The Bible,
our past and our Future
1 People look
towards the future with concern, and depending on their possibilities, study,
work and do their best to attain security and stability. However, the future is
uncertain for the thousands and thousands of people in the world, who have to
compete and struggle to better their situation or even, simply manage to feed
themselves and their families. And whilst a great part of mankind lives in
conditions of poverty, nations assign the largest amount of their resources to
the purposes that for reasons of prestige and power, are considered priority.
2 The human
society is used to insecurity; it is accustomed with illnesses, poverty and
injustice; and being conscious of the catastrophes in the various areas of the
planet, of terrorism, of constant wars and revolutions in one place or another,
and of all kinds of abuses against others and the environment, people generally
try to protect themselves from these realities by thinking they don’t have
anything to do with their own personal lives. Nevertheless, those who believe
in God’s existence could maybe ask themselves if mankind has been
left to it’s own fate. Man, who has only a partial and quite confused
knowledge of what happened on the earth since it’s beginning, cannot find a
proper answer to this question, but God has not left Man unaided, for “…the Eternal
Lord does not do anything without revealing his designs to his servants the
prophets…” (Amos 3:7) and by means
of His revelation, God has provided trustworthy answers, available to all those
who look for them and are free from prejudice.
3 With this
purpose, about three thousand five hundred years ago, a history that took
another thousand six hundred years to be concluded, was begun. God himself took
part in it’s composition by engraving on slabs of stone the ten basic
principles that even after thirty five centuries, make up the essential ethical
and moral foundations for a great part of humanity. This register consists on a
compilation of sixty six scriptures, recorded by Moses and forty other men, who
wrote, as they acknowledged, under the spiritual guidance of God. For this
reason, in spite of the different condition of its writers and the long
intervals of time elapsed between their writings, their texts are harmonious
and complementary, disclosing a common message.
Once put
together, these writings were called by the first Christians, ‘Ta Biblia’, which means ‘The Books’, in the sense
of fundamental books, and they are today known as The Bible, the book that
is the most translated, published and widely distributed in the world.
4 In contrast to
other religious books considered holy or sacred, the Bible does not only
provide a highly constructive moral guidance, it also reveals the progression of
God’s purpose for humanity, identifying the events and signs of its
development. From the very beginning, it states that “The universe
was formed by the Word of God, hence, what is seen comes from what can not
be seen”, (Hebrews 11:3) and reveals
the reasons of the ways taken on by humanity, supplying the arguments that
support man’s need of redemption and foretelling the arrival of a saviour and
the triumph of God’s original purpose for man.
Jesus
confirmed the authority of the Scriptures, considering them as divine revelation
and quoting them frequently to prove the legitimacy of his assignment.
5 Due to the
promises made by God to Abraham, his descendents became His people and were
made custodian of His revelation. In time, the people of Israel became accustomed to the ways and interpretations of their religious guides; this
fact created a strong Jewish tradition, not always in harmony with the spirit
of the Law and of the texts of the prophets. For this reason Jesus publicly admonished
the instructors of Israel, saying “…Isaiah prophesised well about you, you
hypocrites; since it is written: (the Eternal says) ‘these people honour me
with their lips, but their heart is far from me, yet they worship me in vain,
teaching the commandments of men as doctrines. By this you lay
aside the commandment of God and you hold the tradition of men…
you reject the commandment of God so that you may keep your own traditions…”
(Mark 7:6..9 quoting Isaiah
29:13) Because of their wrong interpretations, the people of Israel did not
recognise Jesus as the Messiah or Christ, even if there are in the Scriptures,
hundreds of prophecies depicting the events of the his life, his assignment and
the circumstances of his birth and his death. They had been led to expect a
warlike Messiah, who would fight against all the other nations, and on gaining
victory, would govern over the world from Jerusalem. The genuine anointed Son
of God did not fit into their patterns, and so was rejected despite all the
powerful signs that God enacted through him.
