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Temple Journey

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Question # 270……(12-27-05) I do love your web site. I cut and paste many of the articles in word doc’s and read them when traveling. Do you know where I can find a document that describes where we all came from? What I’m looking for is from Noah’s three sons; Shem’s descendants went to what part of the world and are now what people? Of course Shem is easy but what I’m looking for is what line did black skin come from, oriental people come from, Spanish, French, English and all the rest? Thanks,

 

Answer….. The Genesis chapter 10 of the Bible (table of nations) has been found to be completely accurate. As implied in verse 32 of Genesis 10, this Table includes everybody; meaning that so-called fossil man, primitive peoples (ancient and modern) and modern man are all derived from Noah's three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The Biblical viewpoint is that there is not a black race, white race, yellow race, etc.  Instead, there are three distinct families or characteristics of man that make up the oldest Table of Nations in existence, which is a completely authentic statement of how the present world population originated and spread after the flood, just as recorded in Genesis 10. There we learn the true divisions of mankind, indicating how the present population of the world came to be. It should be noted that Acts 17:26 states, "He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth”.  He set the times and places where they should live," a corroboration of Genesis 10.  Genesis 10 also shows how the present world population was derived from Noah's three sons:  Shem, Ham and Japheth, and their wives (three family groups) and also names 16 grandsons of Noah. Verse 32 states, "From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood".  These "nations" are the descendants (generations, genealogies or family histories) of the sons of Noah.  Chapter 10 continues to describe the differentiation of nations. It is important to understand that people and nations are referred to in a genealogical form. We find genealogical references in Genesis 10 are firstly to persons or families (ethnological), and secondly to nations or tribes (ethnographical); thus, the chapter ends with an emphasis on nations or tribes, which helps us understand in following chapters where they settled or "spread out over the earth" (geographical). imageThe attached map shows a post flood dispersion from Mt. Ararat in Turkey, however the Bible contains evidence that the Ark might have rested on the mountains of a nation called Ararat, (Genesis 8:4 and Jeremiah 51:27) which may have been a region in the area of modern Iran. The majority of scholars and Bible historians agree that most of the descendants of Shem, Noah's oldest son, stayed in the Middle East. These include the Hebrews, Persians and Assyrians. The descendants of Ham, Noah's middle son, include the Egyptians, Ethiopians, Canaanites, Phoenicians and Hittites. His descendants appear to be the first to fill the earth, as they were the early settlers of Africa, Asia, Australia, the South Pacific, and the Americas.  The descendants of Japheth, Noah's youngest son, migrated into Europe and parts of Central Asia. The Greeks, Romans, Spanish, Celts, Scythians, and Medes were Japheth's descendants.  Some people groups merged to form one nation, as did the Persians (Shem) and the Medes (Japheth), which later became the Medo-Persian Empire. There are many good resources for studying this topic. Some good resources for further in depth study of the Table of Nations are Henry M. Morris's book The Genesis Record, the Lambert Dolphin library website, the Ken Ham website (Answers in Genesis), and the Institute of Creation Research by Dr. Henry Morris. (check FOJ links page for these)


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Question # 269….(12-15-05) Dear Darrell: I read the Nancye Sims article in your Library section on the various recent hurricanes that hit, in particular, New Orleans. You appear to agree with her that it was retribution by God on America. I respectfully disagree, why?  The Lord at this point in time has not intervened in the affairs of mankind. Yes, I do believe we're living in the age of birth pangs, at least since World War I.  I believe that the storms, such as the recent hurricanes, fall within the permissive will of God, not his direct judgment, that will occur when the 7 year Tribulation starts, especially the last half of the Great Tribulation. And yes, I do agree with everything that Nancye said about the sinful conditions, but disagree regarding the part that it was God's direct judgment and/or retribution. We're living in days, which I believe, that weather can be manipulated by mankind, and that is a fact. The day of America's judgment is sure to come, sin in cities such as New Orleans, Las Vegas, New York and other major cities are horrible to say the least. I am a retired federal criminal investigator, and I have seen things that most people never see, and Nancye is right about the sin and filth that permeates this country of ours.  Our president and leaders of our nation need our prayers, most urgently. Bill Koenig (his book Eye to Eye) and his companion writer, John McTernan, believe that these recent disasters tie-in with President Bush's treatment of Israel, i.e., the dividing of Israel and advocating a separate state for the Palestinians.  I don't like to say it, but that is just plain heresy, and totally unscriptural. Bill and John should know better. I would like your comments on this point. Thank you.

