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HISTORY’S GREATEST PLAGUE
“…for
in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” Genesis 2:17 (Amplified Bible)
Man’s very existence has always been threatened by the “big three” of
disease, war and famine, but there is a silent plague stalking us that renders
those things trivial by comparison. Even though the current population of the
world is estimated to be 6.7 billion—and continues to keep growing in spite of
the historic trio of death and destruction—100% of that tremendously large
number (which of course includes you and me) were born with a condition having
infinitely greater consequences!
Did you know that according to the Bible all humans are born into
this world spiritually dead? Adam’s act of disobedience doomed everyone,
everywhere to an existence of spiritual death and alienation from a holy
God—One whose perfection of Person and presence requires the same perfection
from all who will live with Him eternally. And since there has only been
one perfect human, Jesus Christ—God incarnate (or in the flesh)—the rest of us
are left to cope with the consequences of sin.
The Lord alluded to the fact of universal spiritual death after an
incident in which He had exhorted a man to follow Him and be His disciple. But
rather than comply immediately, the man offered the excuse that he needed to go
back home first so he could wait for his father to die and then give him a
proper burial:
“But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and leave
the dead [in sin] to bury their own dead” Matthew 8:22 (Amplified Bible).
Then several years later the
Apostle Paul explained to the believers at
“And you [He made alive], when you were dead
(slain) by [your] trespasses and sins” Ephesians
2:1 (Amplified Bible).
Therefore, in light of these things my question is this: Are you a walking, talking dead person who is under the condemnation of God? It is truly heart-breaking to contemplate, but the vast majority of the 6.7 billion people in the world today fall into that category! And only the relative few who have been born again—regenerated spiritually—are exempt from God’s wrath upon sin.
“For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. 18 He who believes in Him [who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him] is not judged [he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation—he incurs no damnation]; but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already [he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence] because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ’s name.] 19 The [basis of the] judgment (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light, for their works (deeds) were evil. 20 For every wrongdoer hates (loathes, detests) the Light, and will not come out into the Light but shrinks from it, lest his works (his deeds, his activities, his conduct) be exposed and reproved. 21 But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence upon Him]” John 3:16-21 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
According to Jesus Christ Himself, the way to heaven is narrow and
extremely exclusive:
“Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth
and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me” John 14:6 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).
“Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is
the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to
destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. 14 But
the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and
compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it” Matthew 7:13-14 (Amplified Bible, emphasis
mine).
The theological position recently stated by President George Bush (and
held by many others today) is that all religions pray to the same god and there
are many ways to get to heaven. But my friend, the preceding verses show us
that is definitely not what the Bible teaches. Any “religion”—any
system of belief that does not narrowly focus upon Jesus Christ and the Gospel
message presented in the Bible—is defined by it as being false.
Genuine Christianity stands distinctly apart from the “religions” of this
world in its exclusivity. There is only one God and He manifests Himself to us
in the Person of Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth,
and the Life! All others who try to present themselves or their
system of belief as being heaven’s “door” are said to be “thieves and robbers”
(John 10:7-8).
Fallen and depraved human nature despises exclusivity because of its
perceived “unfairness,” but be that as it may, God has set forth the terms for
His salvation and they must be met in order to receive it. To put it in common
parlance, “It is His way or the highway!”
So if by chance you are reading this and think that you might be one of
those people who are spiritually dead, I urge you to do something about it.
Rather than dismissing the whole thing as being ridiculous, please do yourself
a favor and seek the forgiveness that can be obtained in and through the Person
of Jesus Christ. There is no magic formula of words that must be prayed or good
works or specific acts of worship that must be done to receive His forgiveness.
If you feel the need to ask for it, the supernatural process has already begun!
“No one is able to come to Me unless the
Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the
desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the
last day” John 6:44 (Amplified Bible,
emphasis mine).
Just admit to God from your heart that you are a sinner—you say and do
things you know are wrong—and ask Him to forgive you and come into your life as
Lord and Savior. It is all a matter of being humble and approaching Him with
simple faith like a child.
“Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive and
accept and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does]
positively shall not enter it at all” Mark
10:15 (Amplified Bible).
But be advised God knows the difference between that which truly comes
from the heart and phony attempts to obtain “a fire escape from hell.”
Professions of faith made by pawns of the devil are “a dime a dozen,” but
instances of genuine salvation are not that common.
Then if He accepts your confession of guilt and plea for salvation, the
result will be nothing less than a change of heart and life! Because being
spiritually regenerated, or “born again,” involves a literal passing from
“death into life”:
“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the
person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes
and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who
sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment
[does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he
has already passed over out of death into life” John 5:24 (Amplified Bible).
Have you ever done this and does your life reflect the reality of it? If not, I urge you to do so, because there is only a heartbeat between you and eternity.
“For He says, In the time of favor (of an
assured welcome) I have listened to and heeded your call, and I have
helped you on the day of deliverance (the day of salvation). Behold, now is
truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance [of you from
God]; behold, now is the day of salvation!” 2 Corinthians 6:2 (Amplified Bible).
If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.
We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.
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Finally, we would love to hear from you. You can write us at:
Cutting Edge Ministries, C/O Pastor Ron Riffe
P.O. Box 26
Gordo, AL 35466
You can also E-Mail Pastor Ronald Riffe regarding questions or comments about this article.
God bless you