Monthly Archives: March 2015
THE LAND IS MINE -EYES ON ISRAEL PT. 2
BY JOHN ROSENSTERN
Leviticus 25:23 –
“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and
sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.”
ISRAEL’S RIGHT IN THE LAND
There are many claims to the land of Israel. Muslims claim Jerusalem houses their third holiest site. The world recognized Jerusalem as an international city. The Bible declares Jerusalem will be a “burdensome stone for all people.” Middle East peace has plagued every president since the founding of the United States of America. The expansion of the U.S. Navy after the Revolutionary War was to free our seafaring mercantilists from the Muslim pirates of the Barbary Coasts.
The name of Israel is mentioned more than 1,600 times throughout the Bible while Jerusalem is mentioned more than 800 times in the Bible. The city of Jerusalem is called the City of David more than 40 times. There should be little argument to the significance of Israel and Jerusalem for God’s sake, according to the Bible. God’s immutable promise to Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob and his children, and David will not be broken or substituted by the Christian church. God has a plan to bring Israel to its rightful and legal possession of the land. The day is coming soon when Israel will reign in God’s righteousness and possess God’s land in peace. Only then will there be world peace (Deut. 3 0:1- 6; I s a. 11:11-16).
ABRAHAM
There are three faiths in the world that trace their origins to Abraham. Jews, Christians and Muslims all claim father Abraham to be of vast significance to the establishment of their beliefs. Jews and Christians obtain the majority of their knowledge about Abraham from the Old Testament of the Bible, also called the Tanakh in Hebrew. Muslims hold to the Quran as their sacred book. Muslims believe their prophet Muhammad received revelations from Allah, his god, and memorized Allah’s instruction and then dictated the sayings to others. Later these revelations were compiled into a book after Muhammad’s death and called the Quran. Muslims believe Jews and Christians twisted and perverted the original meaning of the Bible.
Therefore, Allah sent down the Quran to bring back the proper understanding of his will for man. In Islam, Muhammad is revered above all prophets and is considered to be the last and greatest of all prophets. Muslims also revere Abraham as a prophet and a version of his life is found throughout the Quran. Abraham’s name occurs 69 times in the Quran, making him the second most occurring name of prophets in the Quran after Moses. There are many fundamental differences between the Bible story of Abraham and the Quran. Both accounts contradict each other. They are mutually incompatible.
The Quran is written in suras, similar to chapters. The verses of the Quran are called ayats. There are 114 suras in the Quran. The structure of the chapters is not in histological or chronological order. The suras, with the exception of the first one, are arranged by length. Chapter two is the longest, on down to the last sura. Due to the lack of chronology, the Quran is not designed to be a story. The very name Quran means “to recite.” It is more a book of commands than a storyline of historical events. The hadiths — sayings and traditions of Muhammad — were assembled by followers of Muhammad after his death. The Hadiths provide some historical perspective that transpired throughout Muhammad’s life.
The hadiths explain the historical events in the Quran. In Sura 6:74, the Quran claims Abraham’s father’s name was Azar and not Terah as in the Bible (Gen. 11:24, 31). Sura 14:37 says Abraham worshipped in the valley of Mecca. Mecca is located in modern day Saudi Arabia. A distance of more than 750 miles separates Mecca from Israel. In Gen. 13:18, the Bible clearly says Abraham worshipped Jehovah God in Hebron. The well-known story of how Abraham was commanded by God to offer Isaac as a sacrifice is detailed throughout Chapter 22 of Genesis.
Jehovah God made it very clear that Abraham was to take his “only son Isaac” into the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering. Isaac was God’s child of promise. It was to be through Isaac’s lineage that God’s promise to Abraham would manifest. The contravening testimony of the Quran teaches in Sura 37:100-112, that Abraham offered Ishmael and not Isaac as a sacrifice.Two more important discrepancies that distinguish the Bible from the Quran are not found in the Bible. In fact they are ambiguous and historically incorrect. The Quran claims Abraham built the Kabah (Sura 2:125-127).
