Page 17
Ellen
White - prophet?
Earth
after Second coming
The image, beasts of Daniel and "Revelation" Whore of
Babylon New
or Restored Jerusalem? The
Judgment Who
was Jesus before He came first time? Why
Sacrifices?
Seal of God and Mark of the Beast The
Book of Life What
happens when we die?
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26.
WHO WILL BE THE BRIDE AND WHO THE GUESTS
ON THE WEDDING FEAST? As
we have seen above, the prophecies obviously speak that after the Second coming,
when all unrighteous will be killed, some righteous people will be left on earth
during the 1000 years period, some righteous - resurrected and alive, will be
taken to heaven. All people, who will be left on earth and who will be taken to
heaven, are righteous. What the difference between them will be, what does Bible
tell about it? Earthly
Jerusalem RESTORED after the action of the seven trumpets, and HEAVENLY Jerusalem, which is Kingdom of Heaven, will exist only for 1000 years.
After the1000 years there among the descendants of the righteous people who will
be left on the earth after the Second coming, the righteous and the wicked will
be again. When Satan will be released, he will gather all wicked ones against the restored Jerusalem. The righteous will be taken to heaven, earth and all wicked on it together with Satan and his angels will be burned up. Heavenly Jerusalem with all righteous in it will descend on new earth, and all righteous will live on the new earth which is the paradise. It is logical to assume, that, if before the 1000 years God made a distinction between two types of righteous people, that and after the1000 years the distinction between righteous will be kept. Let's read closely which righteous will be resurrected for Kingdom of Heaven (New Jerusalem): «And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years…Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection:... they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years» (Rev.20:4,6). We will return to the point who from the alive will be taken to heaven together with the killed by the antichrist, and whether or not other righteous who died long before government of the antichrist will be resurrected also. Now we will stop only on the purpose of those who will be resurrected first. They will be the priests, i.e. all resurrected for Heavenly Kingdom will be priests of God. Peter has told about them: «ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light» (1Pet.2:9). To be the priest - is a high honor and big responsibility. In our earthly life a priest should be an ideal of purity (1Tim.3) and has been called to take care about God's church by teaching, edifying and aspiring his congregation in order to bring it to perfection in Jesus. In
New Jerusalem (Kingdom of Heaven) for the 1000 years saints will learn to be the
priests. All the secrets of the universe will be shown to them. God Himself will be
their teacher, Jesus will be their older brother and helper. After the 1000
years they will be the priests of the saved mankind, and they will explain to
their congregations what they learned from God.. «For
the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts» (Mal.2:7). As
you remember, God had chosen the seed of Abraham to bring the
knowledge about Him worldwide, He promised them: «if
ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, ... ye shall be unto me a kingdom
of priests, and an holy
nation.» (Ex.19:5,6). However
Jewish people evaded from God, and through prophet Hosea God told them: «because
thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no
priest to Me» (Hosea 4:6). Jesus
said: ”the kingdom of God will be taken from you and
given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Mat.21:43). Jesus
came to preach to the Jews not a salvation, as many are teaching, but Kingdom of
Heaven: «He
who.. hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he
is just, he shall surely live » (Ezek.18:8-9). What
was changed
with Jesus' coming for those
who executed the Law? Did Jesus teach them a some new law? No, Jesus did not
teach a new law, He came to fulfill the Law:
“Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfill”
(Mat.5:17,18). The
fulfillment of the Law was LOVE “For
all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself”. Gal.5:14 “the
end of the commandment is love” 1Tim.1: 5. Jesus didn’t teach how to be good in order to have salvation, He taught how to be perfect in order to enter Kingdom of Heaven. LAW
taught:
“Eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (Ex.21:24) The law taught: do not kill,
Jesus taught: if you hate a brother, it is already a murder. For sincere
observers of the law who loved God, Jesus' manual would not be unexpected.
Whether or not Job lived so, supervising thoughts of his own heart (ch.31)? But
by then, when Jesus had come, there was no a such believer like Job. The law was
executed externally, by deeds. But by heart people were far away from God. To
those who sincerely followed the law, Jesus returned an opportunity to
enter into the Kingdom through faith in Him (Gal.5:4). Those who by the law
should die, through believing in Him could receive the salvation, or eternal
life (Acts.13:39). Pharisees taught to the law correctly, for salvation
(Mat.23:3), however they did not
teach about the love toward to God, thus they «shut up the kingdom of heaven against men»
(Mat.23:13). Therefore Jesus told them: «Search
the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life... But I know you,
that ye have not the love of God in you... none of you keepeth the law.
.. if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins»
(John 5:39,42;7:19;8:24). The
law taught do not do anything bad to your neighbor Jesus taught to love your
neighbor. The Law taught to be afraid of God, Jesus taught to love God with all
your heart. He taught people to the love: «There is no
fear in love; but perfect
love casteth out fear... He that feareth is not
made perfect in love» (1 John 4:18).