 

Answer…..Retribution is defined as the act of receiving what one deserves. (It is not up to individuals to pass judgment on such matters, unless God inspires it as a message of warning) While retribution may be used in the sense of a reward for doing good it usually refers to punishment for doing evil, or abandoning God. The principle of retribution is found often in the Bible; and it is usually indicated by words such as wrath, vengeance, punishment, judgment, and hell. Retribution is the actually the judgment of a holy God upon sin. And it is a fact of history that nations are judged in the present time-domain. Thus in the literal sense, the hurricanes themselves were not strictly a retributional judgment of God. While I wouldn’t necessarily assert that the hurricanes/disasters of recent months and years that have struck America’s Gulf coast were literally an act of retribution by God, nevertheless, God has historically used various means (weather, war, inflation, etc.) to chastise a rebellious nation. I do think that the recent disasters are among whole host of things that God has allowed to plague our nation as a method of “warning our nation” about its persistent rebelliousness against him, against his word and his law. God always issues a plethora of warnings before He either permits or sends judgment against a people. America certainly stands squarely in the eye of deserving a chastisement from God, but for some reason it seems to me that the Lord is still exercising great patience with our nation before He actually permits a Divine retributional type judgment to come to pass upon our land. If the events of 9-11 should have indicated anything to us as a nation, it should have demonstrated that God’s “hedge of protection” was being broken down. God has always been involved and or intervened in the affairs of the nations, whether it was for blessing, cursing, or for providence. From the Call of Abraham around 2000BC to the birth of Christ, God devoted Himself primarily to one nation, raising up the nation of Israel, setting her apart and attaching His name to her for one reason: so that through that nation He could reveal Himself to the world and to all humanity, which He loves so much that He sent His Son to die in their stead.

   God is apparently not through using and dealing with America yet, and much of America’s place in providence has a lot to do with Israel, as America is still Israel’s best friend in the world. I believe it was within God’s providential plan that by helping to bring about the independence of the United States in 1776, He was supervising the founding of a nation that He purposed to have in place two centuries later as the world’s mightiest superpower, right at the moment that He would bring a remnant of His people home to its land. And His reason for elevating America to this preeminent position was so that she would ally herself with the surviving remnant of the Jewish people, help them take root again in their national homeland, and support them in their epic struggle against a hostile world, as we are now witnessing. The American Republic was founded by Bible-believing Christians, built upon biblical principles, and did therefore attain the position of “superpower status” because of its reliance upon God, and thus our country was near the center of God’s “lens” as He views the world. America has carried the banner of Christian evangelism around the world during its time as a city set on a hill, but sadly, America is descending down a slippery slope from that lofty position.

   Historically, God has consistently viewed the earth as home to two main nations of people: Israel on the one hand, the Gentile nations on the other. Insignificant or not, every single one of the nations of our 21st Century world are today aligned against Israel; every one, except the United States. But America is rapidly gravitating towards the ranks of the Gentiles, who are vociferously anti-Israel, and anti-Zionist. Will America soon join them, and so go the way of all those nations who preceded her? Or does God mean for the USA to charter a different course? Arguably, the faith upon which America was based is no longer universal in our country. That spiritual erosion has been underway since the early 1900s, and is accelerating in these later days. In 1947, the year the United Nations voted to partition Palestine and thereby allow for the creation of a Jewish state, the US Supreme Court banished a national prayer in which the United States acknowledged its dependence on God and begged His blessings on their country. In America’s schools, reading the Bible in public, public prayer, and placing copies of the 10 Commandments have been ruled unconstitutional. Efforts to ban the Decalogue in all public places and to legalize practices the Bible classifies as abominable to God continue apace. About 45 million American unborn babies have been murdered in the womb since 1973. But while these lengthening shadows of gross darkness are driving back the blaze of light and glory that went forward with the building of America, and while it may seem to many American Christians that the battle for the soul of our nation is already lost, there remains in our country many millions of God-fearing people “who have not yet bowed a knee to tolerance and diversity, and the gods of this world. America’s Judeo-Christian foundation has been the superstructure of a traditional and positive attitude towards Israel, and standing as a counter to the gods of the pagan nations.

