Yes, that is correct.  You will spend the rest of your life, after you leave your body, in eternity somewhere.  Right now you have the opportunity to choose where you would like to spend eternity.  A spirit is eternal and can't be destroyed, only relocated.  If you fail to embrace the King (the Son of the living God), eternal punishment is your sentence.  The King made it quite clear when He was speaking of Himself judging the nations.  Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And He will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”  

​People who claim to be living for the King, going under the banner of Christian, use some of the Kingdom principles, but sometimes pick and choose what principles they follow as it suits them.  Sometimes people are even so deceived that they will justify an immoral and perverse lifestyle, while still claiming to be a follower of Jesus the Christ.   So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that the Lord first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later He destroyed those who did not remain faithful.  And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.  Keep in mind, all of those angels, along with the devil, will suffer this same punishment.  It is too late for those fallen angels, but while you have breath in your mortal body, you can turn your life around and accept King Jesus' invitation to have eternal life.  The Lord God chose His Son to save mankind and give them eternal life, upon accepting His Son. ...so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  But for those who fail to do so, it will be eternal punishment.  Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.  

Are you aware of the time span of eternity?  There is no end.  Eternal life is our reward for embracing the King--the Lord God's Son--and His Kingdom message.  When the Lord Jesus was praying to His Father, referring to Himself in the third person, read what was said:  After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.  And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.  He was speaking of Himself.

Ambassador Paul was motivated by the prize of eternal life.  He warned us to give priority to the Spirit, not the flesh, as many are doing in today's world.  Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  Your flesh is temporary; your spirit is eternal.  Are you aware that those who embrace the King and His message have a new body waiting for them? Read what ambassador Paul said in his second letter to the Corinthians: For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  NKJV  

Did you read that statement? "not made with hands, eternal in the heavens".  Let us end with this statement from ambassador Paul concerning our new body, which he describes as a tent.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven,  if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.  For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.  Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.  NKJV  Yes, the Lord God has given us His Spirit as a guarantee!

"Lord Jesus, I'm tired of doing things my way.  Forgive me of all my sins and unrighteousness.  Fill me with your Holy Spirit and make me whole.  Guide me, direct me and help me to grow in your Kingdom knowledge and fulfill the purpose for which I was placed on this earth.  Thank you for dying for me and accepting me into your Kingdom.  Amen."
​
Remember, your faith in the Lord Jesus the Christ is your greatest asset.

Matthew 25:44-46   Jude 1:5-7   John 3:15-16   Matthew 25:41
John 17:1-3   Galatians 6:7-8   2 Corinthians 5:1-5 
all NLT, except where noted.

~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
 
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you

As I begin to write the second part to this article, it is about 1:23 in the morning.  The Governor, meaning the Holy Spirit, had me to write this to you.  Now the question is, what is the substance of your foundation for life?  In essence, what is it that you truly live by or what is it that you trust, believe or have your total faith in during times of chaos?  Is it your wealth or influence that you lean on as you walk through this life?  Is it your strong family bond or friendships that sustain you?  All those things will change.  Money, influence, friends and even family come and go.  Even those great careers and businesses can disappear in a moment.  Read what ambassador Paul said: For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.  Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

​By the way, just attending a church service or worship service is by no means a strong foundation.  Pastors change, people move away, people get offended or they preach something you don't agree with. Whenever man is involved, you will get let down when things get rough. When you read, study and put His Word into action everyday of your natural life, He will bring you through any and every challenge that may come your way.  His Words are life!  My father taught me, “Take my words to heart.  Follow my commands, and you will live.  Get wisdom; develop good judgment.  Don’t forget my words or turn away from them."   His Words will live forever.  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.  The very words which are the eternal foundation for your life, in the last days will be the very words that will judge you.  Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me.  For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.  I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.  I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.  But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.  I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.  And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”  

Keep in mind, without an eternal foundation the evil one can destroy relationships with friends, family and especially marriages.  He will use a death in the family--a child, family member or even pets--to tear apart a marriage.  How does that happen?  Because their faith and trust is in people and this world system instead of the King.  In times of trouble, you will be shaken to the core.  Satan is testing your very foundation.  Will it crumble or will it hold you up on solid ground?  Would the tragic death of a child drive you apart or draw you closer?  Too many marriages fail to withstand that shaking.

Does the substance of your foundation consist of religious traditions; even the holidays of Christmas and Easter?  Kingdom citizens have knowledge and understanding of where those traditions came from and that they were created by religion and not by God the Father or Jesus His Son.  The Lord God said this to the prophet Isaiah, concerning the children of promise:  “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.  I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them.  And you will be a light to guide the nations.  You will open the eyes of the blind.  You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.  I am the Lord; that is my name!  I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols."  Many people worship these man-made holidays and claim to know the King.  The Lord God spoke to His representative Hosea with these words:  My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.  NKJV  Why do you think that the ambassador Paul wrote these words?  Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.  

We are to constantly to read and meditate on the Lord God's Constitution.  We are to embrace it with total faith in Him.  The Lord God made this statement through His representative:  Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:  “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone.  It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.  Whoever believes need never be shaken.  Read what the Lord Jesus said while speaking and answering the religious leaders of His day: The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”  Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?  ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.  This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’

I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.  The Lord Jesus made it a priority to make this statement:  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.  

Remember, your faith in the King is your most valuable asset...and your firm foundation!

I Corinthians 3:9-11   Proverbs 4:4-5   Luke 21:33   John 12:44-50
Isaiah 42:6-8   Hosea 4:6   2 Timothy 2:15   Isaiah 28:16
Matthew 21:41-43   Matthew 6:33-34  all NLT, except where noted

~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
 
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you

A structure is only as good as the foundation it stands on.  And a foundation is only as good as its substance.  The foundation keeps you strong and focused. A foundation is that support that keeps you stable in times of life's challenges. The right foundation will help you stand strong, even through an "earthquake" of trauma and pain.  What you truly believe in is the essence of your foundation.  It is what you will stand on in times of trouble.  While our King Jesus was here on this earth, He made this statement while speaking to both religious people and followers:  “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?  I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it.  It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.  But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”  

Our foundation must be based on the eternal unchanging Word of God; not on an individual or another man's opinion.  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.  If you call yourself an ambassador of the Kingdom and mix your opinions with the Lord God's Constitution (meaning the Word), you are an ambassador that needs to be recalled.  An ambassador of the Kingdom of God doesn't mix his opinion with God's Word to sway others to see his point of view.  That makes a poor foundation.  The Word of the Lord Jesus is the strongest foundation mankind can embrace.  Ambassador Paul put it this way:  For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

All of these representatives and ambassadors of the Kingdom had a very strong faith in the King's Word.  They had a foundation of great substance and strength.  They all had a very strong hope in His promises.  For example:  Stephen, when the people and religious leaders prepared to stone him, this is what he said:  “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth.  Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!  Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”

The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”  Now that was a citizen of the Kingdom with a very strong foundation of great substance and hope.  

Another one with a strong foundation was Paul, ambassador to the people outside the Jewish nation.  Throughout his life for the King, he faced many tribulations, challenges, and disappointments--with both his nation and his brothers in the Lord.    No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

A strong faith in the King's Constitution will keep you intact when the evil one throws doubt in your path.  In most cases it will come through those you most have confidence in.  That is when you find out what your foundation is made of!

We will continue next time.

Luke 6:46-49   Mark 13:31   I Corinthians 3:9-11  
Acts 7:51-56   Romans 8:37-39  all NLT

~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
 
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed.  Thank you