The Kabah was located in Mecca and was the shrine where 360 gods were worshipped amongst the Arab Bedouins. Muhammad’s family was the caretaker of the Kabah, according to Islamic tradition. One of the gods of the Kabah was Allah. Muhammad’s father was named after Allah. It is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. The only remote similarity in the stories of Abraham and Isaac in the Bible and Quran are simply their names. The other story of Abraham’s life taken from the Quran is a claim that he was thrown into a furnace by Nimrod (Sura 21:68-69 and 9:69). This fairy tale is not found in the Bible but is plagiarized by Muhammad from Jewish tradition. This story is found in the Midrash Rabbah. The Bible gives a lengthy story of Abraham and the promises of God to him and his seed.
The calling of Abraham came to him while he was a Gentile living in Ur of the Chaldees. Ur of the Chaldees was located in modern day Iraq, not far from Babylon.
God instructed Abraham to leave his family and go to a land that God would show him. The promise of God to Abraham begins with a destination — Canaan land — known today as modern Israel or Palestine. We can immediately observe from the call to Abraham that it is linked to a promised land. The promises given by God to Abraham required his obedience to God. If Abraham would leave his family and father’s house and travel to the land God would show him, then Abraham would become a great nation, and his name would be blessed, and he would be a blessing to the world. God would add to the promise given to Abraham with a special blessing to those who would bless Abraham. Likewise, God would curse those who cursed Abraham. Abraham was to leave the worship of idols and separate himself from his family unto God. In order to better comprehend the deep meaning associated with Abraham’s relationship to God, we must first understand how Abraham worshipped God through sacrifices.
The first evidence we have of Abraham sacrificing to God is when Abraham passed through the land of Canaan. God appeared to Abraham and strengthened His promise to him by telling him that his seed, children, and future posterity, would also inherit the land. Abraham built an altar unto God. The Hebrew for altar means “a place of slaughter,” signifying a place used for sacrifices. The sacrifice was a memorial to God for His deeds towards Abraham. The sacrifice denotes Abraham recognizing God as God. His relationship was based on trust and obedience to God. The patriarch knew God and honored Him with worship through sacrifices. It is essential for us to realize that throughout Abraham’s life, the wonderful loving fellowship he shared with God was never without his sacrifices to God. What assurance did Abraham have from God that God would honor His promise?
THE LAND IS MINE -EYES ON ISRAEL
Part I
by John Rosenstern
Leviticus 25:23 –
“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and
sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.”
THE MIDDLE EAST HAS been a festering powder keg for centuries. Now, more than ever, it seems ripe for an all-out confrontation between Israel and her surrounding Muslim neighbors. The land — comprised of modern Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and small parts of other neighboring countries — was promised by God, in the Bible, to Israel. Events in the last 100 years have shaped the modern real estate of the Middle East. However, there’s one small parcel of land in the Middle East that is still in dispute: Israel. What legitimate claim do the Jews have to their land? Do the Palestinian people truly have a history in this land and therefore a right of succession? How does God figure into this equation? I hope to address these questions and many others as we explore from the Bible what God has to say about the land ownership and whose right it is to claim the land. I believe a careful evaluation of this matter will expose the root of the problem that existed from the time of Abraham unto this day.
GOD’S LAND
“The land is Mine,” was a declaration by God to Israel, and to us all, that there is a legitimate landowner. Throughout the Bible, God establishes who owns the land, to whom the land is promised, and the conditions that must be obeyed to remain
in possession of the land known as Israel. History has proven the land has been possessed or controlled by many different nations at many different times. Right now, the land is possessed by Israelis and Palestinians. However, the influence from
the surrounding nations of Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia; and the United States, England, Russia, and many other nations, including the United Nations, have played a crucial role toward resolving who they think should possess the land.
ISRAEL RETURNS
Modern Israel was formed on May 14, 1948, in postulation of the United Nations’ decision to partition the land between Israel and the Palestinian people. A two-state solution was determined as the peaceful resolution for the disputed land. The Palestinian’s rejected Israel’s right to be a nation and protested by refusing to form their nation. Israel declared her independence, and the birth of modern Israel took her first traumatic breath with a struggle to survive, not just as a nation, but also as a people. The confederate Muslim armies of the newly shaped Middle East immediately sought to destroy Israel and prevent her from being a nation. Efforts by Nazi Germany during World War II failed to abort the Jews while they were in the womb of hope of being a nation. Adolph Hitler, while accompanied by his Muslim companions, Haj Amin al Husseini and Hasan al Banna, formulated the Final Solution to exterminate Jews from the planet. Although nearly 6 million Jews died during Hitler’s reign of terror, Jews drew strength from their survival as a people, and hopes of being a nation once again finally became reality.