Love is a perfection. And only perfect in love people will enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. Jesus taught people to be perfect: “Be
ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”
( Mat.5:48, 2Cor.13:11) If
a man loves God he is not under the Law anymore, because Love toward to God is
the highest stage of the human faith – the perfect faith. It
is impossible to enter into the Kingdom of heaven without love which is fruit of
the Holy spirit. “Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water (repentance) and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”
(John 3:5). The
law taught to the bases of the faith, how to be righteous in order to be saved; Jesus
taught to the perfection of the faith, how to be holy in order to enter into
the Kingdom of God. Bible
tells that God forgives sins, which under the law are inexcusable, if a sinned
person sincerely repents his sins. So the murder to Moses, the adultery to
David, the idolatry to Aaron were forgiven. God spoke: «I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his
way and live» (Ezek.33:11). «Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?» (Ezek.18:23). "I
acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. ...and thou
forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (Ps.32:5). In
order to be saved and have the eternal life through execution of the law,
Jews were under a fear to make something
against the law for all their life (Gal.3:10). They tried to achieve
righteousness by their own power, «by deeds of the law»,
they tried to be righteous in their own eyes. They did not ask God for help to
give them His Spirit, to change their deceitful hearts (Jer.17:9), they
considered, that they can be righteous without help of God. The repentance,
which could bleach out many sins, was completely forgotten. The
first step for returning Israel to the true faith was a water baptism of John
the Baptist. It was a baptism of a repentance for remission of sins (Mat.3:11),
the baptism of salvation. As Jewish people, by believing The Lord, were baptized by passing through the parted Red sea (Cor.10:2), and thus they were saved from inevitable death (from swords of the Egyptian army), the same the water baptism of a repentance, when it is made with a sincere recognition of the sins and repentance for them saves from death. The repentance is the salvation, however this salvation is only for those who will stay faithful to God until the very end. Because, as you remember, not all baptized in the sea remained alive afterward, but when the difficulties in desert begun many murmured against God and were slewed. Those
who were not indignant, because they were afraid of
God, they remained alive and died by their own death in desert much
later. They were the saved. Thus, John baptized by water of repentance for salvation. Jesus baptized by Holy Spirit and fire, i.e. through the tests (Mat.3:11), His baptism is for perfection of faith, the baptism for Kingdom of Heaven. From
all multimillion people, who went through the water baptism of repentance only
two: Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun had appeared worthy of
the promised land (Deu.1:36,38), or Heavenly Kingdom. Those 70 men (Num.11:16)
who received the Holy Spirit, but their faith couldn't pass the test when they
had spying the land, they couldn't enter the land. Moses, because of a one
moment of doubts, couldn't enter the promised land either. The only moment of
his spiritual weakness, after the 40 years of his perfect faith, gave Satan a
reason to argue that Moses belongs to God (Jude 1:9), and Jesus had to fight for
Moses. However, as Moses had
Holy Spirit (Num.11:17) and
hadn't betrayed God, he entered the Kingdom of Heaven (Маt.17:3). It
is impossible to be perfect in faith without of receiving of the Holy Spirit , and
consequently it is impossible to enter into Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible says Holy Spirit came down on the believers due to the
request of Jesus (John 14:15-16), it means the Spirit was not descended on
the Jews any longer up to the first coming of Jesus, and after Jesus’
resurrection the Spirit has descended only
on Christ’s followers. «But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law» (Gal.5:18), because the spirit is higher than the law, from spirit a perfection is coming. «Jerusalem which is above is free» (Gal.4:26) from slavery of the law, for it born in spirit (:29), because «where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty» (2Cor.3:17). Therefore any men, not only Jews, who «are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God» and heirs of God’s Kingdom (Rom.8:14,17). The
Spirit does not descend on each believer, but only on those who in truth and
sincerely worship God, and «Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him» (Luke 11:13). (Peter’s statement was similar as we
would say: “Eat fresh vegetables and fruits and you will be healthy”. You
can not say that this statement is wrong, because When
God gives from His Spirit to a man, that man completely changes, becomes
different, turns away from his past sins and does not find any pleasure in them
anymore. The man does not speak from himself any more, but as David has told: «The
Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue»
(2Sam.23:2; Mat.10:20). Jesus
said: “Except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”
(John 3:5). It means, that in order to enter into Heavenly Kingdom it is
necessary: at first - to recognize your own sins and repent (i.e. to be born of
water); and secondly - to be perfect in faith (i.e. to be born of the Spirit). So,
through the faith in Jesus Jews had received
«the righteousness which is of faith»
(Rom.9:30), instead of deeds of the law, thus they have received the salvation
through the faith in Jesus. And gentiles also.
