🔥 SALVATION: THE MOMENT GOD DECLARES A SINNER RIGHTEOUS 🔥
Many people sincerely believe salvation unfolds over time — that it begins at faith but is completed through effort, endurance, or personal faithfulness. While that idea sounds reasonable, it is not how Scripture defines salvation.
The Bible presents salvation as an instant, legal act of God, grounded in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Growth follows salvation, but salvation itself is settled in a moment.
To understand this clearly,... more🔥 SALVATION: THE MOMENT GOD DECLARES A SINNER RIGHTEOUS 🔥
Many people sincerely believe salvation unfolds over time — that it begins at faith but is completed through effort, endurance, or personal faithfulness. While that idea sounds reasonable, it is not how Scripture defines salvation.
The Bible presents salvation as an instant, legal act of God, grounded in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Growth follows salvation, but salvation itself is settled in a moment.
To understand this clearly, we must understand one word the Bible repeatedly uses: justification.
⚖️ JUSTIFICATION — THE HEART OF SALVATION
Salvation is not first about change in behavior; it is about a change in standing before God. Scripture calls this change justification.
📖 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— Romans 5:1 (KJV)
Justification is courtroom language. God, the righteous Judge, declares the believing sinner righteous. This declaration is not based on works, obedience, or reform, but on the righteousness of Christ being imputed to the believer.
📖 “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
— Romans 4:5 (KJV)
A verdict is not progressive. A judge does not partially justify someone. The moment faith is placed in Christ, the verdict is rendered.
📜 WHY JUSTIFICATION CANNOT BE A PROCESS
If justification were a process, assurance would be impossible. Peace with God would be uncertain. Eternal life would depend on performance. But Scripture says the believer already possesses eternal life.
📖 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
— John 3:36 (KJV)
Justification settles the sin issue completely.
📖 “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
— Romans 4:8 (KJV)
Sin is no longer charged to the believer’s account. Christ bore it in full. This is why salvation cannot be lost — because the verdict is God’s, not man’s.
📖 “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.”
— Romans 8:33 (KJV)
🕊️ THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT CONFIRMS THE VERDICT
God does not merely justify the believer — He seals them.
📖 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”
— Ephesians 1:13 (KJV)
The order is unmistakable:
👉The gospel is heard
👉The sinner believes
👉God acts
The sealing is not symbolic. In Scripture, a seal represents ownership, security, and finality.
📖 “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
— Ephesians 4:30 (KJV)
The seal lasts until redemption is complete — not until the believer fails.
🌱 WHAT SALVATION IS — AND WHAT IT IS NOT
Salvation is not:
moral reform
lifelong probation
gradual acceptance
Salvation is:
justification by faith
peace with God
eternal life received, not earned
Growth, obedience, and discipleship belong to sanctification, which follows salvation — but never secures it.
📖 “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.”
— Colossians 2:6 (KJV)
We walk because we are saved, not to become saved.
✝️ THE GOSPEL FOR THE LOST — THE FOUNDATION OF EVERYTHING
Salvation rests on a finished work, not human effort.
📖 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel…
That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day…”
— 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 (KJV)
Jesus paid the full penalty for sin. Nothing remains to be added. The only response God requires is belief.
📖 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
— Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)
A gift is received in a moment — not earned over time.
🔚 FINAL TRUTH
Salvation is a moment because:
God justifies the believer
God seals the believer
God imputes righteousness, not sin
All of these are acts of God, not processes of man.
📖 “These things have I written unto you that believe… that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”
— 1 John 5:13 (KJV)
If justification is a legal verdict by God, how could salvation ever be a process?
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
ROMANS 10:17
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” - Romans 10:17
This verse is often repeated in church, but when you slow down and examine it in context, it becomes far more powerful than a simple motivational line about listening to sermons.
In Romans 9 through 11, Paul is addressing Israel’s unbelief and explaining how righteousness truly comes. In chapter 10, he makes it clear that salvation is not achieved by works of the law but by faith in Christ.
Just a ... moreROMANS 10:17
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” - Romans 10:17
This verse is often repeated in church, but when you slow down and examine it in context, it becomes far more powerful than a simple motivational line about listening to sermons.
In Romans 9 through 11, Paul is addressing Israel’s unbelief and explaining how righteousness truly comes. In chapter 10, he makes it clear that salvation is not achieved by works of the law but by faith in Christ.
Just a few verses earlier in Romans 10:9-10, Paul says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. The entire section is about how someone comes to saving faith.
Now verse 17 makes sense.