OCCUPATION TERMS
“The land is Mine” will consider God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These patriarchs of old were given immutable promises that their seed would have “lease” rights to God’s land forever. The conditions were clearly spelled out by God and the terms were not to be broken lest the tenant suffer temporary eviction. Each dispensation of the generations that succeeded Abraham was given responsibilities to satisfy the land lease terms. Dwelling in the land with obedience had many privileges and benefits though. Unlike today where an apartment renter my get cable TV and electric thrown in as part of the lease package, Israel was promised financial prosperity, good health, and peace amongst itself and its enemies. In fact, the whole world was promised these benefits as long as Israel remained obedient to the lease terms and remained in the land.
NO PEACE
Today Jews dwell in the land promised by God to her forefathers; yet she is without peace. The world speaks of peace at every forum and conclave; yet it is without peace. What peace is and what consti-tutes peace will be addressed throughout this article series, “The Land is Mine,” to illustrate how true and lasting peace can be achieved and maintained by individuals, and the nations of the world. History has demonstrated that under the leadership of dictators, monarchs, and governments there have been times of peace. However, during those times, financial prosperity, personal health, and freedom were not obtained by everyone. Even while under Pax Romana, the Roman Empire sustained a façade of peace. Rome’s egregious emperors ruled in dictatorial fashion by subduing surrounding countries and demoralizing the general public at will while heralding this as peace (?) For us to laudably claim peace on earth and good will toward man, while using corrupt governments as our guide, is as foolish as putting a compass in your car and planning to drive your car to the moon.
~JSM
Has the Lamp of God Gone Out in Today’s Church?
and ere the Lamp of God went out in the Temple of the LORD, where the Ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep (I Sam. 3:3).
I Samuel 3:1 says “The Word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.” This means there was a scarcity of the Word of the Lord in Israel of that day. The nation and its people were in serious straits, which always is the case when the Word of the Lord is scarce.
There have never been more Churches in America than at the present time; however, there has never been less true Word of the Lord preached at any time since the Reformation than now!
Eli, the High Priest, was not only physically blind, but spiritually blind, as well. Consequently, Israel had no spiritual leadership. How so much that mirrors the present!
Then the Scripture says, “And ere the Lamp of God went out in the Temple of the LORD,” which proclaims the Golden Lampstand, which sat in the Holy Place, giving light so that the Priests could see to minister. Regrettably, it is unattended, which means the oil has not been replenished. Is the “Lamp” going out in the modern Church?
The phrase, “Where the Ark of God was,” proclaimed the Holy of Holies, and typified the Throne of God. In other words, access to the Throne was being seriously curtailed. But then God spoke. It was at this dark moment that He chose to reveal Himself; yet not to some influential personage, but to a little boy!
Many people say that it is wrong to speak to a child about the Wrath of God; however, this belief shows how even religious teachers are fallen from God’s moral likeness. For His first Message to little Samuel was an appalling one!
Regrettably, if the modern Church doesn’t like the messenger, they reject the Message.
However, let it ever be understood:
It is God Who chooses the messenger, and not man. Those whom man chooses are not accepted by God; sadly, those whom God chooses, it seems, are little accepted by man. Nevertheless, the Word of God holds true, irrespective as to the messenger.
Jesus did not meet with the approval of Israel, so they rejected Him. In rejecting Him, they rejected His Message, which was the only Message of Life.
Listen to the Message! If it’s not the Message of the Cross, then it’s not the Message of the Lord, for the entirety of the Tabernacle and all of its furnishings typified Christ and the Cross.
~JSM
End time Events: Keeping Our Eyes on Israel For Our Future Well Being.
Israel
Israel was the only Nation in the world, at least during Old Testament Times that was monotheistic, meaning a worshipper of the One True God, i.e., “Jehovah.” All of the other nations of the world were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped many gods, all in the form of idols. To Israel was given the responsibility of proclaiming the True God to the world, in which, as stated, she miserably failed. As such, Israel had the responsibility of leadership for the world, which was in the Mind of God, but not at all recognized by the world. At any rate, due to sin, that privilege was removed from Israel, and given to the Gentiles. During Bible times, those Gentiles included Babylon (modern Iraq), the Medo-Persians (modern Iran), the Grecian Empire, and then the Romans. The Romans were in power during the time of Christ.
