I would like to tell you about a friend of mine. He is a Prince of a very vast domain. All his people love and serve him with all their hearts. Many serve him willingly day and night doing anything and everything that he wishes them to do. Their greatest joy is to do his will. Of course as a Prince he is really rich. He is the richest person I have ever known. Unlike a lot of rich people though, he is not a snob. Oh no! He is the kindest person you could ever meet. He is a good listener too. If you have a problem his is always there to listen to you. Night or day he will listen to anything you have to say without complaining of being tired, too busy, or not interested. If you ask him to, he will help you through any problem providing all the help you need. He is the best friend a person can have.
Quite a long time ago one of his subjects decided that as he was the first and highest in position of all of the people in this kingdom that he should receive the same amount of praise and honour that was only showed to the Prince. He did not do this openly or nobody would have believed him. No, he was very sneaky about it. He started asking questions like whether the Prince was really fair or whether he should receive all the praise and honour that he does when most of the work was done by others?
The King called an assembly of all his subjects. He explained to them why the Prince did and was supposed to receive the praise and honour that he did. That it was the subjects roll to love, obey and honour their Prince, not to receive praise and honour. Two-thirds of the population believed, the rest did not. War broke out and those who did not want to obey the King were expelled to the furtherest part of the kingdom.
Some time after this a new settlement was established. It was a very beautiful place with only two people to care for and establish it. They were to have many children and populate the area. These people were warned about what happened with the previous highest person in the kingdom and that he would try to get them on his side too. These people thought that they would never turn their backs on such a loving King and Prince especially as they were so generous.
One day, however, they did rebel. The woman was deceived, and the man not wanting to be left alone decided to join his wife in rebellion. This made the King and Prince very sad. The couple had many children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc., etc. For many years the King and Prince sent loyal subjects to these people trying to get them to turn from their rebellion and to become loyal subjects again. Although the loyal subjects were trying to help those in rebellion they were not treated very nicely. Some were beaten to death, others had their heads cut off, one was even sawn in half, but all were mistreated by the rebels.
Finally the King had only one choice left. He sent his son, the Prince, to these rebellious people. Maybe they would listen to him. This was not to be. They treated the Prince worse than they treated all the other loyal subjects. He was not sent with great riches to try and buy the people, but he used all the love and signs that His Father could give. He helped everyone he came across. There were some people who gave up their rebellion, although the majority did not. The Prince did not have a home to live in, but whatever he had he shared with anyone who would take it. The Prince was very kind and loving to the rebels even while they were treating him so cruelly.
The rebels finally decided that they had had enough of being told of the love of the King by his Prince, so they killed him by nailing him to a tree. The Prince loved the people so much that even as they were nailing His hands to the tree He asked that His Father forgive these rebellious people.
If you have not guessed by now the Prince I am telling you all about is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. The King is God the Father, and the highest person in the kingdom who rebelled is Satan. The new settlement was this earth, and Adam and Eve were the ones to care for and establish it.
Fortunately for us the story does not end with the Prince dying on a tree. On the third day He rose to life again. He returned to heaven to live with His Father and to intercede for all the people on this earth who love Him and are trying to obey Him.
One day very soon, Jesus Christ is going to return to this earth. This time He will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His feet will not touch the ground. He will give a mighty shout and all who have died believing in Him will be raised from the dead. They will not have their own old sick bodies, but new ones. Bodies that will last forever. As they start rising up into the sky to meet their Lord, those who love and obey God and are still living when He comes which are called the one hundred and forty-four thousand, will also receive new bodies. Then they will be caught up into the air to join the others. All will travel to heaven to live there for 1,000 years.
I can nearly hear you say, but what about the rebellious ones? What will happen to them? Those rebellious ones who are alive when Jesus Christ comes will be killed by the brightness of His coming. Satan and his angels will be left alone on this desolate lifeless planet for 1,000 years. At the end of this time the Holy City, New Jerusalem will come down from God out of heaven. Jesus will precede it and as His feet touch the Mount of Olives it will divide and there will be a great valley. The city in all its splendour will rest upon the place purified and made ready to receive it.
Once the city has rested on this earth, all those who have lived on the earth in rebellion of God's government or Laws will be raised from the dead. They will not have new bodies like the loyal, obedient ones. They will come up from the grave as they went into it. Some sick, some missing limbs, some deranged with madness.
Satan gathers together all those who in this life have acknowledge him as being supreme, even above God. He rallies them up to attack the city and take it for themselves. All the rebels assemble and go to attack the city with Jesus and all the saints in it. As they go to do so they suddenly stop and look as a huge panoramic scene appears before them. It tells the whole story from the fall of Adam to the death of Jesus Christ. All the rebellious people acknowledge that God is right and Satan is wrong. All both obedient and rebellious people, Satan and all his angels will come and fall down before Jesus Christ acknowledging that He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Although Satan is compelled to acknowledge that Christ is Lord he is still rebellious. He tries to stir up the people and rally all his forces, but no one will now acknowledge his supremacy. They hate him for all the deceptions that he has encouraged them to believe. At this time God intervenes. He sends fire from heaven and all the rebellious are burned in the lake of fire. He even throws death and hell into the lake of fire, which is the second death from which there is no resurrection, but total and complete separation from God for eternity.
Then God will make a new heaven and a new earth. He shall wipe all tears from our eyes, there shall be no more sorrow, or crying, neither shall there be any more pain. The saints will live with their Lord and Saviour for the ceaseless ages of eternity.
Which side do you want to be on? The ones who love and obey, or the rebels?
Jesus said, If you love me you will keep my Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the basis for God's government - supreme love to God and love to our fellow men. In the last book of the Bible we read what the saints will be like - they will keep the Commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus Christ.
Friends the greatest Friend of all time is reaching out to you. Will you accept Him into your heart and be saved? Please do not put it off until tomorrow. You do not know if you will have or that there will be a tomorrow. If He is speaking to your heart please accept Him today!
© S. D. Goeldner.
© S. D. Goeldner, February, 2013. Last updated July,2020.
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