   I really cannot comment on the book, ”Eye to Eye” by Bill Koenig and John McTernan as I have not read it. Personally, I don’t know of any way to accurately parallel the disaster-tragedies that America experiences with events in Israel, and make the assumption that one has a direct cause-effect on the other. However, I do believe that nations are blessed/cursed in God’s providence by the way nations conduct their foreign policy relations with Israel. That is not to say that the political state of Israel should be catered to as if it were a magical entity. Rather, I hold to the position that Biblical Judeo-Christian precepts require that Christian nations simply respect and honor the role Israel has played, and is continuing to play in God’s restorative process.

(Genesis 12:2-3 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.)


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Question # 268….(12-15-05) Who is the woman clothed with the Sun, with the moon under her feet, and wearing a crown of twelve stars in Revelation 12? Also who is the man child depicted in verses four and five of the same chapter?

 

Answer…. For clarity sake, the verses that you refer to are provided here for review.

(Revelation 12:1-5 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.)

   The Woman depicted in this revelation is none other than the chosen nation of Israel, the physical vehicle which provided the lineage for the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

(and detailed from generation to generation in Matthew chapter one) The Woman portrayed here is not Mary, nor is it the Roman Catholic Church, which is often asserted by some misguided theologians. The propagation of the identity of the Woman being the Church and not Israel is complicit with the teaching concept of Replacement Theology. The interpretational school of Replacement Theology is unscriptural and extremely dangerous, and lends itself to anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. The Church did not give birth to Christ, but rather, Jesus miraculous mission to earth gave birth to the Church. The Church is regarded as the Bride of Christ, and should never be categorized as his Mother. The Sun, Moon and stars are emblems repeated from Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9. These probably refer to Heavenly hosts that heap praise upon Christ, and act in accordance with Gods providential plan for Israel. The “man child” is of course a reference to Jesus Christ, who was manifested among mankind as a Jewish man, and a child of Israel. The Psalmist foretold of Jesus Christ that he would destroy the kingdoms of this world and establish a kingdom of his own, and that he would rule with a rod of iron.

(Psalms 2:7-9 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.) Satan, depicted in Revelation 12 as the Great Red Dragon, is of course the Great rebel against the providence of God, and has historically sought to obliterate the Divine plan of God for the Ages. Thus Satan, manipulating the Roman leadership and the Jewish High Priest plotted in the 1st century to destroy the infant Jesus before he could fulfill his glorious mission. Albeit, God frustrated Satan’s murderous scheme until the fateful appointment of the Son of Man at Calvary, which in the final analysis served to gain mankinds salvation and victory over sin. In a great final evil stand, Satan will recruit the nations of the world to oppose Jesus Christ, by encircling Israel and seeking her annihilation in the Last Days, but Jesus will return to save Israel at the Midnight Hour.


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Question #267....(10-15-05) Wouldn’t the timeframe of the Gog and Magog War, with the burning fuel for seven years indicate that the Gog and Magog War may come before the Tribulation arrives? Also, since Iran/Persia is now in major headlines regarding nukes, Israel may have no choice but to attack their nuclear facilities. It seems that this may provoke Russia, as the engineer of the Iranian nuclear program to wrath and come against Israel. I do not think that Gog and Magog battle will come during the Tribulation but prior to Tribulation Hour. I hope to hear from you soon and if not, I look forward to your site again.  Thank you and May God Bless you.

