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The prefix “anti” can mean counterfeit or against, but most importantly, it means “in place of.” Hence, willful opposition to Christ by enemies such as the Roman emperor Nero and others were “anti-Christ” activity. However, those who substitute their own methods for Christ’s methods are the more dangerous anti-Christs. The body of Christ is composed of spirit-begotten or spirit anointed true Christians. Their head is Jesus: Colossians 1:18 (NKJV), “And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church,…” 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27 (NKJV), 12 “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. … 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” There is also a structure to the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:18, 28 (NKJV), 18 “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. … 28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” The counterfeit antichrist of the greatest danger is a structured body as well. The Roman Catholic Church (not the people) calls the Pope its head. Then come the body members: Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, etc. Pope Boniface VIII decreed: “We declare, say, define, pronounce it necessary to salvation for every human creature to be subject to the Roman pontiff.” Pope Innocent III said, “The pope holds the place of the true God…” Innocent and Jacobatius stated that “the pope can do nearly all that God can do…” In 1870, an Ecumenical Council in Rome decreed the Pope’s ex cathedra utterances to be infallible. The Roman church set its own doctrines in place of God’s word, the Bible, as the standard. Papacy even made it a crime to read the Bible. Among counterfeit doctrines, the Mass, which is a fresh slaying of Jesus on the “altar,” is substituted for Jesus’s one time death on the cross as man’s ransom. Hebrews 7:27 (NKJV), 27 “who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”  Hebrews 10:10 (NKJV), “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Any religion or person who is against God’s Son, God’s word, His plan, and His principles is an antichrist in spirit. 1 John 2:22 (CSB), “Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist…”  Historically, some religious leaders declared themselves to be the Messiah, but those declarations always proved false. The great Antichrist system of the Roman Catholic Church is still present, we should not be looking for a future “man of sin.”

Christ died that we may be forgiven for sins that we inherit from the fall of Adam. These are sins that are committed through ignorance, error, and other “weaknesses of the flesh.” However, there are some sins that are not covered by the Redeemer’s death. These are considered willful sins. They are the results of persistence in clearly recognized acts of error, but through self-will persisted in. The Lord gives over the willful ones to the error which they preferred to the truth (See 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Such sin will not go unpunished. In the Matthew narrative, Jesus had just performed some miracles including the casting out of devils. The people that saw this, marveled, and said that Jesus had the spirit of God, and he must be the son of David (the long-awaited Messiah.) The Pharisees seeing these things said that that these works were from the devil. Reading their hearts, it is here that Christ teaches the dangers of sinning against knowledge and enlightenment. He explains that to misjudge him and his purpose through lack of understanding was forgivable. But to see the spirit of God being done through miracles and good works and attribute it to the work of the devil implied a degree of stubbornness and willfulness on their part. Such attitude and behavior will not be forgiven in this (gospel) age. The scriptures say, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins.” Also, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrews 10:26, 6:4-6). Nor will such sins be forgiven in the age to come (the millennial kingdom age). “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet (Christ and his church) shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.  And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3: 22,23) With knowledge comes our personal responsibility to conform our lives in harmony with truth and God’s character.

