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6-7-2020 Weekly Message

Meditation of the week: Psalms 91:1-16

Text: 2 Peter 3:1-14

Word title: Looking forward New Jerusalem, work out our salvation with fear and trembling

         Apostle Paul wrote to the Saints in Philippi, exhorting them to let the mind be in them which was also in Jesus Christ.  He testified of the mind in Christ Jesus that He was in the form of God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:5-11). After saying this, he exhorted his beloved Saints saying,

 ” Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil. 2:12).

           What he said to the saints to work out  their own salvation with fear and trembling is for them to submit the words of God with all their heart with fear and trembling just as Christ Jesus obeyed the Father unto death. Of the reason why they should obey the Father God, he testified that it is God which worketh in them both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)

        When Apostle Paul testified of the “salvation” to be worked out, he testified of their life from the beginning of their salvation of their souls unto the day when they reach the New Jerusalem leaving the world.  

         As testified last week, whoever believes in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and receive him, is circumcised by Christ, and separated the souls from the body of sin, and receives the Holy Spirit, and is born again to enter the kingdom of God through the salvation of the soul.  (1 Peter 1:9)

        As the first step, the salvation of the soul through faith in Christ is the beginning of salvation where all sins are forgiven. More specifically, salvation from sins means salvation, that the soul is saved from the body of sins containing the DNA inherited from Adam through Christ’s circumcision and puts off the body of sins.

        Seeing this as the beginning of salvation is the fact that, even after the circumcision of Christ that the spirit is regenerated by the Holy Spirit to be made the soul saved, the saved soul has to live in the terrible sinful body until the soul leave the body unto death.   

        In the second step of salvation,  the second phase of the saint begins the second course of life after salvation of the soul. In other words,  the spiritual warfare to overcome the power of sin begins to comes to pass.  The first battle is against  body of sin inside.  Then against the sins in the world to be followed.  This is the life for us to have victory over the power of sins day by day through winning in the spiritual warfare in the world. .

         Apostle Paul testified to the Saints in Galatia of  how they to make the spiritual life  overcoming  such power of sins :

“ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ” Gal 5 :16-21)

         It is a fearful word that even after the salvation of soul , if someone fails to be continued in the faith of Christ to follow lust of the flesh cannot inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, it is a fearful word that neither they be raptured in the day of Christ, nor enter the millennial kingdom of Christ.

          Apostle Paul also testified of the Saints who are saved from the power of sin by walking according to the Holy Spirit. In other words, those who keep their faith until the end and are raptured to inherit the kingdom of Christ:

” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ” (Galatians 5:22-25)

           That’s right! Those who are saved from the power of sin and walk in the Holy Spirit that are “Christ’s”. Those who belong to Christ become the Christ’s that is the bride Christ. Apostle Paul testified to the Saints in Corinth of them that are to be raptured as “Christ’s”:

“ For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. ” (1 Cor. 15:22-23)

          The third step of salvation as final to be passed through is the one that completely frees from the body of sins as well as from the sinful world. Little repeating again, The first one is salvation from sins, the second salvation from the power of sin, and the third salvation from the presence of sin. This last step of salvation is done in the day of Christ. Those that are sleep in Christ as well as those alive shall leave the sinful world forever not leaving any bone at all in the earth to be caught up to heaven to meet the Lord.  

           Then, returning to the main scripture, Apostle Peter testified that in the last days, there would be those who mock, 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” (2 Peter 3:4).

          However, he testified of what will come to pass in the future in the Spirit:

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

7But 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.

8But, 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. 9The 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. 10But 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. 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12Looking 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.

14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless..” (2 Peter 3:6-14)

           In the words prophesied through Apostle Peter, through the words that we are waiting for  new heavens and a new earth, we will no longer have the heavens and earth we are seeing now, and God will renew the heavens and the earth.

         The heavens that God created were defiled by the Lucifer Satan even before the Earth was created. Therefore, when God’s day came, how long the present heavens would be extinguished was prophesied through the prophet Isaiah long ago:

” And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.” (Isaiah 34:4).

          Then, what about the earth where we are living?

In the center of the earth, there is a lake of fire where the devil to be cast into with the antichrist and the false prophet, and the tremendous people who have not been recorded in the book of life to be cast at the judgment day of white throne of God. In addition, there is a prison where those who did not obey when God had waited patiently while preparing the ark on Noah’s day (1 Peter 3:19-20). Hell also exists inside of the earth. This hell is where the sinners and the wicked go temporarily before the White Throne Judgment comes. This is where the old rich man went after death. There is the bottomless pit connecting down to the lake of fire. This is the place Satan shall be imprisoned during Christ’s Millennium. There was also the place called the bosom of Abraham calling Paradise by Jesus cross to the hell; but now it is empty for all the saints within it had been raptured to heaven when Jesus rose again. Now it is in the third heaven.     

           That’s right! There is no other way for God to extinguish inside of  the earth as well as the surface of the earth, which have been completely defiled by Satan, and the desolate places prepared to judge Satan and the people who have followed him.

             Apostle John finally witnessed and witnessed in the Holy Spirit a new heaven, a new earth, and a new city of Jerusalem, created by God:

” And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:1-2) Amen! Hallelujah!