The United States
When the Roman Empire ceased to be in the Sixth Century, it could probably be said that the scepter of power passed from her faltering hands to England, where it remained for nearly 1,500 years. Admittedly, the first several centuries were spent with England gradually getting her sea legs, so to speak. During WWII, this scepter of power passed from England to the United States, where it has remained ever since.
This “times of the Gentiles” referring to the United States, is very important, in fact, far more important than the tenure of England, inasmuch as Israel became a Nation in 1948. Even though the sovereignty of Israel is not complete, even unto this hour, at least in the Mind of God, and simply because Israel is not functioning as demanded by the Lord. In fact, she will not be able to do that until after the Second Coming, when she finally accepts Christ. Nevertheless, America’s position, at least again in the Mind of God, is extremely important, inasmuch as it is our responsibility to serve as the lord protectorate of Israel. In fact, the protection of Israel is possibly the single most important responsibility we have, that is, designated by God.
This scepter of power is scheduled to pass from the hands of the U.S.A. to that of the Antichrist. This will take place after the Rapture (Resurrection) of the Church. Concerning this, the Apostle Paul said:
“Let no man deceive you by any means (in other words, don’t listen to that which is Scripturally incorrect): for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first (should have been translated, ‘for that day shall not come, except there come a departure first’; this speaks of the Rapture, which in essence says the Second Coming cannot take place until certain things happen), and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (this speaks of the Antichrist, who must come upon the world scene before the Second Coming)” (II Thess. 2:3).
~JSM
Endtime Events: Israel, the Antichrist and the USA pt. 2
Considering that the Antichrist will be able to broker this peace treaty, it seems that the U.S.A. will at the time abdicate her responsibility regarding Israel. In other words, Israel’s protector will now be the man of sin, as defined by the Apostle Paul (II Thess. 2:3). Now, the scepter of power is in the hands of the Antichrist, where it will remain until the time of the Second Coming.
If it is to be noted, at the present time (2007), the U.S.A. is showing signs of weariness regarding Israel. In fact, at this time, America is the only friend that Israel has in the world. Although there is no indication that America will abdicate her position as Israel’s protectorate, and despite the Muslims, still, when the Antichrist comes upon the scene, which he shortly will do so, this nation will gladly pass the baton to him, so to speak, which he will gladly accept.
But in the meantime, the prosperity and blessing of this nation by Almighty God is dependent on many things, but most of all our protection of Israel. We must never forget that.
Why?
• We have been appointed by the Lord for this position for such a time as this. Concerning Israel, the Lord plainly said: “I will bless them who bless you, and curse him who curses you: and in you shall all families of the Earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). So, our Blessings depend upon our proper protection of Israel.
• Israel is to be restored as the Priestly Nation of the world, which will take place immediately after the Second Coming (Isa. 11:11–12; 14:1; Jer. 23:3–8).
• Israel is predicted by the Holy Spirit, at least those who are alive at the time of the Second Coming, to accept Christ as their Messiah, and their Saviour and Lord. Concerning this the Scripture says: “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the House of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. (The phrase, ‘In that day’ occurs 18 times from Zech. 9:16 through Zech. 14:21. This shows how precious ‘that day’ is to the Messiah’s Heart. In that day, His Victory over the enemies of His People will be great, but greater will be His moral Victory over His People themselves.
