Let’s continue to explore Jesus’ teachings about entering into eternal salvation at His return.

My proposed Divine truth – While we feel strongly that we have the promise of salvation, our salvation is not automatic. We must also multiply our God given talents.

Let’s read the parable of the talents from Matthew 25: 14-30.

¹⁴ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. ¹⁵ And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. ¹⁶ Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. ¹⁷ And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. ¹⁸ But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

²⁰ “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ ²² He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

²⁴ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷ So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

²⁹ ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In this parable we see that the Lord gave some of His talents to each of the three servants. He did not give equal amounts to each one. Instead, He gave to each one according to their ability to work with God’s talents.

It’s interesting that in each of the Lord’s parables He basically says that “the kingdom of heaven is like”. The term “Kingdom of God” is a reference to the presence and rule of God amongst humankind. This indicates to us that already today, our life of faith, our family, our church needs to be an image, or prefiguration, of the kingdom of heaven.

He says the kingdom is like a man who traveled to a far country, called his own servants, and delivered to them, at his discretion, his goods. In this parable we see a reference to God calling and equipping His servants. This is something Apostle Paul teaches about. He urges, “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”. Do we feel the Calling that God gave each of us? There is a Godly calling embedded in each one of His talents that He has shared with us. It is humbling to realize that each one of our talents are given to us by God, and they belong to Him.

Don’t we sometimes think these talents belong to us? And they are primarily for our benefit? Who are our talents supposed to benefit? For the answer let’s go back to the two commandments Jesus gave which fulfill the original Ten Commandments.
Love the Lord your God with everything. The talents are firstly supposed to benefit the investor, the giver. Our God given talents are to benefit God. His will, His ways, His plans.
Love your neighbor. God gives us His talents to work with for the benefit and salvation of our neighbor. My neighbor is everybody who is not me.
As you love yourself. God gives us His talents to work with for our own benefit and salvation.

God expects not just an increase, He expects a multiplication. Five multiplied to ten. Two multiplied to four. One multiplied to two.
Increases in the quantity. Increases in the quality. Increases in the efficacy also count.

In the 23rd verse Jesus teaches that if we are faithful and do good with the few gifts and talents He gives us now, He will make us rulers over so much more in the future kingdom.
It is vital to be faithful, profitable servants who do good works with what we are given.

What will it mean for us to “Enter into the joy of your lord”?

For the answer, please listen to the first four verses of Revelation 21: 1-4.

¹ Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, [a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ 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.”

I look forward to your contributions to this presentation.

Let’s continue to explore what Jesus teaches about salvation, for both the living and the dead, at the time of His return.

We are going to look at the parable He gave about the wise and foolish virgins, or bridesmaids. It is important to consider how marriages worked at that time. 

The father would choose the bride for his son. 

The bride would then prepare to meet her bridegroom and the wedding

The bridegroom would present his bride to the father.

In this parable Jesus is the Bridegroom. 

The virgins represent Christians who have been promised to the Bridegroom.

Let’s read this parable Jesus gave as recorded by the Apostle in Matthew 25: 1-13.

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.

In this parable Jesus reveals more important teachings about entering into the Kingdom at His return: 

The obvious salvation denying deficiency for the foolish virgins is “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.” 

Please consider, if at the time of your wedding, the person you are promised too says: “Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you,” that is not an oil problem or a wick problem, that is a relationship problem.

Typically, an olive oil lamp would burn out right around midnight. Jesus appeared after midnight. At the end of the parable, He says that we should watch because we do not know the day or the hour of His appearing. After midnight is not only a different hour but also, it’s a new day. Since there are 24 different time zones, around midnight for some will be mid-day for others. The actual date for some will be the next day for others.

Can you imagine being engaged to the perfect Man, Jesus Christ, and not be thinking about, talking about, even dreaming about, what your future together will be? Our Bridegroom and His Father need to hear from us. We have some things to learn, some things to acquire, and some changes to make. Please remember, we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind. How can this be really happening in a lacking relationship? Furthermore, Jesus has to be convinced that we all can live together with Him and love each other. He gave us the commandment to love each other as much as we love ourselves. Additionally, He commands us to love each other as He has loved us. These commandments of love require self-sacrifice. 

The wise virgins knew to bring extra oil for their lamps because, in this time of engagement prior to the wedding, they were in constant communication with their bridegroom to be, and His Father. Consequently, they knew to bring the extra olive oil.

I want to mention that from the Christian community is a program called “Prepare and Enrich”. This is primarily for couples who are engaged to be married. It helps them to learn about each other more, and address and resolve potential issues prior to getting married. It is modeled after the Christian church being enriched and prepared to marry their Bridegroom, Jesus. 

While salvation can never be earned or deserved, we are in our time of preparation and enrichment now. 

My proposed Divine truth – Just like the virgins in this parable, salvation is promised to us. but salvation is not automatic! We must constantly watch over our relationship with the Lord.

