by Scott Jones
January 7,
2012
NOTE: This treatise is also available
in eBook format, found
HERE
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it."
Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:14
"It hath been the astonishing wonder of many a man,
as well as me, to read in the Holy Scripture,
HOW FEW WILL BE SAVED,
AND THAT THE GREATEST
PART OF EVEN OF THOSE THAT ARE CALLED WILL BE EVERLASTINGLY SHUT OUT OF THE
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN,
AND TORMENTED WITH THE DEVILS IN
ETERNAL FIRE." Richard Baxter,
A Call To The Unconverted
"For many be called, but FEW chosen." Jesus Christ,
Matthew 20:16
I will first show you the TRUTH
of this doctrine, namely, that there are FEW saved,
and secondly, I will show you the WHY of this
doctrine, that is, WHY there are so FEW
saved, as well as demonstrate why the FEW that are
saved is a doctrine that is perfectly consistent with the character of a holy, loving God.
THE TRUTH OF THIS DOCTRIINE
To begin, then, the Bible teaches plainly - and I mean from Genesis to
Revelation - that there are FEW that will be saved,
and that the VAST MAJORITY of the human race will be cast into the lake of
fire and will spend eternity in everlasting damnation.
The unregenerate mind, of course, cannot conceive that
a "loving" God would do such a thing, that a "loving" God
would consign the greatest portion of his rational creation to eternal damnation, torment
and misery, while simultaneously reserving only a FEW - comparatively
speaking - for his
everlasting glory and love and grace. That's because the unregenerate man hasn't a
CLUE - I mean, not a CLUE - as to the TRUE nature of God, the
TRUE nature of
sin, and the TRUE nature of man. No indeed, the unregenerate man doesn't have the FIRST CLUE.
Not even close, as will be shortly seen.
Also, keep in mind that throughout this treatise,
whenever I refer to the FEW being saved, that I am always speaking
COMPARATIVELY, that is, that the FEW is set off against the
VAST MAJORITY, for when it's all said and done, when heaven opens its gates
to the elect and hell its gates to the damned, there will nevertheless yet be a
great multitude in heaven, because even though
there are FEW - comparatively speaking - that will be saved, yet those
FEW will come from every generation of this world, ranging some seven
thousand years, so that even though it is verily a FEW in each
generation that shall be saved, yet that FEW of virtually every
generation since the world began will ultimately make up "a great multitude,
which no man could number," not to mention the "innumerable company of
angels" that shall also be there in heaven, and in the New Jerusalem, with
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and his saints. Indeed, when it's all
said and done, elect angels and elect saints will fill God's storehouse and make
up Jesus Christ's jewels, for heaven and the New Jerusalem will be filled with
ALL of the elect angels and ALL of the elect saints alike, but no
other. No not one. [Revelation
7:9,
Hebrews 12:22]
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it."
Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:14
Still, even then, the unregenerate mind simply cannot
comprehend it. The unregenerate mind cannot possibly see how a "loving"
God could send the VAST MAJORITY of mankind to hell and everlasting
torment. Indeed, the unregenerate mind is so darkened that such a notion is
positively beyond its discernment, and his unregenerate ignorance prevents him
from making even the slightest right judgment of the matter, and his
understanding is so disfigured that he can't even begin to fathom it, because,
as was just stated, he doesn't have a CLUE about the TRUE
nature of God, the TRUE nature of sin, or the TRUE nature of
man. No clue whatsoever.
The TRULY REGENERATE man, however, DOES. The truly
regenerate man KNOWS the SUPERNATURAL WISDOM of the doctrine of the
FEW, exactly as
these statements by John Bunyan reveal:
"WHEN
MEN HAVE PUT IN ALL THE CLAIM THEY CAN FOR HEAVEN,
BUT FEW WILL HAVE IT FOR THEIR INHERITANCE. FOR MANY, I
SAY UNTO YOU,
WILL SEEK TO ENTER IN,
AND SHALL NOT BE ABLE.
Great, therefore, will be the disappointment that many will meet with at the day
of judgment: FOR MANY WILL SEEK TO
ENTER IN,
AND SHALL NOT BE ABLE. Going to heaven, therefore, will be
no trivial business; salvation is not got by a dream; they that would then have
that kingdom must now strive lawfully to enter:
'FOR MANY, I SAY UNTO YOU,
WILL SEEK TO ENTER IN,
AND SHALL NOT BE ABLE."
John Bunyan, The Strait Gate
"Alas! they that shall be saved when the devil and hell have had their due,
they will be but as the gleaning, they will be but FEW; they
that go to hell, go thither in clusters, but the saved go not so to heaven.
(Matt 13:30, Micah 7) Wherefore when the prophet speaketh of the saved, he saith
there is no cluster; but when he speaketh of the damned, he saith they are
gathered by clusters. (Rev 14:18,19) O sinners! but FEW will be
saved! O professors! but FEW will be saved!" John Bunyan, The
Strait Gate
It is Jesus Christ HIMSELF who decreed that it
is FEW that shall be saved, and it is also Jesus
Christ HIMSELF who will make the decision of who DOES - and who does
NOT - enter his kingdom. Most people, even the vast majority of those
who profess to be Christians, ignorantly believe that it is ultimately the
Father who will judge the quick and the dead. They foolishly believe this absurd
notion because they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God, and this
foolishness especially includes those darkened minds of unregenerate pastors and
scholars and church leaders who assert that the judgment seat of Jesus Christ is
only a judgment seat for rewards, a judgment seat for the rewards of his saints.
How ignorant and unlearned and apostate this generation of professing Christians
truly is. And what a rude awakening they are in for in the day of judgment when
they discover that they themselves have no portion in Jesus Christ's kingdom.
None whatsoever.
In fact, it is not reserved for the Father, nor is it
reserved for the Holy Spirit, to judge men and angels in that day. No sir.
