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The Soon Coming Judgment Of God Upon America and How To Escape It 38
Jesus made a similar prophetic warning to Christian believers. He stated:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. (Mt 7:21-23)
Believing that Jesus is the Son of God is not all that it takes to receive salvation. James
writes that “the devils also believe, and tremble.” He continued, “faith without works is dead.”
(James 2:19-20) We are not saved by our works but through our works our faith is manifest. If
we believe Jesus is and Son of God and our Savior, then we will love him and do those things he
commanded. Jesus stated: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 & 15:9-17)
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Jesus' commandments included much more than the Ten Commandments. He instructed us to
love our neighbor as ourself;
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he further instructed us: “Love your enemies, bless them that
curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you.” (Mathew 5:44) We are to meet the needs of the poor and hungry and we are to be
involved in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to those who do not know him.
Further, in keeping these commandments, we are to follow the example of Jesus who
only did as his Father willed. Jesus did not devise a plan to accomplish what he thought God
wanted done, he waited for his Father to lead him and he did those things which his Father
instructed him to do (John 5:19-20 & 30). The Apostle John writes:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his
commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is
a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the
love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he
abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1 John 2:3-
6)
Jesus died for our sins so that we may have his righteousness but his death does not
absolve us of the requirement to keep the law. Jesus stated: “Think not that I am come to destroy
the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
(Matthew 5:17-18)
Jesus knows we are sinners and unable to perfectly keep his commandments. Therefore,
when he asks us to keep his commandments in order to show our love for him, he used the Greek
word “tereo”. This word can also be translated “hold fast”. It does not imply perfect adherence to
the commandments but rather a desire to keep them perfectly. Living a life in disregard of the
commandments is not in keeping with Jesus' command.
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