Jacob Teaches About God’s Promises
I, Jacob, have read these things so you might know about the Lord’s promises. He has made promises with all the people of Israel. He has spoken to the Jews through his holy prophets. This has been happening from the beginning until the time they will come back to the true Church of God. They will be brought back to their land and live in all the places he promised them. I tell you these things so you can be happy and hold your heads up high forever. This is because of the good things the Lord God will give to your children.
I know that many of you have searched hard to know about things to come. So I know that you know our bodies must die. But in our bodies, we will see God. I know that you know he will show himself to people at Jerusalem. That’s where we came from. It’s important that it happens there. The Great Creator will let himself become a man and die for all people. That way all people can follow him.
The Need for an Atonement
Death has come to all people. This is part of the Great Creator’s plan. There must be a resurrection. The resurrection must come because people fell. The fall happened because of sin. Because people became fallen, they were cut off from being with the Lord. So there must be an atonement that lasts forever. Without an atonement that lasts forever, our dying bodies could not become living bodies again. The first judgment that came to people would have lasted forever. Our bodies would rot and turn to dust and never come back. How wise God is! How kind and good! If our bodies never came back, our spirits would have to follow that angel who fell from God. He became the Devil and can never rise again. Our spirits would become like him. We would become devils and angels to the Devil. We would be shut out from God. We would stay with the father of lies in pain like he does. That being tricked our first parents. He makes himself look like an angel of light. He gets people to make secret plans to murder and do all kinds of dark and secret things.
God’s Plan to Save Us
How good our God is! He makes a way for us to escape from this terrible monster. That monster is death and hell. I call it the death of the body and also the death of the spirit. Because our God, the Holy One of Israel, gives us a way to be saved, this death will give back the dead bodies. This is the grave. The death I have talked about that is spiritual will give back its dead. This spiritual death is hell. So death and hell must give back their dead. Hell must give back the spirits it holds. The grave must give back the bodies it holds. The bodies and spirits of people will come back together. This happens by the power of the Holy One of Israel bringing us back to life.
How great God’s plan is! Paradise must give back the spirits of good people. The grave must give back the bodies of good people. The spirit and body come back together. All people will never die again. They are living souls with perfect knowledge like we have. But our knowledge will be perfect. So we will know all about our guilt and our dirty ways and our shame. Good people will know all about their joy and their goodness. They will be dressed in cleanness and goodness.
When all people have passed from this first death to life and become people who will never die, they must stand before the judgment seat of the Holy One of Israel. Then comes the judgment. Then they must be judged by God’s holy judgment. As the Lord lives, he has spoken it. It is his word that lasts forever and cannot change. Good people will stay good. Dirty people will stay dirty. The dirty ones are the Devil and his angels. They will go away into fire that burns forever. It was made for them. Their pain is a lake of fire that burns forever and never ends. How great God is! He is fair! He keeps all his promises. His words have come from his mouth. His rules must be kept.
But the good people who followed the Holy One of Israel will get the Kingdom of God. They believed in the Holy One of Israel. They went through hard times and were not ashamed. The Kingdom was made ready for them from the start of the world. They will be happy forever.
God’s Mercy and Holiness
How kind our God, the Holy One of Israel, is! He saves his followers from that terrible monster, the Devil. He saves them from death and hell and that lake of fire that never ends. How holy our God is! He knows all things. There is nothing he does not know.
He comes into the world to save all people if they will listen to him. He suffers the pain of all people. The pain of every living person, men, women, and children. Everyone who belongs to Adam’s family. He suffers this so the resurrection can happen to all people. That way all people can stand before him on the great judgment day.
He tells all people they must turn from their sins. They must be baptized in his name. They must have perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel. If they don’t, they cannot be saved in God’s Kingdom. If they will not turn from their sins and believe in his name and be baptized in his name and keep following until the end, they must be judged guilty. The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said it.
So he has given a law. Where there is no law, there is no punishment. Where there is no punishment, there is no guilt. Where there is no guilt, the Holy One of Israel can show kindness because of the atonement. They are saved by his power. The atonement pays what God’s justice asks from all those who have not been given the law. They are saved from that terrible monster, death and hell, and the Devil, and the lake of fire that never ends. They go back to God who gave them breath. He is the Holy One of Israel.