Indeed, because it was the Second Member of the Godhead who became a man and who
suffered as a man, and who endured such contradiction and hostilities against himself by
sinners and devils, and by men and
angels alike, so it is therefore reserved for the Second Member of the
Godhead to do ALL of the judging, to stand victorious over his enemies and to be glorified in his saints in
that day when judgment is meted out, yea,
it is the Second Member of the Godhead
HIMSELF to whom
ALL judgment is reserved - ALL JUDGMENT WITHOUT EXCEPTION - exactly as the Second Member of the Godhead
HIMSELF so unequivocally proclaimed:
"For the Father judgeth NO MAN, but hath committed
ALL JUDGMENT unto the Son:" Jesus Christ, John 5:22
It is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who was spat upon;
thus it is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who shall pronounce judgment against
those who spat upon him in that day, as well as all those who have spat upon him in
one way or another throughout the centuries, both before and since that day.
Yes, it is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man,
who's beard was yanked out by the roots in the soldier's tribunal; thus it is Jesus Christ, the Son of
Man, who will root out of his kingdom all of those enemies that abused him in
the malevolent scene of that evil morning, as well as all of the men and women
who
throughout the ages have yanked his words out of their own hearts and who have
thus eternally offended him, and who will thus likewise be judged by him and
cast by him into eternal hell in that
day. Indeed, it is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who was mocked and reviled by
men - not only when he trod this earth, but countless times since then as well,
and thus it is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who shall pronounce sentence
against his accusers of all ages, then and now, and thereby condemn them one and
all - one and all to the last man and woman - to
eternal torment and misery in that day.
Behold, it is Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who was
derided, scorned, and laughed at as he hung upon his cross; thus it is Jesus
Christ, the Son of Man, who will nail his prosecutors to the masthead of
everlasting darkness and wailing and damnation in that day. It is Jesus Christ, the Son of
Man, who underwent the torments of this unforgiving, evil world, who patiently
tolerated the incessant and malignant scorn
of men and women of all ages, from the beginning of the creation to this very
day, who silently endured the mildest to the vilest of sins of all men and all women
of all ages and all nations against himself and his Father and
his Spirit, from Adam to the last man, but who nevertheless - and in spite of it
all - deigned to come down from the glory of his Eternal Throne and here to live among us as one who was holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and who, finally, for his elect's sake - and for them
only - spilled his own
Divine and Eternal blood for their rebellion and sin, and who then, again for his elect's sake
- and for them only -
rose again for their justification, and who, for a third time for his elect's
sake - and for them only - and as a consequence thereof, gave gifts unto men, even for the rebellious
also. [Hebrews
7:26,
Acts 20:28,
Ephesians 4:8]
And thus, BECAUSE
he is the Son of Man, yea, BECAUSE
it is none other than Jesus Christ the Righteous, the Son of Man
HIMSELF, who suffered all of this and
INFINITELY, INFINITELY MORE,
it is therefore verily BECAUSE of this
that it is reserved for Jesus Christ ALONE
- not the Father, not the Spirit - but for Jesus Christ
ALONE, to be the Judge of the quick
and of the dead, and that is EXACTLY
why he spake of himself when he said:
"For as the
Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself; AND HATH GIVEN HIM AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT ALSO, BECAUSE HE IS
THE SON OF MAN." John 5:26-27
Since it is Jesus Christ HIMSELF who is the
judge of ALL men and ALL angels - albeit, both the Father and
the Spirit will also be fully incorporated in the judgment as co-equals dwelling
WITHIN the Son, as each - both the Father and the Holy Spirit - indeed,
both each and individually, both Father and Spirit as co-equals with the Son,
yea, both FULLY indwell and FULLY comprehend Jesus
Christ the Righteous, as it is written:
"For in him dwelleth all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily." Colossians 2:9
Accordingly, since it is Jesus Christ HIMSELF
when he sits upon his GREAT WHITE THRONE who will make the decision of which men and which angels
SHALL enter his
kingdom, and which shall NOT, it therefore behooves every man and every woman to
pay CLOSE ATTENTION to his words, and WOE, WOE, WOE unto the man or woman who
trifles with the words of Jesus, who rationalizes the words of Jesus away, or
who nuances them into a hermeneutic or an eisegetical meaning that was never
intended. WOE, WOE, WOE unto the man or woman who doesn't take Jesus
AT HIS PLAIN WORD!
[Revelation 20:11,
Matthew 7:26-27,
Hebrews 12:3,
Job 4:18,
Mark 9:19]
I say WOE, WOE, WOE unto the man or woman who
doesn't take Jesus Christ AT HIS PLAIN WORD! WOE, WOE, WOE unto that
man or woman indeed.
[Luke 6:46]
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it."
Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:14
"For many be called, but FEW chosen." Jesus Christ,
Matthew 20:16
Know assuredly, therefore, and understand the
infinitely utter significance of it, that it is Jesus Christ, the Judge HIMSELF,
who tied ALL
JUDGMENT and ALL ETERNAL STANDING to the SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH,
typified by the "wedding garment" in the following parable
told by Jesus some two thousand years ago, exactly as it is written:
"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw
there a man which had not on a WEDDING GARMENT: And he saith
unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither NOT HAVING A WEDDING
GARMENT? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants,
Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness;
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. FOR MANY ARE CALLED, BUT
FEW ARE CHOSEN." Jesus Christ, Matthew 22:11-14
It is not a mere prophet or apostle who said it, but it
is Jesus Christ HIMSELF who spake these words:
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, EXCEPT A MAN BE BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the
kingdom of God." John 3:3
Go ahead and trifle with the words of Jesus if you
dare. Yea, go for it. See how it works out for you in the end.
"Christ has told us that strait is the gate and
narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that
find it. There have been but FEW in all ages of the world. Many
seek; and many hope that they shall obtain. There are but FEW
that intend to be damned; while many hope that they shall some way or other find
means to escape eternal misery. BUT AFTER ALL, THERE ARE BUT FEW SAVED."