6 Fearing that
sooner or later, religious tradition would also take over the Christian
Congregation, the apostle Paul urged the disciples to respect “…the
principle of not going any further than what is written, so
that no one may feel superior”, (1Corinthians 4:6) and wrote to
the Thessalonians “…Always be grateful to God, because you heard His word
through us, and did not received it as if it were the word of man, but as
what it really is, the Word of God…” (Thessalonians 2:13)
With this in
mind, the apostle Peter wrote: “I intend to remind you these things over and
over again…I think it is fair to keep you aware with my exhortations while I
live… and I want that even after I am gone, you will always have a
way to remember them”, (2Peter 1:12..15) since “…just as there
were false prophets among the people, there will also be false teachers
among you, that will cunningly introduce destructive heresies…” (2Peter
2:1) And the apostle John, in favour of the permanent value of the
Scriptures, says: “Loved ones, I do not write you about new commandment, but of
an old commandment that you have from the beginning. This old commandment is
the Word that you have heard, and that is still effective for everyone…” (1John
2:7..8)
7 Jesus told
the people of Israel “…the hour is near and it is now, that the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, because
that is the way the Father wants his worshippers to be.” (John
4:23) And exhorted his followers: “If you stay in my
word, then you will really be my disciples, and you will
know the truth and the truth shall make you free”. (John
8:31..32) Because the truth makes people really free from their servitude
to superstition and falsehood. To love the truth and to search for it, is
essential for Christ’s disciples, since as king Salomon wrote, “A dead fly
ruins a flask of perfumed unguent…” (Ecclesiastes 10:1)
No lie should ever be accepted by those who follow Jesus, because as Paul
asserts, they are “…helpers of Christ in the administration of the divine
revelations and what is demanded of each one of the administrators is
faithfulness”. (1Corinthians 4:1..2) For this reason,
those who wish to comply God’s will, must get to know His word thoroughly, and
must hold faithfully to the healthy teachings released by his spirit and
transmitted through the prophets, the apostles and of some of the first
disciples under their supervision, rejecting resolutely any other statement or
doctrine going beyond what is written, included as religious tradition many
years after their death, by the so called ‘Fathers of the Church’.
8 To
illustrate the significance of the biblical revelation, Peter wrote: “We haven’t
made known to you the coming and the power of the works of our Lord Jesus
Christ through invented fables, for we were eyewitnesses of his greatness, when
he received the honour and glory of God the Father; because the voice from the
Heavens came to him saying: ‘This is my beloved son, whom I have chosen’, and
we, who were with him on the holy mountain, heard this voice that came
from heaven. However, we have an even surer confirmation in the prophetic
word, to which you do well giving heed as a lamp that shines in a
dark place until the day dawns and the light shines in your hearts. However,
you must firstly understand, that none of the prophecies from the scriptures
came from a personal interpretation, because no prophecy was ever
brought by man’s will, but men spoke on God’s behalf, impelled by
holy spirit”. (2Peter 1:16..21)
9 If this is
so, when God’s holy spirit states that “…the Word of God…lives
forever and… never fails…”, (1 Peter 1:23) that the Creator didn’t
make the earth “…just for nothing, but made it to be lived in…”, (Isaiah
45:18) that “…all the world is under the power of the Malefactor …
but…the Son of God has come and given us the essential knowledge to recognize
the true and eternal God…”, (1John 5:19..20) and that “…according to
His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth where
justice dwells”, (2 Peter 3:13) we may be absolutely confident on
the fact that all these declarations will definitely be fulfilled. Yet, so as
to support the faith which is the base of our hope, we must have a
comprehensive knowledge of the events that that according to revelation, led
humanity towards its present suffering condition.
10 On the first
chapter of the first book of the Bible, we are told that God created man “…in His
own image; He created man and woman in the image of God. Then He
blessed them saying: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth and
subdue it; govern over the fish in the sea and the birds of the skies, and
over every animal that moves upon the earth…” (Genesis 1:27..28)
Being in God’s image, the first humans were morally perfect and endowed with a
free will that enabled them to develop their own personality. Man was intended
to multiply throughout the earth and this would give way to people with
different temperaments and interests, living together. It was therefore
necessary to established in favour of mankind, some principles to adjust their
behaviour to the respectful relationship they should comply among themselves
and with their Creator. And, since man had been provided with a rational
intelligence, God supplied some basic regulations so as to develop in him an
objective criteria, meant to adjust his own conduct.
11 With this
purpose, God had grown a rich garden with so many “…trees that were
pleasing to the sight and good for food…” (Genesis 2:9) Adam had been
created outside the garden, so God led him “…to the Garden of Eden, to
watch over it and care for it…” (Genesis 2:15) God didn’t
actually give man the garden, so he had to learn to respect God’s property and
transmit this kind of respect to his descendents, making their living unselfish
and pleasant. The point is that man had to become aware of the fact that God is
the only authority over his creation, because only a deliberate acknowledgment
of this could guarantee the freedom and the real parity of all human society.