FAITH:
The Greek word for faith is pistis (πίστις). It means trust, conviction, reliance, firm persuasion. It is not blind optimism. It is settled confidence rooted in truth.
Faith is not manufactured internally. It is produced by something.
HEARING:
The Greek word translated “hearing” is akoē (ἀκοή). It can mean the act of hearing, but it also means the message that is heard. That is important. Paul is not talking about sound waves hitting your ear. He is talking about receiving a proclaimed message.
In fact, earlier in the passage Paul says, “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14.
Faith does not grow in isolation. It grows when truth is proclaimed.
THE WORD OF GOD:
Here is where it gets deeper.
The phrase “word of God” in Romans 10:17 is not the common Greek word logos (λόγος). It is rhema (ῥῆμα).
Logos generally refers to the broad, structured Word of God, the full revelation. Rhema emphasizes a spoken, declared word. It is the message proclaimed.
So the structure of the verse literally reads like this:
Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the proclaimed message about Christ.
Many manuscripts actually read “the word of Christ” instead of “the word of God,” and the meaning fits the context perfectly. The message about Christ produces faith.
This is critical.
Faith is not self-generated positivity.
Faith is not wishful thinking.
Faith is not hype music or emotional atmosphere.
Faith is the result of exposure to revealed truth about Jesus Christ.
When the gospel is clearly proclaimed, something supernatural happens. The Spirit of God uses that truth to awaken conviction inside the listener.
Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is living and powerful. It is not static information. It is active.
This verse also destroys a common mistake. You cannot starve yourself of Scripture and expect strong faith. If faith comes by hearing the proclaimed Word, then a lack of intake leads to a lack of growth.
No Word. No fuel. No faith.
If you want deeper faith, saturate yourself in Scripture. Read it. Hear it taught accurately. Study it. Meditate on it. Speak it. Faith grows in the soil of truth.
And here is the bigger picture.
Paul’s entire argument in Romans 10 is about mission. People cannot believe if they do not hear. They cannot hear unless someone speaks. This verse is not just about personal devotion. It is about evangelism.
Someone’s eternal destiny is connected to whether the message is proclaimed.
Faith does not fall from the sky.
It is ignited by the gospel.
Romans 10:17 is not a cliché. It is the engine room of salvation and spiritual growth.
If your faith feels weak, do not chase feelings. Chase truth.
Truth produces faith.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
🔥 THE MIND MUST BE WASHED BY THE WORD OF GOD 🔥
We live in an age where minds are constantly being filled—news, fear, opinions, lust, anger, noise. But Scripture makes one thing clear: whatever fills the mind eventually shapes the life. The image before us is not symbolic art for inspiration only—it is a spiritual reality.
God never intended the believer’s mind to be shaped by the world. He intended it to be washed.
📖 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word... more🔥 THE MIND MUST BE WASHED BY THE WORD OF GOD 🔥
We live in an age where minds are constantly being filled—news, fear, opinions, lust, anger, noise. But Scripture makes one thing clear: whatever fills the mind eventually shapes the life. The image before us is not symbolic art for inspiration only—it is a spiritual reality.
God never intended the believer’s mind to be shaped by the world. He intended it to be washed.
📖 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
— Ephesians 5:26 (KJV)
🧠 THE MIND NEEDS WASHING, NOT JUST INFORMATION
The Bible does not say the mind is improved by the Word—it says it is cleansed. Washing implies that something unclean has attached itself. Every day, the believer walks through a fallen world, and the dust of this world settles quietly in the thoughts.
This is why Scripture also says:
📖 “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
— Romans 12:2 (KJV)
Transformation does not begin with behavior. It begins with renewal of the mind, and renewal only happens when the Word of God is allowed to flow freely into our thinking.
💧 THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING WATER
In the image, the Word is poured like water—because that is exactly how Scripture describes it.
📖 “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”
— John 15:3 (KJV)
📖 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
— Psalm 119:9 (KJV)
The Word does not merely instruct—it cleanses, filters, and separates truth from error. When the Word flows into the mind, it washes away lies the world planted slowly and subtly.
🌱 WHAT THE WORD PRODUCES: LIFE, NOT RELIGION
Notice what grows in the image—life.
📖 “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
— John 6:63 (KJV)
A mind continually washed by the Word does not become cold or mechanical—it becomes alive, discerning, stable, and anchored. Where the Word flows, confusion dries up. Where the Word abides, spiritual fruit begins to grow.
📖 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
⚠️ WHAT FILLS THE MIND SHAPES THE LIFE
This is not motivational language—it is biblical truth.