Jonathan Edwards, The Wisdom Of God
There isn't a GENUINELY born again Christian
on this planet who doesn't understand that Jesus said EXACTLY what he
MEANT to say and who MEANT EXACTLY what he actually SAID.
There isn't a GENUINELY born again Christian who doesn't know this by the
SUPERNATURAL WITNESS of the indwelling Holy Spirit bearing witness to the
PLAIN TRUTH of Jesus' words and the entire testimony of the Bible from
beginning to end. It is so plain, in fact, that one must be willfully blind to
miss it. And yet, as I said, the unregenerate just simply can't understand the
doctrine of the FEW,
and thus the unregenerate man just simply doesn't really believe it, not down in the
depths of his heart, and not knowing that of the heart it is written:
"THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, AND
DESPERATELY WICKED:
who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9
"HE THAT TRUSTETH IN HIS OWN HEART IS A
FOOL." Proverbs 28:26
The unregenerate mind simply cannot comprehend how a
"loving" God could consign the vast majority of his rational creation
to everlasting damnation. Such a notion is simply inconceivable to the
unregenerate mind, and that's precisely because, as I said, they don't have a
CLUE as to the TRUE nature of God, the TRUE nature of
man, and the TRUE nature of sin. Not the FIRST CLUE. And that
is why there is NOTHING that more corrupts the TRUTH
and the WORD of God MORE than HUMAN WISDOM. Nothing at
all. It is exactly as William Tyndale observed:
"Now there is no other division or heresy in the
world save man's wisdom and when man's foolish wisdom interpreteth the
scripture... Man's wisdom is plain idolatry, neither is there any other idolatry
than to imagine of God after man's wisdom." William Tyndale, Obedience Of A
Christian Man
And John Bunyan, along with every other GENUINELY
born again saint in this world, fully concurs:
"I do find in most men, such a SPIRIT OF
WHOREDOM AND IDOLATRY concerning the LEARNING OF THIS WORLD,
AND WISDOM OF THE FLESH, and God's glory so much stained and diminished
thereby; that had I all their aid and assistance at command, I durst not make
use of ought thereof, and that, for fear lest that grace, and these gifts that
the Lord hath given me, should be attributed to their wits, RATHER THAN
THE LIGHT OF THE WORD AND SPIRIT OF GOD. Wherefore, I will not take of
them from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, lest they should say, 'We have made
Abram rich.'" John Bunyan, The New Jerusalem
Not to beat a dead horse, but let's just add this one
final tidbit by Spurgeon, and herein recognize that these quotations and their
hermeneutic have been the sine qua non of EVERY GENUINELY BORN
AGAIN CHRISTIAN for two thousand years, beginning with the Lord Jesus
Christ HIMSELF:
"He that professes to be a believer, while he has
never received the truth in the POWER of it, AS SENT HOME BY THE SPIRIT
OF LIGHT AND FIRE, has need to begin again, and learn the first
rudiments of the faith. HE HAS LEARNED NOTHING ARIGHT WHO HAS NOT BEEN
UNDER THE DIRECT TUITION OF THE HOLY GHOST." C. H. Spurgeon,
Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Vol XXX, Receiving The Holy Ghost
For examples throughout the Bible of how FEW were saved in olden times, like, for example, EIGHT PEOPLE
out
of an ENTIRE WORLD in the days of Noah, or THREE PEOPLE out of
an ENTIRE MEGA-METROPOLIS in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, ad
infinitum
- two examples of which Peter himself also employed to show how
FEW
shall be saved -- I say, to see these types of examples, along with so many other biblical examples which prove and
ratify this doctrine of how FEW shall be saved, exactly as the Judge
HIMSELF decreed, even Jesus Christ the Righteous, see
the second treatise in my series,
The Blood Of Jesus
Christ II, as I will not have time to repeat them all here.
[2 Peter 2:4-9]
THE "WHY" OF THIS DOCTRINE
John Owen summed up the questions of this supposed
dilemma quite succinctly, a seeming but mythical dilemma which I will hereafter
expound to the satisfaction of all who seek to understand the God of the
BIBLE - not the God of their own imagination - but the GOD and the
JESUS of the BIBLE, not the FALSE JESUS
and the FALSE GOD that PERMEATES
Christianity today, not the FALSE JESUS and
the FALSE GOD that fills the imaginations of the world
and the darkened superstitions of those who PROFESS to be Christians but who have never
EXPERIENCED the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW
BIRTH, but rather, i will herein expound the HOLINESS of the
GOD and the JESUS OF THE BIBLE,
which has EVERYTHING to do with Owen's quote below:
"Those who pretend a great difficulty at present, in
reconciling the ETERNAL PERISHING OF THE GREATEST PART OF MANKIND
with those notions we have of the divine goodness, SEEM NOT TO HAVE
SUFFICIENTLY CONSIDERED WHAT WAS CONTAINED IN OUR ORIGINAL APOSTASY FROM GOD,
nor the righteousness of God in dealing with the angels that sinned...
Wherefore, as we ought always to admire sovereign grace in the FEW
that shall be saved, so we have no ground to reflect on divine goodness
IN THE MULTITUDE THAT PERISH, especially considering that they all
voluntarily continue in their sin and apostasy." John Owen, Christologia
In the first place, God - as Creator - has the right to
save whom he will and damn whom he will without question and without the
imposition of judgment by any of his creatures whatsoever. If you deny that God
has that sovereign right as Creator, if you assert that there must be certain
qualifications with respect to God's actions before YOU judge whether
God is righteous in doing so or not, then you are not even REMOTELY
qualified to be given any understanding in this matter in the first place. None
at all, which is exactly the position that the Apostle Paul took when he told
the Romans:
"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against
God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me
thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one
vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his
wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his
glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us,
whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?" Romans
9:20-24
Indeed, if you, the creature, are arrogant enough to
deny that to God alone belongs the sovereign pleasure of doing whatever he deems
fit with his own creation, and without owing the slightest explanation to his
creatures for doing what he does, then you yourself are a powerless ingrate with
no rights to be given even an IOTA of the TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD
with regard to his divine actions or decrees, for like it or not, God is God, and he is all-powerful,
all-knowing, and all-lawful IN HIMSELF, which means that whatever he
does, whether you like it or not, WHATEVER HE DOES IS LAWFUL, for he is
HIMSELF HIS OWN LAW, and thus he does what he he does at his own
pleasure, for his own glory, and for his own ends and means, and there is
NOTHING that you nor any other creature - nor all creatures combined - can
do about it. Not one thing. Period, end of story. If you don't like it, tough,
because you are going to spend eternity existing under the CERTAINTY of that
UNIVERSAL TRUTH whether you like or not.
