Gospels In Harmony

Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56, John 19:31, 38-42

The Burial of Jesus All Hope is Lost

[Review Study Aired March 14, 2023]

Mark 15:42a And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
John 19:31b (for that sabbath day was an high day,)
Luke 23:50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
Matthew 27:57b who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:
John 19:38b but secretly for fear of the Jews,
Luke 23:51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
Mark 15:42b which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
Mark 15:44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
Mark 15:45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.
Mark 15:46a And he bought fine linen, and took him down,
John 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
John 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
John 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
John 19:42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Mark 15:46c and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
Mark 15:47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
Luke 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
Luke 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

In our last study the Jews were concerned that the bodies of those who were crucified would remain on the cross on the Sabbath, which was a high day, so they asked Pilate to have their legs broken and their bodies taken away. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and the other who were crucified with Jesus. However, when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead and did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water came out. The one who saw this bore witness to it, and his testimony is true so that others may believe. These things were done so that the scripture would be fulfilled, which says that not a bone of Jesus shall be broken and that they would look on him whom they pierced. (John 19:31-37)

Christ has now fulfilled the prophecies of his death

Isaiah 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Psalm 22: 14-16 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

Christ now fulfills the prophecy of his burial.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

Joseph makes a request for Christ’s body so he can bury him before the sabbath begins.

Mark 15:42a And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
John 19:31b (for that sabbath day was an high day,)
Luke 23:50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
Matthew 27:57b who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:
John 19:38b but secretly for fear of the Jews,
Luke 23:51 (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.
Mark 15:42b which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.
Mark 15:44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.
Mark 15:45 And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

Joseph being granted by Pilate he retrieved Christ’s body from the cross and prepared him for burial along with Nicodemus.

Mark 15:46a And he bought fine linen, and took him down,
John 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
John 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.

They wrapped him in “fine linen”. This is a symbol of Christ overcoming the sin of the world.

Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Zec 3:3-5 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Rev 3:5 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.

They laid him in a new tomb.

John 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
John 19:42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Mark 15:46c and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

Isaiah 53:9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

The women join them.

Mark 15:47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.
Luke 23:55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
Luke 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Can you imagine the grieving of all the disciples and followers of Christ? At this point they surely have lost all the hope they received from Christ.

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

In their minds everything is lost. Their savior is dead and all things continue as though he never existed. The Jews begin the practices of their traditions and are celebrating the death of Christ. He spoke of his Father and they believed the lies of Satan and sought to kill him and succeeded.

John 8:38-47 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell [you] the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear [them] not, because ye are not of God.

The followers of Christ are being crushed to powder which is what must happen. The stone that covered the grave serves a purpose of grinding them to powder.

Exodus 32:20-21 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it]. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

Matthew 21:42-44 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Dear Mike,

To know the will of God is not a simple task. I have come to terms with His Will. Mike, the faith I used to have in this world is gone. I was an action person, very confident and informed, and now all of that is gone. Every time I pray I let His will be first. I am no longer trusting in myself like I used to do. My selfish knowledge has come to nothing. My flesh gets hurt mostly. I am working out my own my salvation. I am hoping in the mercy of God.

Your brother in Christ.
N____

Good morning N____,

When God is humbling us, we are being physically humiliated and “crushed to power”, but it is at that very same time that we are the closest to our Lord. You are right, it is not an easy “simple task,” but the reward of enduring this process is worth any suffering we may endure. God will make it clear that we had nothing to do with our salvation and our deliverance from our trials. Our strength is to be still and watch the Lord’s deliverance.

Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

This statement was made by our Lord to Israel at the shores of the Red Sea, when the Egyptian army was bearing down upon them, and there was no apparent way of escape.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God does not give us a “way to escape” our trials ‘that we may be able to avoid it’; rather “that you may be able to bear it.” Noah went through the flood, Israel went through the Red Sea, the three Hebrew children went through the fiery furnace, Daniel went through the lion’s den, and Christ endured the cross. Our God is a consuming fire, and there is not way we can avoid going through that fiery sword which “guards the way of the Tree of Life.”

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Christ made it clear that He is that “way”, and He also made it clear that we would drink the cup He drank and be baptized with His baptism.

Mat 20:20  Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping [ him], and desiring a certain thing of him.
Mat 20:21  And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
Mat 20:22  But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

But it will all seem like a small price to pay when the reward is presented to the kings and priests of God at the blessed and holy first resurrection.