This entire Psalm is very encouraging. It begins by promising that those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High and remain under His shadow, will find refuge in Him. When snares and pestilences come, we are protected under His wings. How do we get God’s protection? The Lord asks us to give him our hearts (Proverbs 23:26), our wills (Psalm 40:8), our all to Him, so that we are completely dependent upon Him as we walk with Him. We are surrounded by temptations of all kinds, whether they be from Satan or things in the world, and we are surrounded by difficulties that affect our flesh. But, if we have given our all to the Lord, those things around us will not change our heart devotion to Him. He keeps us from the evils that could entangle us and draw us away from Him. Paul instructs us to build a character on the foundation (Jesus) with gold, silver, precious stones (fruit of the spirit) – not wood, hay, or straw – because fiery trials will test our work (1 Corinthians 3:12-13). Then our love for Him will remain anchored in Him (Hebrews 6:19). The Psalm continues in verses 11 & 12 by stating that “He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands…” This shows that there will be difficulties, whether with wars, famines, diseases, and other tests of faith. Recall that faithful Epaphroditus almost died from sickness, and the apostle Paul could not heal him. (Philippians 2:25-27) God permitted the trial. In Acts 20 (NET), the Apostle Paul stated that he knew that everywhere he went there would be “imprisonments and persecutions.” Yet in verse 24 he says, “I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.” Isn’t that a wonderful attitude! Throughout his life, Paul was imprisoned, beaten, and stoned. Additionally, Pau was “under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God,… (See 2 Corinthians 1:3-10.) In Romans 8:28 (NASB), Paul states, “…God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” This is His keeping power, so that no unnecessary experiences will come upon those who are His. Everything else that comes to us is for our ultimate good. We need to build our faith and lean on Him. Thus, whatever comes we can say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15) Lay hold of all His precious promises (2 Peter 1:2-4). These promises are part of our “dwelling place with Him.” They strengthen our hearts so that when evils or plagues come – we are spiritually shielded and protected.

This is probably the best question any Christian could ask. Jesus was placed on this Earth for a profound purpose, which was to save all mankind. 1 Corinthians 15:22,  “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”  This verse explains that Adam and all of his posterity were born under the death sentence. Adam was created a perfect human being and could eat from the Tree of Life. If Adam had continued to eat its fruit, he could have lived forever.  (See Genesis 3:22.) However, because Adam sinned and could not eat the life giving fruit, his body slowly degenerated into death. We are all imperfect and destined to die. Jesus came to this world to lift mankind back to perfection. How? 1 Timothy 2:5-6,  “…the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” What does ransom mean? Ransom means “a price to correspond” to something of equal value. Jesus freely gave up his perfect human life, as payment or as a corresponding price, to ransom Adam’s life out of death. Once the ransom is applied, Adam and all his descendants will be resurrected. Please note that both quoted scriptures state “all”. It does not state “only believers” or “who God chooses” but “all.” All of Adam’s descendants (Jew and Gentile, Christian and non-Christian, etc…) will be a part of the general resurrection. Jesus returns a second time to restore mankind back to perfection during his millennial reign. This opportunity to regain perfect life is also called the times of restitution (restoration). Acts 3:19-21 (KJV), “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” During Christ’s reign, the powers of earth’s sinful governments, church organizations, and social orders, will be destroyed. But the literal earth and heaven will not be destroyed. Christ will replace the current corrupt systems and will rule in righteousness. Earth will be brought back to perfection. 2 Peter 3:8-10 (KJV), “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, …but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the (ecclesiastical) heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the (social and political) elements shall melt with fervent heat (great trouble, Daniel 12:1), the earth also and the (corrupt) works that are therein shall be burned up (the fire of God’s jealousy, Zephaniah 3:8). Isaiah 4:4 (KJV), “When the Lord shall have washed away the filth…by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.” Soon Matthew 6:10 will be fulled, “ Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

The apostle Peter calls us “foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11 NIV). The apostle Paul wrote, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” (Philippians 3:20)  Thus Christians are a separate “holy nation…the people of God” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Paul further explains our position on Earth in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “…we are ambassadors for Christ.” An ambassador represents his home country. Our home country is God’s kingdom. We are not citizens in this foreign country called “the present evil world” (Galatians 1:4).  We have no right to vote in a foreign election.

