The Living Temple

THE GOOD NEWS

Included below is the Lord’s plan for saving you, known as the Good News. He gave the first
people a garden paradise to live in, but because of their rebellion they died spiritually and the
Lord expelled them. This is known as the fall of Man. Later, he gave them the law as a guide to
right living, but his ultimate solution was to send his son Jesus Christ to serve as the sacrifice
and payment for all rebellion and sin. He asks that people believe in Jesus Christ as his son, and
accept him as their salvation. Then, they will reclaim paradise, also known as the Kingdom of
heaven. Those who reject Jesus Christ will remain spiritually dead for all eternity.

Paradise - God, with his son

Jesus Christ and the Holy
Spirit, created the universe and
everything in it and he said it
was good. He then said, "Let us
make man in our image.”
About 6,000 years ago, he
breathed into man and Adam
came alive and was a being that
had a will of his own. He could
make his own decisions. God choose that for man. He gave Adam dominion over the earth and
all its inhabitants. Adam was alone so he then created Eve for him to have a help mate. It was a
perfect life in paradise.

Rebellion - There were two trees in the garden. The first

was the Tree of Life (a symbol of the Holy Spirit). The
second was the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil
(a symbol of the law). This was the only tree in the
garden that God told them they were not to eat the fruit
of. There was no sin until Eve was tempted by Satan (an
evil angel) to eat the forbidden fruit of that tree. Adam
followed her in the sin of disobedience to God. They
knew they had rebelled.
They lost their innocence and realized that they
were naked. They covered their nakedness with fig
leaves. That is when man first sinned (disobeyed the
known will of God). God had to sacrifice an animal to
cover their sin and nakedness. This was the first sacrifice
to cover sin, and a lesson from God that the payment for
sin will always be death. They died spiritually and
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morally and where alienated from God. They transmitted their sin nature to all of their offspring.
Since then, sin has remained in the world, all people are sinners, and death remains the
punishment for sin.
The Fall – Adam and Eve were forced from
the paradise garden into a life of hard
work, and from then on women would have
pain in the delivery of children.
Men and women then reproduced and
populated the earth. The wickedness of man
was great, the earth had become filled with
violence, and God was grieved. However,
one man named Noah found grace in the eyes
of God. About 2,400 B. C. God destroyed the
wicked by flooding the earth with water.
During the flood, he saved Noah and his
family by protecting them in a large boat
along with animals of every kind. After the flood waters had receded, God blessed Noah and his
sons and told them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”
About 2,000 B. C. God appeared to a man named Abram and told him to leave where he
was and to go into another land that God would show him. Abram had faith in God, obeyed him,
and this pleased God. God later changed Abram’s name to Abraham (which means father of
many nations). God told Abraham that in his offspring all the nations of the earth would be
blessed, because he obeyed God’s voice. Abraham gave birth to Isaac, Isaac gave birth to Jacob,
and Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Israel had twelve sons who were the fathers of the
twelve tribes of the nation of Israel.

The Law - Later the Israelites were enslaved by the

Egyptians, and around 1,400 B. C. God used a man
named Moses to deliver them from their slavery. After
leaving Egypt, the Israelites wandered through the
wilderness on their way to a good land, which God
wanted them to live in. While they were in the
wilderness, God gave Moses the law, which Moses
taught the Israelites to obey. This law provided the
infrastructure for their society, for generations to come,
and still impacts us today.
The Israelites did not always obey the law which
God had given them. Fortunately, God provided them
with a way to be forgiven. If a person sinned, they could
bring an animal to a priest and offer it to God. Its blood
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was then shed for the forgiveness of sin. God sent prophets to correct people who were acting
wickedly. The prophets would often instruct people to turn away from their wickedness and
foretell of punishments for sin which would come upon the people. Unfortunately, the prophets
were often persecuted.
The Sacrifice – About two thousand
years ago, God the Father sent Jesus
Christ (the Son of God) into the world
so that the world might be saved
through Jesus. Jesus is the Word,
which was with God in the beginning,
and was God. The Word was made
flesh by God causing an Israelite
virgin named Mary to become
pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Mary was
the mother of this child, but there was
no earthly father who had caused her
to become pregnant. This child was named Jesus. He was the Son of God, who had now become
fully human as well. Many years before Jesus appeared on the earth, there had been prophecies
which foretold of him. While on the earth, he fulfilled all the prophecies concerning him.
At that time John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan River for repentance of sins.
Jesus came to him and asked to be baptized. When John did this, a voice from heaven spoke and
said, "This is My Son, in whom I am well pleased!" John declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
By the power of God, Jesus performed many miracles. Some of these miracles included
healing all kinds of diseases, bringing dead people back to life, casting out demons, controlling
the weather, walking on water, and turning water into wine.

Jesus showed people that God loved them. He taught them to love God and to love one
another. He is the King of the kingdom of heaven and his kingdom is not of this world. Jesus had
many disciples who followed him, men and women. He chose twelve to be apostles (leaders).
He preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to
people. Those who believe in Jesus and do the will of
God will enter his kingdom. He taught people to lay up
their treasures in heaven, not on earth where moth and
rust corrupt and thieves break through and steal. He
taught them how to pray and ask for what they or others
needed. And he told them they could have victorious
lives through faith in Him.
Jesus lived a perfect life and did not sin. There
were some people who did not like what Jesus was doing
and plotted to have Him crucified. He was scourged,

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mocked, and hung on a cross until he died. Then, he was placed in a tomb. Just like animals were
offered and their blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin, Jesus was offered and his blood was
shed. His perfect sacrifice was better than an animal sacrifice and by the shedding of his blood
came the forgiveness of sins for all people once and
forever.
Salvation - Jesus paid the price for all mankind when he
suffered on the cross. He took on himself the rebellion
and sin of all mankind from the past, present and future.
So, even we have caused him the pain he suffered. He
was the final sacrifice, the perfect sacrifice for all time.
No longer did man have to sacrifice animals to cover their
sin because his ultimate sacrifice PAID the price for all
time.
He arose from the dead three days later and
appeared to his disciples and apostles and many
witnesses. He returned to his Father in heaven, but
before ascending he charged them to spread his teachings
to all the nations of the world. He promised to come again
to take his people who believe in him and look for his
appearing to be with him in the clouds.

Kingdom of heaven - Someday in the future,

Jesus will come in the clouds with great power
and glory to gather his believers into his
Kingdom. Those who have already died in
Christ will rise first. Then, the believers who
are alive on the earth at the time of his coming
will be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.
For those who know the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom he sent, there will be
no more death, no more sorrow, and no more
crying or pain. God will be with his people
and he will wipe away all tears from their
eyes. The former things will pass away and all things will be made new. This will continue
forever. Those who continue rebelling and reject this sacrifice for their sin will remain spiritually
dead for all eternity, and will be sent to a place of torment along with Satan and his evil angels.
Your decision - Be guaranteed salvation and a place in heaven today. Turn from your sins and
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turn to God, because the Kingdom of heaven is coming. You can accept the Lord’s plan for
saving you by praying like this:
Father God, I thank you that you sent your son Jesus Christ to come to earth and show
us by his example how to live. I know that he suffered and took my rebellion and sin upon
himself, and died and then rose again. I ask you Jesus to forgive my sins, help me to live for you
and stop rebelling, and to be the Savior and Lord of my life. I invite you Holy Spirit to live in me
and guide me away from sin and teach me the Word of God in the Bible. Amen!

For further study

Paradise - Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:8

Rebellion - Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:6-7, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12

The fall - Genesis 3:9-13, Genesis 3:21-24, Genesis 6-12

The law - Exodus 14, Exodus 20:1-17

The sacrifice – Isaiah 53:5-6, Matthew 1:21-23, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

Salvation – John 3:16, Acts 1:9-11, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:13, Titus 3:4-7, 1 Peter 2:21-24

Kingdom of heaven – Romans 10:8-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 John 5:13, Revelation 21:1-
22:5

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom
come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from
the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
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John 3:16

The Lord bless you and protect you; the Lord make his face shine on you, and be gracious to
you; the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

We encourage you to forward this file to your friends and family. Read the Bible, join with a
local church, and you will grow as a Christian. For more, visit The Living Temple.

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