In this study, we will examine who the Bible refers to when it says that they will inherit the land. We will also take a look at the general panorama of the events that will happen in the world in the last days. Moreover, in light of the Word, we will try to list the requirements to become righteous, and we will also show what the consequences will be for not obeying God’s commandments. Finally, we will expose the harsh reality of what will happen to those who still do not know God.
Historically, the children of God have been tested with the purpose of forging their character, of which there is abundant evidence throughout the Scriptures. God wants His children to be a reflection of Jesus, and for this, believers must go through certain trials. These help them develop important and necessary characteristics that the Father seeks in His children. Many modern Christians are unaware of this and believe that God has placed us on earth to enjoy, not to suffer for Jesus. They think that Jesus Christ came to shed His blood so that we do not have to suffer. They do not believe in any way that we should be like the Teacher in His sufferings. Luke 6:40 says, “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”
Jesus said that if you are perfected through trials, then you can become like Him. You cannot be like Christ simply by attending a congregation or by giving your tithes and offerings. The biblical way to become like the Teacher is through suffering. This is confirmed by Paul in his epistle to the Philippians 1:29, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” This portion of God’s Word makes it clear beyond a doubt that suffering for the sake of Jesus is a PRIVILEGE. Suffering for the cause of Jesus is an honor that not many are willing to accept.
The way God deals with His true servants sometimes seems confusing and strange to those who do not understand how the Lord works. From the natural man’s point of view, suffering is something to be avoided. No one in their right mind willingly offers to suffer, much less to die in place of another, but that is exactly what Jesus did.
If you want to know who those are who will become like their teacher, listen to our study titled: Will we all be Kings and Priests?
The tribulations that the servants of God went through were meant to test them like gold. All of them were, if we can say, mistreated by God, as described in Hebrews 11. I believe that if we could ask any of the apostles of Jesus Christ what the main requirements are to be perfected, I am sure the answer would be the same: suffer for Jesus and remain without sin. Unfortunately, in the twenty-first century, the answers could be very different. Because both, the values and the doctrine of Christians are different.
All Christians take the Bible as God’s manual of instructions for mankind. In the Scriptures, we find the divine method to attain eternal life, and through it, we can know what the will of God is. However, that method varies from congregation to congregation, and from denomination to denomination. If not, look at the differences between Pentecostals and Baptists. This is because, generally speaking, God’s instructions are misinterpreted, ignored, or rejected. Whether out of negligence or ignorance, so that institutional teaching prevails over the Word of God. The institutions force their members to be faithful to their doctrine because they claim that it is written in the Bible. This prevents their members from objecting or challenging any teaching. In short, you cannot think differently in your congregation, because if you do, you might be considered a rebel and risk being expelled.
The misinterpretation of Scriptures or blatant disobedience has very serious consequences, both for you and for your family. Shouldn’t this be enough reason to break with those paradigms that bind you to your congregation? It is unfortunate that the vast majority of Christians do not know what the true gospel is, which is why there are different gospels and different denominations. Each of them fights for its truth and tries to impose it on others. They still do not understand that Christ is coming for only one church, not for a denomination.
You, as an active member of one of these denominations, should not feel so attached to them. Instead, dedicate your time to searching the Scriptures to know what the will of God is and fulfill it. Do not let a congregation or a preacher steal your mind and heart that only belong to the Lord. “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16.
Despite knowing so many examples of disobedience described in the Scriptures, Christians continue to fall into them time and time again due to a lack of knowledge. “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” Hosea 4:6.
God has placed in our hands the knowledge we must acquire. It is not about learning languages or the origin of words in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, nor is it about memorizing every verse in the Bible. It is not homiletics or hermeneutics that God demands. The knowledge God wants us to have is to understand His will. It is to have a personal relationship with the Father; it is about knowing what His commandments are and obeying them. We all have a Bible in our homes, so there is no excuse; we cannot say we did not know His will. “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.” John 15:22.
God’s Judgments Are Coming for All the Inhabitants of the Earth
God’s judgments are coming soon! Let there be no doubt! God tells His people to change direction; otherwise, His judgments will come when they least expect it, just as it happened in the past. The Lord sent prophets to the nation of Israel to warn them that if they continued on the wrong path, He would punish them; however, the people of Israel, instead of receiving His messengers, despised them, imprisoned them, and even killed them. Nowadays, we see on social media how many Pentecostals launch attacks against Baptists. Calvinists against Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses against Evangelicals, Evangelicals against Seventh-Day Adventists. It is a full-blown battle between denominations; some defend the sound doctrine, while others defend the movement of their human spirit. Some defend their lifestyle filled with luxuries, generally obtained through the blatant theft of tithes, offerings, and so-called seeds.
Many no longer preach about Christ; they only tell jokes, stories, sometimes unbelievable, and others spend their time talking about their experience in the third heaven, when they spoke with God and when they fought against Satan. They are liars, false prophets and apostles, and they have no fear of God. They believe that everything will continue in the same way for years, or decades, but it will not be so. God’s people have been captivated by the world, they live in their iniquities and sins and still do not realize it.
The Word of God says that a great tribulation is coming, which will be a short period of time but extremely intense, reaching the entire world. This event is the ultimate test for the inhabitants of the earth, which will culminate with the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. This period is described in the Old Testament as “The great and terrible day of the Lord,” in which God will put an end to the wickedness of men once and for all. (Revelation 3:10).
If you want to know more about the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, I invite you to watch our study titled: The Great Tribulation.
God will bring great calamities to the unbelieving world, but He will also test the heart of God’s people. So, all of us will be affected in one way or another. The apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 4:17, “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
During the great tribulation, the children of God will be perfected, just as the prophets and the Christians of the New Testament were tested. God has set aside a time for Christians of the twenty-first century to reach the stature of the perfect man. For some, this time will be a blessing and a glorious time, and for others, it will be a time of judgment like never before seen on earth.
God has set aside this time in the final days for Christians to be perfected. This perfection comes through trials and suffering, something that Paul fully understood. He said that we should imitate him and follow his example. Paul was persecuted, mistreated, despised, and harassed, simply for preaching the good news. This is the part that many do not want to imitate; on the contrary, they want his anointing, they want demons to obey them, they want to heal the sick, but they do not want to suffer for Jesus.
The believers of the twenty-first century think that they are exempt from suffering for the sake of the gospel. They believe that whether diseases are mild or fatal, that economic, family, or work problems are synonymous with “suffering for Christ.” We must understand that these problems are common to all human beings, whether Christians or non-believers; we all face the same situations sooner or later. However, suffering for the gospel is something very different: it is suffering for doing good, it is being despised for sticking to the Word of God, it is being accused without having committed any crime or fault.
According to the modern Christian, the sufferings that the disciples endured were the price they paid for us to enjoy the freedom of worship we have today, without considering the persecution that our brothers face on the other side of the world. They assume that suffering persecution is not normal; on the contrary, they demand that God fulfill their whims, they claim their rights as children of a great king, and go to the courts of men to fight for those rights. They gather in parties to support Christian politicians so that they can advocate for laws that favor them. These Christians do not know what God’s plan is, or how His Kingdom will be established on earth, they do not understand that all the things we now take pride in will be destroyed.
By believing that modern Christians have not been placed in this world to suffer persecution, but rather to “enjoy the Father’s goods,” they highlight two things: first, their ignorance of the Scriptures, and second, their “prevarication” by despising the Lord’s commandments. Not being willing to suffer for Christ’s sake is to consider ourselves better than Jesus. “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” Luke 6:40. The “perfection” that Jesus refers to comes when all aspects of our character, whether patience, temperance, or any other virtue, have been tested, just as He did with all His servants.
Whether you believe or not that the church will go through the great tribulation is irrelevant. God will not stop His plans because of your ignorance. In the world, the ignorance of the masses is an advantage for the rich and powerful; they use the poor and ignorant to enrich themselves and manipulate them. In the Kingdom of God, it is the opposite—if you are ignorant of the Word of God, you can die.
What is important is that the great tribulation will be a very intense period that will serve as a furnace for the church, where Christians will be refined like gold. This will be a glorious time for the true church of the Lord, but for those who are rebellious and reject the Word of God, it will be a terrible time.
There are no superiors within the church of God.
In the Bible, being righteous refers to living according to the will of God, obeying His commandments and laws, and acting rightly and ethically in all areas of life. A righteous person is one who has a right relationship with God, which is reflected in their character and moral behavior. Righteousness is not only something external, but it comes from the heart and from sincere faith in God.
Genesis 6:9 says, “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” Noah is described as a righteous man, which implies that he had an intimate relationship with God and lived a morally upright life in the midst of a corrupt generation.
A righteous man is someone without blemish, who walks in truth and in the spirit. His mouth speaks wisdom and not nonsense; he is a man who does what is right and who is humble. The Bible says in Psalm 37:30-31, “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and their tongue speaks what is just. The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.”
The righteous, collectively, form the true church of God. This term comes from the Greek ekklesia, which means “assembly” or “gathering.” It was used to refer to a group of people who gathered for a common purpose. In a deeper sense, “church” also refers to the body of Christ, that is, the followers of Christ who, united by their faith, form a spiritual community. This concept frequently appears in Paul’s letters, for example, in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” If we follow Paul’s logic, we would say that the church consists of thousands or millions of members who share the same DNA, are intrinsically part of each other, possess the same blood type, and all feel the same. All the members work together, coordinate, and move according to what the head dictates.
But imagine that you have what we call a “foreign body” in your body. It could be a small splinter in your skin, or objects that can be ingested, like a fishbone, or inhaled, like food particles, or inserted, like an insect that enters your ear. All these “foreign bodies” are pieces that the body rejects, causing discomfort, and in the worst cases, they can cause permanent damage to your body. Similarly, in the church of Christ, there are “foreign bodies” that have become embedded in it, causing harm to the rest of the body. They may be some members, or even the leaders of the congregation, such as pastors, prophets, or apostles. They do not belong to the body of Christ, but they are embedded in it, causing great harm with their false doctrines and worldly actions.
The church of God has a horizontal structure among all its members, there are no greater or lesser. But these false apostles, embedded like “foreign bodies,” impose themselves in the church in such a way that they even demand to be called Father. They teach that the members of the congregation must obey them blindly; they place themselves in a position superior to any human or divine authority. They decide who you will marry, where you will live, what car you will buy, and even, you must ask for their permission if you want to go on vacation.
The church does not have hierarchies of dominion, but functions. Each of the ministers appointed by God are only means for the teaching, instruction, and consolation of its members. The Word of God teaches that pastors are NOT in a higher rank than others. Jesus said in Matthew 20:25-27, “Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.’”
No one in the body of Christ has more authority than the other; we are all equal, performing different functions, some perhaps more important than others, but all dependent on each other. The heart, for example, has a vital function in the body, but it cannot do what the hand does, or what the eye does. That is why Paul says, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5. Therefore, we should be built up by one another, not by a single member. The only real authority is the head, that is, Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church, and He is the one who decides what the body does and what it does not do.
The authority of God is the one that must prevail, and it will.
For centuries, men have tried to establish more equitable governments with disastrous results. Name any type of government, and you will see that none of them has brought prosperity and justice to the common citizen; all have benefited a few and brought poverty and need to the vast majority of their citizens. No human government will bring true justice and peace to men; the only justice we can find is in God.
However, God’s people reject the direct authority of their Creator, just as Israel did in the past. The Scripture says that the elders of Israel came to the prophet Samuel to ask for a king, wanting to be like the other nations, instead of being governed directly by God through judges. “So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’ But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.‘” 1 Samuel 8:4-7.
This passage shows how the people of Israel rejected the direct government of God, preferring a human king instead, which was considered a rejection of divine rule. The people of Israel rejected God’s direct intervention and preferred imperfect men like themselves to govern their lives and nation, just as we do every 4, 5, or 6 years when we elect a president to lead the nation.
When the people of Israel asked for a king, God, through the prophet Samuel, warned them about the consequences of having a human king. This warning is found in 1 Samuel 8:10-18, where Samuel describes the problems and burdens that a king would impose on them, such as taxes, compulsory military service, and the exploitation of their resources and people.
“Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, ‘This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.‘” 1 Samuel 8:10-18.
This warning from God describes the price of having a human king. The kings would take the best resources from the people for their own benefit, including their children, lands, and livestock, and make them their servants. Despite this clear warning, the people insisted on having a king, which marked the beginning of the kingdom in Israel.
God desires to govern man, but man has always rejected Him. However, there will come a time when the Lord will take control of all the nations of the earth and establish His kingdom to rule with justice and equity. “He will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:3-4.
God will destroy the wicked of the earth, literally.
When Jesus returns to the earth, He will fight as a mighty giant to protect His people, but He will destroy all the wicked of the earth. “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the face of the earth; yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, says the Lord.” Amos 9:8 and Zechariah 5:3. The Great Tribulation will not be God’s judgment for His people, but the time to destroy ALL the wicked of the earth, whether they are Christians or non-believers.
It is the period before the return of Jesus Christ because the Scripture says, “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:29-30.
These verses say that the nations will mourn the arrival of Jesus Christ because during this period of time, hundreds of thousands of people will perish. Extraordinary and terrible things will happen all over the world; nothing in human history can compare to this time. If you want to dive deeper into the events that will occur during this stage of mankind, watch our study titled: The Great Tribulation.
The nations, that is, the men of the different nationalities who did not believe in Him, will be swept away by fire and plagues described in the book of Revelation. The Great Tribulation is God’s judgment on all the nations of the earth for their wickedness and for millennia of evil. “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. In Jesus.” Revelation 21:24. Only the saved will survive this great catastrophe because all sinners will be taken from the earth forever. Only the righteous will remain alive to worship God because they will inherit the earth.
We must understand that salvation is precisely surviving this terrible stage in the history of mankind. Salvation is the ticket to the Kingdom of God that will be established on earth when Jesus Christ returns, as Paul states in his epistle to the Romans 5:9, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him.”
The salvation we have achieved through sanctification and the process of perfection will be visibly evident during God’s wrath.
The destruction of sinners is imminent because the Lord will completely uproot those who delight in lies and ungodliness. You don’t need to be a theologian to understand that the Scriptures declare that only the righteous will inherit the earth, because when Jesus Christ establishes His kingdom on earth, no wicked will remain upon it.
“Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.” Psalm 37:34.
God is coming to rule the nations of the earth, ON THE EARTH, and He will not allow sinners in it. “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.” Psalm 67:4. The Kingdom of God has not yet been established on earth, nor will it be through human governments or institutions, whether they are denominations or churches; much less through human governments. God will literally establish His Kingdom on earth. If you want to know more about the Kingdom of God, watch our study titled: The Kingdom of God.
God Loves Righteousness and Hates Wickedness
The people of God should trust in the wisdom and love of the Lord; although the global outlook may seem bleak, we must be confident that God will protect us. “For the Lord loves the righteous and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be destroyed.” Psalm 37:28.
In the presence of God, we can be safe if we keep His commandments and live in righteousness, because when Jesus Christ returns, there will be no descendants of wickedness left on the earth. GOD DOES NOT WANT US TO MIX WITH THE CUSTOMS OF THE NATIONS, and for this reason, He will come to destroy all traces of wickedness from the earth, just as God commanded His people to destroy the wicked nations like the Amorites, He will also come to destroy every human being who has not received Him as Lord of their lives.
In Deuteronomy 7:1-2, God gives instructions to Israel on how to deal with these nations when they enter the promised land. “When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess and has driven out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.” Deuteronomy 7:1-2.
Unlike the Old Testament, where the people of Israel only destroyed those peoples, this time, it will be His angels who will execute the order to destroy all the wicked nations of the earth. The destruction of the wicked nations in the past aimed to break any pagan influence they could transmit to God’s people. Similarly, God will break all the influence of wickedness that the nations of the earth have implanted in His people. Let us understand that no wicked person will remain on the earth, whether they are Christian or not.
All rebels and those who devise wickedness in their hearts will be destroyed at the root. “But the transgressors will be destroyed together; the future of the wicked will be cut off.” Psalm 37:38. This means that God will NOT save the unbelievers through the so-called “great harvest of souls,” but those who are not repentant before Jesus comes will be destroyed in one fell swoop, because God’s wrath will fall on all the wicked on the same day. “For the cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine is foaming, full of mixed spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.” Psalm 75:8.
Now, after knowing these things, you might ask yourself, what should Christians do?
First, we must disciple, not just preach, to those who do not know Christ, as the upcoming events will affect all human beings, especially the unbelievers, because these judgments are directed towards them. Is this message too harsh? I recommend that you carefully read the Bible and go through all the warnings that God has given throughout the centuries. He warns us and urges us to remain in holiness and without sin; otherwise, God’s wrath will come upon us.
Modern pastors hide the truth of the Scriptures for fear of losing their membership, or simply because they don’t know it. They prefer to put their trust in the knowledge they acquired in seminary, rather than in God’s revelation. The book of Revelation says that God’s wrath will also be poured out on all men who have worshiped the image of the beast, regardless of whether they claim to be Christians. Revelation 14:10. Some might argue that they would never bow before an idol. But… what if you are deceived into doing so?
Currently, millions of Christians are being deceived by other gospels, such as the prosperity gospel and the growing in grace gospel. For this reason, I have no doubt that the Antichrist will convince many Christians to worship a man. In fact, they already do; if you look, many Christians view certain leaders as God’s anointed ones, they love them, respect them, and some even worship them so much that they defend them at all costs. It doesn’t matter what heresy they preach; they always believe them. And woe to you if you dare to point out their wickedness and lies. However, in the last days, those “anointed ones” will lead you to hell because they are false teachers and false Christs.
Solomon understood that God will bring justice to the righteous on the day He returns. But He will destroy the false apostles. “But the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.” Proverbs 2:22. Definitely, God will do terrible things against all the wicked; it will not be the Beast or Satan who will destroy the wicked men, but GOD. Knowing these things, how much more should we be alert to not stray from His ways? “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, how should you live? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.” 2 Peter 3:11-12.
Someone might ask, “Where is the mercy of God? … Will He kill millions of people?” It is precisely God’s mercy that gives us the opportunity to correct everything that separates us from His presence. Remember that as long as we have life, we can repent and change our ways. The modern Christian believes that the wicked are only those who have not converted to evangelical Christianity. Generally, we think they are only the drunkards, thieves, drug addicts, or those who belong to another religion; however, the Bible says that the wicked are those who depart from the ways of God, even if they hold a position of privilege within congregations, because “Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I have found their wickedness, declares the Lord. Therefore their path will be like slippery paths in the darkness; they will be pushed and fall in them, for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:11-12.
Our God, in His infinite mercy, is calling His people to repentance. He does not want anyone to perish; He desires His children to walk in righteousness and justice. He urges them to abandon all the idols with whom they have committed fornication, which have separated them from the one true and living God. Material goods, money, greed, vanity, egotism, and pride are some of the idols of the new evangelical era that will be destroyed, because they have led God’s people away from His path of holiness. When Jesus returns, we will learn the full meaning of generosity, humility, altruism, and meekness. We will learn to live in justice and peace, we will submit to His sovereignty, and we will live by His precepts. The things that today seem indispensable will cease to exist; there will be no more urgency to get rich or to get the best place. Everyone will have what they need, and no one will walk in the madness of their sins. “God, our God, will save us. And God, the Lord, is the deliverer from death. Surely God will strike the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of the one who goes on in his sins.” Psalm 68:20-21.
God does not want His people to perish, which is why He has warned us centuries in advance that His judgments will come if we persist in our sins. “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked do, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done.” Ezekiel 18:23-24.
Certainly, God does not want any of us to perish, and He warns us that His judgments are coming soon. Therefore, let us not despise the Word of God or take it lightly. I understand that many who attend congregations go in search of God, and they may believe they are receiving the true gospel of the kingdom. Sadly, the reality sets in when we see Christians celebrating pagan holidays, dancing to the rhythm of cumbia, shouting, and laughing like the insane. Those types of congregations do not represent Christ nor His gospel. If you are new, I urge you, in the name of Jesus, to leave such congregations and seek one that adheres to sound doctrine.
For those who have been in the gospel for years, the author of the book of Hebrews gives a warning that remains relevant today. “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!” Hebrews 5:12. The same was said by Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 3:1-2: “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.”
What does our salvation consist of?
The Word of God explains in sufficient detail the consequences of sin. Despite this, Christians, like Israel, are stiff-necked, close their ears, despise God’s warnings, and pretend to eliminate His commandments, assuming that salvation is a right. Salvation is not a merit earned, but an undeserved gift from God that will be gained if we keep His commandments.
The salvation that the early Christians guarded with fear and trembling is now considered a right for everyone who attends a congregation. It is enough to have recited a small prayer to receive Jesus as Lord of one’s life, and according to them, you are saved. However, salvation has very clear conditions that cannot be overlooked. Here are some:
We will be hated because of Christ, and if we bear this burden until the end, we will be saved. “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22.
If you believe that Jesus is Lord and have been baptized in water, you can be saved. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16.
If you confess that Jesus is your Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you can also be saved. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9.
If you put all your effort into pleasing God, and even offer your life to preach the Word of God in places where preaching is forbidden, or if you are imprisoned for doing good, do not feel depressed, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25.
If you do not allow yourself to be deceived by any false prophet or teacher, and instead, you fight so that no one makes you doubt the conviction that God has placed in your heart when you read the Bible, then you can be saved. “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.” Luke 8:12.
If you make an effort to keep God’s commandments, remaining in holiness, walking in truth, and persevering in the apostles’ doctrine, then you will be saved. “Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.’” Luke 13:23-24.
If you take the gospel seriously, you should know that it is not enough just to hear the gospel and its commandments, but it is also necessary to put each one into practice; then you will be saved. “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” John 12:47.
Each of these conditions shows that salvation is a process that lasts until we die, not a gift certificate obtained through a simple prayer, regardless of our condition of sin. Sin is the barrier that prevents us from reaching God’s promises, and that is precisely Satan’s goal; if he keeps the Christian believing that it doesn’t matter whether they sin or not, they will still be saved, he has achieved his purpose. God is pure and holy, and He cannot tolerate sin. “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you look at the faithless with favor? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” Habakkuk 1:13.
We Christians must treat lies and deception as something we must fight against, because falling into them will lead us directly to hell, because the Scripture says, “The soul that sins will die.” For example, if you are a sincere Christian, dedicated to the activities in your congregation, fasting from time to time, praying every night, attending evangelistic activities to win lost souls, but you believe that God wants to prosper you economically, and you believe He demands you to give tithes, offerings, and seeds, thinking that if you do, God will return ten times more to you, you have fallen into a lie. Therefore, you are no longer walking in the truth.
In the same way, if you turn away from God’s commandments, it is as if you are despising Him, and no one can say they love the Lord and not obey His word. “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31.
When Jesus Christ returns, it will be to put an end to millennia of human wickedness. He will destroy the wicked and take the righteous to inherit the entire earth. The Word says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5.
There will be no wicked person left on the earth. Now, the righteous will enjoy the abundance of God, they will have peace, and will rejoice in His presence. There will be no more crying or pain, because the righteous will inherit the earth. “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” Psalm 37:11.
This will not be something temporary; we will not have to vote for a corrupt man every 4 or 5 years. There will no longer be a need to impose “Christian” or conservative agendas in schools, government, or society in general. We will no longer seek “Christian” politicians to defend the values of the family. “For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it.” Proverbs 2:21.
We will never again have to worry about what will happen after an election, because there will be no more elections. God will rule the earth, He will shepherd the righteous because the wicked will no longer exist. “The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.” Proverbs 10:30.
But that does not mean that God will allow men to do what they were accustomed to doing. Now, Jesus Christ will take control of the nations, and He will not allow man to rebel again, because He will rule over the people of the earth with great discipline, as it is written in the book of Revelation 2:27: “He will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery—just as I have received authority from my Father.”