📖 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
— Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)
If fear fills the mind, fear will guide decisions.
If truth fills the mind, truth will shape direction.
If the Word fills the mind, Christ will be formed within.
📖 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”
— Colossians 3:16 (KJV)
The issue is not whether the Word is powerful—the issue is what we are allowing to dwell.
✝️ SANCTIFIED BY THE TRUTH
Jesus Himself prayed:
📖 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
— John 17:17 (KJV)
Sanctification is not achieved by effort alone. It is the ongoing work of truth shaping the inner man. The Word separates, corrects, aligns, and strengthens the believer from the inside out.
📖 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…”
— Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
The mind will be watered by something.
The question is not if—but by what.
The world pours noise.
God pours His Word.
One brings confusion.
The other brings life.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
🔥 THE RESURRECTION — THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING 🔥
Christianity does not stand on feelings, rituals, or moral improvement.
It stands on one historical, eternal reality:
Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
If the resurrection is true, everything Jesus said is true.
If the resurrection is true, sin was judged, death was defeated, and hope is secured.
And Scripture doesn’t present the resurrection as symbolism — it presents it as fact.
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he t... more🔥 THE RESURRECTION — THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING 🔥
Christianity does not stand on feelings, rituals, or moral improvement.
It stands on one historical, eternal reality:
Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
If the resurrection is true, everything Jesus said is true.
If the resurrection is true, sin was judged, death was defeated, and hope is secured.
And Scripture doesn’t present the resurrection as symbolism — it presents it as fact.
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
— John 11:25 (KJV)
📖 WHAT THE RESURRECTION REALLY MEANS (BIBLE EXPOUNDED)
🟡 R — Risen in Glory
The tomb wasn’t opened to let Jesus out — it was opened to let witnesses in.
“He is not here: for he is risen.”
— Matthew 28:6 (KJV)
The resurrection was public, physical, and undeniable.
🟡 E — Eternal Life Secured
Eternal life is not a reward you earn later — it’s a gift secured by a risen Savior.
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.”
— John 10:28 (KJV)
No resurrection, no eternal life. But He lives — so the promise stands.
🟡 S — Sin Defeated
The resurrection is God’s receipt that the payment for sin was accepted.
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV)
Sin didn’t win. The grave didn’t win. Christ did.
🟡 U — Undying Hope
Biblical hope is not wishful thinking — it’s anchored in a living Christ.
“Begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
— 1 Peter 1:3 (KJV)
Hope lives because He lives.
🟡 R — Redeemer Lives
Job spoke this long before the cross — and the resurrection proved it true.
“For I know that my redeemer liveth.”
— Job 19:25 (KJV)
Redemption isn’t theoretical. The Redeemer is alive.
🟡 R — Righteous Victory
Jesus didn’t escape death — He conquered it.
“Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.”
— Romans 6:9 (KJV)
Death has authority over no one who belongs to Him.
🟡 E — Empty Tomb
Christianity begins with an empty grave.
“And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”
— Luke 24:3 (KJV)
No body. No cover-up. No replacement story. Just truth.
🟡 C — Conquered the Grave
Jesus didn’t merely come back — He now holds authority over death itself.
“I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore… and have the keys of hell and of death.”
— Revelation 1:18 (KJV)
Keys mean control.
🟡 T — Truth Fulfilled
The resurrection wasn’t Plan B — it fulfilled Scripture.
“All things must be fulfilled, which were written… concerning me.”
— Luke 24:44 (KJV)
Prophecy met reality.
🟡 I — Immortal King
Jesus didn’t rise to die again — He reigns eternally.
“The King eternal, immortal, invisible.”
— 1 Timothy 1:17 (KJV)
🟡 O — Overcame Death
The resurrection stripped death of its power.
“That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death.”
— Hebrews 2:14 (KJV)
Death is now a defeated enemy, not a final authority.
🟡 N — Name Above All Names
The resurrection exalted Christ above every throne and title.
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”
— Philippians 2:9–10 (KJV)
🔥 WHY THIS MATTERS TODAY
The resurrection means:
• Your faith is not in vain
• Your sin is fully paid for
• Your future is secure
• Your Savior is alive
Paul said it plainly:
“If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:17 (KJV)
But then he declares the truth that anchors us:
“But now is Christ risen from the dead.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:20 (KJV)
✝️ FINAL TRUTH
Christianity is not built on a memory.
It’s built on a living Lord.
Jesus Christ lives forever.