" But our God is in the heavens: he hath done
whatsoever he hath pleased." Psalm 115:3
"Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven,
and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places." Psalm 135:6
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God,
and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end
from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a
ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far
country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed
it, I will also do it." Isaiah 46:9-11
The only option you have, therefore, is to learn who
this God is and OBEY him. Whether YOU like it or not, that is
the ONLY option you have. That is the ONLY thing your life
boils down to, for you will spend eternity in one of the two places that
Almighty God has decreed - either in heaven, where God HIMSELF has
decreed that COMPARATIVELY FEW will reside, or in hell, where God HIMSELF has decreed that the VAST MAJORITY of the
human race will dwell in everlasting torment, shame and destruction, world without end.
"Look to thyself; heaven and hell are hard by, and
one of them will swallow thee up; heaven, into unspeakable and endless glory, or
hell, into unspeakable and endless torment." John Bunyan, The Greatness Of The
Soul
These are the ONLY two places that the God
of all worlds has decreed as
the eternal habitation for the whole of his rational creation. The ONLY
choice you have, therefore, is which place it will be, and if you choose
the former - heaven - then you will get there BY GOD'S RULES ONLY - NOT YOUR OWN RULES
-
and here - above all others, above ALL OTHER RULES WHATSOEVER - HERE is the FIRST AND FOREMOST OF ALL RULES that you must OBEY
if you EVER want to set FOOT
in God's kingdom:
"Jesus saith unto him, I AM THE WAY, THE
TRUTH, AND THE LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME."
John 14:6
Accordingly, if you will not OBEY the
JESUS OF THE BIBLE through the
UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the
NEW BIRTH, rather than the FALSE JESUS of your
unregenerate imagination, or the FALSE JESUS of modern Christianity,
THEN EVEN IF YOU CHOOSE HEAVEN, you will nevertheless NEVER set
FOOT
therein, for in order to get to heaven, you must OBEY the
JESUS OF
THE BIBLE via the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE
of the NEW BIRTH, and none other. Not the FALSE JESUS
of modern Christianity, not the FALSE JESUS
of your own vain and manifestly unregenerate imagination, not the FALSE JESUS
of the Roman Catholic cult, or any of the other CULTS either, such
as the modern Baptist cult, or the modern Presbyterian cult, or the modern
Methodist cult, AD INFINITUM - for modern FORMAL
Christianity - ALL OF IT - is APOSTATE TO THE
CORE - and therefore,
if you will enter heaven, then it is SOLELY the
JESUS OF THE BIBLE that you must OBEY
through the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the
NEW BIRTH,
and NO OTHER PERSON and NO OTHER WAY WHATSOEVER.
There is NO OTHER WAY
WHATOSEVER to arrive in heaven. None. It will be EXACTLY as the
Holy Spirit HIMSELF has warned:
"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven
with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, AND THAT OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among
you was believed) in that day." 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
It is the HOLINESS OF GOD that MANDATES
the PUNISHMENT for sin, and it is the GLORY OF GOD that
EXECUTES it, and this divine duo does so WITHOUT REPRIEVE and
WITHOUT REPENTANCE, for the HOLINESS of God and the GLORY
of God are UTTERLY INSEPARABLE. Utterly.
To allow sin to go unpunished for one single, miniscule
moment - even the tiniest sin, even for the smallest of offences - would do nothing
less than THOROUGHLY EVISCERATE both the HOLINESS of God and
the GLORY of God in one fell swoop, and that eternally, upon which
chaos would immediately and forever ensue, world without end.
Sin is nothing less than ANTI-GOD. Sin is
nothing less than ANTI-HOLINESS. God's very CHARACTER is the
COMPLETE ANTITHESIS of sin. Sin and God can no more exist together than
can matter and anti-matter, only the analogy applies even more so with God and
sin than it does with matter and anti-matter. INFINITELY more so, for
the very HOLINESS of God WILL NOT TOLERATE the PRESENCE
of sin, and the GLORY of God WILL NOT ALLOW SIN TO EXIST IN
HIS KINGDOM, but will rather UTTERLY EXTINGUISH IT, which is why
it is written:
"For our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29
"Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and
canst not look on iniquity." Habakkuk 1:13
Had Jesus Christ not agreed before he ever created the
very worlds to become INCARNATE and deliver his people from their sins,
the devil and his angels would have been cast immediately into hell, and Adam
and Eve with them, all in the very MOMENT they disobeyed. There would
be no mankind. There would never again be any good in all of creation, such as
existed before Adam and Eve fell, for Adam was the guardian of good in God's
physical creation, and once good was lost, it would have been lost for good. And
there would be no redemption. Not if Jesus had not agreed before the world was
to become INCARNATE and deliver his people from their sins.
This - and this ALONE - is the ONLY
reason this universe still exists. The PROMISE of the Son to the Father
before the world was ever created to become INCARNATE is the ONLY
reason that sin has been allowed to persist in this universe until this
day. And sin's reign in this world, and sin's dominion in this world, is fast
coming to a close, as is the ETERNAL FATE of ALL who
REFUSE to BOW to Jesus Christ as Lord of lords and King of kings
and thereby prostrate themselves before him until he visits them from on high
with the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH,
just as he has done for a FEW people in most every generation for the
past two thousand years, and just as he has also done for a FEW people
in this generation as well, but ONLY a FEW. Moreover, none who
fail to have this VERY encounter with Jesus Christ, I say, NONE
who fail to EXPERIENCE the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE
of the NEW BIRTH - NONE - NO NOT ONE will ever set FOOT in his
kingdom. Wait and see.
If you would be visited by Jesus Christ SAVINGLY,
it will be BY HIS WAY, NOT YOUR WAY, which means it is JESUS
who does the ACCEPTING, NOT YOU, and thus if you will not prostrate
yourself before THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE until he HIMSELF visits
you from on high in the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the
NEW BIRTH, then you will NEVER enter the corridors of his kingdom.
The disciples - about one hundred and twenty of them - had to spend ten days in
a prayer meeting cloistered together in an upper room before Jesus poured out
the Holy Spirit upon them. The Samaritans had to wait - even after being
baptized in the name of Jesus - indeed, the Samaritans had to wait days until
Peter and John came down from Jerusalem to pray for them to receive the Holy
Spirit before they could claim the NEW BIRTH. Further still, Cornelius and his
household must have prayed and fasted and given alms for days, or weeks, or even
months before Peter came down from Joppa, and where the Holy Spirit then SUDDENLY descended upon them in
REGENERATING POWER, NEW BIRTH POWER. [Acts
2:1-4,
Acts 8:1-17,
Acts 10:24-45]
And thus it is with
MOST who actually EXPERIENCE the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL
MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, for MOST are not generally born
again the INSTANT they make a move toward Jesus Christ, but must rather
prostrate themselves before him and await HIS TIMING, and therefore, as Bunyan
so truthfully said, going to heaven will
be no trivial business, and he that would go there must NOW strive
lawfully to enter - lawfully as in the examples demonstrated above - and any man who tries to take you off of
these words and this hermeneutic is the very mouthpiece of Satan, and your blood
will be on his head in the day of judgment. Make no mistake about it.
Oh, don't be deceived. YOU will be responsible
for your own sins, and YOU will suffer for them eternally, a suffering
which is beyond your wildest conceptions, but the man who kept you from the
UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, who persuaded you that such
an EXPERIENCE is one that you could safely forego, primarily because he
himself has never actually EXPERIENCED the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE
of the NEW BIRTH, and therefore hasn't the slightest acquaintance with
it, indeed, though you will suffer for your own sins, and that everlastingly, yet
your blood will be upon HIS HEAD, and he will rue for all eternity the
day he ever spoke the first word to you. WOE, WOE, WOE unto that man,
and WOE, WOE, WOE unto YOU for hearing him. WOE unto
you BOTH. Just wait and see.
"Now if any man have NOT the Spirit
of Christ, HE IS NONE OF HIS." Romans 8:9
"No more SOUL-DESTROYING DOCTRINE
could well be devised THAN THE DOCTRINE THAT SINNERS CAN REGENERATE
THEMSELVES AND REPENT AND BELIEVE JUST WHEN THEY PLEASE... As it is a
truth both of Scripture and of experience that the unrenewed man can do nothing
of himself to secure his salvation, it is essential that he should be brought to
a practical conviction of that truth. When thus convicted, and not before, he
seeks help from the only source whence it can be obtained." Charles Hodge,
Systematic Theology
"Alas, in these degenerate times, FEW HAVE
ANY IDEA THAT SAVING FAITH IS A MIRACULOUS THING. INSTEAD, IT IS NOW ALMOST
UNIVERSALLY SUPPOSED THAT SAVING FAITH IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN ACT OF THE HUMAN
WILL, WHICH ANY MAN IS CAPABLE OF PERFORMING: all that is needed is to
bring before a sinner a few verses of Scripture which describe his lost
condition, one or two which contain the word “believe,” and then a little
persuasion for him to “accept Christ,” and the thing is done. And the awful
thing is that so very, very few see anything wrong with this -- BLIND TO
THE FACT THAT SUCH A PROCESS IS ONLY THE DEVIL'S DRUG TO LULL THOUSANDS INTO A
FALSE PEACE." Arthur Pink, Studies On Saving Faith
"Never leave off watching, reading, praying,
striving, till you EXPERIMENTALLY find Christ Jesus formed
within you... Be frequent in self-examination morning and evening. Pray
earnestly from your heart. WRESTLE WITH GOD, BEG HIM TO HASTEN THE NEW
BIRTH." George Whitefield, Letters, XI
Sin will NOT be given solace in the
Father's presence in his Son's kingdom, and neither will those whose sins are
not washed away by the blood of God, even the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ the
Righteous. Not one sin, not one soul, and not one single reprieve. Not one. Not
ever.
Every sin - I say EVERY SIN that HAS EVER
BEEN COMMITTED or that EVER WILL BE COMMITED has either already
come under judgment in Jesus Christ, or WILL come under judgment upon
the individual sinner himself. One way or the other: either the person who
committed the sin himself will be judged, or the sins have already been judged in Jesus
Christ HIMSELF, who took the sins of his elect upon HIMSELF,
and who was judged for those sins - every one of them - in his elect's stead, and who suffered for
those sins - every one of them - in
his elect's place. Either way, NOT ONE SINGLE SIN will go unpunished or
unjudged. Not a SINGLE one. EVERY SIN - from the beginning of
the world to the end of the world - EVERY SIN will have been JUDGED
AND PUNISHED when God ties up his kingdom for eternity, and if YOUR
SINS haven't fallen upon Jesus, then the only place left for them to fall
is upon YOU, and YOU WILL be judged and punished for them -
every single one of them - for all eternity, without reprieve, and without hope,
and without an ending. Ever.
Nor will one single soul who doesn't come to Jesus on
JESUS' TERMS - not ONE SINGLE SOUL - not ONE will EVER enter his kingdom. Not one. You will come on Jesus'
terms, and Jesus' terms ONLY, or you won't get there at all. Not ever.
