who is
able to save and to destroy” (Jas 4:12), not willing that any should
perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9), “shouldest
destroy them which destroy the earth” (Rev 11:18).
The
Scriptures (Bible)
- The Scriptures
are canonized into the Bible consisting of 39 books in the Old Testament
and 27 books in the New Testament—it is a complete and closed canon with
no missing writings: “all things must be fulfilled, which were written in
the law of Moses, and in the
prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me” (Luk 24:44), “And are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph 2:20), “If any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of
this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and
out of the holy city, and from
the things which are written in this book” (Rev 22:18-19).
- The
Scriptures were given by inspiration of God: “As he spake by the mouth of
his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Luk 1:70), “But
those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets”
(Act 3:18), “unto them were committed the oracles of God” (Rom 3:2), “All
scripture is given by
inspiration of God” (2Ti 3:16), “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost” (2Pe 1:21).
- The
Scriptures are without error in the original autographs: “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried” (2Sa 22:31; Psa 18:30),
“The words of the LORD are pure
words” (Psa 12:6), “Thy word is
very pure” (Psa 119:140), “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the
power of God” (Mat 22:29), “in the holy scriptures” (Rom 1:2), “the holy
scriptures” (2Ti 3:15).
- The word or
message of God communicated through the Scriptures is the final authority
in all matters of faith and living: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that
he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Num
23:19), “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God
shall stand for ever” (Isa 40:8), “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Mat
5:18), “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass
away” (Mat 24:35), “the scripture cannot be broken” (Jhn 10:35), “Do ye
think that the scripture saith in vain” (Jas 4:5), “But the word of the
Lord endureth for ever” (1Pe 1:25).
- No new
revelations or prophecies are being given today: “For we know in part, and
we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away.” (1Co 13:9-10), “If any man shall add
unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in
this book” (Rev 22:18).
- The Byzantine
tradition of manuscripts (used for KJV, NKJV, YLT) are more faithful to
the original autographs than the Alexandrian tradition (used for most
modern versions like ASV, NET, NIV).
The
local church, assembly, or congregation
- The local
church functions like a human body composed of unique members with
specific functions yet interdependent upon each other: “So we, being many, are one body in Christ,
and every one members one of another” (Rom 12:5), “For as the body is one,
and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body: so also is Christ”
(1Co 12:12), “From whom the whole body fitly joined together” (Eph
4:15-16).
- We become a
member of Christ’s body the church through water baptism: “so many of us
as were baptized into Jesus Christ” (Rom 6:3), “For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ” (Gal 3:27), “For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body” (1Co 12:13).
- Christ delegated to the church His authority to forgive sins: “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mat 16:19), “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven … For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mat 18:17-18, 20), “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (Jhn 20:23), “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Co 5:4), “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ” (2Co 2:10).
- Christ is the Head and Savior of His body the local churches: “thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Gen 3:16), “the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1Co 11:3), “the head over all things to the church, Which is his body” (Eph 1:22-23), “which is the head, even Christ” (Eph 4:15), “Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ” (Eph 5:23-24), “And he is the head of the body, the church” (Col 1:18).