I’ve been an avid reader all of my life and I find the poetry and prose of the Bible to be uplifting and unparalleled, not only by its obvious wisdom, but also because of its beautiful words and the clear message of God’s love for us by the coming of Christ to save us from our sins. The books of the Bible were written starting around 3400 years ago with the book of Genesis written by Moses. The book of Revelation was the last book of the Bible and it was written approximately 1900 years ago by the Apostle John. Over this 1500 year period the Bible has been consistent in its message of Christ and also in the majesty of its writing. All 66 books of the Bible mesh together seamlessly without any contradictions or errors as if they were written by one author, which they were. God is the author of the Bible and he used holy men under the influence of the Holy Spirit to be his writers. Let’s look at a few of the Scriptures that sing to our soul:
John 3:16 – (Jesus speaking) – 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.
When God refers to the world he means us, you and me, and all human beings who have ever lived in the past or who will ever live in the future. The only begotten Son of God is Jesus Christ, the second person of the triune godhead. Jesus has always existed in heaven along with God the Father and the Holy Spirit because Jesus is God. Three distinct persons but one God. When God says he “gave” his son it means that he (God) voluntarily stepped down from his throne and humbled himself by coming to the earth in the incarnation of Jesus Christ as a sacrifice to save man. God came to this earth as a poor, humble servant to give his life as a ransom so that our sins could be forgiven by a just and loving God. God didn’t just simply die for us; God died for us in the most cruel and agonizing way possible. Roman crucifixion was designed to be torture of the worst kind; designed to keep the victim alive as long as possible while inflicting the most pain and suffering.
1 John 2:25 – And this is the promise that He has promised us – eternal life.
Titus 2:11 – For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Luke 24:46 – (Jesus speaking) – Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.
John 10:28 – (Jesus speaking) – And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.
Crucifixion was so cruel that by law no Roman citizen could die by that method. Crucifixion was so cruel that it only existed as a means of execution for about 200 years before Rome banned its use. When God says all who believe in Him (Jesus) he means the believer must acknowledge God, repent from their sins, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. A believer must believe the gospel message; that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day, before returning to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. God says believers will live forever in heaven in the presence of Jesus. Those who don’t believe in Jesus will perish. There is no middle ground. The human spirit received from the hand of God at our conception is immortal because God is giving us a part of himself. Since God is eternal that part of himself which he gives us must also be eternal. It can’t be any other way. When God refers to unbelievers being destroyed (perishing) he doesn’t mean they will cease to exist. God means they will separated from God and suffer eternal death by being condemned to hell for all eternity for their iniquity.
John 3:18 – (Jesus speaking) – He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Psalm 33:18-19 – Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Psalm 62:1-2 – Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation; He is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We all know John 3:16 is the best known verse of the entire Bible. There’s a reason. It tells us unequivocally that God loves us. God is giving up his most treasured possession to save us and as human beings who love and value our own children we can see the love God has for us when he sends Jesus Christ to die in our place. Actions speak louder than words and God proved his love for us. Just think of the grief and anguish that God had to go through to watch his beloved son die on the cross. God allowed that to happen because God also loves us just as much as he loves Jesus.
It’s hard for us to understand the depth of God’s love for us but one day we’ll understand. We can see from John 3:16 that we can all have the free gift of salvation in heaven for simply believing the gospel message of Christ. There are no exclusions or exceptions to this precious gift from God. God loves every person that he has made equally. God is not only saving us; God is making it easy for all to accept his grace unto salvation. While salvation is freely offered to all people it must be accepted individually by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There is no other way to heaven other than through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let’s look at another beloved set of verses from the Bible; Psalm 23:
Psalm 23:1-2 – The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
If John 3:16 is the most memorized verse in the Bible then Psalm 23 is a close second. There’s a reason for this. John 3:16 gives us our fondest desire which is a promise of God’s love for us and a guarantee of salvation unto eternal life. Psalm 23 is beloved because it assures us in verse one that God will provide for all our needs. God will take care of us. In verse two God assures us we’ll have the peace of God that is beyond understanding. When we make peace with God he will give us his peace in this life and also later on when we’re living through the 1000 year millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ in our glorified bodies. I see verse two also pertaining to the new heaven and new earth at the close of the 1000 year millennium period. When God says in Scripture that he’ll never leave us he means it. Believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit forevermore.