How will you know? How will you know that you have come on Jesus' terms?
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he
it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I
will love him, AND WILL MANIFEST MYSELF TO HIM." John 14:21
You will know when Jesus Christ HIMSELF visits
you from on high and MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO YOU in the UNMISTAKABLE
SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, and no other way. No other
way WHATSOEVER. And if that's not good enough for you, if you are
willing to be assured by the mouth of a mere man convincing you that you are
saved, or by your own ignorant and unregenerate interpretations from various
proof texts in the Bible, instead of WAITING on Jesus Christ HIMSELF, and
PLEADING with Jesus Christ HIMSELF, exactly as you have ample
example for in his written Word, and as has been the case throughout church history, until Jesus
Christ HIIMSELF tells you that you belong to him by MANIFESTING
HIMSEFL TO YOU in the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of the
NEW BIRTH, then you have not saving faith, no not a dram, nor will you ever
receive it. Not in this world, not in the world to come. Not as long as you put
your faith in the words of men who assure you that they can interpret the Bible
in your stead, or as long as you wrest the Scriptures in order to bring them
DOWN to your own level of experience, and all despite the convictions of your own soul, and the clear
testimonies of Jesus and the plain examples in his written Word, of whom ALL
who are GENUINELY born again have SUPERNATURAL EXPERIENCE
in plain accordance with the written Word of God. No, you
have not even the whisper of SAVING faith. Not even a whisper.
"Although the greater part of people do foolishly
fancy that they have closed with God in Christ Jesus sincerely and heartily; or,
at least, they do, without any ground or warrant, promise a new heart to
themselves before they depart this life; yet there be but very FEW
who do REALLY AND CORDIALLY close with God in Christ Jesus as
He is offered in the gospel; AND SO THERE BE BUT VERY FEW SAVED."
William Guthrie, The Christian's Great Interest
"Duty obliges us, and the holy Scriptures warrant
us, TO ASSURE YOU THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW WHO SHALL BE SAVED;
that the whole world lieth in wickedness; and that IT IS A LITTLE FLOCK
TO WHOM THE FATHER WILL GIVE THE KINGDOM." Henry Scougal, There Are But
A Small Number Saved
Had God determined to save the MANY rather
than the FEW, God's HOLINESS and Gods' GLORY would
have been
dulled and undervalued for all eternity, and thus his character would have been
forever slandered and taken for granted, for it is the RARE stone that
shows forth the luster of its excellence; it is the RARE gem that
sparkles like the stars in their splendor. Indeed, there is not much gold in the
world, but Oh! how it enchants the passions when it is molded into a brick and
shown forth in the bright glare of the sun's rays. Yea, it is the RARE jewel
that commands the admiration of the connoisseurs and elicits from them their gasps
of wonder at its beauty, and it is the RARE pearl that captures the
desires of its beholders and causes their hearts to be ravished at its almost
mystical sheen, just as it is the RARE sapphire that provides a
stunning visual
feast as it seems to electrify its own core.
Malachi 3:17
And so it is with the kingdom of heaven. The saints of
Jesus Christ are RARE JEWELS that the Lord of Glory has carefully
chosen and meticulously assembled for his own glory, a PECULIAR PEOPLE
who have been made to suffer the ignoble vanities and assaults of the VAST
MAJORITY of the sons and daughters of this dreary, evil world, a ROYAL
GENERATION of whom this world is not worthy, but who will now stand forth
as GOLDEN TROPHIES of God's grace with GOLDEN CROWNS as they
surround Jesus
Christ in praise and worship for all eternity, world without end, and who will, as Daniel has
foretold, shine like the "brightness of the firmament" from glory to
glory throughout all the endless ages of that world which is to come. As William
Gurnall so eloquently put it with regard to the FEW that shall be saved:
"This, indeed, is love and wisdom in a riddle, but
you who have the Spirit of Christ can unfold it." William Gurnall, The Christian
In Complete Armour
Behold indeed! It is EXACTLY as Jesus has said, and as
the Bible has taught and warned from beginning to end, that there are FEW
saved, and that the greatest portion of mankind, aye, by a VAST MARGIN,
that the GREATEST PORTION of mankind will be cast into the lake of fire
and brimstone and will there be tormented for all eternity, and where the smoke
of their torment will rise up for ever and ever, utterly without peace, without
reprieve, without hope, while the saints, those JEWELS that Jesus
Christ has constituted and gathered together from the four corners of the earth
in order to populate his kingdom and show forth his everlasting glory and dominion, will "shine forth
as the sun in the kingdom of their Father," where there will be no more
pain, no more tears, no more sorrow, but only uncontainable joy as saints and
angels alike bask in and glory in the "unsearchable riches of Christ."
OH! the glory and wonder that is to be unfolded to them in that day
when they stand in the midst of a land,
"which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,"
but a land which will never be shaken, and which will never be moved, world without
end. [Revelation
14:11,
Daniel 12:3,
Matthew 13:43,
Ephesians 3:8,
Revelation 21:4,
1
Corinthians 2:9]
And yet, but FEW will have it. But FEW
will be willing to pay the price. This is the principal reason why so FEW are
saved, because they are unwilling to come to Jesus Christ on HIS TERMS,
to WAIT on Jesus Christ until Jesus Christ HIIMSELF grants
them an audience, just as a noble king in olden days constrained his subjects to
wait on him until he in his kingly majesty was ready to receive them. And so it
is with Jesus, for Jesus meets not with every voice that calls his name, nor
with every spirit that passes his way, or with every wanderer who ventures forth
and sallies into the dry places of the unknown wastelands of this and the
spiritual world. In no wise.