Revelation 1:7 (NKJV), “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” First Advent This could not have happened at the first advent because history proves that every Jew and Gentile did not see Jesus. A few people saw Jesus on the cross and then they and that whole generation died without Revelation 1:7 being fulfilled. For all to see Jesus, they must be raised from the dead. Jesus will resurrect everyone at His second advent. (See John 5:28-29.) Second Advent Revelation 14:14 (NKJV), “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man,…” If you are on the earth, under the cloud, would Jesus be visible?  Joel 2:1-2 (NASB20), “Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Indeed, it is near, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness.” Those of the world will not see his return as they are under the cloud where there is the darkness of trouble. The gloom of despair is growing. Jesus also cites the nations mourning (Revelation 1:7) as an evidence of His return in Luke 21:25-27 (NKJV), “…on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, …men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, …Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud (same clouds as in Joel 2) with power and great glory.” How does every eye see Him then? It is through our understanding  or insight that we come to recognize the events that are the evidences of our Lord’s return. The Apostle James said when Christ returns, He will rebuild the Jewish nation. Acts 15:16-17 (NASB20) “… I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD…” Are we not “seeing” Israel being restored? The signs of Jesus’s return are clear for all who have eyes to see now. But in the future, all will recognize our Lord’s return.

Summary: Yes, it is an individual work with a heavenly reward proportionate to faithful zeal. Discussion: 1 Corinthians 15:40-42 (NKJV), 40 “There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead…” We know there are different positions and levels in heaven. Michael is called an archangel (Jude 1:9) or chief angel. Before he fell, Lucifer was called the Morning Star. Isaiah 14:12 (NIV), “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! Now consider Christians, the new creatures in Christ, who receive a heavenly resurrection in glory. Revelation 14:1 (NIV), “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads (they develop the mind of Christ).” These are the saints, the Bride of Christ (Revelation 19:7-8) elevated with Jesus. They are described again in Revelation 17:14 (NKJV), 14 “…He (Jesus) is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” The saints receive this heavenly position of glory (Revelation 1:5-6) because they were faithful. Romans 2:6-7 (NKJV), “who will render to each one (each individual) according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality”. The saints joyfully used their opportunities to serve God and to develop Christ-like characters. They are “more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37) over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Revelation 7:9, 14-15 (NKJV), 9 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude … before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,…14 ‘These … come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple…’” These verses symbolize other individual Christians who receive a lesser heavenly resurrection. Why? Because they need hard experiences to wash themselves of the love of the world, self, and sinful things. They are not more than conquerors, but they are conquerors. Thus, 1 Corinthians 15:41 explains that our heavenly resurrection reward is dependent on each individual Christian’s faithfulness and the development of the mind of Christ.

When you speak of salvation, are you referring to when you consecrated your life to the Lord for the heavenly prize or are you asking about the general redemption of mankind on the Earth? In this present evil world (Galatians 1:4), God is only dealing with people who are seeking Him and righteousness. When Adam was created perfect in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) God wrote His law of love in Adam’s heart. Romans 2:14-15 (RSV), “When Gentiles who have not the law (covenant)  do by nature what the law requires, … They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them.” Even though parts of God’s law has been worn away in mankind’s hearts over the last 6,000 years, people still know about justice, love, etc. Some who are discontent with and recognize the emptiness of the world, and their own sinful conditions may begin to look for God. They search for a better way. James records this promise, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded,” James 4:8 (NKJV) How does God draw near? God may draw by overruling some of a person’s life circumstances (Proverbs 3:6), may answer some prayers (Mark 11:24), and may open a person’s eyes to the way of salvation through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). These evidences of God’s grace are a blessing in themselves. However, God may further choose to call a person by creating a heavenly desire to come out of the world and to consecrate his life and to run for the prize of the High Calling. (See Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 22:14; Hebrews 3:1; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 2:7.)  God’s call, His choosing (Matthew 22:14) and acceptance of one’s decision to accept Jesus and to consecrate his life is followed by God begetting a new life in him through the Holy Spirit. Those who are faithful will become the church (Revelation 17:14). Please be cautioned that the New Testament scriptures do not teach that people will see visions, hear voices, or experience miracles which will draw them to Jesus. The pull toward God is the response of an honest heart to God’s wonderful righteous love. (Luke 8:15) The rest of the world of mankind, God leaves to their own devices. They are learning valuable lessons of the consequences of sin – pain, suffering, death. When the church class is complete,  then the times of restoration of all things will occur. (Acts 3:20-21.)  “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now;… 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God,” Romans 8:22, 19 (RSV).