For this reason God “…gave him a command, saying: ‘You can eat freely any of the
fruits from the trees in the garden, but you must not eat the fruit
from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, because when you eat it you
will surely die’…” (Genesis 2:16..17) Besides, the way,
these words make clear for us that unless they choose to rebel, men were not
intended to die. God hadn’t made man to die, but to live.
12 God’s
command was not really connected with the acquisition of regular knowledge and
wisdom, but with the confiscation of a kind of knowledge that only belongs to
the Creator. It was intended to make clear that nobody had the right to
challenge His authority, establishing individually what is morally good or
morally wrong. For this reason, man was warned that any illegal behaviour in
the exercise of his freedom, would bring him death. It would not be an
execution on the spot, but death would inexorably reach him; so man had to be
aware for his own good, that his disobedience would mean an explicit brake up with
the only source of all life. He had to understand and accept from the very
beginning, that God is the “…only Sovereign, the King of kings, and Lord of
lords, the only owner of immortality…” (1Timothy 6:15..16)
and for the good and the protection of the life and the freedom of all beings, He
is the only authority over His creation.
13 God had
created his children to live the kind of happy life that health,
freedom, understanding and love can provide, but to make this condition
enduring, men had to remain loyal to his universal and eternal principles.
At this
point, the Scripture reports the interference of one of God’s angelic children,
one that had come to covet God’s power over His creation. The prophet Isaiah
depicts his thoughts by these words: “You said in your heart, I will ascend to
the highest heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit
on the mountain of Assembly, in the uttermost unapproachable region; I will
ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!” (Isaiah
14:13..14) And the prophet Ezekiel reveals his position, when he writes: “You were an
emblematic image, full of wisdom, perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, in the Garden of God… I made you an appointed Cherub… and you were
perfect in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was
found within you, when your abundant intrigues filled you with violence and you
strayed, appointed Cherub… now you will not live forever”. (Ezekiel
28: 12..19)
14 To achieve
supremacy, this powerful Cherub, originally meant to protect humankind,
considered the possibility of detaching God’s children from Him, by dividing
them in a demand of moral autonomy. To support his scheme without being
immediately condemned, the angel, that the apostle John identifies as “…the Great
Dragon, the Ancient Snake, the so called Devil and Satan, who is
deceiving the entire humanity,” (Revelation 12:9) needed and searched
the complicity of man; so he went to the woman and asked her: “Is it true
that God said: You mustn’t eat from any of the trees in the garden? The woman
answered…’we can eat any of the fruits from the trees in the garden, only of
the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said: Don’t touch it nor eat from
it, because you will die’… the snake said to the woman ‘No way will
you die! God knows very well that on the day you eat from it, your eyes
will be opened and you will be like God, getting the knowledge of what
is good and what is evil’. And as the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, was pleasant to the sight and desirable to get knowledge, took its fruit
and ate, giving it to eat also to her man”. (Genesis 3:1..6)
15 The often
neglected events reported in the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis, are
the basis for the need of man’s redemption and the reason for the biblical
message. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul supports many of his arguments
with the information provided in them, and says: “…Adam was made first and
later, Eve, furthermore, Adam wasn’t deceived, it was Eve who once seduced,
disobeyed”; (1Timothy 2:13..14) and “…I’m afraid that the
same way the snake cunningly seduced Eve, for some reason, your minds may also
depart from the simplicity that is within Christ”. (2 Corinthians
11:3) Paul knew and believed that the voluntary disobedience of man left
the destiny of humanity under the power of “…the evil spiritual
forces that live in heavenly areas…”, (Ephesians 6:12) and he wrote: “…because of
the first man, sin entered into the world, and because of sin, death
extend to all men, because they all inherited sin”. (Romans
5:12)
However, we
read that God said to “the Ancient Snake” (Revelation 12:9):
“…I
will put enmity between you and the woman and between your
offspring and hers; he will smash your head and you will wound
his heel”. (Genesis 3:15) And with these then mysterious words, He
made man understand that humanity hadn’t been abandoned to its own fate.
