The mark of God vs. the mark of the Beast

Originally posted by jagdflieger
mikromarius:

How would you interpret the following passages???

John 3:16
16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

That you shall keep the commandments even more, for now we have a reason to live. To believe in Jesus is to do what he taught us: That we shall follow the commandments of the Father so we can have eternal life and not be condemned. To believe in Jesus is to do his will. And his will and the will of the Father is one and the same. That we live according to God's commandments. If we do that we will not be condemned, but will enter Life. If we donot follow the commandments however, his words condemn us.

Mark 16:15
15. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
16. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

This says the exact same thing. When Jesus says that you shall keep his Father's commandments, you can either believe in him or you don't. It's that simple. When you brake the commandments you are subject to the curses in the Law. It's your choice. It's not just about confessing that Jesus is the Messiah. I'll give you a parable so you may understand:

There was a man who had fallen off a cliff. He was hanging by his hands in a root that was just about to brake. Then a man came and saw him, he dropped down a rope and said: "If you grab this rope, I will pull you up!" The guy who was hanging by his hands said: "I believe you!" but he still clinged to the root. The man above said again: "I can't save you unless you do as I say!" And the other replied: "Yes I do believe you! You have power over my life, whether I die or not! I believe that you exist and I also believe that your father exists!", "Then grab the rope so I can pull you up!", "No I won't because ropes are evil. People are hanged with them and I will have no blood on my hands!" Then the root broke off and the foolish man fell into the abyss.

Here's the explanation: The cliff is the death we received when we ate from the Tree of Wisdom. The root is the laws of men and your own wisdom. The rope is the Law of God and the eternal wisdom. The helper is Jesus and the fool is you. Grab the rope, enter life and be called wise and faithful!

John 3:31
31. "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
32. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
33. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.
34. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.
35. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
36. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

The Son. Who is that? Jesus who says we shall follow the commandments and become more rightious than the Pharicees? Or Paul who says the oposite? For the Pharicees will enter the Kingdom. The question is whether you will. You have a chance in Jesus, for he allowed us gentiles to receive the keys of Heaven, he gave us an opportunity to receive the ticket to Heaven, so we aren't condemned. If we don't follow the Law, the Law condemns us. Jesus doesn't, but his words shall condemn those who donot comply.

John 11:15
25. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
26. and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

I have now made myself clear, and have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Grab the rope so Jesus can pull you up!

Blessings,
Mikromarius