People around the world everyday are mocking, rejecting, and persecuting Jesus including blaspheming His gospel. Essentially, they are crucifying Christ every day with their words and actions, including persecuting His followers. Jesus told us He was the ONLY path to God the Father as stated in John 14:6, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” However, the world teaches that there are many other paths to God and to heaven that exclude Jesus. This is false teaching created by the enemy to deceive the world. As Satan has control of this world, the people of the world are following him whether they know it or not as we read in 1 John 5:19, “…the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Satan revealed his current authority on earth when he tempted Jesus with the offer of great power and riches if Jesus would fall down and worship him, the enemy as explained in Matthew 4:8-10, “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, you shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
As God’s word tells us, if we love the world then we are enemies of God. When we exalt ourselves with pride in this life by competing with others for our place in this world, we are following the enemy down his dark path as expressed in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” As you fellowship with and cherish the lusts of this world, you are promoting idol worship of yourselves through self-centeredness rather than depending on God Almighty out of true humbleness and obedience to Him. No matter how wise and powerful we think we are, we are extremely foolish compared to God as expressed in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ ” The habits and behaviors of humans lead to death and destruction as disclosed in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death.”
This explains why the world is perishing through pride and self-centeredness because the people do NOT follow this commandment from the Lord as stated in Proverbs 3:5-8, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” It is NOT our will be done on earth as in heaven but God’s will be done and His kingdom come as illustrated in the Lord’s model prayer, Luke 11:2, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It’s NOT about us but it’s all about Him! Replace your pride with humility towards Him, all for His honor and glory. As Satan exalted himself to be like God, he has deceived many into believing the lie that you can be your own god in this life as detailed in Isaiah 14:12-15, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.” We are living a lie if we claim to be a believer in Jesus but walk in pride and fellowship with the world as explained in 1 John 1:6, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness of sin, we lie and do not practice the truth.
The world is walking in darkness, and they do not comprehend the light of the world as Jesus stated in John 8:12, “…I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” This is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is hidden from them where they are blinded by the enemy through their sinful lifestyles as revealed in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Paul explains how the wicked will continue to grow extremely worse and worse as disclosed in 2 Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” This life is a spiritual battle between good and evil, between a righteous and holy God in Christ and a lesser unholy angelic being who is our enemy. Paul explains it this way in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The enemy seeks to kill, steal, and destroy us as stated in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober well balanced and self-disciplined, be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion fiercely hungry, seeking someone to devour.”
As the wicked reject Jesus as the Messiah and the only Son of God including going against His word, they are choosing to crucify Jesus every day as the scribes and Pharisees did 2,000 years ago. They are committing blaspheme against the Holy Spirit which is the unpardonable sin as Jesus reveals in Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” This unforgiveable sin takes place when a person continues to deny and reject Jesus as the one true Savior and distrusts His gospel as the truth all of their life even unto their death. Jesus stated it this way in Luke 12:9, “But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” Also, Jesus revealed it in this manner in Mark 8:38, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
When Jesus walked on the earth 2,000 years ago, He exposed all the corruptness of the religious rulers and scholars (Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers) that were true hypocrites. He explained how their professing lips and actions exposed the opposite of what their hearts were revealing as expressed in Matthew 15:8-9, “‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” These vipers ended up denying, rejecting, and eliminating Jesus by crucifixion in order to NOT compromise or interrupt their dark and sinful lifestyles. As the light of the world, Jesus exposed them and their wickedness with these harsh words in Luke 11:39-54, “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. ‘But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.’ Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, ‘Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.’ And He said, ‘Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore, the wisdom of God also said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. ‘Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.’ And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.”
After Jesus died and rose three days later, He appeared to two witnesses that were very sad and explained how awful the chief priests and rulers had become when they crucified Jesus. They continued explaining that Jesus was a mighty prophet of God and did not yet realize that He was the risen Messiah as revealed in Luke 24:13-21, “Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, ‘What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?’ Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, ‘Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?’ And He said to them, ‘What things?’ So they said to Him, ‘The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.”
Jesus died for ALL humanity exactly as God had planned it. Jesus was without sin and was chosen by the Father to carry out His mission of love and redemption for a sinful world as we read in Acts 13:27-41, “For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: I will give you the sure mercies of David.’ Therefore, He also says in another Psalm: You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’ ‘For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: ‘Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.’ ”
Repent and call upon the Lord! Turn to Jesus now before it’s too late as James specified in James 5:19-20, “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and falls into error and another one turns him back to God, let the latter one know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and cover a multitude of sins that is, obtain the pardon of the many sins committed by the one who has been restored.” Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world any longer with its superficial values and customs, but be transformed and progressively changed as you mature spiritually by the renewing of your mind focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes, so that you may prove for yourselves what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect in His plan and purpose for you.”
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Do you know where you will spend eternity after you die on earth? Will Jesus be your Lord and Savior or your eternal judge – John 3:15-21, Romans 2:16, 2 Timothy 4:1? Jesus says He is the narrow gate to heaven where it is difficult to find and only a few will enter by it where many will enter the easy, wide and broad gate that leads to Hell and destruction – Matthew 7:13-14. Will you experience the second eternal death (spiritual death) – Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6, Revelation 21:8? Do you know for sure that you are written in the eternal Lamb’s Book of Life – Revelation 3:5, Revelation 20:12-15? The place called Hell is NOT a myth and is very real and an extremely awful place – Watch this Video!