 

Answer….. I will soon be posting a highly detailed commentary on the Gog/Magog scenario in the FOJ articles section. I have been researching, speaking about and writing on this subject for over a year. As you probably know, it is a complex subject, and one that finds good prophetic scholars projecting its occasion for various time frames. Some scholars define it as either, a pre-trib, or midtrib scenario, and some tend to place it seven years before the actual commencement of the tribulation. It is my conclusion that it is timed in prophecy to occur over the last 42 months of the Tribulation era, climaxing at the Armageddon event in conjunction with the total world (gathering of all nations) assault in and around Israel. It is certainly true that the signs for its occurrence are already progressing in world geo-political events, as evidenced by the gathering nuke-alliance between Iran and Russia, and its strategic implications for the Mid-east region. However, I foresee at least another war before the Magog war that will compel Russia to act in accordance with the Ezekiel 38/39 prophecy. That involves the Burden of Damascus, and I think the stage is already building for that war even as we speak. I think an military exchange with Syria may evolve as a spillover from the events going on in Iraq, and that exchange could involve either the US or Israel. Even today, President Bush said that he is concerned that Syria may disrupt any chance for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and warned Damascus must not "agitate killers in the Palestinian territory. “We're making good progress toward peace in the Holy Land," President Bush said, "but one of the areas of concern is that foreign countries, such as Syria, might try to disrupt the peace process through encouraging terrorist activity." Several Palestinian groups have headquarters in Damascus! US officials say many of the foreigners who have joined the Iraq insurgency at least pass through Syria en route to the Iraqi battleground, even flying into the Damascus airport before making the journey east. With Egypt and Jordan already enjoined with Israel in a comprehensive Middle East Peace deal, Syria remains the wildcard in the multi-lateral comprehensive Middle East peace implementation, and the EU is looking to annex Syria into the Greater Euro Union. I believe that Russia will only risk entry into a Mid-east war fracas after the US is diminished, and as a pretext of leading a coalition of nations to undo the Syrian-Golan situation as it relates to the Israeli-Syrian peace track as mandated by UN resolutions. Presently, Israel is relying on its security wall for safety, and this wall will likely be abandoned once the Antichrist emerges to satisfy Israel’s need for security. Only when Gog observes that Israel is “dwelling without walls” (Ezekiel 38:11 probably refers to the peace-security covenant of the Antichrist) will Russia move against Israel, and with the foreknowledge of a “master strategy” coordinated with the Kings of the East. (China also is heavily engaged with Iran, and will probably coordinate a Mid-east coalition invasion of its own in conjunction with Russia’s. These 2 powers have already made military plans to oppose the bi-polar superstructure of the West, currently led by the US, but that will soon to fall under the banner of the (EU/UN, etc) Antichrist. There is a key sequence connector of timing” in Ezekiel 38:18 that sets the timing of the Gog invasion on Israel. (Ezekiel 38:18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.) This verse indicates that “AT THE SAME TIME” that Russia invades Israel, that the Lord shall come forth to fight against the nations, as his fury shall come up in his face. I believe that when God says that something will happen at the “same time” that another thing occurs, he means exactly that. (not close or in proximity, but the same time) Many scholars use the seven year burning of weapons to forecast it as occurring before the Tribulation, but I believe the Bible teaches that this scenario fits with the overall banishment of weapons prophesied by Isaiah. (Isaiah 2:2-4 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.) This burning of weapons after Armageddon would square with scripture during the Millennium as it aligns with the first Sabbath of years of the Millennial Kingdom. The “fury of the Lord” is known to be on the Day of the Lord in the valley of Decision, climaxing at the battle of Armageddon. This judgment will involve all nations, not just the Gog led alliance from the North. The Lord’s wrath will fall up on the Eastern-led invasion, and of course upon the Antichrist Empire that incorporates most of the world. In my humble opinion, Russia will not attack Israel twice in a matter of a few years, but seek to lead the Persian alliance at an opportune moment, which occurs with the worldwide upheaval of the Great Tribulation. Also the Gog/Magog scenario is described by Ezekiel as being a portion of that terrible day of slaughter when the winepress of the Lord’s wrath is reaped, and concludes with Israel being sanctified in the eyes of the nations.

