I guess we choose to believe different things about the verse. ...
What do you believe that John 5:24 teaches that is different than what I shared in the matters of the "heareth" and "believeth"? Are these not a continual action with a beginning, rather than merely a one time off event?
The verse speaks of assurance, as it is in Christ Jesus. However, that assurance does not take away my freedom to walk away. This was the point I was attempting to get across. It is paralleled in Romans 8:31-39 KJB.
... You hear only condemnation and despair while I hear deliverance and hope with the words "hath everlasting life" and "is passed from death unto life." ...
I do not hear "despair", nor "condemnation". I clearly showed that the text speaks of the "believing" Christian, will
not come into "condmenation", which is ultimately the second death. That is the assurance.
However, it does not take away from the facts that all persons, will be judged by God, as the texts cited show. I do not need to make up any theologies in this. And since those texts are as valid as John 5:24 KJB, then they are to be studied together.
Most people have a wrong understanding of the Investigative Judgment. Is it an awesome and most serious thing? Absolutely, but it doesn't take away the assurance in Christ, nor the promises. It merely allows for the testing of the faith, and all faith must be tested, for there are true and false professing persons. If the faith is genuine, what unnecessary fear?
1 John 4:18 KJB - There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
If the faith were not so tested, sin could end up in Heaven all over again.
... Those who think they have everlasting life and the right to eat from the tree of life because they tried to keep the law are going to be very disappointed. ...
It will not be a matter of "tried". It is a matter of walking by the promises of God [New Covenant, "I will ...", thus the just living by faith, and so doing according to that "faith of Jesus". God brings those who will believe to completion, as He is the Author and the Finisher.
Revelation 22:14 KJB - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Jesus Christ is the spiritual Tree of Life, notice:
John 6:57 KJB - As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Eating the words of Jesus, brings spiritual life. It is not a one time 'eating' and 'drinking'. It must be a 'daily' 'eating' and 'drinking' in His presence. It, again, is a continual ongoing, and even eternal, faith that must be alive.
... To even access the tree of life in heaven one will enter only through Jesus the Door like He says in John 10. ...
Yes, Jesus is the door [which is sanctuary language], and in Him is no sin [1 John 3:4 KJB]. See the condition? We must allow Him to cleanse us from "all unrighteousness" -- of every last sin, and tht includes transgression of HIs 4th Commandment in regards the 7th day the Sabbath of the LORD [Exodus 20:8-11 KJB]. If I may share a bit more on this door, as Paul mentions something very important:
There is a "door of faith":
Acts 14:27 KJB - And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
How does one have this "door" opened? Natural to spiritual. We "knock", through asking, by Prayer, to God:
Matthew 7:7 KJB - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Luke 11:9 KJB - And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Now, notice the door of the human heart, does Jesus have Faith when He calls unto us? Doesn't He continually knock? Every knock is in Faith.
Revelation 3:20 KJB - Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Laodicea, is interesting, in that since Jesus is outside, and He is the light, where then is the darkness? How then an a person see to open the door when the Light is outside? Notice that Laodicea has eye problems, and notice the counterfeit "light":
Matthew 6:23 KJB - But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Prophecy is the lesser light [like the moon, reflecting the Light of the Sun], that leads us to the Sun of Righteousnes:
2 Peter 1:19 KJB - We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
1 Corinthians 4:5 KJB - Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
2 Corinthians 4:6 KJB - For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
... It depends on what one hears and believes. ...
Truly, as Jesus said:
Mark 4:24 KJB - And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Luke 8:18 KJB - Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.
And thus all the other statements on those that have ears to hear, etc, especially in Revelation, for we ought to hear what the Holy Spriit says to the churches.
... This statement gets no resistance from me. ...
Ok. Do you see no connection to the Investigateive Judgment then, since people can fall away, in obvious, but there may be those who have fallen away in heart, but have an outward profession, of which the human cannot tell, but God can, beginning with the deceased, and finally at the living, as in Leviticus 16?
... But that isn't what our argument is about. ...
Yet, it is a part of it.
Ok [matters of books of life to death, etc].
... Your verses leave only despair. No thanks. ...
Listed, they are not 'my' verses. I did not write them. I am not their author. I can neither add not subtract to what God has said. I included both the negative and the positive aspects, from OT to NT. The central one in blue was:
Revelation 3:5 KJB -
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and
I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
How is this verse, and all others like it, "only despair"? I see it as the fulfillment of God's promises ion the New Covenant, in that He will have brought us back to sinlessness, and as though we had never sinned! Despair? Not in the least, from where I stand:
1 John 5:4 KJB - For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1 John 5:5 KJB - Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Revelation 2:7 KJB - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation 2:11 KJB - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Revelation 2:17 KJB - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Revelation 2:26 KJB - And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 3:5 KJB - He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 3:12 KJB - Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Revelation 3:21 KJB - To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 21:7 KJB - He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Have ye never sung the song,
"Faith is the victory?"
Overcome what? Doubt, fear, satan, selfishness, sin ...
Ask yourself, just as a personal favour to a brother, Do I have Joshua and Caleb's faith, or that of the others? What "spirit" do I have? Love or fear? Faith or doubt in the promises of God? I have to ask myself these very things. Christ Jesus was with them, as He will be with us, since He does not change.
Listed, we can have total victory over every sin, in the here and now, even victory over sin daily. It is possible, in Christ Jesus to overcome all things, and to walk with God in His commandments. All of them. Faith. Why did Israel of old fail? it wasn't because the commandments were too hard:
Romans 9:32 KJB - Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
Hebrews 4:2 KJB - For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.