Everlasting Life

For if revelation be true, as most assuredly it is, it is in Jesus only that we have eternal life.

On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts. Charles Carroll September 27, 1825

Sensible of my mortality, but being of sound mind, after recommending my soul to Almighty God through the merits of my Redeemer and my body to the earth From Will of William Cushing who was First Associate Justice Appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court

In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel of Saint Thomas Jenifer . . . of disposing mind and memory, commend my soul to my blessed Redeemer. From Will of Daniel St. Thomas Jenifer

As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name!

John 1:12

If God did not judge our sin, He would no longer be just. We could not pay the penalty required so He sent His only begotten Son to pay our debt. Jesus as infinite God and sinless man could pay the price for us, for all our sins, that we be redeemed. He invites all to His table, even those from other religions.
JESUS IS THE TRUTH

I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer. Roger Sherman, The Life of Roger Sherman (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1896), pp. 272-273, Lewis Henry Boutell,

I have sometimes thought there could not be a stronger testimony in favor of religion or against temporal enjoyments, even the most rational and manly, than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and [who] are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare the unsatisfactoriness [of temporal enjoyments] by becoming fervent advocates in the cause of Christ; and I wish you may give in your evidence in this way.

Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved son. He has been pleased to bless me with excellent parents, with a virtuous wife, and with worthy children. His protection has companied me through many eventful years, faithfully employed in the service of my country; His providence has not only conducted me to this tranquil situation but also given me abundant reason to be contented and thankful.

BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED
Neither is there salvation in any other:

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

I have no wit, no words, no tears;
My heart within me like a stone
Is numb'd too much for hopes or fears;
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift mine eyes, but dimm'd with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is in the falling leaf:
O Jesus, quicken me.

My life is like a faded leaf,
My harvest dwindled to a husk:
Truly my life is void and brief
And tedious in the barren dusk;
My life is like a frozen thing,
No bud nor greenness can I see:
Yet rise it shall--the sap of Spring;
O Jesus, rise in me.

My life is like a broken bowl,
A broken bowl that cannot hold
One drop of water for my soul
Or cordial in the searching cold;
Cast in the fire the perish'd thing;
Melt and remould it, till it be
A royal cup for Him, my King:
O Jesus, drink of me

Christina Rossetti
Goblin Market, The Prince's Progress and Other Poems.
London: Macmillan 1879.

And when a train of rolling years are past,
(So sang the exil'd seer in Patmos isle,)
A new Jerusalem sent down from heav'n
Shall grace our happy earth, perhaps this land,
Whose virgin bosom shall then receive, tho' late,
Myriads of saints with their almighty king,
To live and reign on earth a thousand years
Thence call'd Millennium. Paradise a new
Shall flourish, by no second Adam lost.

No dang'rous tree or deathful fruit shall grow,
No tempting serpent to allure the soul,
From native innocence; a Canaan here
Another Canaan shall excel the old
And from fairer Pisgah's top be seen,
No thistle here or briar or thorn shall spring
Earth's curse before: the lion and the lamb
In mutual friendship link'd shall browse the shrub,
And tim'rous deer with rabid tygers stray
O'er mead or lofty hill or grassy plain.

Another Jordan's stream shall glide along
And Siloah's brook in circling eddies flow,
Groves shall adorn their verdant banks, on which
The happy people free from second death
Shall find secure repose; no fierce disease
No fevers, slow consumption, direful plague
Death's ancient ministers, again renew
Perpetual war with man: Fair fruits shall bloom
Fair to the eye, sweet to the taste, if such
Divine inhabitants could need the taste
Of elemental food, amid the joys
Fit for a heav'nly nature. Music's charms
Shall swell the lofty soul and harmony
Triumphant reign; thro' ev'ry grove shall sound
The cymbal and the lyre, joys too divine
For fallen man to know. Such days the world
And such America thou first shall have
When ages yet to come have run their round
And future years of bliss alone remain.

Selected excerpts taken from A poem, on the rising glory of America by Hugh Henry Brackenridge,

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him. Revelation 3:20

There is a story that happened long ago;
And if you listen with child-like faith,
The Truth you will surely know.

An angel came to Mary with most astonishing news--
She would bear a child, the Son of God;
The serpent's head He would bruise.

Wise men brought Him fine gifts; they traveled from afar.
Knowing the words from prophets of yore
They followed the bright wondrous star.

Glory! Glory! Glory! Glory to the King.
As a babe He came upon the earth.
To that day of good tidings we sing.

Sing of His love and sacrifice. Sing of His wisdom so true.
Praise His name every day, for
Through Him are our souls born anew.

It is true that upon a solid rock was built piece by piece this great nation,

Thus, our protection was divinely marked by our founders' prayer rapport. (Franklin)

Our constitution, for example, was written under God and His freedom's fate;
Its Christian principles guided America on her way to being great; (Hamilton)

Sadly, as years have passed, many do want in change the moral aspects of our nation,

(As we dismiss our traditions, 70% of Americans see their country as heading in the wrong direction.)

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but one who keeps the law is blessed. Proverbs 29:18

Christianity began when Jesus "presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by [the apostles] during the forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Acts 1:3

Not one of them chose to save his life if it meant denying their faith.