 


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Question # 266…..(10-05-05) The Bible indicates in Revelation 12:9 that Satan was cast out of Heaven. When was the Devil cast out of Heaven, or is this scripture reference intended as being prophetic, and thus still yet set in the future Tribulation?

 

Answer…….The scene that is depicted in Revelation 12 was a panoramic perspective of the supernatural struggle ongoing in the dimensions beyond our limited domain that is configured around time progression. The dimension of “time” was itself created by God during the creation project, and set in motion by God when he affixed the circuits of planets and appointed the places of the stars. (Genesis 1:14) In Revelation chapter four, John was “caught up into Heaven” for the purpose of reviewing the Divine unveiling of the earths future history, and specifically the era of time encompassing the return of the Lord, and the climactic struggle over the sovereignty of Jerusalem. Satan was created before God formed time progression. Genesis 2:1 records that after God inspected all that he had created during the epic Creation sequence including all the Host of heaven, or the angelic realm. We don’t often think about it, but the Devil is a created being. The word “host” comes from the Hebrew word “tsaba” which refers to an attending company, or a vast company of service soldiers. The prophet Ezekiel informs us that one of God’s first creative acts was to create Lucifer to be an anointed “covering cherub” over all that God had created. Apparently Lucifer was set in place as the defender and protector of the cosmological habitat God built for mankind. Evidently Lucifer was created to assist God during the process of completing the rest of creation. (Ezekiel 28:13-17 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.) It seems conclusive that the rebellion of Satan and the war that he instigated in Heaven commenced at some point after the 6th day of Creation, for God surveyed all of his work and pronounced it all good, including the angelic realm. Lucifer had observed Gods handiwork and accompanied him in the Garden, and accessed the mountain (throne) of God and visited the planets,(stones of fire) yet because of self pride and jealousy, Satan instigated an insurrection among the angels, recruiting 1/3 of the host to join him (Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,) in his scheme to supplant God from his throne on the mountain in the sides of the North. The prophet Isaiah picks up on the Satan-led war: (Isaiah 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.) From Isaiah, we are informed of the cosmic conspiracy of Lucifer, and informed by God that Satan shall be (prophecy-foretelling) cast into Hell. *My personal view is that Lucifer (a being in the eternal realm) became puffed up with pride and corrupted of mind (self wisdom) because he, by observing the providential design of God to manifest himself among mankind (Son of God) in the person of Jesus Christ, determined that he would not suffer himself to serve mankind, but out of his jealousy for lowly Jesus, sought to usurp the throne of God by destroying the Son of Man. Of course Lucifer, in his scheme to dethrone God, subtly enticed mankind to fall, and become a cooperative agent of his rebellion. Satan, and all the host of Heaven that rebelled against God, as created beings outside the time domain, became eternally condemned. In fact many of the angels that sinned (left their 1st estate) are chained until the Day of Judgment. (II Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6)) Mankind, designed as a being within the “time domain” has been allotted “a span of time” to restore his relationship to the Creator (by faith accepting Jesus as atonement for rebelling) before they are consigned to their eternal destiny. This ages old war instigated in Heaven has pervaded all of human history, and will reach its climactic conclusion just as God transitions his mission of the Church into a phase-down, and begins the burdensome process among the affairs of nations to regather and restore Israel. Satan has historically harassed and persecuted Israel, first to preempt the birth of Christ, and secondly to thwart the return of Christ to the gathered remnant, which will become the foundation of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Satan is depicted in Revelation 12:6 seeking to exterminate the nation of Israel at the mid-point of the Tribulation era, after he has been terminally cast out of Heaven. Sensing that his time is short, Satan regroups his forces on earth for a final onslaught against Israel. This is the setting for the prophecy of which you speak. (Revelation 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.) Although the war in Heaven and Satan’s fall are events outside the chronological order of time progression on earth, we do know that Satan still continues at present to approach the throne of God to make charges against each of us (John 5:45) as evidenced by the picture of a stalking Devil (I Peter 5:8) seeking opportunity to devour us, much as was the case with Job. Satan, being the prince of the power of the air, and god of this present world still walks to and fro over the breadth of the whole earth bringing railing accusations against us, but soon and very soon, his access to God’s Mountain shall come to an end. Revelation 10: 7 indicates that there is an appointed time when God longsuffering patience for mankind will end, the span of time man has been allotted will end, and Satan’s freedom of movement will end when God chains him in the bottomless pit. Then at long last the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy will become reality. (Isaiah 14:15-17 Yet thou (Satan) shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?) Satan is a defeated conspirator and a loser. His fate is sealed, and the signs of the times (Israel) indicate that his sentence is soon to be carried out.