16 Since then,
mankind lived distanced from God and bound to death and sin. All men were born
to die, for that reason, before God humankind was dead. No matter what men did,
it was impossible for them to reach their original condition. As it was
written: “Nobody can rescue his brother or pay before God the value of his
own ransom, since the ransom of life is so high, we will never be able
to reach it and live without ever seeing the grave”. (Psalms
49:7..8) It is true however, that humanity hadn’t been “…submitted to
futility by its own free will, but because of he who committed
transgression”, and thanks to the Creator’s mercy, man could still maintain
“…the
hope of being freed from slavery to corruption, and be able to participate in
the glorious freedom of the children of God…” (Romans 8: 20..21)
Life of men
depended therefore on God’s mercy, and He did not leave man without hope, for
we read: “…if there were an angel that would favour him, only one
among the thousands, that as his mediator, provided for his
justification! One who proving compassion for him, would say: ’I have found
for him a ransom, save him from going to the grave!’ His flesh would then
become fresher than in his strength and he would return to the days of his
youth. Then he would plead God and He would listen, revealing him His presence
with delight, since man should have been restored to rightfulness…” (Job
33: 22..26)
17 The Scripture
reveals that only one of God’s angels would be in the position of achieving a
suitable redemption for Adam’s family, since only someone free of sin and
death, could be able to offer the right price for the life lost by men, and
satisfy the permanent laws established from the beginning by God, over His
creation. But as the redeemer ought to be a man, the appointed angel would have
to give up the life he enjoyed in the heavens, and be, through the power of
God, born as a man. In this way, being a son of Adam’s father, he would become
Adam’s brother.
Everything
was executed following God’s design and in harmony with the Law and the
declarations of the prophets. In fact, the Law, declared that any man who had
lost his freedom because of his debts, had the right to be rescued by his
brother or one of the members of his father’s family. (Leviticus 25: 47..48)
And being able to fulfil all the needed requirements, God’s first son joined
His design for man’s redemption.
Considering
all these things, the apostle Paul applies to Jesus the words of acceptance of
this son before his Father quoting Psalm 40:6..8, and writes: “You didn’t
approve of holocausts and offerings for sin, then I said: ‘Look, I will go,
as it is written of me in the roll of the book, to achieve, my
God, your will!’” (Hebrews 10: 6..7)
18 At the time
established by God, an angel went to Mary, a young Jewish virgin from the
family of King David, and announced her God’s purpose. The angel said to Mary
“…holy
spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore, the child that will be born will also be pure and will be
called the Son of God”, (Luke 1:35) and she
accepted God’s willingly purpose, saying: “Here is the servant of the
Lord, be it to me according to your word” (Luke 1:37) So
Mary conceived and gave birth to a son, that as the angel had told her, was
called Yahushua, which means Yahuh Saves. (Luke 1:
31..35) Jesus was therefore a pure man, he was free of sin, and he
was like Adam, a man that came directly from of God.
The apostle
Paul writes: “…when the time came up, God sent forth his Son, born from a woman
and born under law…” (Galatians 4:4) Because as a circumcised Jew, Jesus
was under the Law given to Moses, and in order to achieve God’s purpose, he was
bound to fulfil all its requests and reach God’s approval, since the Law says:
“You
shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, the man that does so, shall live
because of them”. (Leviticus 18:5)
19 Now, no man
had ever been able to fulfil in perfection the spirit and the requirements of
the Law, but as Peter writes, Christ “…did no sin, nor was deceit found in his
mouth”, (1Peter 2:22) and for this reason, he became the only
man with a right to live without reaching natural death, and so, the only man
qualified to offer an equivalent life for the life lost by Adam, and pay the
price of the ransom of mankind,.
Paul explains
it this way: “as by only one transgression, the blame extended to all
men, by only one act of justice, the justification which gives life
is extended to all mankind, and if by the transgression of only one man, many
have been constituted sinners, by the obedience of only one man, also many are
justified”. (Romans 5:17..19) Thus, “If death came trough
one man, resurrection also comes through one man, and in the same
way they all die by means of Adam, they all may come back to life by means
Christ”. (1Corinthians 15:21)
20 For this
reason Paul says: “It is written that the first Adam was made a living being,
but the last Adam was made a spirit that gives life”. (1 Corinthians 15:45)
For this reason, “…the faith in the redeeming power of his blood, is
the basis on which God, in his mercy, assigns justification” to men,
because He considers as righteousness their voluntary faith in His purpose
though Christ. (Romans 3:26)
During his
assignment among the people of Israel, Jesus said to his followers: “Verily I say
to you: the hour has come and is now, when the dead will hear the voice
of the Son of God, and those who will listen to it, shall live”, (John 5:25)
Because even if all mankind is bound to death, through God’s mercy, man may
reach righteousness and life, by faith in the significance of the sacrifice
offered by Jesus. It is true that for many people “…to talk about this
sacrifice is absurd”, but Paul says that it is only absurd “for those
who will perish… but for us who are going to be saved, it is the
demonstration of the power of God”. (1Corinthians 1:18)
21 Bearing in
mind the attitude assumed by Christ towards his Father, Paul says: “…despite
being divine, he didn’t seek to make himself equal to God, and he
left his position, taking on the condition of a servant and
making himself equal to men; and when he was in human condition, he
humbled himself and was obedient until his death, a death of sacrifice.