Psalm 23:3-4 – He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
When God says, “He restores my soul”, he’s referring to Old Testament saints being declared “righteous” in the eyes of God for their faith. That means Old Testament saints went to Paradise within the earth when they died to await the coming of Christ so their sins could be forgiven. When Jesus was buried three days in the earth he went down to Paradise and escorted the saints to heaven. Jesus was restoring the souls of Old Testament saints to the condition they were in before Adam’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden and sin entered the world.
In the New Testament God is referring to the fulfilled prophecy of Jesus Christ coming to die on the cross for the sins of all men, thereby restoring man’s soul to the way it was before it was stained by sin. Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden and he was expelled. Adam’s sin remained in his body and spirit and also in the body and spirit of all men who came after Adam. Man became a fallen creature full of sin whose destiny changed from eternal life in heaven to eternal death in hell in that moment. To make the restoration of man’s fellowship with God possible the Lord himself came to earth in the incarnation of Jesus Christ to die on the cross so our sins could be forgiven (removed). One of the spiritual truths of heaven is, “the wages of sin is death.” There was no qualifying sinless human sacrifice available on earth to save us so God himself had to save us or we all would’ve gone down to the pit (hell) for all eternity. For this reason Jesus Christ is our Savior and we must never forget for a moment what Jesus has done for us. All believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
While Jesus has reconciled us to God by his death on the cross, each person is responsible for completing the process by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s a two part process. God took the first step by his sinless sacrifice to remove our sins and we must take the second step by repenting and asking forgiveness of our sins. If we don’t do our part then we still abide in our sins before God and eternal death in hell is our fate. God himself will make the believer more like Christ during their lifetime in a process we see referred to in Scripture as “sanctification.” The Psalm says God is doing this to glorify his name. Once we get to heaven God will complete the process of making us like Christ (glorification). I don’t know exactly what that’ll look like but I know it’ll be wonderful.
Galatians 3:13 – Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.
John 11:25-26 – (Jesus speaking) – I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
John 3:36 – (Jesus speaking) – He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
John 6:40 – (Jesus speaking) – And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
In verse four of Psalm 23 we find the most important verse in the entire Psalm. Our journey through life is compared by God to a walk through a valley. Once we’re born we must continue on through the valley of life until we die, or we get raptured or we reach the other side safely. We can’t have the privilege of life without facing the almost certain probability of death. Most of us will die along the way. All believers, both dead and alive, will be raptured to Jesus in the air at his appearing. A small number of people who miss the rapture will later become believers during the tribulation period and reach the other side of the valley alive to see the second coming of Jesus Christ. Most people who miss the rapture and become believers during the tribulation period will have to live through God’s wrath on earth and possibly suffer a martyr’s death by having their head cut off. The raptured saints will go to heaven first in their glorified bodies but they will return with Jesus Christ at his Second Coming on the last day. All nonbelievers will go to hell forever.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 – Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
John 14:23 – (Jesus speaking) – If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him (Holy Spirit) and make Our home with him.
Romans 5:5 – Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Ephesians 1:4-5 – Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
The history of the world is divided into two parts; before Christ and after Christ. We see that in the world’s dating system. It’s not an accident. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the single most important event in the history of the world because it meant that believers would likewise rise from the dead and not die. Jesus’ death and resurrection was proof that believers were saved unto eternal life in heaven. Because if Jesus rose from the dead it means that we too will not see eternal death if we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We’re told not to fear physical death because death is the beginning not the end. God was with the “righteous” of the Old Testament and he saved them from eternal death. The Holy Spirit did not indwell all the righteous in Old Testament times but only a few selected individuals. Those New Testament believers living after the resurrection of Jesus are living under the new blood covenant of Christ and not the law. That means ALL believers are now indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. What a marvelous thing to behold!