And because He lives, everything changes.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
Important Distinction
✡️ Star of David → 6 Six points → Jewish faith & identity
⛧ Pentagram (inverted) → 5 Five points → Occult / modern satanic symbolism
They are not the same symbol, and historically they come from very different traditions.....
✡️The Star of David (also called the Magen David, meaning “Shield of David”) is:
A six-pointed star
Made of two overlapping triangles
A long-standing symbol of Judaism
On the flag of Israel
It became widely associated with Jewish identity in ... moreImportant Distinction
✡️ Star of David → 6 Six points → Jewish faith & identity
⛧ Pentagram (inverted) → 5 Five points → Occult / modern satanic symbolism
They are not the same symbol, and historically they come from very different traditions.....
✡️The Star of David (also called the Magen David, meaning “Shield of David”) is:
A six-pointed star
Made of two overlapping triangles
A long-standing symbol of Judaism
On the flag of Israel
It became widely associated with Jewish identity in the Middle Ages and especially in the 1800s. It is a religious and cultural symbol, not a satanic one.
There is nothing inherently evil about the geometric shape. It’s simply two triangles.
⛧ The Satanic / Occult Star
What people usually mean by a “Satanic star” is a:
Pentagram (five-pointed star)
Often inverted (one point down, two up)
Sometimes contains a goat head (Baphomet)
Used by groups like the Church of Satan
This is a five-pointed star, not six.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
WHEN THE HEAVENS OPEN — WHO RETURNS WITH JESUS?
Revelation 19 records a moment unlike any other in Scripture. This is not a call to repentance, not a warning to flee, and not the catching away of believers. It is the public return of Jesus Christ to the earth, and the passage itself raises an unavoidable question:
Who is with Him?
The answer is not assumed.
It is defined by Scripture.
1. HEAVEN OPENS — THIS IS A RETURN, NOT A DEPARTURE
📖 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;... moreWHEN THE HEAVENS OPEN — WHO RETURNS WITH JESUS?
Revelation 19 records a moment unlike any other in Scripture. This is not a call to repentance, not a warning to flee, and not the catching away of believers. It is the public return of Jesus Christ to the earth, and the passage itself raises an unavoidable question:
Who is with Him?
The answer is not assumed.
It is defined by Scripture.
1. HEAVEN OPENS — THIS IS A RETURN, NOT A DEPARTURE
📖 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True…”
(Revelation 19:11, KJV)
John does not see people going up.
He sees heaven opened and someone coming down.
This immediately distinguishes Revelation 19 from passages like 1 Thessalonians 4, where believers are caught up. Here, the movement is the opposite. Jesus is returning from heaven to earth.
This alone establishes that anyone accompanying Him must already be in heaven.
2. JESUS IS NOT RETURNING AS THE LAMB
📖 “…and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”
(Revelation 19:11)
The Jesus of Revelation 19 is not described as suffering, pleading, or inviting. He is described as judging and making war.
📖 “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
(Revelation 19:13)
This is not the blood of the cross.
This is the blood associated with judgment (Isaiah 63:1–3).
So the context is clear:
this is the Second Coming, not the rapture.
3. THE ARMIES FOLLOWING HIM ARE IDENTIFIED
📖 “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses…”
(Revelation 19:14)
Notice three facts the verse itself gives:
• they are already in heaven
• they follow Him
• they return with Him
These are not people being gathered. These are people returning.
4. CLOTHED IN FINE LINEN — SCRIPTURE DEFINES THIS
The description is not vague.
📖 “…clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”
(Revelation 19:14)
The Bible does not leave “fine linen” open to interpretation.
📖 “For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
(Revelation 19:8)
This definition appears in the same chapter.
Fine linen is not said to be angels.
Fine linen is not symbolic language.
Fine linen is explicitly identified as saints.
Angels are never described this way anywhere in Scripture.
This is why the image states plainly:
CLOTHED IN FINE LINEN — NOT ANGELS
5. THESE ARE NOT EARTHLY SAINTS — THEY ARE GLORIFIED
The saints in Revelation 19 are:
• in heaven
• riding horses
• clothed in clean white linen
• returning with Christ
This requires glorification.
📖 “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.”
(1 Corinthians 15:50)
📖 “We shall all be changed…”
(1 Corinthians 15:51)
You cannot ride from heaven to earth with Christ in judgment unless you possess a glorified body.
Therefore, these saints are not awaiting resurrection.
They are already resurrected or translated.
6. THE TIMING IMPLICATION IS UNAVOIDABLE
Revelation 19 occurs after the Tribulation.