~JSM
Con’t -How Change Occurred in Our Education/Governmental System Through the Years pt. 2
by John Rosenstern
WALL OF SEPARATION
The Danbury Baptist Association wrote to President Thomas Jefferson in 1801, and in the president’s reply, he coined the phrase “a wall of separation between church and state” in assuring the Baptists that government would not interfere with their religious freedoms recently guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The phrase, “a wall of separation between church and state,” cannot be found in the Constitution or any other founding documents. Justice Black made a decision that was based on a quote from the response letter Jefferson wrote back to Danbury Baptist Association. What the First Amendment says is: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers knew the intension of the First Amendment was simply to prevent the establishment of a single denomination. The letter sent to Jefferson by Danbury expressed their concern that the guarantee of the “free exercise of religion” appeared in the First Amendment. To them, this suggested that the right to religious freedom was a government-granted right rather than a God-granted right. Their concern, as should be ours, was that someday the government might try to regulate religious expression. A court declared in 1799: “By our form of government, the Christian religion is the stablished religion; and all its sects and denominations of Christians are placed on the same and equal footing.” The misapplication and distortion by Justice Black of Jefferson’s response phrase “a wall of separation between church and state” gave license to all in government to use the new philosophy of the court to abolish Christianity from the public sector.
The eight words within Jefferson’s letter to Danbury have become a mantra often repeated enough for the masses to believe it as though this is what the founders desired. The unconstitutional phrase was used successfully in the case of Engel v. Vitale—the case that struck down school prayer. The court also redefined the word church in their ruling. Up until 1962, the word church, as used in the phrase “separation of church and state,” was defined to mean a federally established denomination. From 1962, the word church would now mean “a religious activity in public.” Prayer was considered an activity in public and, therefore, deemed unconstitutional based on the new meaning. The meaning of the First Amendment was altered by the courts.
Within a year after prayer was successfully removed from schools by the court, two more cases also eliminated Bible reading, Bible classes, and instruction. This was a great departure from our founders. NOW WHAT? Christian education was replaced with humanism and psychology. Have the changes in our schools helped our society? Is moral evolution working to improve humanity, or has it been our demise in America? We will continue our discussion on education next month. Satan knows that if he can get the minds of our youth while they are impressionable, he can then plant seeds of doubt and foster rebellion against Christianity. The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
CHANGE -How Change Occurred in Our Education/Governmental System Through the Years pt. 1
by John Rosenstern
BY 2050, ALMOST ONE-THIRD of the population of the United States will be older than 60 years old. Economists ask, “What does an aging population mean for a nation’s productivity, innovation, and savings?” What is ignored is the effect of our aging population on fundamental Christian beliefs. Since the founding of America and its framers, who espoused godliness and moral living with Christianity, there has been an effort by reformists, now called progressives, to remove any semblance of Christianity from society. America’s public educational system is the battleground for the minds of our youth. Governmental education seeks to abolish and expunge any Christian expression by treating it as profanity. How did this all begin?
EARLY AMERICAN EDUCATION
Early American education was largely a private issue. Education was under the control of the church. America’s oldest universities were started by preachers and churches. Harvard was founded in 1636 by the Puritans. The university’s “Rules and Precepts” stated: “Let every student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life and therefore lay Christ at the bottom, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.” Harvard’s original seal states upon it, “Truth for Christ and the Church.” Yale was established in 1701 with a stated goal that “every student shall consider the main end of his study to wit to know God in Jesus Christ and answerably to lead a godly, sober life.”
William and Mary was founded to supply the church of Virginia “with a seminary of ministers” that the “Christian faith may be propagated.” John Knox Witherspoon was a Scots Presbyterian minister and a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. Because of him, Princeton became known as the seedbed of revolution. Princeton had as one of its founding statements, “Cursed is all learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ.” Columbia, previously known as King’s College, had as its purpose to “inculcate upon students’ tender minds the great principles of Christianity and morality.” At the time of American independence, the bestselling book was the Bible. The second most popular book was John Cotton’s Spiritual Milk for Babes, the first children’s book published in America. How things did quickly change from a God-fearing, Jesus-loving society to a nation accepting an atheist like John Dewey, who was called “the architect of modern education.” Dewey would say, “There is no God, and there is no soul. Hence, there are no needs for the props of traditional religion.”
EDUCATION AND THE CONSTITUTION
The matter of education was left to the states by the Founding Fathers. The subject of education is absent from the body of the Constitution of the United States. The Tenth Amendment gave the states power to handle education. The Tenth Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Government-controlled education began in Boston in 1817. Lobbyists contended that poor families were unable to afford private schooling for their children. Public school advocates pushed for a publicly funded school system in lieu of the fact that 96 percent of Boston’s children were in school, even though there were no truancy laws. The battle raged on for over 30 years as public school advocates persisted toward a “tax-supported, publicly controlled and directed, nonsectarian common school system.” In the 1850s, the decen tralized educational system that demonstrated great results was affected by the governmental schools that began to wipe out sponsors who could not simultaneously support them while paying taxes to support the public school system.