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Keep your eyes on that prize, and you will soon realize that the trials of this life and the result of those trials have all been worked out before any of us were ever born.

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

“Your fellow servant, who keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book,” (Rev 19:10 and 22:9).

Mike

Audio Links

What Is The Spiritual Significance of The Meat (Meal) Offering? Part 1

What Was Wrong With Cain’s Offering?

This is the second of the five types of offerings which Christ fulfills for us and in us. 1) burnt, 2) meat (meal), 3) peace, 4) sin, 5) trespass. There are two sub-types: the first three are sweet smelling savors, and the last two are not sweet smelling savors. This offering is just one part of the revealing of the “secret hidden from the ages:”

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: [the ability to ‘do the things I say’]

There are three categories within each of the five types except for this offering. 1) herd, 2) flock, and 3) fowl.  These offerings are the revelation of “Christ in you the hope of glory.”

This offering differs from all the others in that there is not a life being given. So, there is no herd, flock or fowl categories in this offering. Instead it has four parts of one offering: it was composed of 1) flour, 2) oil, 3) frankincense and 4) salt. Each of these parts reveals more of what is Christ in you. All three are “fruit of the ground” and therefore represent what man, who was made out of the ground, made of the dust of the earth through “Christ in him”, owes to God in service to his fellow man. The meat offering being of the fruit of the ground represents our good works which we perform in our flesh. However, these ‘good works’ are not a “sweet savor” if they are not offered upon a burnt offering. Consequently, we have these phrases in God’s Word:

Lev 23:18  And ye shall [on the day of Pentecost] offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the LORD.

Num 29:2  And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the LORD; one young bullock, one ram, [and] seven lambs of the first year without blemish:
Num 29:3  And their meat offering shall be of  flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram,

Ezr 7:17  That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which [is] in Jerusalem.

Jdg 13:19  So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

The Law of The Meat Offering

Lev 2:1  And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be [of] fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

“Fine flour” means that this offering has been “crushed to powder.”

Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Luk 20:18  Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

What is the difference between ‘falling on the stone and being broken’ and ‘the stone falling on you and grinding you to powder?’ Here is that difference:

Rom 9:31  But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Rom 9:32  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone;
Rom 9:33  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

“Believing on Christ” is ‘doing the things I say.’ It is becoming ‘fine flour’ with no unevenness. It is to become completely malleable in the hands of the Potter to be “made anew”.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

The meat offering was what Cain presented to God. But Cain had not done ‘the things which I say’. Cain had not obeyed God’s instructions concerning how to approach God. God had already covered Adam and Eve with the skins of animals to cover their nakedness. Yet Cain saw no need to bother with shedding blood. He would have had to go to his brother to get a lamb. That was a humility Cain could not bear. Foreshadowing what was to come, Cain killed God’s anointed rather than obey God’s instructions concerning how God was to be approached and satisfied:

Gen 4:1  And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
Gen 4:2  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Gen 4:3  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
Gen 4:4  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Gen 4:5  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

“The fruit of the ground” was what God had given man at this time as man’s nourishment:

Gen 1:29  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which [is] upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which [is] the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

But “the fruit of the ground” does not satisfy God. What does satisfy God is the burnt offering which requires the shedding of blood. God’s portions which satisfy and nourish Him was not to be eaten by man at that time. It was not until after the flood that God gave man meat to eat. And even then He reserved the blood to himself:

Gen 9:3  Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Gen 9:4  But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

“You shall rule over him” is a prophecy of Cain’s, and all men’s, ultimate destiny through the sacrifice of Christ for which Cain saw no need. “If you do well” means ‘if you do the things I say.’ Cain had not done as he had been instructed. Cain was the original King Saul, who was instructed to kill all the Amalekites and their animals, but he decided he knew how to better approach God than God knew. King Saul unilaterally decided to keep the cattle and women and King Agag. But King Saul’s good works, like our good works when those works are out of us and not through the burnt offering through Christ, become “as filthy rags” before God.

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

“Our [most insidious and hard to detect] iniquities” are “our righteousnesses.” They are not called our unrighteousnesses; they are called “our righteousnesses,” our ‘blamelessness according to the righteousness which is in the law.’ They “are as filthy rags” and have taken us away” from the presence of our God.

Lev 2:2  And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
Lev 2:3  And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

Aaron and  his sons represent Christ, our priest:

Heb 7:12  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

His handful (Lev 2:2) represents His claim upon our entire lives just as the tithe represented God’s claim upon Israel’s entire life. All of the shadows of the Old Testament represent Christ.  This offering represents His claim upon our entire life as a life in service to our brothers. We present our entire bodies as living sacrifices to God:

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This offering is the type and shadow of Christ in us being ground to powder so as to be of service to our fellow man is a way which is a sweet smelling savor to God.

We will finish this offering when we come together again.

Lev 2:4  And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, [it shall be] unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
Lev 2:5  And if thy oblation [be] a meat offering [baken] in a pan, it shall be [of] fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil.
Lev 2:6  Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it [is] a meat offering.
Lev 2:7  And if thy oblation [be] a meat offering [baken] in the fryingpan, it shall be made [of] fine flour with oil.
Lev 2:8  And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the LORD: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.
Lev 2:9  And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn [it] upon the altar: [it is] an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Lev 2:10  And that which is left of the meat offering [shall be] Aaron’s and his sons’: [it is] a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
Lev 2:11  No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.
Lev 2:12  As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the LORD: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour.
Lev 2:13  And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
Lev 2:14  And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, [even] corn beaten out of full ears.
Lev 2:15  And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it [is] a meat offering.
Lev 2:16  And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, [part] of the beaten corn thereof, and [part] of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: [it is] an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

[Click here to continue to the next study in the series.]

Hello Mike!

First timer.

I had a question about being born again. What does that mean? What happens to a person that is born again?

If you have any articles written on this subject, can you please direct me to them.

Thank You!

E____

Hi E____,

Thank you for your question.

Being ‘born again’ means that God in His sovereignty, has seen fit to reach down and strike a person down to his knees through the circumstances of life. It has nothing to do with you deciding to go down to the altar and say the sinner’s prayer because someone talked you into it. Here is the truth of how one is brought to God:

Rom 9:16 So then it [ being born again] is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

If it is God’s will to have mercy, He will bring us to Himself. If he hardens our hearts and makes us believe in the false doctrine of free will then either way “It is not of Him that wills but [ being born again is] of God that shows mercy.”

Christ taught the same thing Paul taught:

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw [ Greek- drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The proof that this has taken place is that a person gives up his mind for “the mind of Christ.”

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

In scriptural terms, this is a dying process. Here is show Christ describes the process of being born again:

Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except acorn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

This ‘fruit’ is defined as a life of good works which is the result of one’s conversion, not vice- versa.

Tit 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not un fruit ful.

It is of utmost importance to understand that this ‘dying’ is a process that take an entire life time. It is so easy to become discouraged when this is not comprehended. “A just man falls seven times” is not a promise that we will only make seven mistakes after our calling. It is rather the scriptural way of saying that God’s elect will be brought to see that “they can of themselves do nothing.”

Pro 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

This is an impossible concept for the mind that cannot relinquish the doctrine of ‘free moral agency.’

We are ‘born again” now only in “down payment” form. The “fulness of our inheritance” come only “through death.” This means without “flesh and blood.”

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Eph 1:13 In whom [ Christ] ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom [ Christ] also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest [ down payment] of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Believing that we will receive what we have been promised is now our down payment. This means about as much to most Christians as Esau’s birthright meant to him. But for those who have been given the faith to receive this promise, it is more precious than life itself in “the body of this death” (Rom. 7:24). This is a dying body. In Truth we have nothing to lose by giving it up. In Truth we have everything to gain.

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

The channel through which this is all accomplished is “by grace through faith.”

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

If we fail to see what either of these are, we do not know how we are saved. I have written e- mails on both subjects. Use the search engine on my site if you are so inclined. I cannot go into that just now.

I hope this has answered your question “what happens to a person that is born again?” He is “humbled” then he is “crushed to powder” then he is “tried with fire,” and if he “endures to the end he shall be saved.” God is looking for and producing a completed, mature cadre of leaders who can identify with the sufferings that must yet be endured by the multitude who are yet to be cast into His purifying ‘lake of fire.’ “If we suffer with Him… we shall reign with Him…”

Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Being born again is not simply saying the sinners prayer. “It is through much tribulation that we must enter the kingdom of God”

Act 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Being born again is a call and a promise of trials and rejection and tribulation. It is a life of hardship. Yet it is the greatest single honor that can possibly be given to any human being.

1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

Mike