Salvation was nothing new to the religious mind. They were saved each year as the sacrifice was offered. They were saved from death of the bite of the serpents in the wilderness. They understood about the lamb and its purpose, so that must not have been the "Good News" that set the religious people on their ears.
As for Paul, his most famous church was in Rome. What could he tell the Romans, who believed in many gods with all of the myths that go along with them? What would they have seen and heard to draw them away from following the gods they already had?
YahShua says of himself, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
For Yah so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
YahShua bears witness, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but has moved from death unto life. And in another place,I say unto you, He that believes on me has everlasting life.
John declares, He that believes on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believes not the Son shall not see life.
Everlasting life is life that does not die or perish. Death is swallowed up in life. We hear Paul preaching, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of Yah is eternal life through YahShua Messiyah our Lord.
Remember that in the mouth of two or more witness a thing is established.
Everlasting life means that these Apostles and Paul would have never died because of the endless life working in them, corruption putting on incorruptibility. The disciples and Paul walked in John 3:16 life. And that is what they preached, displaying the benefit of such a life with many signs and wonders. Look again at all that is recorded of the works of the Apostles, and begin to read the Bible with this thought in mind.
YahShua testifies, I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father.
We see from this that YahShua preached everlasting life and displayed it as the scripture above states. Then He goes on to say, Even as the Father has sent Me into the world so send I you.
The same commandment from Yah that YahShua walked in was passed on to the disciples and it has now come to us. In another place he states, But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
The Apostles had everlasting life working in them just as YahShua, and would be alive with us today except they chose to not accept deliverance when the torture came. History tells us the deaths of most of the Apostles were violent and at the hand of radical religious leaders and Rome.
They all shared in this new and LIVING way and walked in it. I could tell you how the Apostles just got up and walked away from death many times when man thought they had killed them.
The Bible states in Hebrews 11; And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection. See the article "Resurrection".
Paul testifies, Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one.. This usually brought death. Three times I was beaten with rods. This punishment was unto death and did not stop until the recipient was dead or thought to be dead at any rate. Once I was stoned. This was certainly a death sentence. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. And we all know from Scripture he was bitten by a snake known to kill immediately, but he just slung it off and went on, not accepting death. Eventually he was beheaded in Rome at the hand of Nero.
John, who wrote the book of Revelation, remains a mystery. In the Bible Yahshua is talking to Peter about how he would accept martyrdom. Then Peter asked about John and we hear YahShua reply, If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. I will now quote from the Smith Bible Dictionary. Tradition relates that in the persecution under Domitian John is taken to Rome, and there, by his boldness, though not by death, gained the crown of martyrdom. The boiling oil unto which he was thrown had no power to hurt him. He is then sent to labor in the mines and Patmos is the place of his exile. After his release he returned to Ephesus. The very time of his death lies within the region of conjecture rather than of history. And the dates that have been assigned for it ranges from A.D.89 to A.D.120. Could John be alive with us today?
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of Yah, and YahShua standing in the power of Yah. Now we know as the scripture bears out that His proper position is seated as a King on a throne, however here we see Him standing. Why? When a king in ancient times stood up from his throne it was to act. What action was YahShua about to do at that moment? But, we read a few verses further and hear Stephen saying, Lord YahShua, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
This indicates that deliverance was readily available to him for the King was at hand to deliver. Stephen had, as the scripture above states, not accepted deliverance.
The religious rulers and Roman authorities would never give the apostles rest or leave them alone. They were harassed, hunted, pursued and tortured until living became an unbearable nightmare. The Bible testifies of these men, Of whom the world was not worthy. The world hated them instead of embracing the new life they displayed and taught. Many, like their Messiyah, laid down their lives for a better resurrection. See the article, "Resurrection".
As with all of the disciples and Paul, it took the hand of evil man to bring everlasting life to a physical end. Principalities and powers wanted to stop the spread of this "Good News" so that religion, and the need or dependence upon it would remain and give them power over peoples' lives. It is absurd to think that a world full of people beholding a new kind of life, eternal and glorious, would try with everything at their disposal to destroy it, but it happened. Who would not want the fountain of life? Who would spurn a free gift of such magnitude? I venture to think that it was because it did not come through the accepted mode, the religious order of that day, but through a small band of believers who followed a man who was thought to be the Messiyah. Jealous pride kept them out of the intended blessing.
With the passing of these men the secret of everlasting life was lost to the world. These had entered the Promised Land of the Kingdom of Heaven and brought to us an example of how it will be, but because of the jealousy of religion and their persuasion in the early church, the church as a whole did not enter everlasting life. Now, in our day this power and kind of life is being revealed to Yahs sons once again, and a people will soon began to walk in it as Father sets up His Kingdom on earth.
Now, this brings us full circle to where we are today. The church has wandered in the wilderness of man because they refused to believe Yah and possess the Promised Land. But, now Yah has raised up a new generation that will take the land. Again, there are some people who are going to taste the power of the world to come and walk on the earth in the John 3:16 blessing.
Better still is the life awaiting those who are born of the spirit and come forth in the Kingdom Age in an immortal body like unto his glorious body. These are the elect sons of Yah and the overcomers of Revelation.
To the ones who receive everlasting life Yah declares, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. And then he says to the overcomers, He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his Elohim and he will be my son.
Because of the manifestation of the sons of Yah, death and its effects will be done away with once and for all. In effect nothing shall by any means hurt those who are found waiting with eager expectation for the manifestation of the sons of Yah.
And this gospel of the kingdom,(the good news), will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Notice it says the gospel of the kingdom, not the gospel of salvation. We find in Acts three that, He, speaking of YahShua Messiyah, must remain in heaven until the time comes for Yah to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. Paul declared, For he, YahShua Messiyah, must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Remember the words of YahShua to Mary, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. This is resurrection from physical death. But he does not stop with this statement, he continues. And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. This is a change, not a death. Then he asks, Do you believe this? I am always available to answer the questions of a hungry heart. It is Yah's will that we help one another up the hill to transfiguration. However, keep in mind that it is not revelation knowledge that we should seek, but "HIM". Spiritual understand will automatically come as we become more aware of "HIM" and become more like "HIM". Many fall short of full sonship by becoming too caught up in the revelation, and not caught up "IN HIM". "HE" must have preeminence in our life even in our getting of revelation knowledge. I can not stress this enough.
