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trying to earn his salvation
by his
own faith.
That is what those who
are deceived by a false gospel do
when they rely only on
their
faith
in Jesus. 1t is plainly evident
throughout his writings that Paul
knew he could
never do that.
A Christian cannot gain salva–
tion by his works through his own
faith any more than he can by sim–
ply having faith
in
Christ. This is a
vital point that so many who claim
to be Christians do not under–
stand.
Salvation is God's free gift, but
he will not give it to those who
cannot handle it properly (any
more than you would give a bicycle
to a child who refuses to obey the
traffic signals).
Ministers today concentrate on
getting people to "accept Christ,"
while they neglect to teach the
need for receiving J esus Christ's
faith as a free gift to enable us to
obey God.
Putting Faith to Work
When Jesus Christ returns to this
earth to enforce peace, the world is
going to be in a terrible condition.
But thankfully, the worst will be
over. Jesus Christ will begin the
task of guiding and teaching all
mankind God's way of life and the
way to eterna! life.
There will be a lot of work ahead
for those whom God has called in
this present life to understand his
purpose. They will be resurrected
and made immortal when God
intervenes in world affairs to re–
establish bis government over the
whole earth. They will be working
with
Jesus Christ, doing what he
does. They will be teaching, help–
ing and encouraging others to over–
come human weaknesses, that they
also may be given eterna! life.
Such teachers must be experi–
enced- there will be no place for
enthusiastic amateurs. The time to
build that experience through the
faith
of
Jesus imparted by the Holy
Spirit is now.
That is why a Christian, whose
hope is the resurrection from the
dead, needs more than just his faith
in
Jesus. He must share in the life
of Christ, living as he did, learning
as he did. To do that successfully,
he need s the faith
of
Jesus
Christ. o
44
Earthquakes
(Continued from page 26)
But the Creator also intervenes
to forestall the natural conse–
quences of physical forces building
up within the earth. Why? In arder
to accomplish his purposes among
nations.
Our world is rushing toward a
grand climax. Mankind's day under
the sway of Satan is almost over.
God is now using this magazine,
and verbally the
World Tomorrow
telecast and broadcast, to warn
mankind that God is soon going to
usher in a new civilization based on
his immutable spirituaJ laws-the
way of love toward God and !ove
for fellow human beings.
But the time is fast approaching
when God will do more than speak
through human beings. He is about
to intervene powerfully in world
affairs to stop our world's spiraling
crime, corruption, pollution and
warfare. He will punish and remove
today's civilizations and set up a
new civilization.
Great earthshaking events are
prophesied to humble a haughty
and rebellious human race in the
closing days of man's civilization
before the return of Jesus Christ to
reestablish the government of God
over the earth.
This period of time is called the
day of the Lord in Bible prophecy.
"O God ... You have been dis-
pleased.... You have made the
earth tremble; You have broken it;
heal its breaches, for it is shaking"
(Ps. 60:1-2, Revised Authorized
Version).
lsaiah, chapter 24, reveals why
God will first shake the foundations
of the earth: because "the earth
also is defiled under the inhabitants
thereof; because they have trans–
gressed the laws, changed the ardí–
nance, broken the everlasting cove–
nant. ... The earth is utterly
broken down ... the earth is moved
exceedingly" (verses 5, 19, Autho–
rized Version).
"Therefore.
1
will shake the heav–
ens, and the earth shall remove out
of her place, in the wrath of the
Lord of hosts, and in the day of his
fierce anger" (Isa. 13: 13).
..And the loftiness of man shall
be bowed down, and the haughti–
ness of men shall be made low: and
the Lord alone shall be exalted
in
that day.
And the idols he shall
utterly abolisb. And tbey sball go
into tbe boles of the rocks, and into
tbe caves of the earth,
for fear of
the Lord,
and for tbe glory of bis
majesty, wben he ariseth to
SHAKE
TERRIBLY THE EARTH.
"In that day a man sball cast bis
idols of silver, and his idols of gold,
which they made each one for him–
self to worship, to the
moles
and to
the
bats;
to go into the clefts of the
rocks, and into the tops of the rag–
ged rocks, for the
fear of the Lord,
and for the glory of his majesty,
when be ariseth tO
SHAKE TERRIBLY
THE EARTH"
(lsa. 2:17-21, empba–
sis ours througbout).
The book of Revelation reveals
the clímax of these earthshaking
events.
"1
looked when He [Jesus
Christ] opened the sixth seal, and
bebold, there was a great earth–
quake ... and
every mountain and
island was moved out of its place"
(Rev. 6:12, 14, RAV).
Again Revelation, chapter 16,
prophesies the earth's final great
earthquake to end today's civiliza–
tions, one that will alter tbe geog–
raphy of the
who/e globe;
"sucb a
migbty and great earthquake as
had not occurred since men were
on the eartb....
Then every
island jled away, and the moun–
tains were not found"
(verses 18,
20, RAV) .
During this great earthquake,
every civilization of man will be
shaken to the ground. Sorne wiJI be
totally destroyed. This is what the
Creator thinks of the evils of the
civilizations man has built! God
will start anew! That's why the
world tomorrow is called in Scrip–
ture "the times of restitution of all
things" (Acts 3:21 ) .
Earth scientists are worried
about the unpreparedness of so
many to cope with damaging earth–
quakes. They say earthquakes are
certain to occur in many areas of
the earth.
The Scriptures concur with this
assessment- :;tnd explain why!
Don't be caught totally unprepared.
The Bible tells you how you, now,
can bave special divine help and
protection if you will change your
ways and begin to do what God
says is right-not what you think is
right in your own eyes. o
The
PLAIN TRUTH