Yet the saints are already:
• redeemed
• clothed
• glorified
• present in heaven
📖 “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
(Colossians 3:4)
You cannot appear with Him unless you are already with Him.
This is why the statement is biblically sound:
YOU CAN’T RETURN — UNLESS YOU WERE FIRST TAKEN
That is not a slogan.
That is a logical conclusion drawn from Scripture.
7. WHAT THE CHURCH IS — AND IS NOT — DOING HERE
Revelation 19 does not describe:
• the Church being judged
• the Church being purified
• the Church being rescued
It describes the Church returning in glory.
📖 “God hath not appointed us to wrath…”
(1 Thessalonians 5:9)
The wrath falls on the earth.
The saints return with Christ, not under that wrath.
8. WHY THIS MATTERS FOR BELIEVERS TODAY
This passage teaches:
• Jesus is returning literally
• Saints will return with Him
• Redemption precedes judgment
• Victory precedes warfare
This is not escapism.
This is biblical expectation.
📖 “Looking for that blessed hope…”
(Titus 2:13)
Revelation 19 teaches that among those who return with Jesus are glorified saints, identified by their fine linen, while angels are also present but described separately. The fine linen is defined in the chapter itself as “the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8), indicating completed redemption and glorification prior to the return. Their presence with Christ at this moment shows that redemption precedes judgment, and that judgment is now imminent.
The Bible does not leave this unclear — it simply requires careful reading.
📖 “Rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15)
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
NO ONE IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW:
(WE MUST LIVE BY FAITH)
One of the most important truths in all of Scripture is this: no one has ever been made right with God by keeping rules.
Galatians 3:11 says plainly, “The just shall live by faith.”
That verse is not a New Testament invention. It comes from Habakkuk 2:4, showing that salvation has always operated the same way. God has never accepted people based on performance. He accepts people based on faith.
The Law was never given to save us. The ... moreNO ONE IS JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW:
(WE MUST LIVE BY FAITH)
One of the most important truths in all of Scripture is this: no one has ever been made right with God by keeping rules.
Galatians 3:11 says plainly, “The just shall live by faith.”
That verse is not a New Testament invention. It comes from Habakkuk 2:4, showing that salvation has always operated the same way. God has never accepted people based on performance. He accepts people based on faith.
The Law was never given to save us. The Law was given to reveal God’s holiness and expose our sin. Romans 3:20 says, “By the works of the law no flesh shall be justified… for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The Law acts like a mirror. It shows us what is wrong, but it cannot fix what is wrong.
The Greek word for justified is dikaioō. It means to be declared righteous, to be legally cleared of guilt. That declaration does not come from religious effort. It comes from trusting Christ.
The Greek word for faith is pistis. It means trust, reliance, and confidence placed fully in another. Biblical faith is not wishful thinking. It is resting completely on the finished work of Jesus Christ.
The Law says, “Obey so you can live.”
Grace says, “Live because Christ obeyed.”
Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly, something no human being could ever do. Then He took the punishment the Law demanded for sin and paid it in full at the cross. Because of that, righteousness is not earned. It is received.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith… not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Faith does not cancel obedience. Faith produces obedience. Works are not the root of salvation. They are the fruit of salvation.
The believer does not obey to become accepted by God. The believer obeys because they already are accepted through Christ.
The entire Gospel stands on this foundation.
We are not saved by how well we hold the Law.
We are saved by how perfectly Christ fulfilled it.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
❖ Promise of National Regathering
▶️ Jeremiah 30:3
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,” says the Lord.
❖ God Himself guarantees a return to the land. This is not symbolic—it is geographic, covenantal, and rooted in the promises to Abraham (Genesis 17:7–8).
⸻
▶️ Isaiah 11:11–12
“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the survi... more❖ Promise of National Regathering
▶️ Jeremiah 30:3
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,” says the Lord.
❖ God Himself guarantees a return to the land. This is not symbolic—it is geographic, covenantal, and rooted in the promises to Abraham (Genesis 17:7–8).
⸻
▶️ Isaiah 11:11–12
“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people… He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.”
❖ A global regathering from every direction—far beyond the Babylonian return. This anticipates a last-days ingathering.
⸻
❖ Spiritual Restoration (New Heart, New Spirit)
▶️ Ezekiel 36:24–27
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean…
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…
And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees…”
❖ Notice the order: regathering → cleansing → regeneration. This is national salvation, not just individual conversion.
⸻
▶️ Jeremiah 31:31–34
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel…
I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts…
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
❖ The New Covenant is explicitly made “with the house of Israel and Judah.” Its full realization awaits Israel’s national turning.