Sin is anything that misses the mark of God’s perfect, divine standards, like a bullseye on a target where God’s standards are represented by the innermost circle. What we say, do and think can be sinful. Humans have one BIG thing in common: we are all sinners. Romans (3:23, NLT) says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Sin ALWAYS has bad consequences, and if we think otherwise, we are only fooling ourselves. Sin was introduced into the world when the first man Adam disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. His disobedience set off a chain reaction of sin that his descendants inherited – that’s us! We commit willful sins when we know what we are doing is wrong – like evil speaking – but we choose to do it anyway. We can also sin in our minds – like having mean thoughts about others. Still further, there are sins we may not even realize we have committed – like accidentally hurting someone’s feelings. If we know sin brings unhappiness, why don’t we just stop sinning? Because from the moment we were born we inherited sin from Adam. Not only that, but Satan and his fallen angels make things worse by trying to tempt humankind to do things Satan’s evil way instead of God’s righteous way. So, if we can’t stop sinning, should we just give up? Never! When we sin, we feel further away from God, so we should try hard to do better each day and pray for forgiveness when we make mistakes, both from God and the people we hurt. There is a clever saying: you can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but you CAN stop them from making a nest in your hair. It sounds funny, but the lesson is good: sin is always around us, but that doesn’t mean we have to actively engage in it and let it take root in our thoughts and actions. Our sinful situation makes us appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made by dying for all of humankind. His death paid a ransom for Adam’s sin, providing a future symbolic “covering” for all of resurrected humankind in God’s future kingdom. While under this covering, people will be given every opportunity to learn to live righteously WITHOUT Adam’s inherited sin and WITHOUT Satan’s evil influence. Each person will be responsible for their own actions – they won’t be able to blame Adam or others for their sins. (see Jeremiah 31:29) It’s easy to get discouraged sometimes, but God knows our low status and that we are trying to do our best. This Psalm (103:14, NIV) says it beautifully: “…for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” So, what is sin and what can we do about it? Sin is anything that misses the mark of God’s perfect, divine standards. Every day, let’s do our best to not sin. Let’s pray for forgiveness in Jesus’ name when we do. If we try hard, we can live up to the potential that God sees in all of us.

This is a great question. First, how we are saved? 1 Timothy 2:3-5, “…God our Savior…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge (“epignosis” – understanding) of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Thus, all are ransomed (out of death) through Christ Jesus. God shared His plan of salvation for all with His friend Abraham (James 2:23). God promised Abraham that his offspring would be of two classes. They would be plentiful “as the stars of heaven and as the sands of the seashore.”  Furthermore, God said His blessing would come to “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 22:17-18). Jesus was the Savior descended through Abraham’s lineage. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NKJV). Jesus came to earth as a man to die for the whole world, so that all might live. This is the beautiful plan of the ages. The order of salvation is specific. First, God is offering a heavenly calling of salvation to those willing to suffer for the sake of righteousness.  In our present life, these receive forgiveness through Jesus, deny themselves, obey only God’s will, and are begotten with the holy spirit. They are called (among other titles) the “bride” of Christ. These are the “stars of heaven” from the promise to Abraham. Then Jesus will resurrect all the rest of mankind. These are the “sands of the seashore.” John 5:28 states, “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear his (Jesus’) voice and shall come forth…” That will be a grand day! Christ and his bride (his faithful followers resurrected in heaven) will reign in righteousness over resurrected mankind to offer full salvation to every single person who is willing to accept it (Revelation 5:10; 20:6; 22:17). Ephesians 1:7-10 (Weymouth) “…this is in harmony with God’s merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it–the purpose which He has cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one Head in Christ; yes, things in heaven and things on earth…” Yes, the times are almost ripe for Christ to establish his kingdom on earth. Isaiah 2:3-4 (NKJV) “…in the latter days…the mountain (kingdom) of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains (kingdoms)…And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ ”