How relevant is the Feast of Pentecost

The feast of weeks/Harvest/Pentecost, how relevant is this festival to not only believers but to all humanity?
The appointed time for this festival is fifty (50) days after the feast of the First Fruits, that is, fifty days after the Sunday which falls during the days of Un-leavened bread, or the feast of first fruits. The day after the resurrection of Jesus Christ when He ascened to heaven and presented Himself to the Father on our behalf.
Remember, while Mary stood by the tomb weeping Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' "
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you" (John 20:16,17,19).
This was the fulfillment or the reality of the instructions the Lord gave to the children of Israel saying; "And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD" (Leviticus 23:15-16).
This new grain offering the Israelites were commanded to offer on that day was two loaves baked with leaven, and present it to the LORD as a wave offering of first-fruits to the LORD (Leviticus 23:15-17).
This wave offering with the two loaves foreshadowed the unification between Jews and Gentiles  as we have been duly admonished saying: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father" (Ephesian 2:13-18).
In the New Testament we are told, “Now when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” Thus signifying that the coming together by the disciples on that particular festival was not something new to them, but rather they were commemorating the Feast of Weeks as instructed.
This festival as one can see is still relevant because the Apostle Paul who is the apostle to the Gentiles continued to observe this festival. He wrote “I must by all means keep this feast in Jerusalem” and he hurried to be at Jerusalem, if possible on the day of Pentecost, and on another occasion, he said, "but I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost." Signifying that he continued to acknowledge and observe these festivals (Acts 18:21; 20:16; 1Corinthians 16:8).
This festival therefore, commemorates the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh as was prophesied by the prophet Joel saying; " And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved" (Joel 2:28-29: Acts 2:17-21).
It is therefore so perplexing to see that this festival is being ignored and set aside by some who hold tennaciously to the seventh day Sabbath, and misapplied by those who observe Sundays as an excuse to justify this day as the reason for observing Sundays as their Sabbath day. Truly, these times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The Exercise of Human Rights

The question of Human Rights has become a hot debated issue throughout the entire hemisphere; never before have people become so vocal, and human activists demanding so much respect and the rights of other human beings, but the multimillion dollar question is, are we handling this issue by dealing with the cause or are we handling it by dealing with the effects?
The first and foremost question one has to ask is, who determines the rights of a human being is it he himself/herself or is it designated by his maker or a higher authority?
Who for example determines one’s rights as a citizen of a country, does the citizen choose for him/herself how he or she wants to live regardless whether or not it contravenes the laws of the country? Aren’t there rules and regulations for every citizen of the country to obey, and if violated are subject to punishment?
Who therefore determines the rights of a human being? Is every human being has the right to choose for him/herself whatever he/she wants to do without reservations or restrictions, and everyone else has to accept and respect the individual’s choice?
Is such a behavior practical, tolerable and acceptable in a civil society? If such a behavior is not practical, tolerable, and acceptable in a civil society, why should people conceive the idea that such a practice ought to be accepted and tolerated in our moral values?
The root cause for this delusion is that, the people who are advocating such behaviors are those who according to the book of Romans chapter one, have rejected the authority of God over their lives, for although they know God, they do not glorify Him as God, nor are they thankful, but are futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts are darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man --- and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
God is the one who determines the rights of every human being, and therefore, the rights which every human being has, is the right to choose to either comply with the laws of God, or reject it. It is the right to become either a servant of righteousness, or a servant of sin. For thus says the Lord; “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
The freedom of choice which man has is the choice to either live as God ordained, or reject it and live in accordance to the imaginations of his/her own evil heart, everyone doing what seems right in their own eyes, which will ultimately leads death. It is therefore conclusive that those who are practicing and advocating the respect and rights of those who are indulging themselves in immoral practices which are contrary to the laws of God, have blatantly rejected the authority of God in their lives and in their knowledge.
 “For this reason God has given them up to vile passions: For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in them-selves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful” (Romans 1:26-31).
The human mind is such that if exposed to truth, it generates glory from one level to another as it is written; “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Corinthians 3:18).
Human beings were created to evolve from one level of glory to another, and this is attainable only through the knowledge of Jesus Christ who created us, and therefore we have been admonished saying; “Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3: 8-11).
However, when this knowledge is rejected or not pursued, the human mind degenerates from being knowledgeable and intelligent to becoming foolish and ignorant, then further degenerates to indulgence and lenient, and ultimately degenerates to being impenitent and corrupt. This is the natural process of the degeneration of the human mind that rejects the truth or the knowledge of God, because God is the one who supplies man with everything. 
Therefore, when a person exchanged the truth of God for the lie (Satan), and worshiped and served the creature (Satan) rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, God gives them up to vile passions. And even as they do not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gives them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.
Man is not in full control of himself, he is either a servant of obedience which leads to righteousness, meaning doing things in accordance to the stipulated laws of God, or he is a servant of sin which leads to death, that is, doing things in accordance to his/her independent nature that allows him/her the choice to choose for him/herself what is right and what is wrong.
For this reason we have been admonished saying; “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness” (Romans 6: 16-20).
It is said that "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” Verifying the fact that those who serve the desires of their own heart are haters of God: while they become loyal and lovers of themselves.  But the greatest fear of all is, “knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).
Therefore it is a dangerous precedence for the haters of God, to be attempting to coerce and influence higher authorities to be lenient and approve of their indulgence and corrupt practices, when by so doing will have the entire nation guilty of their sinful and shameful act.

Truly, these times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent: May God have mercy upon us.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The Glorious Everlasting Life

The Glorious Everlasting Life

What is Everlasting life? Is it the same as eternal life? It is rather quite unfortunate that not too many people know the difference between the two. The reason for that it is because man does not know his/her true identity. I remembered when I first published this article in 2008, which I was informed was discussed on AOL "America on line", one individual commented on my blog saying; "Lucius, you will one day say that the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost are not the same." This is a clear indication on how some of us are lack of knowledge and do not understand our duality.

The crux of the matter is, man is a spirit being imprisoned in a physical body. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the last Adam, the Spirit Man from heaven, mankind is no more regarded according to the flesh. “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:14-17).

The sad thing is that many of us do not know our true identity. This may not be the best physical analogy to use but, it might be simple enough to help us understand our true identity. Let me use the analogy of a horse mating with a donkey, the offspring of a horse mating with a donkey will neither be a horse nor a donkey, but a new breed called a mule.

This is typical to what happened to humanity at the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, humanity was buried with Him, and at His resurrection humanity became a new creation, a spirit being begotten of the last Adam, the life-giving Spirit who is the resurrection and the life; and who gives life to everyone who comes into the world.

Before the advent of Jesus Christ the last Adam, humanity was dead in trespasses and sins, but was made alive together with Christ, and made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, who gives to all life, breath, and all things, so that they should seek the Lord in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; “For in Him we live and move and have our being [existence]. We are therefore both the offspring of the first Adam, the man of dust and also the offspring of the last Adam the Spirit man from heaven (Acts 17:28-29).

The same way mankind inherited the sinful nature of the first Adam in his flesh, he also has inherited the nature of the Last Adam [Jesus Christ] in his spirit. For it is written; “As through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one man’s righteous act the free gift [eternal life - Jesus Christ] came to all men, resulting in justification of life.” And, “As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners: so also by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:17-19).

The irony of truth is, the first man was of the earth, made of dust and as was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust and therefore, dust we are and to dust we shall return. But the second Man is the Lord from heaven, and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

Mankind received the gift of eternal life at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, when they were begotten by Him, and this gives everyone the equal opportunity to see the kingdom of God, but this new life will not necessarily grant anyone entry into the kingdom of God, because the complete cycle is, Christ is in the Father, mankind is in Christ, but mankind has to choose on his own volition to have Christ in them, unless Christ is in us there is no hope, for Christ in us is the hope of glory.

This is where our educational system has failed us, they are focusing mainly of the life of the physical man and ignoring the more important aspect of man`s life which is the life in the spirit.

To be continued

Believe that Jesus is the Eternal One

8.         BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE ETERNAL ONE

The eighth integral aspect of believing in Jesus Christ is that He is the eternal One, denoting that He eternally existed and since He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Jesus retained the same glory which He had with the Father before time began. In His prayer to the Father Jesus said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.’

“And this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:1-5).

Jesus Christ said quite explicitly, “I and My Father are One” In revealing the Father to the disciples Jesus said, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:7-11).

In His prayer to the Father Jesus said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.’

