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          Everyone will spend an eternity somewhere—and the Bible tells how that can be Heaven.  The most important subject we will ever consider is eternity—the truth from the Word must be known.  There are only two places—one is Heaven—where we enjoy the fellowship of God and the Lord Jesus for ever and ever; and the other is Matthew 25:41 “the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”  It is impossible to describe the torment and agony in such a horrible place, but it is real, and most people go there because most people will not believe Jesus, they will not repent of their sins, and they will not trust God.

          The man tormented in the flames Luke 16 and asking for a little relief, shows how serious and horrible the suffering is—but he could not be granted even that.  Added to his suffering and anguish would be his family eventually joining him.  There could not be a worse fate, but it could have all been avoided, and the outcome so different—with his loved ones joining him in Heaven—if they could have followed his example of believing faith in Jesus Christ.

          There is real suffering in the world, but this is over at some point—the next destination never ends—so we must be prepared here by the God who does not change.  The only opportunity we are given for this spiritual work to be accomplished is right now in this life.  If we are not prepared here, there is no other place and no other opportunity, so we would suffer the fate of the unbelieving.  Hebrews 9:27 ”It is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

          Satan’s one objective is to have us be unprepared for eternity by hindering our spiritual learning and progress.  He will use any influence, any person, or any false teaching to achieve that evil objective.  Anyone who has been enlightened by the Holy Spirit to know God’s Truth about spiritual growth, and can see the multitude of delusions Satan has used today, should thank God for that knowledge.  The average church today gives no teaching that would prepare anyone for Heaven, but would lead them to Hell because they do not teach about believing faith on an unchanging God.

          If this life is the only place to be prepared for Heaven, then we must live our life in a way that would give access to the kingdom—by faith in an unseen God.  Ephesians 5:15-17 ”Therefore be very careful how you live and act.  Let it not be as unwise men [fools], but as wise.  Buy up your opportunities, for these are evil times.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”  This life is this one opportunity for being ready for the next.  We must take advantage of every opportunity to learn spiritual lessons of faith and trust on the unchanging God of the Bible.

Jesus lived on earth, died on the cross, and rose to life to deliver us from the devil’s power, and to restore the blessings lost through Adam’s sin.  The resurrection of Christ gives us peace, righteousness, health, protection, and victory in all things.  Churches today teach a doctrine that nullifies the Gospel of Christ, and which would hinder our preparation for God’s kingdom.

They teach that God has changed, which would mean that Jesus has changed, His atonement does not bring heart-conversion, and that the Holy Spirit does not inspire faith in us to put our trust on God.  Their false teaching says that God does not do things like He did in the Bible.  Such spurious teaching would not prepare anyone for heaven, because they do not teach how to trust God in believing faith for things in this life.

          A righteous standing before God is possible only by a believing faith in the atonement blood of Christ.  This trusting faith is for this life—for good health and physical healing without prescriptions or drugs; for financial needs without plans of the world; and for answers to prayer concerning the home, our employment, and all other life issues.  False teaching is from the devil to hinder our blessings in this life and to hinder our preparation for eternal life.

          The Bible says God has not changed Malachi 3:6; James 1:17, because Hebrews 13:8 ”Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”  There is no favoritism shown to anyone of any nation or any time Ephesians 6:9.  Whatever God did in the Bible, He would do today—when His conditions of faith and trust are met.  Acts 3:16 ”It is His name—faith in that name being the condition—which has strengthened this man.”

          It is just as spiritually fatal to believe the lie of the devil that God has changed in the 21^st century, as it was for the Jews to reject the divinity of Christ in the 1^st century.  Accepting false teaching will lead us to the lake of fire forever.  Satan tries to convince us that God does not manifest His power in this life.  Adam’s sin was rejecting God’s way and accepting his own way—without God.

Satan tries to convince people that God has changed and does not do things for them today.  The root of all sins is to ignore God and to go our own way.  The most wicked and rebellious thing is to believe that God has changed—because His Word says that He cannot change.  Accepting the lie that God has changed, is directly connected to where eternity is spent.

          Isaiah 30:9 ”These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD’s instruction.”  Jeremiah 13:10 These wicked [evil] people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless!”

          To enter Heaven, we will have to accept an unchanged God, an unchanged Christ, an unchanged Holy Spirit, and an unchanged atonement, because a changed God is no God at all.  There is no excuse for any church to teach, or any one to believe, that God has changed, because the Bible clearly tells us differently.  John 1:1 ”In the beginning was the Word”—and the Word does not change because God cannot change.

          We all choose what teaching we accept.  The right choice is to listen to God, and to prove in our own life that what He did for His children in the Bible, He will do for His children today—Hebrews 13:8.  Churches today choose the devil’s lie—which blocks all spiritual light.  2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ”If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost [on the way to perdition]: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them.”

          Believing what the devil lies, instead of believing what the Bible teaches, has robbed the average church attendant of everything Jesus died on the cross to give them—in this life and the next.  If there is no real repentance, or no change of heart attitude, they will go to the lake of fire—and most likely see their family there—with no one to blame but themselves because the Bible told them much differently.

          The conditions to be met, for preparation for Heaven, have been forgotten and rejected by the majority of churches today—while those in the world have no clue of these conditions.  The average church attendant believes that if they are relatively honest, live a good moral life, and profess belief in the historical facts of the Bible, they will surely enter Heaven.

          Many are preached into heaven by the minister of their funeral, in spite of the fact that the deceased did not meet one qualification for eternal life—as it is presented in the Word of God—shocking as that truth may be.  There are three qualifications for the kingdom—1 a new birth; 2 an uncompromising surrender of our will to God; 3 spiritual growth under the teaching of the Holy Spirit—being guided John 16:13 “into all truth.”

          Step one—being born again.  This was not an automatic, one-way ticket to Heaven, but a first, and very important step of preparation.  John 3:3 “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  The old attitude that will not trust God for anything, must be replaced with a new attitude that will trust God in faith for everything. 

The only thing that counts in being ready for Heaven is Galatians 6:15 “a new creature [renewed nature].”  Anyone who has had a new nature will never believe the false teaching of eternal security or once saved, always saved.   A qualification for president is to be a natural-born citizen, but what direction their life takes after their birth is what matters—it is the same with the Christian life.

          A born-again believer will not oppose or reject any clear teaching of the Bible.  Just believing the historical facts of Scripture will not give anyone eternal life, but truly believing on the Atonement of Christ, and then living a life of trusting faith in that sacrifice for sins, will!  Our faith must be Abraham’s faith—James 2:22 “His faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected,” so God considered him righteous—as He would consider anyone righteous.

          John 3:16 ”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believeth [is believing] in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  To believe in Jesus is to believe as they did in the Bible—that through faith in His blood our sins are forgiven, so our prayers can be answered.  It means we can enjoy good health, we can be delivered from Satan’s attacks, we can be filled with the Holy Spirit, and we can be given all financial needs every day—all by a trusting and believing faith in the atonement of Christ.

We are forgiven when we confess to God.  Proverbs 28:13 ”He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”  1 John 1:9 ”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

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First Century Gospel Church © 2011
PO Box 24283
PHILA PA  19120-5283
contact@fcgchurch.org