Before Jesus only very few gentiles could be saved. Only those who have
joined the Jews and followed the laws of God (Isa.56:4), and those who not
knowing the law, did lawful things naturally
(Rom.2:14-16). By believing in Jesus they are both
have received a true salvation: “whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John
3:16). And also through faith in Him everyone got an opportunity to receive more, than salvation: to become a son of God and heir of His Kingdom, if Holy Spirit made an intercession for him before God (Rom.8:26,27). Before Jesus gentiles were «strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope» (Eph.2:12). They could be saved by doing righteous, but because they could not be perfect in faith without knowing God, they could not enter into Heavenly Kingdom. John (1:12) said: ”But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, to those who believe in His name”. He didn't say that everyone, who receives Him, becomes the son of God. He said, that everyone who receives Him receive a power, a right to become the son of God. Thus, some of the believers used this power and became the children of God and the heirs of the Kingdom. Another believers never used that. They are saved by their faith but they are so spiritually lazy to use the power that they will never become the children and the heirs of the Kingdom. Paul
spoke many times about two types of
the believers: He said: «But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work» (2Tim.2:20,21). In Revelation, it is spoken, that Babylon was drunk with the blood of 2 types of righteous: with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus (17:6); Jesus said: «he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still» (22:11). Here is the distinction between the believers obviously specified. Paul
taught: «Therefore leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection»
(Heb.6:1). He knew, that God has
forgiven him (1Tim.1:13) for the persecution of Christians he participated in
early in his life, and his faith in Jesus provided the salvation to him, but he
told: Let
see, what is necessary for the salvation? “Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved” (Acts 16:31.). “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom.10:9). “For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved”(Rom.10:13). Salvation
doesn’t require a perfect love. The fear of God will save people also. “His
salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him” ( Ps.85:9) “He
that feareth is not made perfect in love”
(1John 4:18) “For
by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God: not of works,
lest any man should boast” ( Ephes 2:8,9). “But
wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
(James 2:20), because «by works was faith made
perfect» (James 2:24,22) and only the people who are perfect in
faith will enter in the Kingdom. The work is love made visible. Thus, the work
is important for the Kingdom. «The husbandman that
laboureth must be first (The first are the saints, then the rest
of righteous) partaker of the fruits. Consider what I
say» (2Tim.2:6). Paul was talking not about deeds of the Law, not about
a work made because of the fear of God’s punishment, but about the “work produced by
faith, your labor prompted by love”
(1Thes.1:3). When
Jesus will come «he shall reward every man according
to his works» (Mat.16:27). So, you saved by grace but reward
will be by works. The believer
who does nothing will remain the saved, the believer who works for God will not
only be saved but he can receive the honor to enter into the Kingdom. «Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest» (Luke.6:35). As slaves were called those who by believing in God, were still fleshy, not spiritual. They were thinking about themselves first, and after about God. Those who entrusted their life to God, were referred to as friends and sons. Solomon and David were sons of the Highest (2Sam.7:14-15; Ps.89:27). «But thou, Israel, art my servant, …, the seed of Abraham my friend» (Isa.41:8; James 2:23). God offered the title “son” to Israel if they will trust in Him, but they failed : “And I said: You shall call Me, My Father, and do not turn away from Me. Surely, as wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, says the Lord” (Jer.3:19,20). Jesus said not to the crowd, but to His disciples: «Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you» (John 15:15). «As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God » (Rom.8:14), «and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ» (Gal.4:7), the heir of Heavenly Kingdom. Preaching to people about the Kingdom of God by parables, Jesus explained the meaning of them only to His disciples, who had followed Him. He told: «it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given» (Mat.13:11,also Luke12:41). Paul did the same: «Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect» (1Cor.2:6). Jesus preached to people a salvation through faith in Him, to His disciples He preached about the Kingdom. He could see through people and could understand at once, who suits for the Kingdom, and who still is far from it. So, Jesus invited a some man to follow Him (Mat.19:21), and He didn’t allow another man to do so (Luke 8:38). Jesus
told to thousands of people: «And ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that
when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately»
(Luke.12:36). To
His disciples Jesus said: «If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me»
(Mat.16:24). Paul said: «I have laid the foundation... which is Jesus Christ... Now if any man build upon this foundation …Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire (through tests); and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward (a reward is Heavenly Kingdom).If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire”(ICor.3:10-15), i.e. he will be saved, he will have the eternal life, but he will not sustain the fire baptism of Jesus, His tests, thus he will not enter into the Kingdom, and he will not be the priest of God. Matthew
in 19:16-23 describes the dialog between Jesus and the rich man.
The rich man asked Jesus, what he can do to
have the everlasting life (i.e. to be saved). After that Jesus had continued: “If you want to be perfect ...” - from this point on Jesus was talking about the perfection in the faith, i.e. about the Kingdom. He continued: «go and sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me” (19:21). When the man refused Jesus said, that for a rich it is difficult to enter the Kingdom of heaven (19:23). Jesus made it very clear that to be saved it is much easy then to be perfect in order to enter the Kingdom. To be saved you need to believe in Christ and be a good person: "Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore"(Ps.37:27). To enter into Heavenly Kingdom besides of that you need to be perfect in faith, you need to follow Christ to anywhere where the Spirit of God will lead you. As
you remember, God gave to Moses the two tablets with 10 commandments. He did it
not because He couldn't find the room for all commandments on a single tablet.
The 10 commandments drawn on the two tablets, were divided in two parts, and
Jesus made this differentiation obvious: «Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto
it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself» (Mat.22:37-39). The
commandments concerned relations with God, were written down on another tablet.
This is the tablet of knowledge, the tablet of the
Heavenly Kingdom. In order to follow the commandments of this tablet a
person needs to know the only True God and His Word. (the charter continues) |