“And this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:1-5).

Yes to believe in Jesus Christ one must believe that He is eternal, “His years are throughout all generations. Of old He laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of His hands. They will perish, but He will endure; yes, all of them will grow old like a garment; like a cloak He will change them, and they will be changed, but He is the same, and His years will have no end” (Psalms 102:24-28).

And at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ`s kingdom on earth, then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power: For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For "God the Father has put all things under His feet:" But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted: Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him, who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

Believing in Jesus Christ therefore, is more profound than most people have realized, and unfortunately because of this lack of understanding, many of those who profess to believe in Jesus Christ, do not ascribe to Him the glory and honor due to Him as the eternal God, which is the main objective for worship, even by the angels and the hosts of heaven.

It is quite apparent that most people who profess to know Jesus Christ do not attribute to Him the same degree of honor that is given to the Father. But Jesus in no uncertain terms said to the Jews, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.’

“For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:19-23).

Now, the way one demonstrates his/ her belief in Jesus Christ as the Eternal God is by observing the Eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles. This is the day that the Lord was circumcised and through His circumcision, Gentiles who were called Uncircumcision and at that time were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world were brought near to God through the circumcision of Jesus Christ.

It is also on that day that, God the Father highly exalted Jesus Christ and gave Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here lies the root cause of the many problems that we face in the Christian community, which is the failure to ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name and following the protocol. For this is what the Lord says; “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2).

Inasmuch as no problem can truly be resolved unless we deal with the root cause of it, ascribing to the Lord the glory due to His name in the prescribed manner is the solution to the plea that we all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among us, but that we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Believe that Jesus is the King of kings (contd)

The first message Jesus brought when He came to Galilee preaching the gospel of God was, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15).

When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, He replied, “The kingdom of God is not coming with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is, or there it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:20-22).

The kingdom of God establishing itself on earth was revealed to the first world ruling king in a dream during the days of Daniel the prophet. In unveiling the dream to the king the prophet Daniel said; “The stone which you saw O king that was cut out, but not by human hands, and struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found; But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain (kingdom) and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:34-35).

In interpreting the dream to the king Daniel said; “You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the sons of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, making you rule over them all, you are the head of gold.”

Daniel informed the king and said; “after you, will arise three other kingdoms inferior to you, and in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people.

It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has made known to you what will take place in the future. The dream is certain and its interpretation is sure” (Daniel 2:36-45).

According to Daniel the kingdom of God will be established during the reign of the fourth kingdom (the Roman Empire). He wrote; “As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it in pieces.” But the court, shall sit in judgment and his dominion shall be taken away, and to be consumed and destroyed to the end.’

“And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High’ their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them” (Daniel 7:23, 26-27).

The kingdom of God is the principal and ultimate objective for our righteous way of living. It is stated that when Jesus returns He will separate the sheep from the goats, and say to the sheep on His right hand, “Come you are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

The prerequisite for inheriting the kingdom of God is the immortality of our body; because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Now in order for the immortal to put on immortality, and for the perishable to become imperishable, the Holy Spirit must dwell in the individual; because it is only if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit which dwells in you.

Theunrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, nor will the immoral, idolaters, adulterers, sexual perverts, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers inherit the kingdom of God.

Those who are guaranteed inheritance in the kingdom of God, and reaps God’s ultimate plan for man are those who drinks the water that Christ has given which is His blood, and it will become in him a spring of water, which is the Holy Spirit, welling up to everlasting life, which is the immortality of the human body. This is what believing in Jesus Christ entails, it is not merely a vague nebulous ideology with little or no substance.

But as believers, how do we demonstrate our belief in Jesus Christ as being the King of kings and Lord of lords? The way one demonstrates his/her belief in Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords is by observing the Feast of Tabernacles which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and also foreshadows the Millennium when the kingdom of God will be established on earth.

Remember, Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and the way the King and the Lord of hosts will be worshiped in the future is stated as follows; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).

This festival commemorates the day the Word became flesh and tabernacle among men and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Remember when the wise men from the East came to Jerusalem they asked, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2).

Also, when Jesus was brought before Pilate and he asked Him, “Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).

