Scripture References: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
The dead that shall rise first is of course all the people that were truly saved and born again and died in Christ in the preceding centuries behind us. Those that are alive and remain are the people that will be in Christ as well and they will be caught up with those who died in Christ forever to be with Christ throughout eternal ages. All these people believed and obeyed exactly what Gods word says about what true Bible holiness is and how it can be attained in this life. This “in Christ position” means to be in the spiritual body of Christ, which is the one true church that he is both head and builder of. To think one can be in Christ and still live in and commit sin is but to believe a lie to be damned, of which multiplied millions of confessing Christians are doing. Most people will utterly hate and despise the truth of Gods word concerning the subject of sin, but to reject the truths of Gods word will cause God to reject you. Listen to what Hosea the prophet tells us about those who will reject the knowledge of God in Hosea 4:6-7 that says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.” So if you are one that despises the revealed truths of Gods word concerning sin, then you will be rejected of him and you will eventually die in your sins to suffer the consequences of the second death in the lake of fire.
Those that die in their sins will not only be those who were deceived away from the truth of Gods word and believed damnable doctrines, but anybody that fails to believe and obey Gods word will also die in their sins and suffer the same consequence. Did you know that the wise preacher Solomon tells us these words as stated in Ecclesiastes 12:13 these words saying, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Gods word is revealing here that it’s the duty of every person born into this world to fear God and keep his commandments, but don’t we very well know that the greatest majority of people will reject this command and not keep his commandments? There is definitely a penalty to pay if we fail to keep and obey Gods word, which is to suffer the consequences of the second death in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. If a person dies in their sin and did not obey the truths revealed in Gods word, which are the teachings revealed in the gospel of Christ, they will be cast into that lake of fire, which is what the Bible calls the second death. The first death is the physical death of the body that all Christians and non-Christians alike will experience, because its appointed once for all men to die and after this all will face the judgment of God. We will be judged in accord with how our life was lived as we existed on this earth whether it was good or bad. All who failed to keep and obey the revealed teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. It was the apostle Paul that tells us this stated in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 that says, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” Do you have any idea as to what that one true gospel of Jesus Christ is? Did you know that the apostle Paul tells us these very words stated in Galatians 1:8 that says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Do you realize just how many so-called gospels are being proclaimed in the day and age that we now live in? Are you aware of the fact that what is being taught in Christianity today concerning what the one true gospel is that it’s nothing but a perversion of what the true gospel is? What is said to be the gospel that one must believe within the many hundreds of all the denominations in this country today? They have been teachings for centuries that the gospel of Christ is a mere belief on his death, his burial, and his resurrection, but this truth is only one truth out of hundreds that must be accepted and believed. Let me ask you this question concerning the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Are you aware of the fact that the apostle Paul said these words in II Thessalonians 1:7-8 saying, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice carefully if you will that Paul tells us that Christ in flaming fire will take vengeance on those who do not know God and did not “OBEY” the gospel. Now let me ask you this question concerning that gospel. How can we obey the Death, the Burial, and the Resurrection (DBR) of Jesus Christ?
Since its being taught in Christianity today that the Death, the Burial, and the Resurrection of Christ (DRB) is what the gospel is, then can you tell me and convince yourself how that is to be obeyed? How can we obey the DBR of Christ? All we can do with the DBR of Christ is to believe it or disbelieve it. Since we cannot obey it, but only to believe or disbelieve it, then how can the DBR of Christ be the gospel to obey? The truth of the DBR of Christ is a primary principle of the doctrine of Christ that absolutely must be accepted and believed, but do you honestly think that just believing that saves your soul and will make a new creature in Christ out of you? What the religious clergy has done, they have taken the truth of the DBR of Christ and made a gospel out of it, and did not Paul say that if any man or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel that what they preached will be cursed of God? Where did the religious clergy get the erroneous idea that the DBR of Christ is the gospel that will save you if it is accepted and believed? You will find the answer to this question in what Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15:1-4 that says, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Let me say right here that it is definitely believing and obeying the gospel that does the saving of the soul, but the religious clergymen failed to see and understand that the DBR of Christ is only one truth out of many that must be accepted and believed, but certainly not the only truth that makes up the entirety of the gospel. Look if you will at what Paul said in verse three of this scripture. Notice carefully he said “For I delivered unto you “FIRST OF ALL THAT HE RECEIVED.” Can you not see here that the truth of the DBR of Christ was only one and the first truth out of all the hundreds of truths that was revealed to him that he was now delivering unto the believers of that church at Corinth? Do you realize that all that Paul received by revelation from Christ is taught and revealed in thirteen of his epistles that is jam packed with hundreds of truths that must be accepted and believed in order to be saved along with what the other disciples taught in their writings? Can you not see how ridiculous it is to believe that a person is saved by merely believing one single truth, which is the DBR of Christ? To believe in the DBR of Christ is only to believe a truth that concerns his person, which is to believe that he did died, and that he was buried;, and that he did rise from the dead. This was only the first truth that Paul began to reveal to that Corinthian church and certainly not the only truth. Can you not see how the religious clergy has been deceived into believing that a mere belief on his DBR of Christ is a gospel that saves? They have taken one single truth (which was taught by Paul) from all the teachings of all the writers of the New Testament scriptures and made a gospel that consists only of a belief of what happened to him at the end of his earthly ministry. What does just believing what happened to him at the end of his ministry have to do with believing all that he taught to his disciples? It’s his teachings, which is his gospel, that does the saving of the soul (Romans 1:16); not just a mere belief on the DBR of Christ like its taught throughout Christianity today, as well as in times past.
Let Paul further prove this statement in what he tells us in I Timothy 4:16 that says, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” Do you hear Paul telling us to continue in the doctrine, which is the doctrine and teachings of Christ, that does the actual saving of those who will do this? So if we continue in this doctrine we will save ourselves and those that will hear us, but if we don’t continue in the doctrine of Christ, then is it not a fact that we will not save ourselves and those that hear us? So why do you believe you are saved by merely believing on the DBR of Christ, which is one single truth out of hundreds of other truths that does the actual saving of the soul? And listen to Jesus himself proving this statement in what he said in John 8:30-32 that says, “As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Do you hear Jesus telling those Jews that “IF” they continued on in his word they were his disciples and that they would know the truth that would make them free; not just on the fact that they believed on him? Millions today confess to believe on Christ, but they are not obeying him. They are left hanging on the belief on his DBR thinking that saves them. But if they continued on his word they know of the truth concerning his DBR, but not believing they would be saved by believing on that only like millions are taught throughout Christianity today. And listen if you will to further proof revealed to us by the apostle James in his epistle of James 1:21-22 that says, “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Can you hear James telling us to receive with meekness the engrafted word, (which is the truths of Gods word) that will save our soul if we not only hear it, but do it? Does it sound like just believing on the DBR of Christ is what saves our soul? How can we obey the truth of his DBR knowing that all we do with it is to believe or disbelieve it? Wake up friend before its to late. “He that has an ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches” AMEN and AMEN