Question: “What
does
God require from us
so that we can enter heaven?”
Answer:
“Perfect
works, sinless and total obedience since the day we were born.”
When we
understand the character and nature of God, we can see what his entry
standards are for getting into heaven. This is the place where God
lives,
and as God is pure, holy and without sin, heaven is also pure, holy and
without
sin. Sin or sinners cannot enter.
When
Lucifer
sinned (his name means ‘the son of the morning’ with morning
representing light
- Lucifer was the son in the light), and became envious of who God was (Isaiah
14:12-15),
God
cast
him out of God’s sinless kingdom of heaven, and onto the earth, and God
changed
his name to Satan, where he is called the god of this world
(2Corinthians 4:4). When Adam sinned against God by disobeying God’s
instruction of
not
eating from the tree in the garden of Eden (Genesis
2:17), Satan
then became the ruler over Adam who was
now a law-breaker, a sinner.
So God has
every right to take our lives and send us all to hell as punishment.
That is
the nature of God and his laws – God demands perfect obedience. God’s
laws are
pure, holy and perfect, just like God (Rom 7:12). We
just can’t keep them no matter how hard we
try! Why? We are flesh, we are sinful, we are born sinners. As the
saying
goes “We take to sin like ducks go to water.” We are sons of Adam, but WE
NEED A NEW FATHER! We must be adopted by the last Adam, Christ Jesus,
as our
father! (1Cor 15:45).
Now when a
person like you and me sin, by not obeying what God
wants, God
has every right to kill us, and send us to the fires of hell to be
tormented
forever. But if that were the case, then no-one could get into heaven
because
all have sinned (Romans 3:23).
But how
would that prove that God is a loving God? It would only prove that God
was an
impossibly strict, but just, judge with no mercy. But that is only part
of who
God is. God said to himself “Look, if I send them all to hell to be
punished
forever, how will they know what love is? How can I show them how much
I love
them? I know, I’ll let them kill something in their place as a
substitute for
their sin. When they sin, they can kill an animal and the blood of that
animal
will represent their life.”
As God
says
in the book of Leviticus For the life of the flesh is in the
blood:
and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your
souls:
for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. (Lev 17:14).
God let
animal blood be the substitute for man’s blood. That’s why we read,
when Adam
sinned, God let Adam kill an animal in his place as forgiveness for his
sin.
Both parties were happy. Adam was forgiven and God’s law of demanding a
life
and blood for sin, was satisfied.
But this
forgiveness only lasted till the next sin. So next day, they sacrificed
more
animals and so on, and that is what happened under the old testament of
endless
sacrifices. Eventually, the priests and the people didn’t appreciate
and love,
what God was doing for them, with substitute animal blood sacrifices.
Instead
of praying to God saying “Thank you Lord for paying for my sins with
killing
this animal in my place”, they just went through the motions without a
love
attitude in their hearts toward God. So God said “I’ll come down to
earth as
the man, Jesus Christ, and I’ll obey my laws perfectly, and then I’ll
spill my
blood (Acts 20:28) as the
perfect substitute for their sins. I’ll do this once and for all time,
so no
more animal sacrifices will be needed. My blood will pay the
penalty for
all their future sins as well. Now I’ll do this for the whole world,
so
that anyone can get right with me. Anyone will be able to have
atonement for
their sins, not just the Jews. And hopefully, this will make the Jews
jealous,
and they will see who they have rejected.” (Romans
11:11; Hebrews 10:14, 26)
Furthermore,
God’s purpose for going to the cross was to shed his own blood after
having
fulfilled his own laws.
Although
God’s laws were broken by man, only God’s own blood could pay the
penalty, that
God himself demanded. Animal
blood would just give man a short-lived
breathing space from God’s wrath.
The following
chart explains why the Jews, while still doing animal blood temple
sacrifices for their on-going sins, had to believe in Christ as their
promised
Messiah, their King, who was fulfilling day by day, God’s impossibly
strict
‘Sermon on the Mount’ laws, on their behalf. This would then guarantee
them a
place in Abraham’s bosom upon their death, to wait to be taken into
heaven
after the resurrection of Christ (Eph 4:8).
BEFORE
JESUS CAME This was
under the Old Testament of |
WHILE
JESUS WAS This was
under the New Testament of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John |
AFTER
JESUS WENT BACK This is
under the New Testament of Paul |
1.
Animal
blood PLUS But
this only gave them a TEMPORARY pause
(salvation) from God’s wrath. God’s
wrath would pass-over them if they would continue to believe
in the lamb + its shed blood for their protection. And
the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and
when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague
shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. Exodus
12:13 |
1.
Animal
blood PLUS BOTH
1 & 2 WERE NEEDED! But
this still only gave them a TEMPORARY pause
(salvation) from God’s wrath. As they
were outside of Christ, when they died, they went to Abraham’s bosom.
This was not hell but it wasn’t heaven either – just a safe place,
where they waited for Christ to come and get them after his
death on the cross, and his resurrection, and take them finally to
heaven. If the Jew didn’t believe Christ was God in the flesh,
they would go to hell. NOTE: Christ
gave them the impossible laws of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt
5-7) … they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be
saved? But Jesus … said unto them, With men this is impossible;
but with God all things are possible. Matt
19:25-26. This is
why they crucified him, as Christ was saying “I will keep the laws
on your behalf, as I AM GOD” (John 8:58). The
Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for
blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
John 10:33 |
1.
Christ’s
sinless blood PLUS This gives
anyone PERMANENT freedom
from God’s wrath (saved!) As
we are in Christ (1Cor 12:13), we go
straight into heaven when we die. We don’t wait for Christ as we
are in him forever! Never to be lost! If anybody
will not believe on Christ as their only Saviour, they will go to hell.
No exceptions! NOTE: 1. While
only Paul has the doctrine for Christians, the books of 1-3 John, 1-2
Peter, James & Jude will also guide Christians. 2. As
children in God’s family, Christians are still under God’s laws as Paul
states … the things that I write unto you are the commandments
of the Lord. (1 Cor 11:1; 14:37) 3. Except
for “Keep the Sabbath” (Saturday 7th day), the Ten
Commandments are restated in Colossians & Ephesians. 4.
Christians are made free from the curse of the law not the law.
5.
Christians worship on Sunday. |
Harley
Hitchcock
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