This is how Jesus Christ is acknowledged as the King of kings and Lord of hosts, and whichever of the families of the earth that will not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

Believe in Jesus Christ what it entails (part seven)

7.         BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE KING OF KINGS

The seventh integral aspect of believing in Jesus Christ is to believe that He is the king of kings and Lord of lords The principal and ultimate objective for God sending His Beloved Son into the world to die for the sins of man, and to be resurrected in glory was to fulfill the everlasting covenant and promise which He made to Abraham and his descendants.

It is stated that, “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that they might receive the full rights as sons.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, so that by faith they might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Because they are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into their hearts crying, “Abba! Father” So they are no longer slaves, but sons, and since they are sons, God has also made them heirs. Heirs to the promise God made to Abraham and his descendants (Galatians 4:4-8; Galatians 3:14).

In confirming the immutability of the covenant which God made to Abraham and his descendants, the apostle Paul wrote; “Brethren, let us take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside, or add to a human covenant that has been duly established so it is in this case: The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his Seed. The scripture does not say “and to seeds”, meaning many people, but “and to your Seed”, meaning one person, who is Christ”.

And regarding the promise the Lord made to David He says; “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety, this is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.’ “For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before Me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices” (Jeremiah 33:14-17).

Both offices of King and High Priest were fulfilled by Jesus Christ, thus guaranteeing the continual existence of both the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

And with regards to the everlasting covenant the Lord made with the house of Israel the prophet Isaiah wrote; “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord will perform it” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

To be continued.

Believe in Jesus Christ what it entails (part six)

5. BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS THE BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD
The fifth important thing we all need to believe, is that Jesus Christ is the Begotten Son of God. This entails believing that He attained perfection through living a perfect sinless life in the flesh as the Son of Man, and became perfected at the resurrection, and became our resurrection and the life.
For the gospel which God promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by His resurrection from the dead.
“Jesus Christ reflects the glory of God and bears the exact representation of His being, upholding the universe by His word of power. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven, so He became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You”? Or again, “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”? And again, when He brings His first born into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him” (Hebrews 1:3-6).
Jesus Christ as the Son of Man was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, but as the Begotten Son of God through the resurrection, He is crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
“For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both the One who makes men holy, and those who are made holy have all one origin. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, “I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.” And again, “I will put My trust in Him.” And again, “Here am I and the children God has given Me” (Hebrews 2:9-13).
Believing in Jesus Christ as the Begotten Son of God promises a much greater and guaranteed reward than believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of Man. Those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of Man has the gift of eternal life; but may not necessarily receive the reward of everlasting life. For it is written; “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:14-16).
Unfortunately, it is not everyone that is able to differentiate the difference between eternal life, and everlasting life. I remembered back in 2008 when I first wrote an article defining what is Everlasting life, which someone informed me was discussed on AOL "America on line", someone commented on my blog stating, "Lucius one day you will say that the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit are not the same".
The crux of the matter is, Everlasting life is different from both the eternal existence of the spirit, and the eternal salvation of the spirit. It is the everlasting existence of the human body, which has a beginning and would have naturally ended, for it is appointed unto man to die, but it will be made to live forever. In contrast, eternal life has eternally existed, and will continue to exist forever. Eternal death is not the cessation of life as with physical death, but it is separation from God.
Everlasting life therefore, is the immortality of the human body which Christ alluded to by saying: s “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is of born of water [flesh] and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
In order for anyone to inherit the kingdom of God, the mortal must put on immortality, and the corruptible must put on incorruptibility, because Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God: nor does corruption inherit in-corruption.”
Everlasting life or immortality is guaranteed only to those who, not only believe in Jesus Christ as the Beloved Son of God, who became the Son of Man, but who also believes in Jesus Christ as the Begotten Son of God.
Eternal life on the other hand is a free gift from God, as we have been instructed saying: "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:22-23).
Please note carefully that, the gift of God is eternal life; one has absolutely nothing to do to attain it, but to attain everlasting life one must first become a slave of God/ slave of righteousness which bears the fruit of holiness, a prior condition without which no one can see the Lord, which will  ultimately result in everlasting life.
This was further endorsed by the apostle Paul who warned us saying, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Galatians 6:7-8).
Now in relation to the immortality of the body there are also different levels of glory. Just as there  is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Therefore, the degree of our glory is dependent on our level of belief in Jesus Christ as the Begotten Son of God, for we all, with unveiled face, are beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

To be continued.