The original sin of spiritual pride that was discovered in the archangel Lucifer resulted in Adam’s transgression when he, in rebellion against the will of God, yielded to Eve’s suggestion and partook of her infamous culinary offering. This, of course, took place after she, in satanic deception, yielded to the Tempter’s voice in the Garden of Eden and ate the forbidden fruit found on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam’s act of disobedient rebellion against the will of God caused all human beings to inherit a condition of spiritual, mental, and physical disorder that has resulted in social disorders of every kind. But it is not only original sin that is the problem, because since Adam’s transgression, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

“Salvation,” which incorporates our justification, sanctification, and glorification through faith in Christ Jesus (the second Adam), offers all human beings an opportunity to be forgiven and delivered from our sins that are the result of our fallen condition. We are justified (made innocent of our transgressions) when we believe in and receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. We are being sanctified as we walk in the Holy Spirit and live a life of trusting obedience to the Word and will of God. We will be glorified when Christ returns to this earth, and we are caught up to be with Him in the air. This is the first out resurrection (rapture), and it is reserved for the justified souls who have died in Christ (who are presently, at this time, disembodied human spirits living in Paradise) and for the justified souls who are still alive in Christ on earth at His second coming.

Both the dead and the living in Christ will receive new immortal and incorruptible bodies in a moment “in the twinkling of an eye” as they are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Prior to this, the believers will experience “the beginning of sorrows” and “the Great Tribulation,” the likes of which the world has never seen, nor will ever see again. This is because, “Satan has come down with great wrath, knowing that his time is short.” There will be apostasy in the church and the wrath of God will abide upon the son’s of disobedience. The wrath of God will also be poured out on the world in judgment against sinners, but the faithful in Christ will be spared this because God has not appointed them to His wrath. In much the same way that God spared the children of Israel in the land of Goshen during His judgments on Pharos’s Egypt, He will also spare the saints from His wrath.

Immediately after the rapture, the immortal and incorruptible saints of God will return to this old wrath filled, ravaged, ransacked, and darkened world along with Christ and His fiery angels. Christ will fight and win the battle of Armageddon against the anti-Christ, False Prophet, and their armies who will have been ruling the world as totalitarian political and religious dictators from Jerusalem, Israel. During that time, they will have been waging a fierce three and one half year campaign of persecution and mass martyrdom against the elect of God. After Christ’s triumphant and victorious return, the saints will rule the nations with Him in His millennial kingdom.

At the beginning of Christ’s reign Satan will be bound with a chain by a large angel and cast into a bottomless pit, and the anti-Christ and False Prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The rule and order of God will be established and promoted during this one thousand year period, and there will be divine peace on the earth during Christ’s reign. At the end of this one thousand year period Satan will be loosed from his chain for a season and lead a final rebellion against Christ. He will be quickly defeated by Christ and cast into the Lake of Fire. There will be a second out resurrection of the dead, (the unredeemed, disembodied human spirits who are presently held captive in Hades awaiting judgment), and they will receive immortal bodies and be judged by Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. The saints will be judged also at the Judgment Seat of Christ for the things done in their bodies while on earth, both good and bad. Some will receive rewards and some will suffer loss, but all will be saved, yet some as those barely escaping through the flames.

Regarding the believer’s salvation, the Bible teaches, “They overcame Satan, the accuser of the brethren, by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.” These are those faithful souls who have taken, and do take Jesus at His word, “Fear not him that can kill the body and after that have no more power over you. But fear Him that after He has killed the body, has the power to throw your souls into Hell. I say unto you, ‘Fear Him.’ ” The Word declares, “He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he will be My son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murders, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

The saints will be preserved as the earth and the heavens are destroyed by a great blast and fire. God will create “new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness, and the Holy City of God, the New Jerusalem will descend from Heaven and rest upon the new earth like a Bride adorned for her Husband.” There will be the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. God will rule from His throne from that Holy City, and the overcoming believers will live there forever with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the holy angels of God and each other as Christ’s holy Bride. The redeemed of the Lord will also have total access to the new heavens and new earth wherein dwells righteousness. The prayer that Christ taught His disciples to pray will have been answer, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Authors note: Dear reader, what I have just expressed to you in the last few paragraphs of this exhortation is the Christian classical pre-millennialism eschatological view, which also incorporates the Christian apocalyptic view of history. Of the several different views regarding Christian eschatology and history, I believe this one to be the most scripturally accurate.


“God’s will for the Christian believers is our sanctification.” Paul said to the church at Thessalonica, “May the God of peace sanctify you wholly, spirit, soul, and body unto the coming of the Lord. Faithful is He who calls you who will also do it.” This is a great promise for us to put our trust in, but we must understand that even though He is faithful to sanctify us wholly, He will not do it without us. He will do it within us and through us. In other words, our co-operation is required. Thus, “we are co-laborers with God in Christ” in this great quest towards our sanctification and glorification that is found only through faith in Him. “God’s responsibility is to sanctify us; our responsibility is to consecrate ourselves unto Him.” (Oswald Chambers)

We must choose to begin in Christ, to continue in Christ, and to finish in Christ. This requires us to “deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him. For he who seeks to gain his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ’s sake will gain eternal life. And what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?” Jesus said, “Wide is the path that leads to destruction and many go that way, but narrow is the path that leads to life, and only a few find it. We must ask ourselves, “Are we ‘of the many,’ or are we ‘of the few?’ ” Paul tells us, “Examine yourselves, to see if you are still in faith.”

To assure ourselves that we are “of the faithful few and not of the unfaithful many,” Paul begs us “by the mercies of God to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God which is our spiritual service, and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we might prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Remember, God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will is our sanctification found only through a relationship and fellowship with Him around his Word and in His Holy Spirit.

God has always desired a holy people (a remnant) separated unto Himself for His plans, purposes, and pursuits. Therefore, He declares, “Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing, and I will be your God and you will be my people, and I will walk in the midst of you. And you will be my sons and daughters and I will be your Father. And you will be My own dear children and I will be your Daddy!” Paul exhorts us to be “vessels of honor, sanctified, set apart, and prepared for the Master’s use.” He warned, “I keep my body under all subjection, lest after I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away,” and “be careful if you think you stand, lest you fall.”

Again, he proclaimed, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” (Phil. 3:7-15)

One of the main aspects of Paul’s spiritual “pressing,” both for himself and for the churches for which he had the oversight, was travailing prayer. “I travail again in prayer until Christ be formed in you.” When a woman gives birth to a child and brings forth a new life, she does not do so without labor. As a matter of fact the doctor or mid-wife tells the woman to push (press) as the contractions become stronger in order to bring forth the child. Years ago the Lord spoke to me, “Mid-wife the church.” There have been times in my life during intercessory prayer that the praying became so intense, it progressed into traveling prayer. “We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession with groanings that cannot be uttered.” “Christ ever lives to make intercession for the church.” Let us join with Him in this labor of love so that His kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Availing and travailing prayer is also essential so that we be led not into temptation, but delivered from the evil one. “Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

If we will consistently and continuously make ourselves available to God as consecrated instruments of Spirit-led and Christ-centered prayer, the sanctification that He alone has provided for us will be appropriated in our lives and in the lives of those for whom we pray. “Is there any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray anointing him with oil; and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise Him up; if he has committed any sins, they will be forgiven him.” This, of course, is one of the main ways that God has ordained for the multitude of human disorders that we have all inherited through Adam’s transgression to be displaced, dispelled, and replaced by the divine order of spiritual, mental, physical, and social health found through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Amen.