Let’s read what the Apostle John recorded in Revelation 19: 6-9, and Revelation 21: 9-10.

⁶ And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the[d] Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” ⁸ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came [f]to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the [g]bride, the Lamb’s wife.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the [h]great city, the [i]holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

In the New Jerusalem we see an image of the bride in a complete and perfect relationship with Jesus.

As recorded in Revelation 22: 17, Jesus wants to extend, through us, a great invitation.

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

I look forward to your responses to this video.

In the next three or four presentations I will submit to you a Divine bible-based truth, then I will demonstrate why I believe this is true.

The Divine truth is – While we feel strongly that salvation is promised to us, salvation is NOT automatic. We must strive to enter into the Kingdom.

Whether you agree or disagree with this truth, I hope to hear your impressions about it.

Let’s explore what Jesus says about the possibility to be saved when He returns, or at The Rapture.

As was pointed out in the previous presentation, the granting of eternal salvation at Jesus return applies to both the living and the dead. Jesus’ parables apply to those of us alive today, and to our loved ones who have departed this earthly life, and the many others there as well.

As Jesus was teaching while traveling towards Jerusalem, someone asked Him this question: “Lord, are there few who are saved?” How do you think Jesus replied? Let’s read the words of Jesus as recorded by the Apostle in Luke 13: 22-30:

²² And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³ Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

And He said to them, ²⁴ “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ ²⁶ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ ²⁸ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. ²⁹ They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

Jesus reveals some important facts about entering the Kingdom of Heaven, at His return:

The doorway into the Kingdom is narrow.

We must work hard or strive to enter in, for many will not be able to enter.

Jesus the Master will shut the door, and many disappointed souls will be left outside.

Those on the outside will in pleading, remind the Lord of all the times He was in their presence teaching them, even as they were eating and drinking.

At that time Jesus will say to them, depart from me, you workers of evildoing, I do not know you or where you are from. They will display deep regret as they are rejected.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets will be seen entering the Kingdom along with many from all over the world.

Some who seem to be least important now, will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now, will be the least important then.

Now, let’s read the words of Jesus, from the sermon on the mount, as recorded by the Apostle in Matthew 7: 13-14 and 21-29.

¹³ “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. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Build on the Rock

²⁴ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

²⁸ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, ²⁹ for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes

In this passage Jesus reveals more important facts about entering the Kingdom of Heaven at The Rapture.

The way which leads to eternal life is difficult and there are only a few who will experience it.

We must do more than profess that Jesus is Lord.

We must strive to do the will of Our Father in heaven.

Rejected outside the Kingdom, there will be many who have done great works in the name of Jesus. Just think, for example, of the seventy disciples who left Him.

He will declare to those on the outside, I never really new you, depart from me, you who violate God’s laws. And which laws would those be?

As a result, those who believe Christ’s teachings and put them into practice are like a wise builder whose house of faith will survive trials, tribulations and temptations.

Consequently, those who hear Christ’s teachings and do not put them into practice are like foolish builders whose house of faith will catastrophically fall.

Who is represented in these parables? YOU and ME. We are believers, we are represented in these parables. How do you think you fit in?

So now we have some tension. We have been taught all along that God is love and that God wants all men, all souls to be saved. THIS IS VERY TRUE!

Here, Jesus teaches that only a few are saved. HOW CAN BOTH TEACHINGS BE TRUE?

It is important to realize that Christ’s return is just the FIRST opportunity to receive eternal salvation

We will read what JESUS TEACHES about the other salvation opportunities for both the living and the dead in future presentations.

I look forward to hearing your comments about this presentation.

Hello and welcome back. I’m John.

In my first video I pointed out that according to the teaching of Apostle Paul, as recorded in the bible, the faithful souls who have died are not yet in the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead, they are waiting for Jesus’ return or the Rapture when He will take them there. So, the question naturally comes up, where are the dead located now?

What is the biblical basis for the answer?

In the Old Testament, life after death is already suggested by descriptions such as being [“gathered to one’s people”]. Let’s read what is recorded in Numbers 20: 23-26 and 27: 12-13.

²³ And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: ²⁴ “Aaron shall [d]be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor; ²⁶ and strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son; for Aaron shall be gathered to his people and die there.”

12 Now the Lord said to Moses: “Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. 13 And when you have seen it, you also shall [c]be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered.

These bible verses show us that the realm, or dwelling place, that we go into after physical death depends upon how a person has conducted himself with respect to the will of God. As with Aaron and Moses, each individual bears responsibility for himself.

The Old Testament describes the realm of the dead as a predominantly dark place (Job 10: 21-22) where the dead are in a condition with no joy (Psalm 88: 10-12, 115: 17). There also seems to be hope for redemption from the darkness (Psalm 23:4, 49: 15).

