- 9Now, my dear people, I’ve read these things so you would know about the covenants the Lord made with all the house of Israel. 2He has told His people, and the Jews preserved His holy prophets’ words, from the beginning down from generation to generation. They tell of the time when they’ll be restored to God’s household and fold when they return home to the lands of their inheritance and settle in their promised lands.
- 3My dear people, I tell you these things so you can rejoice and look forward forever because of the blessings the Lord God will bestow on your children. 4I know many of you have searched extensively to find out about things to come. Therefore I know you realize our physical bodies are certain to grow old and die; however, as I’ll explain, in our bodies we’ll see God. 5Indeed, I know you realize He’ll show Himself in a physical body to those at Jerusalem, where we came from, because it’s necessary for that to happen among them. For it’s required and absolutely necessary for the great Creator to allow Himself to become part of mankind and live on earth in order to die so He can benefit every person. Therefore all mankind can benefit from Him. 6Because death has befallen us all, to accomplish the great Creator’s merciful plan there needs to be a power of resurrection. The resurrection is required for all because of the Fall, and the Fall came about because of transgression. Because mankind fell, they were cut off from the Lord’s presence. 7Therefore it requires an infinite atonement to restore mankind. Without an infinite atonement our decaying bodies couldn’t stop decay and death. Therefore the first judgment imposed upon man would have necessarily remained forever. If that were the case, our body would die, to rot and disintegrate to its mother earth, never to rise again.
- 8How great are God’s wisdom, mercy, and grace! Because if our bodies never rose again, our spirits would necessarily become subject to that angel who fell from the presence of the Eternal God. He became the accuser to never rise again. 9And our spirits would be doomed like him to remain fallen from heaven; we would have become devils, angels to the accuser — to be shut out from God’s presence and remain with the father of lies, in misery like he is — angels to the one who deceived our first parents, who tries to imitate an angel of light and persuade mankind to enter into conspiracies to commit murder and to do all kinds of dark, secret works.
- 10How great is God’s goodness, which prepared a way for our escape from the reach of this awful monster! — the monster of death and hell, by which I mean the death of the body and the death of the spirit. 11But because of the deliverance of God — the Holy One of Israel — this physical death I’ve mentioned, which is the grave, will give up its dead. 12And this spiritual death I’ve mentioned, which is hell, will give up its dead. Therefore death and hell will give up their dead: hell will give up its captive spirits and the grave will give up its captive bodies. And the bodies and spirits of mankind will be restored to each other by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.
- 13How great is God’s plan! On the other hand, God’s paradise will give up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave will give up the bodies of the righteous. The spirit and body will be restored to each other, and all mankind will be free from decay and immortal. They’ll be living souls — having complete knowledge — alive like we are now on earth, except that then our knowledge will be complete. 14Therefore we’ll have a complete awareness of all our guilt, uncleanliness, and nakedness. And the righteous will have a complete awareness of their joy and righteousness, being clothed with purity — even wearing the robe of righteousness.
- 15When all mankind has passed from this first death to life, so that they’ve become immortal, they’ll be brought before the judgment seat of the Holy One of Israel. Then judgment comes, when they’ll be judged according to God’s holy judgment. 16And as sure as the Lord lives — because the Lord God has spoken it and it’s His eternal word that cannot fail — those who are righteous will remain righteous and those who are filthy will remain filthy. Therefore those who are filthy are the accuser and his angels. They’ll go away into everlasting fire prepared for them. Their torment will be like a fiery lake of lava, whose flames ascend from eternity to eternity without end.
- 17Oh the greatness and justice of our God! He carries out all His words; they’ve gone out from His mouth, and His law must be fulfilled. 18But the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, those who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, those who have endured adversity and persecution and ignored the disgrace or dishonor, they will inherit God’s kingdom, which was prepared for them from the foundation of creation. Their joy will be complete forever. 19How great is the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! He sets His holy ones free from that awful monster: the accuser and death and hell, and that fiery lake that burns like lava that is endless torment. 20How great is the holiness of our God! He knows all things — there’s nothing that He doesn’t know. 21And He comes into the world in order to save all mankind, if they choose to listen to His voice. He suffers the pains of all mankind, yes, the pains of every living being — men, women, and children — all who belong to the family of Adam. 22And He suffers this to provide the resurrection for everyone, so all can stand before Him at the great judgment day. 23He commands all people to repent and be baptized in His name, and to have complete faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they can’t be saved in God’s kingdom. 24But if they won’t repent and believe in His name and be baptized in His name and persevere to the end, they will certainly be damned, because the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it. 25Therefore He has given a law. And where there’s no law established there’s no punishment, and where there’s no punishment there’s no condemnation. And where there’s no condemnation, the mercy of the Holy One of Israel has claim upon them because of the atonement, since they’re set free by His power. 26The atonement satisfies the demands of His justice for those to whom the law hasn’t been given, so that they’re freed from that awful monster: death and hell and the accuser, and the fiery lake that burns like lava which is endless torment. Instead they’re restored to that God who gave them breath, who is the Holy One of Israel.
- 27But woe to those who have been given the law, who have all of God’s commandments, like we do, and who transgress them and waste the days of their probation — because their state is awful.
- 28How crafty is the Evil One’s plan! How vain, weak, and foolish are mankind! If they’re educated, they think they’re wise, and they don’t follow God’s counsel. They set it aside, thinking they know better themselves. As a result, their wisdom is foolishness, and doesn’t benefit them, and they will perish. 29But it’s good to be educated if they also follow God’s counsels.
- 30But woe to those who are rich in worldly things and who, because they’re rich, show contempt for the poor and persecute the meek. They’ve set their hearts upon their wealth; therefore their money is their god. But their money will perish along with them. 31Woe to the deaf who refuse to hear, because they will perish. 32Woe to the blind who refuse to see, because they will perish. 33Woe to the unconverted in heart, because a knowledge of their iniquity will torment them on the last day. 34Woe to the liars, because they will be thrown into hell. 35Woe to the murderers who kill deliberately, because they will die. 36Woe to those who commit whoredoms, because they will be thrown down to hell. 37Indeed, woe to those who worship idols, because the accuser of us all delights in them. 38And in short, woe to those who die in their sins, because they will return to God, see His face, and remain without forgiveness of their sins.
- 39My dear people, remember how awful it is to transgress against that holy God and how awful it is to yield to the temptations of that crafty one. Remember, to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life eternal. 40My dear people, listen carefully to my words and remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Don’t claim I’ve spoken harshly against you. Because if you do, you’ll reject the truth, since I’ve spoken your Maker’s words. I know the truth is blunt about all uncleanliness, but the righteous aren’t afraid of it, because they love the truth and aren’t shaken. 41Then, my dear people, come to the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that His paths are righteousness. The way for man is narrow, but it lies in a straight course before him. And the gatekeeper is the Holy One of Israel, and He doesn’t use any servant there. There’s no other way except through the gate, and He can’t be deceived since His name is the Lord God. 42He’ll open to whoever knocks. And the worldly, the educated, and those who are rich, who are inflated with pride because of their knowledge, education, and wealth — they’re the ones He looks down upon. And unless they abandon these things and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, He won’t allow them through the gate. 43Real wisdom and real understanding will be hidden from them forever, and shared only with the holy ones to give them joy.
- 44My dear people, remember my words. I take my coat off and shake off the dust before you. I humbly ask the God of my salvation to evaluate me with His all-searching eye. I tell you that you’ll realize on the last day, when all people are judged for what they did in this life, that the God of Israel saw me shake your iniquities from my soul and I stand clean before Him and am free of your blood. 45My dear people, turn away from your sins. Shake off the chains of him who wants to enslave you so you can’t escape. Come to that God who is the rock of your salvation. 46Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice will be administered to the righteous — the day of judgment — so you won’t cower with awful fear as you fully remember your awful guilt or be compelled to cry out: Holy, holy are Your judgments, O Lord God Almighty, but I know my guilt. I transgressed Your law and my transgressions are mine, and the accuser has taken hold of me so that I’ve become a victim of his awful misery. 47My brothers and sisters, is it still necessary for me to wake you up to the awful reality of all this? Would I trouble your souls if you were pure-minded? Would I need to tell you bluntly the truth if you were free from sin? 48If you were holy, I would speak to you about holiness. But since you aren’t holy and you look to me as a teacher, it’s absolutely necessary that I teach you the consequences of sin.
- 49My soul hates sin, and my heart delights in righteousness. And I’ll praise the holy name of God. 50Come, my people; everyone who’s thirsty, come to the waters. And those who don’t have any money, come, buy and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 51Don’t spend money on worthless things, or work for things that can’t satisfy. Listen carefully and remember the words I’ve spoken and come to the Holy One of Israel, and feast on things that don’t perish and can’t be spoiled; let your soul rejoice in the best part. 52My dear people, remember the words of God. Pray to Him continually by day and give thanks to His holy name by night. Let your hearts be glad! 53How great are the Lord’s covenants! How great are His sufferings for mankind! Because of His greatness, grace, and mercy, He has promised us that our descendants won’t be altogether removed from the earth, but He’ll preserve them. They’ll become a righteous branch to the house of Israel in future generations.
- 54Now I want to tell you more, my people, but I’ll declare the rest of my words to you tomorrow. Amen.
Chapter 6