⸻
❖ Israel’s Future Repentance and Recognition of Messiah
▶️ 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…”
❖ This is a national recognition of Jesus as Messiah. Mourning leads to repentance.
⸻
▶️ Hosea 5:15
“Then I will return to my lair until they have borne their guilt and seek my face—
in their misery they will earnestly seek me.”
❖ God’s “withdrawal” continues until Israel seeks Him—perfectly aligning with Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:39.
⸻
❖ “All Israel Will Be Saved”
▶️ Romans 11:25–27
“Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved…
‘The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.’”
❖ Israel’s current blindness is temporary and partial. National salvation is future and certain.
⸻
❖ Restoration to Blessing and Glory
▶️ Amos 9:14–15
“I will bring my people Israel back from exile…
I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.
❖ “Never again uprooted” points beyond history to a final, permanent restoration.
⸻
▶️ Isaiah 60:21
“Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.”
❖ A fully righteous nation, securely dwelling in the land, reflecting God’s glory to the world.
⸻
❖ Kingdom Restoration Centered in Jerusalem
▶️ Zechariah 14:9, 11
“The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name…
It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.”
❖ Messiah reigns from Jerusalem, and the city becomes permanently secure.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
HOW JESUS KEPT ALL 613 LAWS:
(AND WHY IT MATTERS FOR YOUR SALVATION)
One of the most overlooked but foundational truths in the Gospel is that Jesus Christ kept every single law God gave through Moses. The Torah contains 613 commandments, known in Jewish tradition as the mitzvot. These laws include 248 positive commands (things required) and 365 negative commands (things forbidden). Together they governed moral righteousness, civil order for Israel, and ceremonial worship practices involving sa... moreHOW JESUS KEPT ALL 613 LAWS:
(AND WHY IT MATTERS FOR YOUR SALVATION)
One of the most overlooked but foundational truths in the Gospel is that Jesus Christ kept every single law God gave through Moses. The Torah contains 613 commandments, known in Jewish tradition as the mitzvot. These laws include 248 positive commands (things required) and 365 negative commands (things forbidden). Together they governed moral righteousness, civil order for Israel, and ceremonial worship practices involving sacrifices, priesthood, and purification.
Many people assume Jesus came to relax or abolish these laws. Scripture says the opposite.
Matthew 5:17 records Jesus saying,
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
The Greek word translated “fulfill” is plēroō, meaning to complete, accomplish perfectly, or bring something to its intended fullness. Jesus did not lower God’s standard. He met it completely.
UNDERSTANDING WHY PERFECT LAW KEEPING MATTERS:
Scripture teaches that breaking even one command makes a person guilty under the entire law.
James 2:10 says,
“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he is guilty of all.”
This means salvation could never come through human effort. Every person has failed God’s standard. If salvation required personal law keeping, no one could be saved. Jesus stepped into history to succeed where humanity failed.
HOW JESUS KEPT ALL 613 COMMANDMENTS:
JESUS LIVED IN PERFECT SINLESS OBEDIENCE.
Jesus obeyed every moral command of God without failure.
1 Peter 2:22 says,
“He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”
Hebrews 4:15 declares,
“He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.”
He experienced real temptation but never sinned once. That alone qualifies Him as the spotless Lamb required for redemption.
JESUS WAS BORN UNDER THE LAW:
Galatians 4:4 states,
“God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”
Jesus did not bypass Torah requirements. He lived fully inside them. Scripture records that He was circumcised on the eighth day, presented at the Temple according to Mosaic instruction, observed Jewish feast days, and faithfully lived as an obedient covenant Israelite. His life was not accidental righteousness. It was deliberate, complete obedience.
JESUS FULFILLED THE CEREMONIAL AND SACRIFICIAL LAW:
The entire sacrificial system pointed forward to Christ. Hebrews 10:1 explains that the law was a shadow of good things to come. Animal sacrifices never removed sin permanently. They foreshadowed a perfect sacrifice.
John 1:29 identifies Jesus as,
“The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Jesus fulfilled the Passover lamb, the Day of Atonement sacrifice, the role of High Priest, and the true Temple presence of God among His people. He did not simply obey sacrificial law. He became the final sacrifice that ended the need for it.
JESUS FULFILLED MESSIANIC PROPHECY WITHIN THE TORAH:
The Law and Prophets contain specific requirements about the coming Messiah. Jesus fulfilled them precisely, including His virgin birth, His birth in Bethlehem, His descent from the tribe of Judah and the line of David, His entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, His betrayal for silver, His crucifixion, and His resurrection. These fulfillments demonstrate that He completed the prophetic expectations embedded within the law.