We are to have no fear of physical death because the Holy Spirit of God indwells all the believers as soon as they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Praise God! When we die in Christ the Holy Spirit will immediately return our soul to heaven from whence it came to be in the presence of Jesus. How could it not? The Holy Spirit and our spirit are together inside our living body. One of the spiritual truths of God is eternal spirits cannot remain inside a corrupted (unclean) corpse so they have to come out immediately upon our death. At our death do you think the Holy Spirit is going to say to our spirit, “so long, see you later?” Of course not. The Holy Spirit is going to say, “come with me, let’s go home to Jesus.” It can happen no other way.
God is reciprocal so the opposite is also true. When nonbelievers die their souls are also expelled from their dead bodies. The difference is their immortal souls are taken down to hell by demons kind of like we saw in the movie “Ghost” only they will be much scarier. Nobody goes to hell voluntarily. The spirits of the damned must be dragged down to hell against their will. When we walk with God he will protect us, guide us and discipline us when we need it like any parent would their child; hence the reference to rod and staff in this verse. This shows God’s love for us which should comfort us as we go through the hardships of this life.
Psalm 23:5-6 – You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
In verse five of the Psalm God assures us that all believers who obey his counsel will have his protection and live very fruitful lives in service to the Lord. Goodness and mercy will follow believers all their lives because they are attributes of God and God is on the inside of us. We know we’re talking about God because only God can dispense mercy. The anointing of someone’s head in Old Testament times symbolized their selection by God as his own. We see that in the case of the king of Israel or a ‘”righteous” saint or prophet if they belonged to God. After the time of Christ the anointing of believers is accomplished internally by the washing and regeneration of our eternal spirit by the Holy Spirit of God. Verse six reaffirms verse five by restating God’s salvation and provision for our lives by using different words so there can be no misunderstanding or ambiguity about what God is saying to us. The very last statement in the Psalm says it all. God doesn’t say believers could or might go to heaven; God says believers “will” live in heaven in the presence of Jesus Christ forever. This is a promise from God to us and God cannot lie or break a promise once made. Psalm 23 is so popular because it gives us a glorious “hope” for the future.
Deuteronomy 17:19 – And it (God’s law; the Bible) shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 – For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Proverbs 23:12 – Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.
1 Timothy 4:13 – Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
I have read the entire Bible several times and each time through I find a new revelation about the kingdom of God that I missed on prior readings. I’m currently reading in the Old Testament, in the book of Jeremiah. We know the entire Bible is about the coming of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. We see in Jeremiah 23:5-6 the complete revelation of Jesus Christ in two verses. The only thing missing is when Jesus comes in the air to rapture all believers to himself before taking all the saints with him back to heaven. Let’s break down the two verses to see what God is telling us about the coming of Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 23:5 – “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
Jeremiah was one of the major prophets of God and also one of the 15 writing prophets who produced books in the Old Testament. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, also had the distinction of writing the longest book in the Bible, which bears his name, as well as a second book called Lamentations. Jeremiah served the Lord for forty years from 626 BC to 586 BC. In verse five we see that Jeremiah prophesied about the coming of the Messiah, the son of God, about 600 years before the blessed event took place. Jesus lived and died over 2000 years ago. The second statement in verse five is the prophesied millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ on the earth which hasn’t occurred yet. We know it will come true in the future because the first part of the prophecy came true. The Bible contains over 1000 prophecies, over 500 of which have been fulfilled and documented as historical fact. We know God promised King David that his branch, or descendant, would sit on his throne and rule forever and that branch is Jesus Christ; a direct descendant of King David and also God in the flesh.
Luke 1:32 – He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
Ephesians 1:7 – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
2 Corinthians 5:21 – For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 John 5:12 – He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
By capitalizing the word branch we know that Jeremiah is talking about the Messiah; Jesus Christ, the divine son of God, as well as a direct descendant of King David. There’s only one God so Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. God is righteous therefore Jesus is righteous. All believers God considers righteous because at our salvation Jesus gave his righteousness to us in exchange for our sins. The wages of sin is death so Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to. Let me say this again. When Jesus came down from heaven he took away our sins and in exchange gave his righteousness to everyone who believes in his name. That’s the best trade in the history of the world and it’s in our favor. Jesus took the sins of all men upon himself when he died on the cross in our place so that our sins might be forgiven by a just and loving God.
Psalm 18:30 – As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
1 Chronicles 22:19 – Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God.
John 6:47 – (Jesus speaking) – Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
Hebrews 13:5 – I will never leave you nor forsake you.
The last statement of verse five is referring to the 1000 year millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ which starts immediately after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth on the last day. Jesus came to earth the first time as a suffering servant but his second coming will be to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. We know this is the prophesied second coming of Jesus because the word king is capitalized indicating a devine person (Jesus) will rule the entire earth and the Bible tells us that only happens during the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ. This is further emphasized by saying the king will execute judgment and righteousness in the earth, which only the Lord Jesus Christ has the authority and power to accomplish.
Jeremiah 23:6 – In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
The divine pronoun is used three times to reinforce we’re talking about Jesus Christ. We know the Jews rejected Jesus Christ as their promised Messiah and they have been punished by God for over 2000 years for their sins. Make no mistake, the Jews are still God’s chosen people. God does not change. We know from this Scripture that a Jewish remnant (Judah) will be saved at the battle of Armageddon on the last day when Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives (the Second Coming). We know Israel will only dwell in safety with Jesus during the 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ as King of the earth. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is righteousness (morally good; virtuous) and we have our righteousness through his sacrificial death on our behalf. “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,” is capitalized which means we have our righteousness (salvation) because of Jesus and God is screaming out this truth of God from his throne in heaven and we better recognize it and praise God for his mercy and grace toward us. Only God could have saved us from an eternity in hell and he did it through Jesus Christ who voluntarily died on the cross in our place. Praise God for his love and mercy! Jesus Christ is Lord of all forevermore.
1 Corinthians 6:20 – For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Romans 4:5 – But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
Hebrews 9:22 – And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission (of sins).
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The three verses I’ve just commented on, John 3:16, Jeremiah 23:5-6, and Psalm 23, are prime examples of the beauty of God’s poetry and the majesty of God’s prose. There are millions of people dying every day and going to hell because they haven’t chosen to serve the Lord our God. Satan has blinded them. There are countless thousands of people every day who are committing suicide because they don’t know God. Satan has fooled them. They consider themselves to be failures in life whom nobody loves. Satan has convinced them of this and led them to take their own life. It’s so sad! There are millions more who suffer symptoms of depression and live out their lives in utter despair. Satan seeks our destruction continually, every second of the day. It doesn’t have to be this way! If every person would simply read the three sets of verses I’ve just described every morning it would totally change their outlook on life. Write them on index cards so they can be reviewed every day. If everyone took the time to just meditate on these words every day they would soon realize they’re God’s masterpiece of creation and just how precious they are in the eyes of God.
Knowing the love of God these people could then fend off the fiery darts of Satan trying to convince them they’re worthless. The scales would be removed from their eyes and they could see the truth of God clearly. If God loves you so should you. If God thinks you’re priceless so should you. If everyone saw themselves as God sees them suicide rates would likely drop dramatically. Once Satan has been exposed as the one who wants to kill us he can be easily rebuffed by the word of God. God has plans for all of us to prosper here on earth. God wants all believers to reside in heaven with Jesus Christ forever. God never created anyone with the intention of sending them to hell. That’s a choice we make. Don’t let Satan harvest your soul for the kingdom of hell and divert you from your true destiny which is to live in heaven with Jesus forever. Fight back with all your might! Resist Satan and he will flee according to Scripture. All you have to do is read the Bible daily and pray to God daily. If you are in fellowship with God Satan has no power over you other than what you give him. God will protect you from Satan and the powers of darkness if you ask him because Satan is no match for the power of God.
Isaiah 41:13 – For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, fear not, I will help you.
Psalm 31:15 – My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.
Psalm 62:8 – Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 50:15 – Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.