Warnings About Pride and Sin
But trouble comes to the person who has been given the law. Who has all God’s commands like we have. If that person breaks them and wastes their time on earth, their situation is terrible!
The evil one has such a sneaky plan! People are so empty and weak and foolish! When they are educated, they think they are wise. They don’t listen to God’s advice. They ignore it. They think they know things by themselves. So their wisdom is foolish. It doesn’t help them. So they will die. But being educated is good if they listen to what God says.
But trouble comes to rich people who are rich in things of the world. Because they are rich, they look down on poor people. They hurt kind people. They care about their treasures. So their treasure is their god. Their treasure will be destroyed and they will too.
And trouble comes to deaf people who will not hear. They will die. Trouble comes to blind people who will not see. They will die too. Trouble comes to those with hard hearts. When they learn about their bad things, it will hurt them on the last day. Trouble comes to the liar. He will be sent down to hell. Trouble comes to the murderer who kills on purpose. He will die. Trouble comes to those who do sexual sins. They will be sent down to hell. Trouble comes to those who worship idols. The Devil of all devils loves them. Trouble comes to all those who die in their sins. They will go back to God and see his face and stay in their sins.
Jacob’s Call to Come to God
My dear brothers and sisters, remember how terrible it is to sin against that holy God. Remember how terrible it is to give in to that sneaky one. Remember, thinking only about the body is death. But thinking about the Spirit is life forever.
My dear brothers and sisters, listen to my words. Remember how great the Holy One of Israel is. Don’t say I have spoken hard things against you. If you do, you will attack the truth. I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know the words of truth are hard against all bad things. But good people don’t fear it. They love the truth and are not shaken. So my dear brothers and sisters, come to the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his ways are right. The way for people is narrow. But it goes in a straight line. The keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel. He doesn’t use helpers there. There is no other way except by the gate. He cannot be fooled. The Lord God is his name. Anyone who knocks, he will open for them. But the wise and the educated and the rich are puffed up. They are proud of their education and wisdom and riches. They are the ones he doesn’t like. Unless they throw these things away and see themselves as foolish before God and become humble, he will not open the gate for them. But the things of the wise and smart will be hidden from them forever. The happiness that is ready for God’s followers will be hidden.
My dear brothers and sisters, remember my words. I take off my clothes and shake them before you. I pray to the God who saves me that he looks at me with his all-seeing eye. So you will know on the last day, when all people are judged for their actions, that the God of Israel saw that I shook your sins from my soul. I stand clean before him. I am free from your blood. My dear brothers and sisters, turn away from your sins. Shake off the chains of the one who wants to tie you up. Come to that God who is the rock that saves you. Get your souls ready for that great day when good things will be given to good people. That is the day of judgment. You won’t need to pull back with terrible fear. You won’t remember your terrible guilt perfectly and be made to cry out: “Holy, holy are your judgments, O Lord God Almighty. But I know my guilt. I broke your law. My sins are mine. The Devil has caught me. I am caught in his terrible pain.”
But my brothers and sisters, is it important that I wake you up to these terrible real things? Would I hurt your souls if your minds were clean? Would I be clear with you like the truth is clear if you were free from sin? If you were holy, I would speak to you about holiness. But since you are not holy and you see me as a teacher, I must teach you what happens when you sin.
I hate sin. My heart loves what is right. I will praise the holy name of my God.
An Invitation to Come and Feast
Come, my brothers and sisters, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters. If you have no money, come buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and without paying. So don’t spend money on things that are not helpful. Don’t work for things that cannot make you happy. Listen carefully to me. Remember the words I have spoken. Come to the Holy One of Israel. Eat food that does not rot and cannot be destroyed. Let your soul enjoy richness.
My dear brothers and sisters, remember your God’s words. Pray to him all day. Give thanks to his holy name at night. Let your hearts be happy. See how great the Lord’s promises are! See how kind he is to people! Because he is so great and kind, he has promised that our children will not be completely destroyed. He will keep them safe. In future generations, they will become a good branch of the House of Israel.
My brothers and sisters, I would speak to you more. But tomorrow I will tell you the rest of my words. Amen.