Stop Longing For What Once Enslaved You And Start Rejoicing In Where God Is Taking You, Don’t Look Back!

The Bible is a Book that moves forward, not backwards. It was first written in Aramaic, then Hebrew, then in Greek and put into Old Syriac, Old Latin, Old German and finally in Old English. God pulls us forward into the light, Satan lurks in the shadows behind us, looking back puts us in the ring with the Devil. Staying there too long and we become bruised and bloodied in the battle. Today my message is ‘Don’t Look Back!’, and it’s a call to putting our eyes on Jesus Christ as He moves us forward here in these last days.

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (KJB)

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: Don’t Look Back!

Don’t Look Back!

1). Looking Back Shows a Divided Heart

Main Text

 “Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32 (KJB)

Supporting Text

 “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26 (KJB)

Truth

Lot’s wife left Sodom with her body, but her heart was still tied to what God was judging. Looking back revealed inward attachment to a condemned world.

Application

A Christian can be outwardly separated and yet inwardly longing for the old life. God wants not just our feet moving forward, but our heart moving forward as well.

2). Looking Back Is Dangerous When God Has Called You Out

Main Text

“And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.” Genesis 19:17 (KJB)

Truth

The command not to look back was connected to survival. Sodom was under judgment, and hesitation in a place of judgment was deadly.

Application

When God delivers you from sin, worldliness, false religion, or compromise, you are not to linger over what He has called you to leave behind.

3). Looking Back Makes You Unfit for Effective Service

Main Text

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 (KJB)

Truth

A ploughman looking backward cannot plough a straight row. A backward glance in the Christian life destroys focus, direction, and usefulness.

Application

You cannot serve the Lord well while constantly longing for yesterday, revisiting old sins, old loves, old ambitions, or old defeats.

4). Looking Back Hinders Forward Growth

Main Text

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (KJB)

Truth

Paul teaches that spiritual progress requires forgetting the things behind and reaching toward the things ahead. The Christian life is a forward walk.

Application

Looking back at past failures can paralyze you. Looking back at past victories can puff you up. Either way, looking back keeps you from pressing toward the mark.

5). Looking Back Can Mean Longing for the Old Life of Bondage

Main Text

“And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:3 (KJB)

Supporting Text

“We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:” Numbers 11:5 (KJB)

Truth

Israel kept looking back to Egypt, forgetting the bondage and remembering only the pleasures. This is what the flesh does. It edits the memory and romanticizes what enslaved us.

Application

Many Christians do the same with the old life. They forget the chains and remember only the passing pleasures of sin.

6). Looking Back Reveals Unbelief in God’s Future Provision

Main Text

“And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:15-16 (KJB)

Truth

The saints in Hebrews 11 did not keep their minds fixed on what they left. They looked for something better ahead. Faith looks forward.

Application

To keep looking back is often a sign that we doubt God has something better before us than what lies behind us.

7). Looking Back Can Pull You Back Into Defilement

Main Text

“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:20-22 (KJB)

Truth

Looking back often leads to turning back. What begins with a glance can end in entanglement.

Application

The Christian must guard his mind, affections, and desires, because the backward look can become a backward step.

8). Looking Back Distracts Us From Christ

Main Text

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJB)

Truth

The Christian race is not run by looking backward, inward, or sideways, but by looking unto Jesus.

Application

When your eyes leave Christ and drift back toward the world, the flesh, regret, bitterness, or nostalgia, your race will suffer.

9). Looking Back Keeps Old Things Alive That God Has Put Away

Main Text

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJB)

Supporting Text

“I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:15-19 (KJB)

Truth

God has made the believer a new creature in Christ. Constant backward living keeps old things on life support that God says are passed away.

Application

Stop building memorials to what God has already buried.

10). Looking Back Is the Opposite of Hope

Main Text

“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.” Proverbs 4:25 (KJB)

Supporting Text

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2 (KJB)

Truth

The Christian life is built on hope, expectation, and forward vision. We are not camped in the ruins of the past. We are heading toward Jesus Christ, the judgment seat of Christ, and home.

Application

A backward Christian is usually a discouraged Christian. A forward-looking Christian is a hopeful Christian.