For behold! In this case, in the case of Jesus Christ,
this is no mere earthly king that the sinner seeks an audience with, nor is he
even a merely heavenly king, but is rather an ETERNAL KING, a
GLORIOUS KING, an INFINITE KING, with INFINTE WISDOM, and
INFINTE POWER, and INFINITE GRACE, and INFINITE KNOWLEDGE,
and MUCH, MUCH MORE BESIDES, yet his glory is expressly
HIDDEN at this present time, and to this present world, and that by himself, and for his own wise reasons, reasons
which only the regenerate can ever truly come to appreciate and understand, and therefore his
infinitely pure and eternally glorious person - even the person of Jesus Christ
the Righteous - is ignorantly yet cavalierly undervalued by the VAST, VAST, VAST
MAJORITY of those who CALL themselves "Christians," but
who, in doing so, commit a greater sin than even the angels can withhold their
holy ire from, so glorious is Jesus Christ in their cherubic presence, and
consequently - because of men's overwhelmingly blind and unwitting devaluation
of the great and glorious Son of God - because of this, I say - and much more
besides - there are FEW that are truly saved, FEW that are
truly fitted for and ordained to eternal life and to an avalanche of
unimaginable glory, for there are FEW that are willing to prostrate
themselves and wait for this glorious king to grant them their audience, to sit
before him silently pleading and prayerfully crying out from their hearts until he
summons them, and tells them that they have now been heard, but alas, they die
on the vine, in clusters and in groves they rush headlong to wither on the vine
and die, while only a FEW are given eyes to see with and grace to
continue their pursuit onward, unlike the VAST MAJORITY of those who imprecate the name
of Jesus, but to no avail, and all because they lack that SUPERNATURAL FAITH
which perseveres unto the end, a SUPERNATURAL FAITH which is given by a
SUPERNATURAL GRACE to God's elect, both angels and men, but denied to these
others, denied to the VAST MAJORITY of those who desire, but who will
never obtain, who seek, but who will never find, and so they quit the field before the Lord of
Glory ever once deigns to meet with them from on high, thus sealing their own
fate, and that for all eternity, just as Saul gave up waiting on the Lord and
instead consulted the witch of Endor to his everlasting ruin. Indeed, it is exactly as Bunyan observed when
he recounted:
"Before, therefore, God has been with a man, and has
left some impression of his glory upon him, THAT MAN CANNOT BE WILLING
TO COME TO HIM ARIGHT... The reason why men are so careless of, and so
indifferent about, their coming to God, is because they have their eyes blinded,
BECAUSE THEY DO NOT PERCEIVE HIS GLORY. God is so blessed a
one, THAT DID HE NOT HIDE HIS GLORY, THE WHOLE OF THE WORLD WOLD BE
RAVISHED WITH HIM. But he has - I will not say reasons of state -
BUT REASONS OF GLORY, GLORIOUS REASONS WHY HE HIDETH HIMSELF FROM THE
WORLD, AND APPEARETH BUT TO PARTICULAR ONES." John Bunyan, Christ A
Complete Saviour
Particular ones indeed, particular ones whom the
Scriptures call "GOD'S ELECT." Yea, it is even as Jonathan Edwards
noted in the exact same vein:
"THERE IS A DISCOVERY OF THE DIVINE
SUPERLATIVE GLORY AND EXCELLENCY OF GOD AND CHRIST PECULIAR TO THE SAINTS; AND
THIS IS AS IMMEDIATELY FROM GOD AS LIGHT FROM THE SUN, AND IT IS THE IMMEDIATE
EFFECT OF HIS POWER AND WILL... THIS LIGHT, AND THIS ONLY, WILL BRING THE SOUL
TO A SAVING CLOSE WITH CHRIST." Jonathan Edwards, A Divine And
Supernatural Light
But the man who is so arrogant and prideful that he
thinks HE is the one who does the
ACCPETING, and that Jesus is the one
who does the WAITING, indeed, this
vain and conceited heretic is too full of himself and too busy in his
Satanically inspired delusions to prostrate himself before the Lord of Glory,
even the Lord Jesus Christ, and to await the Lord of Glory's timing, to await
him patiently, for as long as it takes, for indeed, this man is nothing in the
root of it but a whited sepulcher who is likewise completely unwilling to take
Jesus Christ AT HIS PLAIN WORD – and
that is EXACTLY what it means to
RECEIVE Jesus, that is, to take Jesus
AT HIS PLAIN WORD is
EXACTLY what it means to
RECEIVE Jesus Christ, and nothing less
- and so alas, the man who is unwilling to take Jesus Christ AT HIS PLAIN
WORD, indeed, such a man is not even
REMOTELY fit for the kingdom of God, and thus the kingdom of God is a place
he will never enter, but will rather be shut out of to all eternity, and
deservedly so, to his own stubborn and haughty everlasting carnage and dismay,
for it is Jesus Christ HIMSELF who has
decreed it so:
"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." Matthew 7:22-23
While I have no doubt that the VAST MAJORITY
of those who have read the foregoing words will not heed them, or will dicker
with them, or will discount them and marginalize them until they contain no more
bite than a stale Perrier, yet I also know that there are a FEW of you
who have been pricked in your hearts, and you therefore crave the water of life,
and the salve of salvation, and if that is so, if you are one of the FEW
of which I speak, then I have a final word for you, and for you ONLY,
for even if the others read them, even if the others read these words following,
my words nevertheless won't apply to them, nor will my words be efficacious to
them, at least not savingly, but only damningly so.
On the other hand, for you the FEW, be of good cheer,
especially if you are not yet saved, but want to be, for I have a gospel for
you, and not just any old gospel, but the gospel of the King, even the gospel of
Jesus Christ the Righteous, who is likely to do a work in you that you will not
believe, though it be told you, just as was promised to another pantheon of lost
souls:
"Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder
marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe,
though it be told you." Habakkuk 1:5
You see, if you have read those words where Jesus
stated that the gate which leads to life is a strait one, and the way narrow,
and that only a FEW find it, and if you BELIEVE those words of
Jesus PLAINLY, just as they were written, and exactly as Jesus spoke
them, not cryptically, or mystically, but just plain and straight out, and if
you also read the other places where Jesus confirmed that MANY are
called, but FEW are chosen, and if you also BELIEVE those
words of Jesus PLAINLY, just as they were written, and exactly as Jesus
spoke them, not mystically, or cryptically, but just plain and straight out,
and yet further, if you have likewise read similar words of Jesus regarding this
and many of the other issues he touched upon in the same manner throughout his
four gospels - that is, PLAINLY,
just as Jesus spoke them, not cryptically, or mystically, but just plain and
straight out, then you have a PROMISE from that very same Jesus, a
PROMISE which NONE of the others have, which NONE of the
others can even BEGIN to claim.