JESUS FULFILLED THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW, NOT JUST THE LETTER:
Religious leaders in Jesus’ day often focused on outward rule keeping while ignoring inward righteousness. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus revealed the deeper intent of God’s law. He taught that hatred violates the command against murder, lust violates the command against adultery, and true righteousness begins in the heart. Jesus lived this inward obedience perfectly, fulfilling the true meaning of God’s commands.
JESUS SUCCEEDED WHERE ISRAEL FAILED:
Israel was called God’s covenant son but repeatedly failed to keep covenant obedience. Jesus succeeded where Israel failed. He passed wilderness testing where Israel fell. He perfectly obeyed covenant law and became the faithful representative of God’s people.
WHY THIS IS CENTRAL TO THE GOSPEL:
Many believers focus only on Christ’s death, but Scripture teaches that His perfect life is just as essential.
Romans 5:19 says,
“By one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
Jesus did not only die for sin. He lived the righteous life humanity could not live. That righteousness is credited to believers through faith.
2 Corinthians 5:21 declares,
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
The Greek word often used for this transfer of righteousness is logizomai, meaning credited, accounted, or placed into someone’s account. Through faith, believers receive Christ’s perfect obedience as their own.
CHRIST ALSO COMPLETED THE LAW’S COVENANT PURPOSE:
Romans 10:4 explains,
“Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
The Greek word for “end” is telos, meaning goal, completion, or culmination. The law was never designed to save. It was designed to reveal sin, demonstrate humanity’s need for redemption, and point toward the Messiah. Galatians 3:24 describes the law as a tutor leading people to Christ.
DID JESUS KEEP ALL 613 LAWS INDIVIDUALLY?
Yes, but not merely as a checklist. Jesus fulfilled the Torah through perfect personal obedience, complete prophetic fulfillment, and final sacrificial completion. Every category of the law finds its fulfillment in Him.
THE MASSIVE THEOLOGICAL REALITY:
If Jesus had broken even one command, He could not be Savior. He would require salvation Himself. The entire Gospel depends on the sinless perfection of Christ.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BELIEVERS TODAY:
Because Jesus fulfilled the law, believers are justified apart from works of the law. They are counted righteous through faith, freed from condemnation, and led by the Holy Spirit rather than bound to the Mosaic covenant system.
Romans 8:3–4 says,
“What the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son… so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.”
Salvation is not earned. It is received. It rests entirely on the finished obedience of Jesus Christ.
The 613 laws reveal God’s perfect standard. Jesus reveals God’s perfect solution.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
Joseph of Arimathea:
Joseph of Arimathea is one of the quiet giants of the crucifixion account. He does not preach a sermon. He does not write an epistle. But in the most dangerous hour of Jesus’ ministry, he steps forward publicly when others stepped back privately.
All four Gospels mention him. That alone should get your attention.
Matthew 27:57 calls him a rich man and a disciple of Jesus.
Mark 15:43 says he was an honorable counselor who was waiting for the kingdom of God and that he wen... moreJoseph of Arimathea:
Joseph of Arimathea is one of the quiet giants of the crucifixion account. He does not preach a sermon. He does not write an epistle. But in the most dangerous hour of Jesus’ ministry, he steps forward publicly when others stepped back privately.
All four Gospels mention him. That alone should get your attention.
Matthew 27:57 calls him a rich man and a disciple of Jesus.
Mark 15:43 says he was an honorable counselor who was waiting for the kingdom of God and that he went in boldly unto Pilate.
Luke 23:50–51 tells us he was a good and just man who had not consented to the council’s decision.
John 19:38 reveals something critical. He was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews.
Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin, the very council that condemned Jesus. He had position. Influence. Reputation. Everything to lose. And for a season, he followed Christ quietly.
But when Jesus died, secrecy died with Him.
Mark says Joseph went in boldly to Pilate and asked for the body. Rome did not casually hand over crucified bodies. Crucifixion victims were often left exposed as public warnings, thrown into common graves, or cast into refuse sites like the Valley of Hinnom. A condemned man did not receive an honorable burial. He was erased.
If Joseph had not acted, Jesus would likely have been buried in one of two common places for executed criminals. Either a shared criminal grave outside the city, or a dishonorable dumping ground reserved for the condemned. No individual tomb. No linen wrapping. No spices. No dignity.
Deuteronomy 21:23 required that a body not remain overnight on a tree. The religious leaders wanted the crosses cleared before Sabbath. But clearing crosses and honoring a body were two very different things. Without Joseph, the Messiah’s body could have been discarded.