Therefore, God has exalted him to the highest position and
has given him a name above all others, so that in the name of Jesus, the knees
of those who are in heaven, on earth, and below (those who died), bow down,
and all mouths proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Lord, for the glory of God,
the Father”. (Philippians 2:5..11)
God has thus
made him the Lord of all things and for this reason, in the book of the
Revelation, which relates the end of this world and the beginning of a new
world under the government of Christ, John describes him saying “…His eyes
shined like a flame of fire and he had many diadems on his head… His name is
‘The Word of God’… On his gown there was a writing…’King of kings and Lord
of lords’”. (Apocalypses 19:12..16) So when the roman prefect
Pilate asked Jesus: “Are you a King?” he could verily answer “Yes as you say, I
am King …” (John 18:37)
22 Being the
king appointed by God over all His creation, Christ taught his disciples to ask
his Father to bring His Kingdom to earth, as He had established. He said: “You must
pray as follows: Our Father who is in Heaven….Your Kingdom come and Your
will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven…” (Matthew 6:9..10)
All his disciples shared the hope that the Kingdom of God would be established
on earth when Christ returned as King, for this reason Peter urged the
people of Israel, saying: “Repent and be converted, so that your sins are
wiped out and the comforting time of the presence of the Lord arrives,
and he who has been previously appointed is sent: Jesus Christ whom
heavens must retain until the time of the restoration of all things, as
declared by God since ancient times through His saints, His prophets”. (Acts
3:19..21) And Paul states “…Christ, after having offered himself once to
abolish forever the sins of many, will manifest himself again on a second
occasion, but not in relation to sin, but in relation to those who wait
for him to be saved”. (Hebrews 9:28)
23 Whilst Jesus
and his disciples were looking at the magnificent buildings of Jerusalem’s Temple, he said to them: “Do you see all these things? Yet I say to you that here will not
remain stone upon stone that will not to be pulled down”. So when
they sat down to rest, they asked him: “Tell us, when
will this happen? And what will be the sign of your presence and
of the end of this world?” (Matthew 24:1..3) Then Jesus disclosed
some future events, and speaking for all of those who in the future, would put
faith in his name, he mentioned some of the signs to precede his return and the
establishment of his kingdom, which would put an end to this world “under the
power of the Malefactor”. (1John 5:19) And he also “...said to
them: ‘be careful about not being deceived, because many will come in my
name saying: ‘It’s me’ and ‘the time has come’, but don’t follow them…” (Luke
21:8)
24 Then he
said: “…’when you hear talk about wars and revolutions, don’t be anxious,
those are things that must happen, but the end will not arrive so soon. In
that time’ he said, ‘nation will be instigated against nation and kingdom
against kingdom. There will be great natural catastrophes (the Greek
word seismoi does not only in apply to earthquakes but to every type of
natural disaster) and depending on the place, epidemics and famine.
Terrifying things will occur and also great phenomenon from the sky”. And
speaking of what would soon happen to his disciples, he said “…but before
all these things happen, you will be persecuted and arrested to be
handed over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be taken before
governors and kings for my name’s sake… When you see Jerusalem surrounded by
the armies, you will understand that the time for it’s destruction has arrived.