Practical Areas Where Christians Look Back

1. Past sins

The devil wants you chained to forgiven things.

2. Past wounds

Bitterness keeps your face turned toward old pain instead of future grace.

3. Past successes

Living on yesterday’s victories produces present-day barrenness.

4. Former worldly pleasures

The flesh loves to make Egypt look better than it was.

5. Old relationships and attachments

What God removed from your life does not need to be resurrected.

What Happens When We Stop Looking Back

1. We walk by faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJB) “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

2. We grow in maturity

Forward motion is the mark of spiritual health.

3. We become useful to God

A fixed eye makes a straight furrow.

4. We gain victory over the flesh

Forward focus weakens backward cravings.

5. We finish well

The Christian life is not about how you started, but how you finish.

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (KJB)

Closing Challenge

• Lot’s wife looked back and died in judgment.
• Israel looked back and wandered in defeat.
• Paul refused to look back and pressed toward the prize.

The lesson is plain: what God has called you out of is not worth turning around to admire. The world behind you is under judgment, but the glory ahead of you is in Jesus Christ. Keep your eyes forward.

“Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

The Bible doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture of the body of Christ is an oft-ignored and much maligned subject here at the end of the falling away

The blessed hope of every born again Bible believer living in the Church Age dispensation is the Pretribulation Rapture, or catching away, of the body of Christ. Paul says that we are to speak about it, teach it, preach it and to comfort one another with the words in the Bible showing us the rapture. But in our day, because we live in the time Paul calls the ‘falling away’, the doctrine of the Pretribulation Rapture is not only not taught and not preached from the pulpit, it is maligned by lukewarm Laodiceans who cannot or will not ‘rightly divide’ the scripture. Today my message is ‘Sunday Morning Rapture’, everything you should know but don’t because no one taught it to you about the soon-coming catching away of the body of Christ into the clouds.

“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17,18 (KJB)

GREAT COMMENTARIES ON THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH AND THE SECOND ADVENT, CLICK TO ORDER!!

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: Sunday Morning Rapture

Sunday Morning Rapture

The Rapture Is A New Testament Mystery Concerning The Church

The first thing we need to establish is that the church was not revealed in full in the Old Testament, and neither was the Rapture. The Old Testament contains types, shadows, patterns, and prophetic pictures, but the direct doctrinal revelation is given through Paul.

The Rapture was a ‘mystery’ truth

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (KJB)

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

This is foundational. Paul does not say, “I remind you of what Isaiah fully explained.” He says, “I shew you a mystery.” That means the full doctrine was not plainly revealed before.

The church itself was a mystery not made known in other ages as it is now

Ephesians 3:3-6 (KJB)

“How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:”

The church as one body was not the subject of open Old Testament revelation. Therefore, the catching away of that body before the time of Jacob’s trouble is also not laid out in full doctrinal form in the Old Testament.

Christ and the church are joined as bridegroom and bride

Ephesians 5:30-32 (KJB)

“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

The church is not Israel. The church is the body and bride of Christ, and the removal of that bride before the outpouring of wrath fits the pattern of Scripture.

The Classic Rapture Passages

1. The Lord descends, the dead in Christ rise, and living saints are caught up

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJB)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

You will notice the following:

• This is for “the dead in Christ” and those alive in Christ.
• The saints are “caught up”.
• They meet the Lord “in the air”.
• Christ does not here come to the earth to set up the kingdom.

This is a comfort, not a warning of wrath.

The Instantaneous Change Of The Church

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (KJB)

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

This is not the slow gathering of tribulation survivors into a kingdom. This is the instant transformation of the church.

Victory over death

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (KJB)

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Rapture is the church’s bodily victory before the wrath to come.!!

The Church Is Told To Wait For God’s Son From heaven

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 (KJB)

“For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

That is pretribulation language. The church is not appointed to enter the wrath and then survive it. Jesus “delivered us from the wrath to come.”

Appointed not to wrath

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 (KJB)

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

In the immediate context, Paul has just spoken of “the day of the Lord” in 1 Thessalonians 5. The church is not appointed to that wrath.

