” I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;” Deuteronomy 30:19
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Galatians 6:7-8
“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.” Proverbs 9:7-12
‘ “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord, ‘ Isaiah 1:18
“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jesus said in John 10;9-10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.” Proverbs 9:8-12
“The foolishness of a man twists his way,
And his heart frets against the Lord.” Proverbs 19:3
The choice to have a choice is NOT for Man to choose or decide. That’s our Maker’s choice – that’s God’s prerogative. God gave Adam and Eve the Freedom of Will to choose.
In the garden of Eden, God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Adam was given a CHOICE to obey or not to obey.
‘And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”’ Genesis 2:16, 17
God created man after His own image. One of the things that this implies is that man is given a free choice to decide whether to obey God or disobey.
If man is to be free to make a choice, then there must be something to choose between and without the existence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then no choice would have been possible for Adam & Eve.
NOTE God’s Rescue Plan for mankind even before the foundation of the world:
“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:17-21
However the rescue plan will still depend on your CHOICE to want to BE SAVED or REDEEMED from the destiny in hell or NOT – that’s Your decision that GOD our Creator will always respect and honour – because He granted you this option: your inalienable right to choose while living and alive on this earth.
‘for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” ‘Revelation 7:17
the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne
God the Son, Jesus Himself is in the midst of the throne of God.
will shepherd them
They will be led by the True Shepherd who was stricken on their behalf. A worthless shepherd is one who feeds himself on the sheep.
living fountains of waters
This is the living water which the same Shepherd, Jesus who promised the Samaritan woman in John 4:13 ‘Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”’
This water is available freely to all who thirst. Jesus said in Revelation 21:6 “It is done!I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.”
It is the river of life which will ultimately be found flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, as in Revelation 22:1 “..a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
wipe away every tear
God will swallow up death forever and promised to wipe away every tear.
“He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;..” Isaiah 25:8a
and in their joy, their sorrow and sighing will flee away.
“…With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10b
Ultimately, in eternity in heaven, there will be no more pain and the former things have disappeared.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” John 10:9
Christ is the Door.
Jesus here lets us know what he meant by “the door” – the way by which every man must enter into life that findeth life, by which every soul that shall be saved MUST enter – into heaven. He is a door open for our passage and communication with God. The clear direction of how to come into the fold – we must come in ‘through the door of salvation’ – the Door by faith in Jesus Christ, the great Mediator between God and man.
by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved—
We must enter through the right door, that is, through faith in Christ, the exercises of faith in going unto Christ – such will be saved – from sin, the dominion of it, the guilt and condemning power of it – and from the law, its curse and condemnation, and from wrath to come, and forever shall be in a safe state, of being in Christ, and in His hands, out of which none can pluck them.
and shall go in and out and find pasture—
‘in’, as to a place of safety, rest and tranquility;
‘out’, as to “green pastures and still waters” (Psalm 23:2) for nourishment and enlivening – and all this be transported to another realm and savoured in another manner, at the close of this earthly life’s scene.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
Many who hear the word of Christ, do not understand it, because they WILL not.
” .. let it be known to you all…by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, .. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10,12
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 14:6-9
“… And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord,
And besides Me there is no savior.” Isaiah 43:10-11
“… I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Jesus said in Revelation 1:17-18
“Thus says the Lord, …
‘I am the First and I am the Last;
Besides Me there is no God.” Isaiah 44:6
Only God uses this term “I am the First and the Last”. Jesus is the First and the Last. He is beyond death, for He holds the keys of death and Hades. He is ‘FROM everlasting,’ ‘TO everlasting;’ the same ‘today, and forever’, as He was ‘yesterday’. (“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” Hebrews 13:8). He is the Eternal One.
Jesus is beyond time – for He created time and is outside the dimension of time. Time comes into existence when the heavenly bodies were created – by the way earthlings have a free trip around the sun in 31,536,000 seconds in every year (or 31,622,400 seconds in a leap year of 366 days).
The Messiah is the great “I Am” – the giver of all life. His association with death is only transient and that for the purpose of overcoming death, and bringing life out of death. The risen Christ said “I am ALIVE for evermore, though I died once, yet I die no more, death has no more dominion over me, I LIVE forever!’ He showed Himself all that a sinner needs to give him boldness in his dealings with Him; the Ever-Living One. He is with whom we have to deal, in these immense transactions of life and death.
The KEYS of Hades and Death – Jesus has power over soul and body – over those regions into which we pass when separated here on earth; and those who believe in Him shall come forth to resurrection-glory, to put on incorruption and strength and glory.!!! And He will yet bring forth His own in triumph.