Sabbath, 03/16/07, 9:26 PM EST USA
The bottom line of the Bible occured to me the other day. It all boils down to whether, or not, you belong to God's family. All of the verses of the Bible refer either to those who are saved or those who are not. There is nothing outside of that. From the Old Testament to the New Testament - it is not a mix of meanings and messages, nor advice for living one's life - nothing could be further from the truth. Rather it is plain and simple - you either belong to God or you do not.
The very meaning of life boils down to that meaning. God is building His Church with His children as its "bricks," where Christ is the Cornerstone (" ... the builders trip over.") and everyone else is the "material" thrown on the fire (outside of Gahena).
The following table illustrates the bifurcation in the Bible:
| good | evil |
| believers | non-believers |
| God's side of the veil | not on God's side of the veil |
| saved | condemned |
| born of spirit | born of the flesh |
| the good fight | wage war |
| want to be obedient to God | rebel against God |
| supposed to think of others first | taught to think of themselves first |
If you don't believe me (i.e. my understanding of the Bible does not sound Biblical, then remember what our Lord and Savior said about Himself:
Matthew 12:30
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
Luke 11:23
"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
I am not saying I know who is and who isn't (with the Lord) - that would contradict Ecc. 9:1-4. What I am saying is that the entire Bible has one simple meaning - not a plethora as I previously thought. Not a dozen or so which must be brought together in some complicated maze of ideas and meanings. Rather, that meaning is that you are either with Christ, or against Him.
May the One True LORD God Almighty open your eyes and pour His Holy Spirit into your heart so that you too may see... in Jesus' name, amen.