Are the preachers today sharing a gospel that will prepare people to stand before the judgment safely in Christ? How horrible to live your whole life and find out only when it’s over that you lost heaven when you had all the intention to make it there. Would you like to know beyond a doubt what the true gospel is and how to ensure that your are being saved? We are going to give you a way that is one hundred percent provable and in the next paragraphs you will know the truth. First any thoughts outside the bible are extra biblical and being outside the bible are a false witness. Bible doctrine is proved by comparing scripture with scripture. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 2 Tim 3:16.” It would be beyond a good idea to tremble at God’s word and cast down man’s. “Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. Isa. 66:5”.
We will begin with the story of Peter to illustrate the true and false gospel. Peter denied Christ. Christ warned Peter that he was not converted and he could not believe it. There are many truths today that dignified people refuse but in doing so their outcome will be like Peter’s bringing shame to the church and causing their fall. If Christ wouldn’t have interceded for Peter he would have been totally destroyed, but Christ told him, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Lk 22:32.”
This evil pointing to Peter’s failure is closing the door of heaven to many today. The most objectionable sin to God is self sufficiency. This self sufficient mind is the pride in heart of Lucifer that caused his rebellion and fall from heaven. Today it is in the form of modernism a self government that places itself above God and that makes God’s authority (rule, laws, word) secondary and it is found in religion for it is in the natural heart of the unconverted man to reign supreme. This self reliance is in contrast to distrust of self and trusting completely in God’s true witness (The Scriptures). It is that rebellion that caused the war in heaven that has been transferred to this earth. The reason why this sin is the worst, most hopeless, is because it recognizes not it’s need so it trust to self and not Christ for divine aid in the battle against inbreed sin.
Peter’s fall developed overtime, a follower, a disciple, an evangelist, chosen of God, he preformed miracles yet after being with Christ for over three years the natural pride and self confidence that had not been recognized and fought against by him caused his terrible fall. The history of Peter proves true the so important word’s of God that He only can search our heart and bring out that which we need to understand about ourselves and without trusting God to do this work we are at a dangerous disadvantage: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jer. 17:9-10”
The enlargement of pride to complete blindness regarding our condition is a process that God seeks to interrupt and warn us by His Spirit. Christians don’t just hop up from the pews and walk away from Jesus overnight. But Peter’s self confidence continued until he believed he was safe and thinking he was saved he went on slipping into a course where He was trusting in self more than Christ to “keep him from falling”. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, Jude 1:24.” Peter learned a lesson that many today in a cheap gospel contend with and that is we can never trust in ourselves and believe while on earth that we stand immune, impregnable, risk-less, unassailable against temptation.
The book of revelation calls the gospel “the everlasting gospel” signifying it is the unchangeable, the forever unaltered gospel, that is preached to those that dwell upon the earth as a final warning to a people naturally ingrained to trust in self, a people with a character inherently adapted to adding to the bible, to misinterpret the word of God, to add to the gospel so as not to have to sacrifice, these poor souls the Father calls to return to Christ before He comes in the clouds. “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Rev. 14:6.” This gospel places complete trust in He who alone atones (cleanses, frees, purifies, sanctifies, justifies, re-creates the heart) and places no confidence in man, ourselves or anything outside the bible. Christ is “from everlasting to everlasting Psm 90:2” He who never changes. “For I am the LORD, I change not… Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Mal 3:6, Heb. 13:8.”
The conditions for salvation are just what they have always been, just what they were before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. How were Adam and Eve to obey? They were to maintain the connection of their humanity to God’s divinity. Does God promise to connect our humanity with His divinity? “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. Jn 14:23″. Yes God promise if we keep his words He will abide with us. Will God manifest himself, reveal himself, and guide us today? “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jn14:21″. Yes we are promised if we keep His commandments, His not someone’s concept but His commandments He will manifest Himself unto us. Does the bible show a response to the “everlasting gospel” found in Revelation 14:7? Yes just five verses down from the everlasting gospels john sees God’s people. “here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12.” These people mix faith with the word of God just as Paul stated those didn’t who could not enter into God’s rest.
All that was lost in Eden the gospel restores which is “Christ in you the hope of glory. Col. 1:27”. That glory is not for sometime in the future it is now. For Christ purpose is to dwell in us and empower us for victory over all sin. We are to receive power from God to obey Him. Peter ask the question: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1Pt4:17.” What will happen to those who follow a perverted gospel and don’t exercise faith in the unchangeable gospel? “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Heb 4:2.” It will not profit, value us, yield a return unto eternal life”. These people had the gospel, it was preached unto them but all was lost. God desires that we should be at peace, and at rest with His plan of salvation that we receive all the benefits of it preparing us for eternal life.
Resting in Christ has much to do with perfectly trusting in His word, His ruler-ship, His sovereign ways. Which is why Paul wrote in the verse just before the one read above: “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Heb. 4:1”. Why should we fear not entering into Christ rest? It is a fatal loss not to and we shall soon see why it is so deadly. Interesting that the last warning message given to the world and these words by Paul are similar. Paul said we should “fear” if we don’t by faith trust the promise and John the revelator wrote, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. Rev. 14:7″. Both are explaining that trusting God is relying upon His power as Creator to heal us from the disease of sin.” This is a job only He can do and it takes total trust and confidence in Him and His word to accomplish that.
I was taught to believe that I was saved. “Once saved always saved” was the gospel I was taught, and it was much later in life that I began to learn how misleading this was, and what the joy of resting in Christ was. (Resting in Christ is trust, complete confidence in what God can do and not man). We can hope, have faith, rest in Christ, but we must recognize that temptation is real and we are as the hymn says, “prone to wander Lord I feel it” from the hymn Come thou Fount of Every Blessing. If we would sing these doctrinal songs they will help us. Remember the song “Jesus paid it all” says we are a child of weakness. (click to listen and consider the words it is well worth it.) How can a child of weakness contend with Satan in this world? Christ Alone as our strength is the only answer.
We can be sure God accepts us, loves us, forgives us, however we will have test, trials, and temptations in this life. The song “Near still Near” is about getting so close the the heart of Christ that we are drawn into the living presence of God and abiding there we are sheltered and safe unless temptation causes separation from God and once again we may if we have failed (sinned) while probation lasts come to Christ and reunite our weakness to His strength. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn. 1:9.” Jesus said, “…he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Mat 10:22”. We can make it with Christ but the bible says, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” Daniel 12:10. Only he who endures the trial will receive the crown of life. (James 1:12.)
We are not to go blind to the fact that we are naturally weak but Christ is strong. We have no power but Christ has all the power. Without recognizing that we are poor but Christ is rich we will trust in self and not be prepared to meet Satan in the conflict. There is much in the genuine everlasting gospel that discloses these terms. Mary’s prophecy when she visited Elizabeth said, “He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. Lk 1:53″. You can’t hunger and thirst after righteousness if you believe you are rich and in need of nothing. That is the spiritual pride of the Pharisee in the fullest since. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Mat 5:6.” Jesus said.
Also, it is very interesting that the last church before Christ return thinks it’s rich and doesn’t know it’s wretched. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: Rev. 3:17”. If you try to understand the bible naturally you will fail because the bible says we are weak when we are strong, the rich are really the poor and those that recognize their spiritual poverty are rich, they recognize their need, we live by dying, we are exalted when we humble ourselves, on and on. You can’t understand the bible naturally. The old saints use to read their bible on their knees asking for divine help to understand it lest a spirit of self sufficiency would be in their heart and give the devil an opportunity to misinterpret it for them.