        About 300 years after the death of Christ, historian Eusebius recorded events based on early sources such as were written by Philo and Josephus Flavius and also on writings of the first church fathers. He explained how the apostles expressed their factually-based faith, a faith which was borne and grew as a result of first-hand experience with their friend Jesus. History shows that even at the point of torture and sure death, each one of the apostles stood unshakeable in his conviction of the Truth. Not one of them chose to save his life if it meant denying their faith.

            Paul was imprisoned, tortured, and finally beheaded by Emperor Nero in AD 67. While in prison, Paul focused on the task of spreading the gospel and teaching Christian doctrines. He sent letters of encouragement and instruction throughout the Roman Empire to the churches he had formed. These letters can be found in our New Testament of the Bible.

         Around the same time that Paul was beheaded, Peter was placed upside down on a cross and crucified. His beloved wife had already been martyred years before.

        Andrew had successfully established churches in parts of Russia and the Ukraine. In time, he was lashed by several soldiers and then crucified on a cross in Greece. He hung for two days, preaching while in agony. Rather than curse his circumstances, he said he felt privileged to die on the cross as it had been consecrated by the body of Christ. This was in AD 60 during the reign of Emperor Nero.

        John somehow escaped death after being boiled in oil during one of the many Roman persecutions of Christians. Years later under the reign of Emperor Domitian, he was sent to the prison mines on the island of Patmos where he received astonishing prophetic visions which we still read and study today. He later died peacefully in Turkey as a very old man some time between AD 98-117 during the reign of Emperor Trajan. The apostle John became one of the first bishops, maintaining numerous churches throughout Asia including the seven churches named at the beginning of Revelation.

        Matthew was killed with a sword as a result of his preaching in a land south of the Caspian Sea. Matthew had started out preaching the gospel throughout Israel. Before traveling to other lands, he wrote down in Hebrew an authoritative account of the miracles, sayings, and fulfilled prophecies of Jesus Christ in an effort to convince the Jews that Jesus was the one they were waiting for, the promised Messiah. There is evidence that Matthew's account was written within 20 years of the events he recorded. Bearing this in mind, it is obvious other people living at the time acquainted with Jesus would quickly have refuted or even laughed at his story if they knew in fact any of it was based on wistful imagination.

        Mark, the first disciple to travel to Egypt, was dragged by horses throughout the streets of Alexandria until he was dead.

        Luke was a Greek scholar born at Antioch in Syria. Talented as a painter and trained as a medical physician, his greatest accomplishment was in working with the apostles and recording the life of Christ. He also continued his genius in carefully recording what happened during the early growth of the church. As an untiring preacher, his brilliance and success in converting others offended the powerful Greek disbelievers who hanged him sometime between AD 75-100.

        Jude was killed in Persia by pagans with arrows because his faith didn't match their superstitions.

        James, brother of Jesus, became bishop of the Church in Jerusalem. Early church sources record that James was thrown by non-Christians over a hundred feet down from the Temple. When those enemies discovered that he survived the fall, they clubbed him to death.

        James, son of Zebedee, was found guilty by the Romans after being put on trial to defend his Christian faith. The Roman officer who guarded James was so moved by the earnest and unwavering apostle that he became convinced that only the Truth could be within such an untiring heart. This same guard humbly walked with James to the place of execution, affirmed his new faith to the judge, and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

        Bartholomew became a missionary for Christ and was ultimately flayed to death in Russia. Philip also became a missionary and also died a martyr for his faith in Christ. Matthias, the apostle officially selected to replace Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

        Thomas was stabbed by pagans with a spear in India while forming another Christian church. The church he established has survived to this day.

        The disciples were ordinary, everyday men chosen to follow Jesus for three years. Upon the tragic and seemingly hopeless death of their friend and Lord, they became disheartened and confused.

        Is it possible that these disillusioned men decided to form a conspiracy? If so, if they had simply tried to make their leader something he was not by concocting miracles that never happened, what advantage did they achieve? Did they gain wealth or status? No. They were hated and their lives were continually threatened.

        If they made up the inexplicable darkness that covered the earth after His crucifixion and the joy in miracles that He brought to others, wouldn't witnesses of the time denounce such untruths as absurdities? Would such fantastic stories, if untrue, have even survived within Jerusalem? Could a lie have inspired all the disciples to glorify His name, even at the point of torture and death?

        The only explanation for their overwhelming transformation from ordinary men to extraordinary is that they were true to their eyewitness accounts which they recorded. These men clung to their testimonies, even to their brutal deaths at the hands of their persecutors, and despite being given every chance to recant their stories. Why would so many men knowingly die for a lie? They had nothing to gain for lying… and everything to lose.

       Unbeknownst to them, their powerful testimonies were not forgotten or eradicated as intended by their tormentors. Their stories continue down through the centuries for anyone who honestly yearns for and seeks cogent Truth to mysteries we cannot otherwise know.

About AD 55, the apostle Paul wrote that the resurrected Christ had been seen by Peter, the 12 apostles, more than 500 people (many of whom were still alive at the time of his writing), James, and himself. By making such a public statement, he gave witnesses the opportunity to deny what he said, and he gave critics a chance to interview witnesses and investigate his claims for themselves. If his claims were untrue, Christianity never would have gotten off the ground and out of Rome.