Hence, those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, those who are indoors of it (the city of
Jerusalem) escape! And those who are in the fields, don’t enter into it,
because these will be days of vengeance, so that all what is written may be
fulfilled…”, And “…Jerusalem will be trodden down by the nations until the
appointed times of the nations are concluded”. (Luke 21: 8..22,24)
25 Then Jesus
continued speaking about the signs of his return, and said: “…there will
be signs in the sun, in the moon and the stars, and on earth, anxiety among the
nations, distressed by the uproar and the waves of the sea, (the
confusion of the wrestles crowds, see Isaiah 17:12) whilst men
will be disheartened because of their fear and the perspective of what is going
to happen on earth. In fact, the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And
then, they will see the Son of Man arriving on a cloud (see Acts 1:9..11), with great
power and glory…” (Luke 21:25..28)
26 A long time
before Jesus’ time, the prophet Ezekiel had written: “This is what the
Supreme Eternal Lord says: ‘Woe to the foolish prophets that follow their
own inspiration, but haven’t seen anything!’ (Ezekiel 13:3)
And there were many of these so called prophets in Israel! For this reason
Jesus warned those who in the last days, would be awaiting for his return; he
said: “…if someone says: ‘Christ is here’ or ‘he’s there’, don’t you
believe him, because deceitful anointed and deceitful prophets
will spring up, they will do great signs and astonishing things as to deceive
if possible, even the elected ones. Be aware, because I have told you! So if
they say to you ’There he is, in the desert!’, don’t go, or ‘there he is, in
his lodgings’ (proclamations of an invisible presence) don’t you
believe them; because just as a flash of lightening comes from the East
and shines right over to the West, so will be the presence of the Son of
Man...” (Matthew 24:23..27) Then “he will send His angels
with a loud sound of the trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four
winds, from one extremity of the heavens to the other”. (Matthew 24:31)
And after this, he declared: “Of this day and of this hour nobody
knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, only my Father…” (Matthew
24:36)
27 Some seven
hundred years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah wrote: “The Eternal
says: ‘Look! I’m going to create a new heaven and a new earth, the
previous ones will not be mentioned nor will they come to mind, and those I
will create will forever bring joy and delight, because I will make
Jerusalem ‘Joy’ and her people, ‘Delight’, and I will be joyful for Jerusalem
and I will be delighted for my people, and never shall weeping or moaning be
heard in her”. (Isaiah 65:17..19)
Many years
later, the apostle John confirms his words, and writes “…I saw a new
heaven and a new earth because the previous heaven and
the previous earth had disappeared and the sea was no more. (see
Isaiah 17:12). And I saw how God made descend from heaven the Holy City, the New Jerusalem (the government of God under Christ, that
will bring joy and delight to humankind) adorned like a
bride for her spouse. Then I heard a loud voice that came from heaven and said:
‘The Tabernacle of God (the temple constructed ‘living stones’ of which
Christ is the corner stone, as it is said in 1Peter: 4..5) is with mankind and will
remain with them, because they will be his people. God himself will favour
them and He will wipe every tear from their eyes; death will be no more,
nor mourning, weeping or pain, because the past things are gone. He who sits on
the throne told me: ‘Look, I make all things new’, and said: ‘Write
this down, because these words are faithful and true‘”. (Revelation
21:1..5)
This is the
way the Scriptures portray the future of humanity, in “the
forthcoming world about which we speak”. (Hebrews 2:5)
28 The apostle
Paul wrote: “…all things written were recorded for our instruction, so
that through our perseverance and from the comfort that comes from the
Scriptures, we may maintain hope”. (Romans 15:4) So, let us serve
God with spirit and truth. Let’s not be afraid to spread and
defend the Good New of God’s purpose for all men, as it is transmitted through
the Scriptures.
Jesus
promised his followers “…the Son of Man must return with his angels, in
the glory of his Father, and he will then reward each one in proportion to his
work”. (Matthew 16.27) The work of his followers is to share
the genuine Good New just as it is in the Scripture, and for this reason, they
must learn and “…remember correctly the words of the holy prophets
and the instructions that the Lord our Saviour, has transmitted us through his
apostles”, (2 Peter 3:2) the words that confirm our faith in the fact
that “…in harmony with his all embracing knowledge, God concluded his
everlasting purpose through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:10)
29 He who puts
faith in of God’s design has before him a marvellous future. It is true that,
as Peter says, “…there will be in the last days some mockers… that will
scornfully say: ‘Where is his promised presence?... but these willingly ignore
that by the Word of God, in ancient times were made the heavens, and the earth
emerged from the water… and by the order of that same Word, the world of that
time was destroyed by the water of the deluge…” (2 Peter 3:3..6)
A violent human society was then wiped out, but a family of eight people put
faith in the salvation provided by God, and following His instructions, saved
their lives by constructing an arch.
Let us put to
day our faith in Christ, through whom God provides salvation, and we will live
to enjoy the eternal purpose for which man was created.