Looking for that blessed hope

Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

The blessed hope of the church is not the rise of Antichrist, not the seals, not the trumpets, not the vials. It is Jesus Christ.

Christ Promised To Receive His Own Unto Himself

John 14:1-3 (KJB)

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

This fits the Rapture beautifully:

• Christ comes for His own.
• He receives them unto Himself.
• He takes them to the Father’s house.

This is not the same scene as His return to earth in judgment.

The Church’s Citizenship And Bodily Change

Our conversation is in heaven, not here on the Earth. Believers are not looking for a ‘Golden Age’ here on Earth, and should reject it when offered.

Philippians 3:20-21 (KJB)

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

Again, the church is looking up, not bracing for the outpouring of divine wrath.

The Appearing Of Christ For His People Produces Purity And Patience

1 John 3:2-3 (KJB)

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

This is church hope: transformation at His appearing.

The coming of the Lord draweth nigh

James 5:7-8 (KJB)

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”

Though James has a strong tribulation flavor doctrinally, the principle still shows the saints living in expectation of the Lord’s coming.

The Church Is Kept Out Of The Hour, Not Preserved Through It

Kept from the hour of temptation not preserved through it. Big difference.

Revelation 3:10 (KJB)

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

Notice carefully:

• Not merely kept in temptation.
• Not merely kept through temptation.
• Kept from the hour itself.

That is removal before the global trial begins.

The Twenty-Four Elders In Heaven Before The Tribulation Judgments Unfold

Revelation 4:4 (KJB)

“And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

Revelation 5:9-10 (KJB)

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

Before the seal judgments begin in earnest, a redeemed company is already seen in heaven, crowned and enthroned.

The Rapture Is A Comfort; The Second Coming Is Terror For The Unrepentant

1 Thessalonians 4:18 (KJB)

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Revelation 19:15 (KJB)

“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”

Those are not the same event.

Old Testament Pictures, Patterns, And Prophetic Hints Of A Pretribulation Rapture

Enoch: Removed Before The Flood Judgment

1. Enoch walked with God and was taken

Genesis 5:24 (KJB)

“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

The New Testament confirms Enoch was translated

Hebrews 11:5 (KJB)

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Enoch is a powerful picture of the church:

• He walks with God.
• He is taken out.
• He does not see death.
• He is removed before the flood judgment falls.

Noah, by contrast, is preserved through the flood and pictures a remnant preserved through tribulation.

Noah: Preserved Through Judgment, Like Israel Through The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble

Genesis 7:16 (KJB)

“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.”

Noah is not a picture of the church being raptured. Noah is a picture of a preserved remnant through judgment. That actually strengthens the distinction:

• Enoch = removed before wrath.
• Noah = preserved through wrath.

 Lot: Removed Before Fire Fell

1. The angels could do nothing until Lot was out

Genesis 19:22 (KJB)

“Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.”

2. Jesus uses Noah and Lot as end-time patterns

Luke 17:26-30 (KJB)

“And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Lot’s removal before fire falls is another pre-wrath pattern.

Isaac And Rebekah: The Gentile Bride Called Out While The Son Is Absent

Genesis 24:63-67 (KJB)

“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”

Dispensationally this is a beautiful picture:

• Abraham pictures the Father.
• Isaac pictures the Son.
• The unnamed servant pictures the Holy Spirit.
• Rebekah pictures the called-out bride.

Joseph Takes A Gentile Bride Before He Reveals Himself To His Brethren

Genesis 41:45 (KJB)

“And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph receives a Gentile bride before his later reconciliation with his brethren, a strong picture of Christ taking a predominantly Gentile church before Israel’s national restoration.

Boaz And Ruth: The Kinsman Redeemer Takes A Gentile Bride

Ruth 4:13 (KJB)

“So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.”

Again, not a formal doctrinal proof text, but a remarkable pattern of redemption and marriage.

Jacob’s Trouble Is For Jacob

Jeremiah 30:7 (KJB)

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”

It does not say the time of the church’s trouble. It says Jacob’s trouble.