The idea that a governmental school would increase enrollment and become a safety net so that poor children could go to school turned out to be the first step in removing Christian influence in education. Governmental education funded by tax dollars gradually achieved its goal of removing religious education and replaced it with humanism. The effort to systematically destroy Christian influence in education initially came from Horace Mann. His goal of centralizing education became a reality through his efforts to establish the Massachusetts Board of Education. Mann supported the idea of social engineering. He believed that the governmental schools would provide the mechanism to create a society in which crimes would be eliminated. It was during Mann’s tenure that the seeds of secularism were planted in the educational system, and the idea of religious instruction would be left to the parents at home.
LAWS OF CHANGE
The landmark decision by the Supreme Court in the case of Everson v. Board of Education (1947) opened wide the door for public schools to strip Christianity from public schools. The case was the result of Arch Everson filing a lawsuit against Ewing Twp to prevent state taxes from being used to transport parochial students to their Catholic school in Trenton, New Jersey. Justice Hugo Black took Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation” statement out of context and gave it its first precedent for future church and state jurisprudence. Black claimed the First Amendment “has erected a wall between church and state. That must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.” This meant that from that day forward, the separation of church and state would be applied to all aspects of government, not just the federal level. Several key factors in Justice Black’s background may have inclined him to rule unfavorably against religion. It is a known fact that Justice Black was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. He was not a practicing Christian, and the evidence shows that he did not believe in the supernatural aspects of Christianity. This evidence supports a conclusion that Justice Black was prejudiced against religion in his decision in Everson v. Board of Education and engaged in judicial activism.
This is the most important question in human existence and one whose answer is clearly outlined in scripture. In order to be saved we must first realize our true state of sinfulness before God and know that He alone can save us, cleanse us, and give us eternal life. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the only way and we can not have access to God through any other means. In fact, in John 14:6, Jesus plainly stated…
God Loves You!
God loves you so much that he made a way for you, through the shed blood of his son so that you might be able to spend eternity with Him.
“For God so loved the world that he gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life” ( Jn. 3:16 ).
Man is a Sinner, and Sin has Separated him from God!
You may think you are a good person but being good is not enough! Every man has sinned and there is none that is righteous before God!
“For there is not a just man upon Earth, that doeth good and sinneth not” ( Eccl. 7:20 ).
“For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
Jesus Christ is the Only Remedy for Sin!
Jesus Christ is the only remedy for sin. We can not be good enough to get into heaven, nor can our good works get us there.
There was no other way for God to erase the effect of sin except by blood. The shedding of Christ’s blood indicated that the penalty for sin had been paid; a perfect sinless life had been sacrificed for the lives of all who have sinned.
“. . .Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins” ( Hebrews 9:22 )
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…” ( I Pet. 3:18 ).
“Neither is there Salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” ( Acts 4:12 ).
You Must Receive Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Savior
To be saved, a man must confess that Jesus is Lord, while acknowledging in his heart that Christ must have full rule over his life. This confession of Christ as Lord assumes that it is Christ who will work and fulfill His own righteousness within man, as man is unable to attain righteousness of his own accord.
Jesus calls this experience the “new birth.” He told Nicodemus: “. . . Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” ( Jn. 3:3 ).
We invite you now to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” ( Jn. 1:12 ).
Pray this Prayer and Mean it with all Your Heart
Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner and have broken your laws. I understand that my sin has separated me from you. I am sorry and I ask you to forgive me. I accept the fact that your son Jesus Christ died for me, was resurrected, and is alive today and hears my prayers. I now open my heart’s door and invite Jesus in to becomemy Lord and my Saviour. I give Him control and ask that He would rule and reign in my heart so that His perfect will would be accomplished in my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Congratulations!
If you prayed this prayer in all sincerity, you are now a Child of God. However there are a few things that you need to do to follow up on your commitment.
- Get baptized ( full immersion) in water as commanded by Christ
- Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ.
- Spend time with God each day through prayer and Bible reading
- Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus
~J. Swaggart Ministry