They refuse to take Jesus AT HIS PLAIN WORD,
and thus Jesus will REFUSE to entrust to them his secrets. Not only in
this world, but also in the world to come. Just watch.
YOU, on the the other hand, YOU FEW,
YOU have NUMEROUS PROMISES FROM JESUS
that NONE of the others have, and which NONE of the others can
even REMOTELY lay claim to, for the truth is, Jesus Christ won't lift a
FINGER - not a FINGER - to honor his words to those who don't take
him PLAINLY at his own word to begin with, while, conversely, Jesus will
move heaven and earth to honor those who DO, to honor his word to those
who DO take him PLAINLY AT HIS WORD, and since YOU
do, since you are one of the very, very FEW who take Jesus PLAINLY
AT HIS WORD, then you may also take THIS promise PLAINLY
as well, PLAINLY as coming DIRECTLY from the lips of Jesus
Christ HIMSELF, and that is a privilege that YOU ALONE are
given, for Jesus honors his words to ALL who take him PLAINLY
at his word, while he simultaneously REPUDIATES AND DENIES ALL WHO
DON'T, REPUDIATES AND DENIES ALL who rationalize his words,
REPUDIATES AND DENIES ALL who eisegete
his words and wrest them into a gymnastical rhythm that would shine like gold in
the Olympics, just as the unregenerate have done with his words in every age,
and in every generation.
Accordingly, while this is a PROMISE that
Jesus DENIES to all others, he nevertheless offers it to YOU NOW, even
that PROMISE with respect to my exhortation to you to prostrate
yourself at the feet of Jesus and cry out to him until he hears from on high and
MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO YOU through the UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL
MIRACLE of the NEW BIRTH, which Jesus PROMISES to do in
John 14:21 and numerous other passages, and he has confirmed it in his own blood to YOU the FEW - you the FEW who TAKE JESUS
PLAINLY AT HIS WORD - yea, YOU THE FEW may therefore PLEAD with FULL
ASSURANCE of
RECEIVING THE PROMISE by praying these words and EXPECTING the
Lord Jesus to answer them, for he is FAITHFUL TO ALL of the FEW
who take him AT HIS PLAIN WORD, and that without exception, as he said:
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened." Matthew 7:7-8
Those words are for YOU the FEW, and YOU ONLY,
for those of you who TAKE JESUS AT HIS PLAIN WORD. Those words are
NOT for anyone else. Those words will be honored by Jesus ONLY to
those who honor Jesus HIMSELF by TAKING JESUS AT HIS PLAIN WORD,
and NOBODY ELSE WHOMSOEVER. Period.
But don't stop short. Don't stop until Jesus Christ
HIMSELF hears from on high and
MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO YOU in the
UNMISTAKABLE SUPERNATURAL MIRACLE of
the NEW BIRTH, for Jesus Christ
WILL HONOR those words if
YOU have honored his, if
YOU have literally
TREMBLED at his words (for TREMBLING is part and parcel of
taking Jesus AT HIS PLAIN WORD), and
so indeed, Jesus Christ WILL HONOR
those words if YOU have honored his,
just as I have demonstrated above. He
will NOT honor those words in any
others - none - but he WILL HONOR them
in YOU THE FEW, if you have honored
his, although, don't put Jesus on a time-table, for if you do, you will fail,
and miserably so, but rather, leave the
TIMING to Jesus, but retain the
URGENCY for yourself, for if you will do these two things, namely, leave the
TIMINIG to Jesus, but nevertheless
boldly press the URGENCY of your
condition upon Jesus in prayer and supplication, for then, by and by, for then
it is Jesus HIMSELF who will in his
OWN TIME demonstrate his
FAITHFULNESS to you, and
PERSONLY so, and thus I
will close by offering you this admonition by a truly regenerate and
Spirit-filled George Whitefield, who truthfully and boldly proclaimed:
"Judge
ye then, whether it is not high time for the
TRUE MINISTERS OF JESUS CHRIST,
WHO HAVE BEEN MADE
PARTAKERS OF THIS HEAVENLY GIFT, to lift up their voices like a
trumpet; and if they would not have those souls perish, for which the Lord Jesus
has shed his precious blood, to declare, with all boldness, THAT
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE COMMON PRIVILEGE AND PORTION OF ALL BELIEVERS IN ALL AGES; AND
THAT WE AS WELL AS THE FIRST CHRISTIANS, MUST
RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST,
BEFORE WE CAN BE TRULY CALLED
THE CHILDREN OF GOD... Indeed, I
will not say that all our letter-learned preachers deny this doctrine in
express words; but however, they do in effect; for they talk professedly against
INWARD FEELINGS,
and say, we may have God's Spirit
WITHOUT FEELING IT,
WHICH IS IN REALITY TO
DENY THE THING ITSELF... Had I
a mind to HINDER
the progress of the gospel, and to
ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, I
WOULD GO ABOUT TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD, AND
YET NOT FEEL IT." George Whitefield, The Indwelling Of The Spirit
The man who reads these words of mine and is wise is the man who will
not only believe Jesus when Jesus states emphatically that is is FEW
that will be saved, but the wise man will likewise do whatever he has to do to
become one of those FEW!
What will you do?
Farewell, and the Lord Jesus give you a prosperous
journey. To continue on in this vein and follow a step-by-step approach to the New
Birth, see How To Be
Born Again