Be on Guard because of the Devil and “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12. The Christian’s genuine security is in uninterrupted, continual distrust of self recognizing our weakness and total addicting, habitual, obsession in the wonderful guardian care of the Great Shepherd Jesus Christ alone. We are to recognize and acknowledge our nothingness, our total destitution and petition heaven for the covering of Christ’s righteousness the only effective shield against sin. It is the pharisee that will not acknowledge he is a sinner. Paul long after he meet Christ on the road to Damascus said he was “the chief of sinners”. Jesus accepted the cross and died for us because we were helpless and today we are just as needy of receiving the resources of heaven that Christ paid at Calvary.
Understanding that “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. RM 5:6”, and we are not to wait to clean up our act before we come to him because we are naturally ungodly and we can’t make the born again transformation of nature on our own. It would be better to come to Jesus “Just as I am” and spend time with Him and let God make the changes you have never been able to make on your own. Jesus did not save Peter from falling in temptation but Christ intervened ” And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: Lk 22:31.” but God did minister to him in his horribly, miserable, vulnerable, tempted, failed state, and saved him from the defeat that Satan planed for his utter destruction. If Peter would have trembled at the word of God as this article begins discussing and rejected his own thoughts regarding Jesus’s warning to him then he could have exercised care and received support and divine power to come off more than conqueror in the battle.
Here like Peter’s warning from Christ is your warning given in the everlasting gospel: I saw a messenger “having the everlasting gospel to preach … Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. Rev 14:6-7”. Will you fear God, as your Creator who can alone re-create you in His image? Who alone can exercise creative power to give you a new heart. Will you remember that your rest and trust is only in Jesus alone? We are living in the hour of judgment and He is soon, very soon to come. You have heard the beginning of the warning. Will you take the next step by faith and reading the second part of this message? The Pharisee would not Satisfied with a respectable religion and influence in his community he was too self confident and even the strongest rebukes ever given by Jesus were to Pharisee those warnings did not penetrate his self sufficient spirit. The proud heart would not rest in the creative power of the maker of heaven and earth. They refused the offer. They rejected the re-maker of broken hearts, the re-builder of destroyed lives, the invigorator of those who are losing their hold on this life and why? They were already trusting in something they would not let go of.
Their church, their religion, their exclusive life style which warranted them so much respect in a society that rejected Christ was too much for they would lose all this if they followed Jesus. Self was on the throne but even so we can be willing to be willing and ask God to remove self and take God at His word. Did you think that emptying your life of self was an easy process? Are you willing to give up all for Christ? He may not ask for all but all has to be put on the altar of sacrifice or self, sin, and Satan will make an idol out of what is left. Only Christ can cleanse the heart from that which has controlled it. Many like the Pharisee are unwilling to look into the depths of their heart. It is not a pretty place. There is nothing more deceptive than the heart of man. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer. 17:9”. Do you believe this verse? If you really do you would see that the scripture says the heart is more deceitful than even Satan himself. Deceitful above all things is the fallen heart of man it says. Would you trust in that kind of a heart instead of Christ? Especially when God says, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man…whose heart departeth from the LORD. Jer. 17:5.”
If your heart departs from the Lord and it is deceitful above all things then what kind of bad shape are we in if we make this maneuver. Let us without delay return to the Lord and pray for God to save us from ourselves . He knows the condition of the heart and promises to give us a new one. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Exk 36:26.” And “… this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Mat 24:14.” This everlasting gospel is being finally preached and the end is coming so soon. The true gospel strips man of self sufficiency and compels, necessitates, urges man to trust to God alone our only strength and who “… is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Heb. 7:25.” “…that ye may know and believe me, … I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, Isa 43:10-12.” Do you see that if you say “I am saved” then you are making a saviour of yourself by trusting in self. There is not a jot or title in scripture that says trust in self. What a disgrace to grace to think so. Trust and rest in your only source. In Revelation fourteen where we read “The Everlasting Gospel” John sees the people who share this gospel and they “follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth… Rev. 14:4 “. Don’t follow your heart for this is an expression in the movies that is straight from Satan instead follow Jesus.
More is coming to explain the Everlasting gospel this week. Please come back for to understand the Everlasting gospel it is a life savior in a world of deception.