Now, just as surely as when John and Peter and James were writing these little Jewish epistles, Israel was in the land, the city of Jerusalem was their capital. The Temple was operating and the Roman Empire was the empire that was over them. And here, 2,000 years later, we have it again today. Israel, after the dispersion, is back in the land; they're back in the city. Oh, they haven't got the Temple yet, but hopefully they will get that once the Tribulation starts. The Roman Empire is now being revived with the ECU, as Daniel tells us it would, and so everything is now reset and ready for the fulfilling of those final years. So let's start at verse 19.


I John 2:19

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." They turned their back much like in Hebrews chapter 6, "That they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." Now verse 20, and here we're picking up on new ground.


I John 2:20

"But (John writes) ye have an unction (or you have a directive) from the Holy One, and ye know all things." As God reveals it. And again the Apostle Paul makes the same point that it's our indwelling Holy Spirit who makes the difference. In fact, I guess I'd better go back and use the Scriptures. Come back with me to Romans chapter 7, and verses 4, 5, 6 -- these key verses that we need to compare with.


Romans 7:4a

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also (Paul writes) are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; (by His crucifixion) that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead,...." Now Paul is always emphasizing the resurrection. It's not enough to believe that Christ died; it's not enough to believe that He was the Messiah; we have to believe that the Messiah, the Son of God, the Christ that died for our sins, rose from the dead. Otherwise Paul's Gospel of salvation is not complete. Now we see the reason we are saved is: