Disciple-discipleship begins and ends with God the Creator and preserver of all things: 

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44; cf. verse 65). 

“Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:64-65).

“Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11). 

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

It is the Father who draws people who were known to Him in the dateless past through the gospel of His Son Jesus, and by the Holy Spirit to Himself in history.

The gospel is about the Son; it is the good news concerning the Son of God or the message of salvation:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).

“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).

Presently, the church is the assembly of individuals from all nations and tribe who have responded to the call of God through His Son and by the Holy Spirit.

According to the Bible, the election of individuals for Christ and into the church is according to the foreknowledge of God:

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30).

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (1 Peter 1:2).

So far, God has not revealed that which was in His foreknowledge that determined His election before history began, but this need not raise any concerns:

“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

The church or the body of Christ was chosen in Him (Jesus) before the world began.

The purpose of the election is to make them holy—not because they are holy, but to make them holy through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and by the word of truth in Christ:

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4ff).

“Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Presently, individually, and collectively, the church is the organ through which God is working to call and disciple His elects.

But, here is a worthy reminder, God choosing or electing certain individuals of the human race unto salvation in His Son in the dateless past does not mean that He has also chosen others to perdition in the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone (the final destiny of the unsaved or the wicked).

God’s election in the dateless past and calling of individuals in history to salvation or to Christ is based upon His eternal purpose.

God purposefully created all things for His own pleasure; the pleasure of God is His Son Jesus Christ:

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

God did not only create all things by Jesus, but for Him:

“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” (Colossians 1:16).

“For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17).

Therefore, the pleasure of the Lord is for the world to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth concerning His eternal purpose in His Son Jesus Christ:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

“To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us” (Luke 1:77-78).

God declared His will concerning Adam’s fallen race when He sent His one and only beloved Son, Jesus, to die on the cross of Calvary; God loves the world and seeks the welfare of all.

When He sent His Son into the world as the remedy for sin and for all the damages done by sin, it was a universal redemption.

The entire human race stands guilty before the holy and just God because of sin; hence, the remedy for sin, and quilt, was also for the entire race.

God is Love and the source of love, and because of His love for us, He sent His one and only begotten Son to come, and seek, and to save that which was lost through sin and the deceit of the Devil.

Jesus is the propitiation for the sins of the entire world:

“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

It is this love of God for His Son and all the people of the world that He commands that the gospel of salvation to be preached to people of all nations and tribes, and has given us enough time to do so:

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Mathew 28:19-20).

“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” (Matthew 24:14).

According to the Bible, Jesus came into the world at the Father’s request, and in the Father’s name (John 5:43):

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).

“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?” (John 10:36; cf. 20:21).

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).

Further, the Son, for His love for the human race, willfully and purposely volunteered to become our Savior and Redeemer:

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25; Galatians 2:20).

“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13; cf. 1 John 3:16).

Jesus came to earth purposely to do the work the Father had given to do on behalf of humanity, and to finish it, and to call sinners to repentance:

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

“But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me” (John 5:36; cf. 10:37).

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4).

As already stated, every disciple of Jesus Christ originally belonged to the Father or was known by Him from eternity past:

“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word” (John 17:6).

In fact, it is not only disciples or the elect that belonged to both Father and Son; the universe and its contents, also belongs to Father and Son:

“And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them” (John 17:10).

“All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him” (Luke 10:22).

God is omniscience, and so is the Son.

The Father shows the Son everything He does; hence, Jesus knows all would-be-disciples before they are called.

Also, Jesus knew all those who would not believe the gospel from the beginning:

“For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel” (John 5:20).

“But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25). 

“But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64).

The Father would do nothing without the Son, and likewise, the Son without the Father.

The Father and Son are inseparable; they are totally inter-dependent:

“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19-20).

The Son only says what He hears from the Father:

“I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things,” (cf. John 8:28).

The Son is the express image of the Father; the invisible God is made visible in the Son.

Any man who sees the Son has seen the Father, and anyone who has the Father also has the Son:

“No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18).

This is worth remembering: No man can see or come to the Father without the Son.

The way to the Father is the Son; Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Him (cf. John 14:6): 

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

“All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him” (Luke 10:22).

“Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also” (John 8:19).

“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?” (John 14:9).

“O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me” (John 17:25).

Simply stated, the Son and the Father are one: “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).

Mission-discipleship is the Father working through the Son to reconcile the world unto Himself:

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Thanks for Reading, beloved. to be continued . . . 

Reading: Luke 3:1-18.

Key words: Baptism means dead to sin and alive unto God and righteousness. Were dead in sin, but now put on Christ (cf. 1 Peter 2:24; Gal. 3:27ff).

Meaning of the word baptism:

Both words baptism and baptize have their root in the Greek “bapto,” meaning to immerse, to dip or plunge under water, to wash, and sometimes used metaphorically, as a baptism of blood, of fire, and of the Holy Spirit.

The various methods employed:

Immersion is the Biblically approved method practiced by Jesus, John the Baptist, and the apostles.

Affusion or the pouring of large quantities of water over the subject was introduced early (not Biblical but practiced).

Aspersion or sprinkling, which was first introduced to accommodate the sick and infirm, but was not generally accepted until the 13^th Century (not Biblical but practiced).

Different types of Baptism:

John’s baptism – Jesus submitted to it (cf. Acts 1:5; 19:3).

Jesus Christ commanded His disciple-apostles to practice – “He that believeth and baptized” (cf. Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12; 10:46; 16:33; 18:8; 19:3-5).

To baptize in the name of Jesus, Lord Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus without reference to the Father or Spirit is equivalent to baptism in the trinity (cf. Mathew 28:19).

Baptism for the dead – This is not recommended because it is purely magical, and wholly superstitious (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:29).

Infant baptism – This is not recommended, for it is unscriptural (cf. Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; we must leave 1 Corinthians 7:14 where it belongs).

Baptism by fire – Judgment by fire (cf. Mathew 11:3).

Baptism of or with the Holy Spirit – “I indeed baptize you with water; but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost” (cf. Mark 1:8; John 7:39).  

Meaning of Christian baptism (Romans 6:3-4):

The way of the new life in Christ (cf. Acts 2:38).

Dead to sin but alive unto God and to righteousness (cf. Romans 6:11; 1 Peter 2:24).

Total breach with the old life – it is to put off the old man, and put on the new man (cf. Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:3; Romans 6:2-7).

The remission of sin – it is to be washed, sanctified, and justified (cf. Acts 2:38).

Public avowal of faithfulness – a testimony to the world, family and friends.

A sign and seal a symbol of engrafting into Christ: “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (cf. Galatians 3:27).

Candidate for discipleship – becoming like Christ in word and deed (witness).

Incorporation into one body; with each other and with Christ – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one people of God (cf. Ephesians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13).

Sharing the life, death, resurrection, and the future glory of Christ; sealing of a new relationship of belonging to, being committed to, His person.

The outward expression of the inner change.

Readiness to walk in and with the Holy Spirit – the exercise of both fruit and gifts.

References to “Dead to sin but alive unto God and to righteousness:”

“God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2).

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved” (Ephesians 2:5).

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:13).

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24; cf. 3:21).

Pgall’s Prayer: It is our prayer that God would use these teaching on Baptism to grow your faith and commitment to Him and to one another. Amen.

Also, the world shall witness the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies; especially, that of the Lord Jesus and the prophet Joel:

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Mathew 24:6-7ff).

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call” (Joel 2:28-33ff; cf. 3:1ff).

As you have just read, preceding the Day of Jehovah is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which started 2000 years ago on the day of Pentecost:

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:1-16ff).

The God of the Bible is the God of heaven and earth. “He molds and directs all the circumstances and incidents of life.”

Again as to the two eminent great events, which are the Day of the Lord and the Day of Christ, no man knows the day nor the hour they will take place; it could be this year, next year or any moment from now:

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32).

The major events according to Biblical prophecies are: More woes and unrest, trouble times, more wars, nature disturbances, extreme poverty, the heart of many people failing them, the eminent Day of the Lord or Jehovah, the eminent Day of Christ, many people becoming saved or born again, as the Holy Spirit intensify His work before the Day of Christ.

The key to these events is the nation of Israel. The eyes of the world must be on Israel; especially, Jerusalem and its inhabitants.

Nations and people that pray for the Kingdom of God to come, and for the Jewish people, would witness some blessings, because the fulfillment of the promise of God to Abraham and King David is eminent:

“In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.

And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God” (Amos 9:11-15).

The time for Divine Judgement upon the wickedness of mankind would intensify to the “end of the present age.” God seeks the good of all them that seek Him, but His power and wrath is against all them that forsake Him (cf. Ezra 8:22).

The only safety net for everyone in the world is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior – He is the only hope of the world.

These events are determined by the Holy God and they shall surely come to pass. The day and hour of their happenings only God knows.

In conclusion, though, the world would continue to witness an intensification of calamities and woes, this year shall be one of great prosperity for may; especially, the people of God.

God bless you all, and Happy New year.

Through Jesus the Christ, every human being can be saved, born again or enter into heaven.

Every human being is born in sin and into sin; this explains why we all, without exception dies. But, Jesus has provided a way of escape. Through Him, every human being can live again:

“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19).

Every human being is born with a sinful or corrupt nature; therefore, we cannot but sin.

Nevertheless, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

To enter into heaven or into the life to come, one must be born again by faith in Jesus Christ, and there is no other way.

Jesus is eternal life; He is the way, truth, and the light:

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

No name, good deeds, tithing, church attendants, religion, which includes, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, etc., can save any person.

Salvation is in Jesus or in His name alone. Only by grace through faith in His holy name can save a man from sin and death and the wrath of God to come upon the disobedient.

Jesus Christ is the only Savior for the human race:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

It is good and ok, to attendant church services, read your Bible, or to belong to a religious group.

But, to be saved from sin and death, enter into the world to come or the new age, to be reconciled to God, to become a member of God’s family, to avoid been cast into the Lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death, and to enjoy the felicity of heaven, you must accept Jesus Christ is your Lord and personal Savior.

Jesus Himself, not His doctrine or any obedience to the Law of God including the Ten Commandment, is salvation.

Jesus is our righteousness, sanctification and the ransom of God’s people. A man male and female is saved by believing in His person as Christ and Lord:

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11-12).

True, good deeds and obedience to the law of God are important and must be done, but they only count for us after we have become saved through Jesus.

Merry Christmas to all our readers. God bless you all, from preach the gospel 2 all team.

Two thousand years ago, the promised seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, destroyed the works of Satan by His sinless life, words, expiatory death on the cross, and glorious resurrection.

Jesus died for every human being – He paid for all the sin(s), its consequences, the wrath of God because of sin, and opened again the line of communication between God and man. Jesus Christ died for all:

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; cf. Hebrews 2:9).

God has done all that He promised to do for the salvation of fallen human race through the seed of the woman.

The prophet Isaiah, speaking through the Holy Spirit hundreds of years after God gave the promise of the seed of the woman revealed the identity of the woman who will give birth to the seed as a virgin – an unmarried woman of marriageable age.

According to Isaiah’s prophecy, before this woman knows a man or engages in any sexual act, she shall be found with a child and shall give birth to a son whose name is to be called “Emmanuel,” a name which means, “God with us:”

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Today, both prophecies have been fulfilled.

At the time appointed by the Father and foretold by the prophets, a woman called Mary, a virgin and wife to a man called Joseph, a carpenter by trade, gave birth to a son, who bore the double name Jesus Christ in history:

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

According to the Scriptures, before Mary and Joseph were officially joined as husband and wife, and before there was any sexual intercourse between them, Mary was found to be with a child (pregnant):

“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.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS” (Mathew 1:18-25).

Today, the seed of the woman has defeated Satan by crushing his head, and thus destroyed all his works for every man.

Jesus is the one stop for all human crises – He has brought immortality to light and made it available to all who choose to believe by the grace:

“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” (2 Timothy 1:10).

Jesus Christ has paid in full every debt that every man owes with overflowing credit for all who put their faith in Him – for all who expresses the desire for it.

All the righteous requirements needed by unholy man to stand holy before the holy and just God has been met by the seed of the woman on behalf of every man:

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).

Eternal life, which was symbolized by “The tree of life” in the Garden of Eden, and of which Adam was forbidden to eat of it because of sin, is now freely available to all without exception through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the only man in the history of the human race (both the dead and living), who claimed to be God and proved it by what He said, did, lifestyle, death, resurrection, and ascension.

He is the one man who claims to be the source of life for the entire human race:

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-16)

Unfortunately, eternal life is not universalism, and neither can it be forced on any man – it is overly precious to be forced on any man or woman.

It is for whosoever will:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17; cf. Exodus 32:33).

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:11-12).

All that is left for you and I and every other man to do is to reach out for it – to simply say to God I need it, or Lord give it to me by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior:

“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.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” Romans 10:9-13).

God has demonstrated His love for Adam’s race by setting up His own Son as His remedy for human sin and sins.

God has punished every man for sins in the death of His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and will therefore readily pardon and accept any sinner – even the most notorious criminal who comes to Him for life through His Son:

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

There is only one condition in God’s plan of salvation – faith, and this is because “without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Not just any faith, but faith in the great Savior Jesus Christ:

“For he hath made him (Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

It is not the will of God that any man should perish, but that every man would accept His kindness in the provision of His Son Jesus Christ and live forever:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:3-5).

Many have come, but there still room for more

Jesus Christ is waiting for you, me, and all who have not decided where to spend eternity to do so:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Life or death is up to every man to decide. No man shall be able to give the sin of Adam and Eve as the reason for being in hell:

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11).

Dead or alive, someday we shall all stand before our Creator to account for the life lived.

At that time, those who have chosen eternal life by accepting His redemption through the promised seed, Jesus Christ, shall live:

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36; cf. verse 36).

Further, for all those who accept God’s provision for sin; though their sins be many, they shall totally be forgiven of past, present and future sin(s):

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? 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” (Romans 8:33-34).

Furthermore, for all who come to God by faith through His Son, their names shall be confirmed in the Lamb’s book of life:

“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelations 20:12).

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Revelation 5:3).

It is suicidal to underestimate the intense wrath of God against sin: “God judgeth the righteous, but He is angry with the wicked (sinner) every day.

But, also know this, for all who would not see it necessary to take advantage of restoring their relationship with their Creator through His Son, Jesus Christ, they shall stand in judgment for their own sins and wickedness towards Him – for these people, I say the ass is already laid at the root of the tree for:

“How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:3; cf. Psalm 7:11).

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36; cf. Ephesians 2:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Revelations 20:15; Hebrews 10:30-32; (cf. Romans 8:28ff; Ephesians1:4ff).

Although, God by His foreknowledge knows from the beginning of time, those who are His and has predestined, He commands that the Gospel of salvation be preached to every creature:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Mathew 28:19).

God has not and would not predetermine any human being to hell; God forbid.

The Gospel is the power of God to save from sin

He has given to every man the opportunity to chose life – only man can and would send self into eternal punishment (eternal fire), which was not made for human beings, but for the devil and his angels:

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

Deliverance from sin comes freely to every man through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Gospel and He came down from heaven that we may have the gospel.

The Gospel is the power of God to save every man from sin and death regardless of color, gender and religion:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17).

Every human being can communicate and establish a right relationship with God through faith in the Gospel.

Again, Jesus is the power and the wisdom of God unto salvation for every man that believes:

“Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:24).

Unfortunately, what every man desperately needs to survive is not found in idols, images, statues, charms, masonry, witchcraft, and sciences, but only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Further, to live forever is not found in any natural religion such as professing Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, great faiths, cults, and neither is it in revealed religion such as Judaism.

Furthermore, eternal life is not found in whole foods, exercising and good living, good marriage, higher education, or illustrious heredity, but only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the beginning of the sin era, God provided a temporary covering of animal skin for our first parents, and the blood of bulls, cattle and goat by the mediation of the Aaronic priesthood, but now and finally, He has provided a permanent covering for all people of every nation through His righteous Son the seed of the woman:

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

The covering that man needs to cover his shame and nakedness is revealed in the Gospel – only the Gospel provides the righteousness that is acceptable because it is from God and deals with both sin and sins.

Fortunately, God provided righteousness is apart from the Mosaic Law, every human law and every human works so that every man is qualified to reach out for it:

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4).

Through the Gospel, God compels every man to face the reality of his or her own sin, guilt, the inevitability of divine judgment, and the need for salvation.

True, nobody likes being told, you are a sinner, but this is exactly how the Creator sees every one of His human creatures because of indwelling sin. Our assessment and understanding of sin would never be correct unless we look at it from the Biblical perspective.

Unless a man sees sin as God sees it, he or she may never be saved. Remember the statement by King David, which is true for every human being:

“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,” (cf. Psalm 51:4-6).

Again, we can all agree with Job in his statement: Our very “breath is corrupt.” The corruption of Adam and Eve is the corruption of all their descendants.

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I believe I cannot do better than what the Bible has provided. Take your time and read carefully because they are in perfect harmony with all that is happening today:

“And as he (Jesus) sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying; tell us, when shall these things be?

And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

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.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand).

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

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.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Mathew 24:3-44).

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:1-7).

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?

For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him” (2 Peter 3:1-14; cf. James 5:1-10).

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

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, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 2-25).

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18).

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:

Because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:

Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:

And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1 John 4:1-3).

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelations 20:7-10).

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

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:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans 1:18-32).

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It is hard to comprehend the fact, that after conquering and occupying Palestine almost three thousand years ago, Israel is still fighting to possess, not the entire, but just a fraction of the land promised to them by God.

In fact, one cannot, but ask in deep silence: How can this be; what happened to Israel?

Thankfully, one need not go far for the answer, because the prayer of Nehemiah crystallizes for us the highs and lows of the people who were called by faith through Abraham to inherit a promise, but were denied because of the “sin of unbelief.”

“The sin of all sins is unbelief. Sin is a mockery and destroyer of all that is purposeful, good, and holy in the sight of God. Heaven and earth shall pass way but the word of God shall not pass away:

“For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:24).

Now, read the prayer of Nehemiah:

“Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:

And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea; and shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day.

And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go.

Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:

And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations;

Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.

Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, and didst divide them into corners: so they possessed the land of Sihon, and the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan.

Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it.

So the children went in and possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would.

And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness.

Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;

And testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. Nevertheless for thy great mercies’ sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.

For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it”  (Nehemiah 9:6-36; Exodus 19:1-20; 24:1-18; 32:1-35).

“Israel’s servitudes were not just accidents. They were punishments.

God may confer special privileges on certain individuals and nations, but He is no respecter of persons in any sense of indulgence to favourites.

Those who sin against extra privilege bear heavier responsibility and incur heavier penalty. God may give many privileges, but He never gives the privilege to sin.

Nehemiah’s prayer can your prayer and my prayer before God through Christ who redeems us from sin and evil.  May the good Lord save us all from unbelief.” Amen.

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Ritual homosexuality, adultery, bestiality, copulation and other forms of sensualities and lust which are prevalent and well accepted in our mechanized, civilized and scientific culture today always carry with it serious consequences.

Again, you would learn from this narrative how important it is for the church, which is the body Christ, to remain the salt and light and not compromise.

In the days of the patriarch Abraham, God told him of His intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the grievousness of their sins.

Abraham pleaded with God to spare the two cities, and God promised to spare the entire cities if He could just find ten righteous people.

Unfortunately, God could not find ten righteous people, but could only save Lot, Abraham’s nephew, along with his wife and two daughters.

Here is the Biblical narrative:

“Abraham said to God, wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?”

That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways.

And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, and said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.

And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day” Genesis 13:12-14;18:1-19:38).

Certainly, God is just and holy and would not destroy the righteous with the wicked (unrepentant).

Lot and his family almost perished with the rest of the unbelievers if not for the fervent prayer of Abraham through the grace of God.

God leaves the best to those who leave the choice to Him. Only if Lot had consulted the Lord before moving down to dwell in the cities of the plain!

Many times, the greener side of life is not always the best. We often acquire riches and wealth at the sacrifice of our own life and that of our children. There is also a warning for us to remember Lot’s wife (Luke 17:32).

Jesus Christ is the only sure anchor for our soul. In Him, we are guaranteed of the redemption of our soul, salvation from the judgment to come, and a place in the kingdom of heaven or the age to come.

Again, the presence of the untainted righteous people of God is necessary for the good and the preservation of the earth because it allows God to keep the door of salvation opened, and also to hold back judgment.

As long as we continue preaching the Gospel and sinners repent from their wicked ways, we delay the harsh judgment of God that is to come upon the entire world.

Many thanks for reading.

All who have lived on earth to date descended from eight souls, who by grace, were saved from the flood that destroyed the earth:

“These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread” (Genesis 9:19).

Sadly, it was not long after the judgment of the flood when Noah made it clear that once again the human race was not ready to live in righteousness before the holy God (man would not be able to follow the ways of God).

Sin prevails after the flood 

Noah planted a vineyard, produced wine from the grapes, became drunk and fell asleep in his tent, while esposing his nakedness. Ham came upon his father’s nakedness, and instead of covering him, he went and told his two brothers.

Shem and Japheth, appalled by Ham’s attitude, and not wanting to disrespect their father in the same manner, turned their eyes away as they covered their naked father.

Later, when Noah was told of what Ham has done, instead of blaming himself, he recklessly issued a prophetic blessing on Shem and Japheth and cursed Canaan his grandson:

“And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant” (Genesis 9:25-27). 

Noah’s prophecy over his children formed the spiritual and natural outcome of the three branches of the human race until the time of the seed of the woman.

Noah’s prophecy 

According to Noah’s prophecies, Shem would be lord over Canaan (Ham’s son and grandson of Noah; cf. Joshua 9:22-27). Japheth’s tent would enlarge and shall dwell in the tent of Shem, and would also rule over Canaan.

Seth’s blessing was fulfilled in the coming of the Messiah; they were the tribe through whom the Savior of the world Jesus Christ came. Japheth’s blessing is the Gospel of Jesus Christ being preached throughout the world even now (remember the prophecy said Japheth would live in the camp of Shem).

But, the sad part of Noah’s prophecy to date is the fact that many people refer to Noah’s prophecy to justify their evil acts.

For example, during the slave trade, many slave owners claimed the slavery of the black or the Negro population was the fulfillment of the divine curse imposed upon Canaan from whom they descended, but nothing is further from the truth.

This assertion or belief is nothing short of sheer prejudice, ignorance, and a twist of Scripture for Noah’s prophecy has nothing to do with racial divisions.

After all, it was Canaan, the son of Ham, who was cursed and not Ham. The Hamites, from whom the black or Negroid population descended, were never cursed by Noah.

Further, there is no record of any Canaanite tribe settling in Africa or anywhere else, apart from the Middle East. According to Biblical history, the Canaanites were subjugated by the Hebrews under Joshua during the conquest of Canaan, and again by other tribes.

The birth of languages, continents, and nations 

Now, the whole earth was one people, and one community that spoke one language until the rebellion at Babel.

Noah’s descendants chose to settle in the fruitful plane between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and there decided to build a city for themselves against the express command of God: “Multiply and fill the earth.”

This project was motivated by human pride and self-will – it is again man sewing the gown of “fig leaves.” For they said:

“Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4; cf. Genesis 1:28; 9:1,7).

As expected, God saw their wickedness and rebellion, but as an act of mercy and grace intervened by creating languages, nations and tribes:

“And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:6-9).

Sin is the reason why the world is divided into languages, governments, nations, cultures and tribes.

Never forget that the human race is one creation, one people, one language, one dignity and equal worth. We are all brothers and sisters sharing one planet irrespective of color, gender, language and social classifications.

There is a hint in Scripture that someday the human race shall speak one language again. Amen:

“In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree” (Zechariah 3:9-10).

Honestly, we do not think we can narrate all that sin has done to date to humanity in this little book, but if any man wants to see how sin developed and progressed through history, he or she can take a look at the pain and sufferings of humanity today.

Probably, a one-time visit to the prison, hospital, the war zone and the ravages of war, refugee camp, ghetto, and the slums of the world would tell the story. But, be ye assured, evil will not continue forever.

In this age, evil will grow worse and worse, but it will eventually give place to a new world, an age of righteousness and peace between God and man.

All the same, we think it would be appropriate to briefly give you a few examples straight from the Bible as a summary of evil sin has done to this hour

To be continued. Thanks for reading.

Adam (the first man created by God) and Eve (the first woman) gave birth to their first son outside the Garden of Eden and they named him “Cain,” which means, “possession, to acquire, or get.”

Probably, in their mind, Cain was the promised deliverer because they declared (cf. Genesis 3:15):

“I have gotten a man, the Lord or Jehovah (cf. Genesis 4).

But, soon the couple realized their disappointment when a second son followed; they named him “Abel,” which means, “vapor or vanity” a sign of their disappointment.

Adam gave birth to daughters, but their names are not given in the Scriptures – “Biblical narrative is never concerned with the mere lapse of time and genealogy, but with the moral significance of events:”

“And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters” (Genesis 5:4).

How the human race progressed from Adam in history actually began with these two natural born sons of the earth.

The human race progressed through the two lines of sin and righteousness through Cain and Abel with fallen Adam being the focal point.

In Cain, we see the nature of the rebellious and unrighteous man unfolds, for Cain lived outside the will of God.

In Abel, we see the nature of righteousness, and how the unrighteous persecutes the righteous.

Cain chose the way of evil, but Abel chose the will of God.

The first murderer in human history

Briefly, this is what happened to these two sons of the earth and the paths they chose:

On a particular day the two men, Cain and Abel, voluntarily decided to offer free-will offering to God.

Cain, who was a farmer, offered the fruit of the ground as his sacrifice to God, and Abel the shepherd, offered the firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof as his sacrifice.

But, God accepted Abel’s offering, and rejected the sacrifice of Cain simply because of Cain’s improper attitude and lack of faith (“Without faith, it is impossible to please God”).

The Scriptures declare:

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4; cf. 1 John 3:12; cf. Hebrews 11:6).

Cain became angry as a result, but instead of repentance through doing the right thing he decided to take his anger on his only brother Abel.

God warned Cain of the intention of sin to rule over him, and encouraged him to rise above it for he is well able to overcome. However, Cain would not be talked out of the evil he had purposed in his heart to do.

Cain had the tendency and the will power to do what was right, but chose to do evil:

“The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7).

A correct view of God demonstrates itself in a right attitude toward God and fellow man; likewise, a wrong view of God shows itself in a mere paucity and empty religious rites. Further, “right behavior results in good feelings and vice versa” (cf. Genesis 4:7).

Surely, on a certain day, while the two were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and slew him: “Jealousy is cruel as the grave.” (cf. Jude 11).

Cain, out of envy, killed his brother because his ways were evil, and that of his brother righteous:

“Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12).

No man is free from sin – the struggle between good and evil within the human soul exist throughout life, but through God we can have mastery over it.

Man has the power to speak right and act right, but to do this every one of us must exercise faith in God to master sin.

God called Cain to account for his brother, but finding him still un-repented, impudent and full of hate passed judgment upon him:

“Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth” (Genesis 4:11-12).

Cain, the first natural born son of the earth, chose the path of evil – a life without God is a life of total defeat and purposelessness, and always ends in ruin.

Driven from the presence of God, “Cain went out and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden,” and there he formed the first godless society, and the first city, which he named after his son Enoch (cf. Genesis 4).

The descendants of Cain were men of great skills, who developed impressive worldly arts, culture, and sciences that were advanced well into the future.

Yet, despite their blessings and advancements, they were evil. They were men who did what was right in their own eyes, and had no fear of God in them.

Among the notables of Cain’s descendants is Lamech, seven generations from Cain who became the first polygamist and the first recorded bigamist. He sang the first recorded poetry, which was a confession of boastful arrogance against God to his wives (cf. Genesis 5:23).

Lamech had three sons Jubal, Jabal, and Tubal-Chain. Jubal became both a herdsman and a trader of cattle. Jabal invented diver’s musical instruments like the harp and flute, and instituted music and other fine arts. Tubal-chain was mechanically endowed, and invented tools out of stones and iron.

God, being so good, after Abel, Eve had another son and named him “Seth,” which means “appointed.” It was during the time of Seth, and especially after the birth of Seth’s son Enos, that men began to call upon the name of the Lord – men began to worship God:

“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth” (Genesis 5:3).

Through divine revelation, Seth’s line came to know God not only as the all-powerful Creator or Elohim, but Jehovah the covenant keeping God, who wants to be or is with His people.

But, mark, the saying that Cain’s line were ungodly may not mean that every single individual was evil, and neither does it imply that every single one of Seth’s line were godly, but this saying reflects on taking the family lines as a whole.

People lived much longer in the days of Seth. Enoch is the father of Methuselah (the oldest man who lived), and the great grandfather of Noah. Methuselah lived 965 years and did not die until the very year of the flood.

Enoch, for his godliness “was not for God took him;” he was translated alive into the abode of God: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Mathew 5:8).

Racial division

Over the time period between Adam and Noah, two sets of people with different beliefs and worldview had again emerged – the sons of God (those who referenced God), and the sons of disobedience (those who served the flesh).

Whereas the descendents of Cain “spent their energies in the vain attempt to improve a cursed world” (cf. Genesis 3:17), Seth’s line, the sons of God, sought for a better world – a heavenly habitation and called upon the name of the Lord (cf. Revelation 21-22):

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 14-15).

Now, to maintain the true knowledge of God throughout the generations, it was necessary that these two lines remained separated.

The line of Cain must be kept separated and free from the line of Seth if the worship and the fear of God were to be maintained.

A man can only be saved or unsaved (righteous or sinner) before God. Righteousness and unrighteousness cannot live together; therefore, they must be kept apart. Examine this Scripture:

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth (Revelations 3:15-16).

Unfortunately, the period when these two lifestyles remained separated was brief because the descendants of Seth and Cain intermarried and tragedy struck.

The sons of God, Seth’s line, intermarried women of Cain’s line and the evil of Cain’s line, like a small yeast in a batch of dough, grew until Seth’s line became like that of Cain with the exception of eight souls.

Here is the Biblical narrative of what took place:

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee (Genesis 6:1-3; cf. verse 8).

Some people have suggested that the “sons of God” in the passage above were angels, while the “daughters of men” were human beings, but this is over-stretching the message.

Nevertheless, regardless of their identifications, the period prior to the flood became such that there was none that followed after God with the exception of one man – Noah and his family of eight souls.

The judgment of flood

In fact, what happened to these antediluvian people is a classic example of what happens when the barriers that separates the righteous from the unrighteous breaks down.

This is when the apostolic people of God, through compromises and flirtations, become indistinct from the unbelieving population. Sadly, we are increasingly witnessing this amalgamation in this end of time.

The lukewarm attitude of the church today is the result of unholy alliances and flirtations with natural religion and the world. One wonders if the church, which is the salt and the light of the world, has ceased to be the salt and the light.

Our Lord Jesus Christ described our time as paralleling the days of Noah in the following:

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Mathew 24:37-39).

Again, the Holy Spirit, speaking through the apostle Paul, said this about our generation:

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their’s also was” (2 Timothy 3:1-9).

The “way of Cain” in the passage above includes the rejection of God, faithlessness, refusal to repent, fratricide, and worldliness.

Jude, also speaking through the Holy Spirit, warned our generation saying:

“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core” (Jude 11).

The separation of church and non-church is essential to stay off moral corruption and judgment.

God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked (unrighteous), but that the wicked repent and be saved:

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11).

Noah preached the Gospel for one hundred and twenty years before the flood that divulged the whole earth came, but failed to win a single convert and the heart of God grieved over what man had become:

“And the LORD said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years” (Genesis 6:3).

To save the human race, God sent the flood both as an act of judgment and divine mercy:

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 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” (Revelation 21:7-8).

The flood wiped out every living thing with the exception Noah and his family, who God spared by grace, to begin a new generation of godly people:

“Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.

Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark” (Genesis 7:23).

Only Noah and his family of eight persons were saved from the destruction of judgment by flood to demonstrate that God would not destroy the righteous with the wicked:

“And (God) spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5).

The flood is the first great lesson on the need for separation and no-compromise on the part of God’s people.

Some historians and theologians estimate that the world’s population at the time of Noah’s flood to be around three billion. If their assessment is true, how can we over emphasize the need for our generation to pay heed to the Biblical warnings of impending judgment?

Although there are many who assert that the flood was only a local phenomenon, the Scriptures lean towards a universal judgment. For example, “water, which seeks its own level, could not continue to rise for 150 days in a local Mesopotamian valley flood.” Examine the following Scriptures:

“And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark” (Genesis 7:19-23).

The first act of Noah, after being saved from the flood and coming out of the ark, was to offer burnt sacrifice to God.

God smelt his sacrifice, and being so pleased, promised never to destroy the earth by flood (Genesis 9):

“And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:21-22).

Nature would continue in the orderly fashion as it was before the flood.

Also, God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants (which include you and me) in the following:

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, and I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth” (Genesis 9:1-17).

God reiterated the original blessings He gave to humanity through Adam with some additions and prohibitions.

Meat was added to man’s diet, but the blood of the slaughtered animal must not be eaten for it is sacrosanct (Leviticus 17). The life of the flesh is the blood; therefore, life must not be eaten but poured upon the face of the earth.

Further, man is forbidden to kill fellow man. To slay a man is an assault on the very God whom the man’s image represents – it is to destroy God’s property:

“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”

The injunction not to kill sets forth the foundations for civil authority or human government.

Noah, the second father of the human race, and his descendants, must recognize the holiness of God and be obedient to Him.

Man must acknowledge his own subservience to God:

“And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.”

Further, man was given dominion over the creatures of the earth.

The sign of rainbow

God sealed His Covenant with Noah with the sign of a rainbow as a reminder of His faithfulness. Henceforth, whenever man sees the sign of the rainbow in the sky, he is to take heart that the Covenant keeping God would not destroy the earth by flood again.

Man can wholly trust the promises of God and be obedient:

“And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”

But, beware, the saying “God would not destroy the earth by flood” does not mean He would not destroy it by other means.

In fact, a greater punishment would befall the human race if man continues in sin without repentance. Yes, God would not destroy the earth by flood, but He would by fire.

The Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle Peter spoke of God destroying the world with fiery judgment at the end of the age:

“First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:3-8).

Through the mercy of God in the flood, the human race, through Noah and his sons with their wives, was given a new beginning – man was given a clean slate and a new beginning.

To be continued. Thanks for reading.

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