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Question # 265…..(09-22-05) Dear Mr. Young, In regards to your answer to the following question, Question # 233….How do Jews get saved?  You answered: (There is only one way for anyone to be saved, regardless of nationality or ethnicity. Jesus stated: “John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” There is the answer to your question straight from the Lord’s own lips.) But you only mention regardless of nationality and ethnicity here, but what about if a person lives a morally righteous life (i.e. honesty, humbleness, gives to others, loves his neighbors as well as enemies, causes no harm to others, etc.) but does not believe in Jesus Christ as God's savior (perhaps a Jew, Hiddu, or Buddist), Will he not be saved and enter God's kingdom? Yet a person who lives an immoral life of dishonesty, selfishness, cruelty to his neighbors, steals from others, hates, etc., yet believes in Jesus Christ will be saved? Thank you.

Answer….. Let me expand on my previous answer. “There is only one way for anyone to be saved, regardless of their nationality or ethnicity, or their religious background, or their exquisite moral behavior, or anything else. But, it isn’t enough to simply believe in Jesus, or to believe in God. The Devil himself believes in God. (James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.) It is only by coming to the knowledge of God and expressing Faith in Christ that He Alone has paid the penalty for ALL sin, and that he died and rose from the dead. Salvation and eternal life can be found in no other person, in no other method, and through no religion of man. The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross effected the payment required of God for the absolution of the stain of sin. By placing faith in Christ’s finished (one time) work on the cross, our sins are forever blotted out before God. God loves all people, and because of this wondrous love, He chose to send his own Son to do for us something none of us could ever do for ourselves, and that is erase sin from our record by washing them away with His blood. Only the blood of Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God can accomplish this miracle. Nobody can ever expect to do enough good works, or behave well enough to ever earn salvation. Grace is a gift of God to all who merely accept it. Grace comes from the Greek word “charis” and refers to the beneficent bestowing of a favorable gift. (Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.)  If any man or woman could perform any deed or pay any price to get salvation, then grace would be subjected to being a thing that is nothing but a mere commodity. But grace is a gift of God, available to any who will by faith accept what God has already done for them, in the sending of his Son! (John 3:16-18 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. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.)

   Human morality and goodness cannot ever net anyone salvation. These things are usually by-products of our efforts to please God. All people have sinned, and Christ came to save sinners, of which we all are included, so whether or not we have been exceedingly bad is irrelevant, anyone can be saved. That is the good news, Gods forgiveness cleans us up, and produces a His spirit of clean-living within us. The thief on the Cross is an example of a man who was very bad, but alas, in his dying breath, He placed his faith in Christ and was saved. On the contrary, if a man has received the grace of God, and then falls back into an evil lifestyle, he will find the chastisement of God to be especially harsh, and may even lose his life prematurely. But it is rare that a believer strays in this manner. The Holy Spiirt takes up residence in the believer’s soul and continually convicts them in their soul for any evil-doings, causing inner turmoil, until they return to a life of Godly service. Jesus himself said….I AM THE WAY, NO MAN COMETH TO GOD, BUT BY ME. (Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.) Salvation can not be attained by any other way but by faith in Jesus, and that is true for both good and bad people, whether they be of one religion or another. Any type of religious teaching that teaches that God’s Grace can, or might be attained in any other way is a false religion, and therefore deceiving people into believing Lies. (Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.) I hope this simple and short answer to your question is a help to you. I feel it is important to point out to you, that “works and good deeds” are not the keys to the doorway of Heaven. Jesus is the door! (For more research into the subject of “saving grace through faith,” let me suggest you visit the Bibleone web ministry of Charles Strong located at http://www.bibleone.net)



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