New Testament Passages Showing The Tribulation Is Not The Church’s Appointed Portion

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 (KJB)

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

The contrast is plain:

• they / them = world under judgment
• ye / brethren = church not appointed to that wrath

Christ delivers believers from coming wrath

Romans 5:9 (KJB)

“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

We are accepted in the Beloved, not reserved for condemnation

Romans 8:1 (KJB)

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

The tribulation is a period of divine judgment on a Christ-rejecting world and for the purging and restoration of Israel, not for condemning the body of Christ.

The Blessed Hope Compared With Israel’s Second Advent Hope

The church waits for Christ from heaven

Philippians 3:20 (KJB)

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:”

Israel awaits Messiah’s manifestation to earth

Zechariah 12:10 (KJB)

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

The church’s hope is heavenly; Israel’s kingdom hope is earthly.

The Rapture Vs. Second Coming

The Rapture:

• Christ comes in the air — 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (KJB)
• He comes for His saints — John 14:3 (KJB)
• The church is caught up — 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (KJB)
• Bodies are changed instantly — 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (KJB)
• It is called a blessed hope — Titus 2:13 (KJB)
• Believers are delivered from wrath to come — 1 Thessalonians 1:10 (KJB)

Second Coming:

• Christ comes to the earth — Zechariah 14:4 (KJB)
• He comes with His saints — Zechariah 14:5 (KJB); Revelation 19:14 (KJB)
• He comes in judgment and war — Revelation 19:11-15 (KJB)
• He destroys Antichrist — 2 Thessalonians 2:8 (KJB)
• He establishes visible kingdom rule — Revelation 19:15 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

John 3:16 in your King James Bible gives you Paul’s gospel in a single verse and can save your soul in the time it takes to read it, and believe it!

One of the most amazing things about John 3:16, the verse that I got saved on 35 years ago, is that it makes the connection between John’s gospel and Paul’s gospel. John 3:16 shows us how to get saved in perfect harmony with 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. Paul tells you what the gospel is, and John shows you how to apply it. Earlier in John 3, Jesus gives us the qualification for salvation in the Kingdom of God – Ye MUST be born again! In Acts 28, Luke tells us that our apostle Paul preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)

For whatever reason, and it honestly escapes me, many Bible believers fail or refuse to make this very important scriptural connection between Paul’s gospel and John’s gospel. Today we will make that connection so wonderfully clear and so gloriously plain that you’d have to work to miss it.

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: For God So Loved The World

For God So Loved The World

I. The Source Of Salvation: The Love Of God

John 3:16 (KJB)
“For God so loved the world…”

Key Points:

• Salvation begins with God, not man.
• The motive behind redemption is love, not human merit.
• God’s love extends to the world, meaning all mankind.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (KJB)

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (KJB)

II. The Gift Of Salvation: God Gave His Son

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…that he gave his only begotten Son…”

Key Points:

• Salvation is a gift, not something earned.
• The price of redemption was the Son of God.
• Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son, unique and divine.

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJB)

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Ephesians 1:7 (KJB)

III. The Simplicity Of Salvation: Believe

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…that whosoever believeth in him…”

Key Points:

• Salvation is offered to whosoever.
• The condition is belief, not works.
• Faith must be placed in Him—Jesus Christ.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31 (KJB)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJB)

IV. The Escape From Judgment: Should Not Perish

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…should not perish…”

Key Points:

• Without Christ, man is already condemned.
• Hell is the eternal destination for the lost.
• Jesus Christ is the only escape from perishing.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already…” John 3:18 (KJB)

“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14 (KJB)

V. The Promise Of Salvation: Everlasting Life

John 3:16 (KJB)
“…but have everlasting life.”

Key Points:

• Eternal life is present possession for the believer.
• Salvation is everlasting, not temporary.
• This life is found only in Jesus Christ.

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1 John 5:11 (KJB)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” John 6:47 (KJB)

Conclusion: The Greatest Invitation Ever Given

John 3:16 reveals five great truths:

• God’s Love — The motive of salvation
• God’s Gift — The Son given for sinners
• God’s Condition — Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
• God’s Warning — Perish without Christ
• God’s Promise — Everlasting life

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 (KJB)

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJB)

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:24-26 (KJB)

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7 (KJB)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJB)

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (KJB)

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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