by David Brandt Berg, Sept., Nov. 1982
The leaders of Israel thought that they would be able to keep the kingdom by killing Christ the Messiah, the Son of God! Jesus wasn't talking of the Jewish leaders when He said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!" (Lk.23:34) If anybody knew that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, the promised King of Israel, they couldn't have helped but know it--they knew the Scripture too well! They knew who they were killing! Whew! [Luke 20:6-16]
YOU SAY, "WELL, WOULDN'T THAT HAVE SAVED THEM IF THEY REALLY BELIEVED?" Listen, Brother, millions of people believe that Jesus is the Son of God but are not saved! You say, "But I thought that's all it took, just to believe in Jesus! 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!' (Ac.16:31) This is the worst doctrine I ever heard of, that people can believe in Jesus and still not be saved!"
There are oodles of people who believe in Jesus who are not saved!--Especially Catholics! They acknowledge that they believe in God and the Bible and Jesus, but if you ask, "Then are you saved?"--"Well, I can't know till I die, if my good works will over-balance my bad works! I can't tell if I'm saved or not!"
IF YOU HAVE NOT BELIEVED IN JESUS IN THE WAY THE ORIGINAL GREEK WORD "BELIEVING" MEANS, YOU'RE NOT SAVED! The original word used for "believing" and "belief" and "believe" in the New Testament is the Greek word "pisteuo," which means "I drink in"! And unless you have drunk in Jesus and received Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, you are not born again, you are not saved, and so you're not really a Christian! If you don't know Jesus, you're not saved!
I BELIEVE THAT THE SCRIBES and THE PHARISEES and THE CHIEF PRIESTS and THE HIGH PRIEST COULD NOT HAVE POSSIBLY MISUNDERSTOOD THE SIGNS and THE WONDERS and THE FULFILMENTS OF PROPHECY IN JESUS CHRIST without seeing and knowing that He must be and certainly looks like and acts like and seems like the Messiah! Then why did they crucify Him?--"Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost!" (Acts 7:51)
EVEN IF THEY KNEW IT WAS TRUE, THEY REJECTED IT! Think of that! That's why their sin was so great! It was obvious that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, it was obvious that He was their coming King! It was obvious that He was the One Who fulfilled the Scriptures! It was obvious from everything He did and said that He was the Messiah they'd been waiting for!--Except that, due to their misinterpretation, they expected Him to free them militarily from the Romans.
THAT'S WHY THE COMING ANTICHRIST HAS TO FIRST APPEAR and PRETEND TO BE THE LIBERATOR OF THE JEWS for the first 3-1/2 years.
I believe what Jesus said about the motive of the servants He left behind, who deliberately knowing that this was the Son and the Heir said, "If we kill Him, we get the Kingdom!" (Mt.21:38)
THEY FIGURED IF THEY KILLED JESUS THE MESSIAH, then they'd be sure to guarantee their own power and authority and control of the Jewish people.
HAVE YOU PERSONALLY RECEIVED JESUS AS YOUR OWN PERSONAL SAVIOUR? (Jn.1:12 ; Ga.4:6 ; 1Jn.4:19) Have you taken Him into your own heart and been born again by His Spirit, the Holy Mother of the Trinity? (Jn.3:5,6 ; 14:16,17) Are you truly changed, a new person, a new creature, old things passed away, all things become new? (Ro.7:6 ; 2Cor.5:17 ; Tit.3:5)--Totally regenerated!
THEN YOU ARE SAVED FOREVER and BOUND FOR HEAVEN NOW and WILL NEVER BE LOST!--AND YOU KNOW IT! You're not an "easy-believer" who merely acknowledges the truth of the Bible, the existence of God and the Sonship of Jesus! That won't save you anymore than it did the devils Jesus cast out of the demoniacs! They believed and confessed Him too! But they didn't receive and love Him and lovingly serve Him! They didn't marry Him, receive Him as His Bride receives her Bridegroom! They weren't born again, a part of Him!
ONLY WHEN YOU BECOME "MRS. JESUS" ARE YOU TRULY SAVED and MARRIED TO HIM!--The Bride of Christ! (Isa.61:10 ; 62:5 ; Jn.3:29 ; Rev.21:2,9 .) Are you saved?--Or merely an uneasy believer who's not sure?--An "Unsaved Believer"!--If so, you'd better make sure right now and receive Him personally as your own Lord and Saviour and Bridegroom!--Married forever!--"MRS. JESUS!"--In Jesus' Names, amen!