²¹ Before I go to the place from which I shall not return,
To the land of darkness and the shadow of death,
²² A land as dark as darkness itself,
As the shadow of death, without any order,
Where even the light is like darkness.’ ”

Job 10: 21-22

¹⁰ Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall [f]the dead arise and praise You? Selah
¹¹ Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
¹² Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psalm 88: 10-12

¹⁷ The dead do not praise the Lord,
Nor any who go down into silence.

Psalm 115: 17

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of [f]the grave,
For He shall receive me. Selah

Psalm 49:15

The Wisdom of Solomon 3: 1-3 mentions the possibility of a condition of security: “But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery. And their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace.

In the New Testament the events on the Mount of Transfiguration reveal some more important things. This event is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Let’s read from Luke 9:28-36.

This event shows us that a person retains his personality and his identity after physical death. Here Moses and Elijah appeared from the realm of the dead and were recognized as such. It also shows us that Jesus’ sacrifice was very important and necessary for the souls who had died. They were anticipating it and discussing the details with Jesus. When we read the writings of Apostle Peter, who was at the transfiguration, we can gain some insights into what they may have been discussing. Let’s read from 1 Peter 3: 19-20 and 4: 5-6.

Jesus went and preached to the dead, imprisoned by their sin, and offered them the possibility to be saved. Clearly, Jesus wanted Peter and the other Apostles and the believers to be aware of this.

Jesus, who is God, gave one parable about life after death. Let’s read Jesus’ parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus recorded in Luke 16: 19-31.

This parable reveals 5 important things:
After physical death our soul and spirit live on in the realm of the dead. Individual identity remains intact.
In the realm of the dead is both a place of security and a place of torment, which are separated from one another.
The place in which a person’s soul dwells after death depends on his conduct with respect to God’s will during his lifetime.
The dead can become aware of their condition and hope for help.
Prior to Jesus defeating death by His resurrection, it was impossible for the dead, in a place of torment or need, to have access to the place of peace and security.

With His resurrection, Jesus has overcome the Devil and defeated death. He thereby has bridged the gulf between the realm of torment and the realm of security.

The bible and Christ’s teachings show us that apart from the Kingdom of Heaven and this earthly realm, exists “the real of the dead”. In this realm are places of peace and security as well as places of torment and insecurity. Christ also died for the salvation of the dead. He wants to help them and save them.

In the Holy Bible, God by His providence, does not reveal the location of the realm of the dead. We can’t go there with an airplane or a spaceship. To make contact with the dead through necromancy or channeling is also prohibited by God and therefore sinful. (Deuteronomy 18: 10-11)

I hope that we all can live a life pleasing to God and in agreement with His will for us. Then after this life we can find ourselves in a realm of peace and security as we continue to prepare for Christ’s return and the future Kingdom of Heaven.

I look forward to your responses to this video.

Today’s topic is the possibility for each of us to attain immortality for our terrestrial earthly bodies.

The first Apostles, especially Paul, were questioned about what happens to faithful believers who die before Jesus returns. They answered this question several times in scriptures. It is interesting to realize that the Apostle did not say that the faithful who have died are already in Heaven. Here he reveals that the faithful who have died are waiting to enter the Kingdom of Heaven just like we who are alive. Salvation is granted at Jesus return, not when a faithful person dies.

Let’s read from 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18.

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who [c]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Here Apostle Paul comforts and assures the believers that the dead who are “in Christ” will one day, at Christ’s return, be raised up from the dead, be transformed, and receive eternal life. He then encourages us to comfort one another with these words.

In 1 Corinthians 15: 51-55

⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵ “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

The Apostle reveals another mystery. Not every mortal human being will have to experience physical death. Let’s read the passage.

Those whom Christ accepts at His return, from both the living and the dead, will be changed, in an instant. Verse 53 says: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” This means that both the dead and the living will be given an eternal glorified body and eternal life. Those mortal ones who are transformed at Christs return, or the Rapture, will never have had to experience physical death! What a wonderful blessing!

Please let me emphasize again, according to Apostle Paul’s teachings, this glorious transformation and entry into the Kingdom of Heaven takes place at Christ’s return, not when we die. So yes, all the faithful even from the Old Testament time period are waiting for The Rapture just as we are.

Now, let’s read from Philippians 3: 20-21.

²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Here the Apostle reminds us of 3 important things.

• Our citizenship is in heaven.
• We should eagerly await Christs return.
• Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform our lowly mortal and corruptible bodies to be conformed to His glorious body.

He will give us a body similar to His so that we can live in eternal fellowship with Him.

The main reason to be ready and accepted at Christ’s return is because we LOVE Him and want to be with Him ETERNALLY. At the same time, we sure can recognize what a great blessing it would be to never experience physical death and hope to experience that benefit as well.

It is worth noting that we all, both the living and the dead, already have an immortal soul and spirit. This presentation speaks to the real possibility of our mortal physical bodies being transformed to immortal glorious bodies at Christs return.

This goal is possible for us because Jesus is returning soon!

I look forward to hearing YOUR contributions.