Salvation Versus the Wrath of God
Dearly beloved of God, “God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” I Thessalonians 5:9 and 10
Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you hath He quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [the devil], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation [manner of life] in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
By our natural birth we were without God, dead in sin, ungodly, and enemies of God, and without hope. That was our condition in the flesh when God saved us. Such grace!
Thank God for His great love, His grace and His mercy toward us in Christ Jesus. He saved us by His grace by Jesus Christ’s accomplishments, not ours. Read Ephesians 2:4-10.
By His Divine power, God gave us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of His will. Furthermore, He gave us exceeding great and precious promises that by these we could be partakers of His divine nature by being born again of His spirit.
The Word of God teaches that there are two gods. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the One True and Living God. Our adversary the devil is the other so-called god of this world.
The source of “ideas” that people embrace originate from either the One True and Living God, Who is Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, or the god of this world, the devil.
The One True God gives us the truth of His Word, while the devil is the Father of lies. If we will study the Word of God to learn the truth, it will allow us to separate the truth from the lies.
The devil sets the course of this world. In Luke 4:6 and 7 he told Jesus, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”
This power was delivered unto the old serpent, the devil, when Adam willfully disobeyed God’s Word. He sinned against God. Before that time, Adam had dominion over the earth, and he also had spirit life.
If the devil had not had dominion, Jesus would have confronted about his lie, but he did not.
The devil uses his power to steal, and to kill, and to destroy people. He oppresses people, and leads them into captivity, and death.
This age is an evil age. If you don’t believe what God says about it, just turn on the news. Evil men and seducers get worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
After the Church of the Grace of God is removed from the earth by the Lord Jesus Christ in the gathering together unto him in the air, the man of sin will be revealed, the son of perdition.
The man of sin, or lawlessness, will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called “god” or object of devotion to the extent that he will sit in the sanctuary of God, displaying himself that he is God. See II Thessalonians 2:3 and 4.
Do not be disturbed by this because Christians will not be on earth when this occurs. That will take place in the Lord’s Day, after the departure of the Church from the earth by our gathering together unto the Lord in the air.
Things may appear to be evil today, but it does not compare with the evil when the man of lawlessness rules on earth. There will be great tribulation like there has never been before. The Lord will defeat him, and those who follow him when he comes to the earth.
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to the earth in the Lord’s Day, he will come as the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He will rule in righteousness, and he will carry out God’s will on earth.
Dearly beloved, there are no answers without the knowledge of God’s Word. Where there is no knowledge of God the people perish. God wants every man to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. The truth will make you free.
God’s people will either be destroyed for a lack of knowledge of God‘s Word, or they will have the eyes of their understanding enlightened by His Word. It is a choice, dearly beloved of God, so choose wisely.