Instead, Joseph stepped forward.
By requesting the body, he publicly aligned himself with a condemned Messiah. That was a career-ending move. Possibly worse.
He wrapped Jesus in clean linen and laid Him in his own new tomb, one he had hewn out of rock. Isaiah 53:9 declares the suffering servant would be with the rich in His death. Joseph unknowingly fulfilled prophecy with his courage.
The man who once followed in secret now honors Jesus in public at the most humiliating moment imaginable.
And here is the weight of it.
If Joseph had remained silent, Jesus would have been treated like every other criminal Rome executed. But because one disciple chose boldness, the burial became honorable, prophetic, and verifiable. A known tomb. A sealed stone. Identifiable location. That is critical for the resurrection narrative. You cannot have an empty tomb unless you first have a known tomb.
God used the courage of one formerly secret disciple to protect the integrity of the resurrection account.
Joseph gave Jesus his tomb. Three days later, he got it back.
You cannot out-give God.
And his name is forever written into the resurrection story.
There are people who believe quietly. They follow in private. They fear the cost of stepping forward. Joseph’s story proves this: you may begin as a secret disciple, but you do not have to remain one.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
CAN THE RAPTURE BE FOUND IN SCRIPTURE?
Someone recently asked, “Show one Bible verse proving a pre-tribulation rapture.” That question assumes prophecy is built on one isolated verse. The Bible almost never teaches major doctrines that way. Instead, God reveals truth line upon line, passage upon passage, forming a consistent picture when Scripture is allowed to interpret itself.
The catching away of believers, often called the rapture, is not built on one verse. It is taught across multiple Ne... moreCAN THE RAPTURE BE FOUND IN SCRIPTURE?
Someone recently asked, “Show one Bible verse proving a pre-tribulation rapture.” That question assumes prophecy is built on one isolated verse. The Bible almost never teaches major doctrines that way. Instead, God reveals truth line upon line, passage upon passage, forming a consistent picture when Scripture is allowed to interpret itself.
The catching away of believers, often called the rapture, is not built on one verse. It is taught across multiple New Testament passages describing the same event from different angles.
John 14:1–3
Jesus told His disciples, “In my Father’s house are many dwelling places… I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
Jesus describes leaving, preparing a place in the Father’s house, and personally receiving believers to Himself. This is gathering language, not judgment language.
1 Corinthians 15:51–52
“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…”
Paul reveals a previously hidden truth: some believers will never experience death but will instead be instantly transformed into glorified bodies.
1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout… and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…”
This is the clearest description of the rapture. The phrase “caught up” comes from the Greek word harpazō, meaning to seize, snatch, or carry away suddenly.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
“…Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Believers are specifically described as being rescued from coming wrath, not preserved through it.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This distinguishes the Church from the outpouring of divine judgment described in the Tribulation.
2 Thessalonians 2:1–8
Paul connects “our gathering together unto Him” with the removal of the restraining force before the man of sin is revealed. The sequence places the gathering before the rise of Antichrist power.
Philippians 3:20–21
“…We look for the Saviour… who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.”
Believers are waiting for transformation at Christ’s appearing.
Titus 2:13
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
The rapture is called the Blessed Hope, something believers are told to anticipate with expectation and comfort.
Colossians 3:4
“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
Believers appear with Christ in glory, implying prior transformation and gathering.
1 John 3:2
“When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
Again, transformation is connected with Christ’s appearing for believers.
Revelation 3:10
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world…”
This describes protection from a worldwide time of testing, not merely protection within it.
Luke 21:36
“Watch therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things… and to stand before the Son of man.”
Jesus speaks of escaping global judgment and standing before Him.
Hebrews 9:28
“…Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
Christ appears for believers bringing deliverance, separate from His return in judgment.
When these passages are studied together, they describe a consistent event:
Believers are suddenly transformed.
Believers are caught up to meet Christ in the air.
Believers are delivered from coming global wrath.
Believers are gathered to Christ before final judgment unfolds.
Christians may disagree on the timing, and respectful discussion is healthy. But the catching away of believers is clearly taught throughout the New Testament when Scripture is allowed to speak in full context.
✠ Sir John Scivoletti ✠
✠ Turco Joan of Arc Priory ✠
✠✠Act and God will Act (Actus et Deus Act)✠✠
As hard as it seems we all should strive to be as Christ is.
Wonderful post
CAA Luis A Matos III
Priory of St Michael the Archangel
MC Glenn
Fides Et Veritas