Some of Those Who Will Come Last Will Be First in the Kingdom of God (Edited by ChatGPT)

  

Jesus said, “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.” But blessed are you when they hate you, avoid you, insult you, and slander you because of your faith in the Lord Jesus. Rejoice, for your reward is in heaven. Just as the world did not accept Jesus — because He was not of this world and rebuked it for its sin — so too it will not accept His disciples. The world belongs to those who are of the world, who live in the flesh, and who are led by dark spirits — the false prophets.

 

Faith is not measured by popularity. The end of Jesus in the flesh was not crowds cheering His name but the majority shouting, “Crucify Him!” When you carry a message from the light, those who live in darkness will stumble over you. If they knew the Father, they would know the Son. If they knew the Son, they would know you. But since they do not know the Son, how could they know His students? As it is written: “They hated Me without reason.” The teacher, the disciple, and the student alike are hated for no reason.

 

The problem is not you. The problem is that they do not know the Son or the Father. Yet remember the promise: those who come last will be first. How is this possible? Because many who came first knew the First — the Lord Jesus — and it was their blessing to be planted by Him and to stand firm until the end. Yet many who seemed to be first were in fact last.

 

If the last are going to be first, they must be more like the First — the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles. If your faith is built only on denominational pride or theological systems, there is nothing in it that will make you first. But if you are aligned with the Lord in faith, truth, life, and teaching, then you have a chance to stand with the first — or even to be the fertilizer that grows the faith of those who will rise higher after you.

 

When you listen to the words of denominational theologians, it does not take much imagination to see how easily they can create another Dark Age. The way they think, argue, and reason — like second-grade philosophers, like schoolchildren mocking both philosophy and faith — makes it clear that a flood of ignorance and premature closure awaits. Theology without testing, wisdom, or spiritual discernment produces nothing but the collapse of faith and a darkened age for the world. That is why they never dream of living as Paul, Peter, or John lived in the footsteps of Jesus. They do not seek the age of light, gospel, and truth. Instead, they cling to power and wealth, chasing influence rather than going to the streets and fields to reach souls.

 

Think carefully: who in their right mind would claim that everything about the faith is already known and that no major change could ever come? If a scientific leader said such a thing, he would be laughed out of the academy. Yet in theological schools, this arrogant ignorance rules. Theologians say, “Who are you to think you are special?” But Scripture says, “Those who come last will be first.” If that is true, then avoiding theological pride and denominational traps is not only wise — it is necessary.

 

Theology itself is not evil. But only the children of God, led by the Holy Spirit, can know the true theology of God. The Bible is from above; therefore, its interpretation must also come from above — from the Spirit who wrote it. God gives wisdom as He wills. But those who labor in their own strength, trying to build theology from the ground up, often dig through dirt looking for gold. There is wisdom in the search, but to insist that God can only bring forth truth from human effort — as though He cannot create gold from thin air — is delusion. They say, “Who are you to think you know better than those before you?” But the real question is not who you are, but who God is. Salvation is not for those who run or strive, but for those who are chosen by Him.

 

If God wills it, Solomon becomes the wisest of all. If God wills it, twelve fishermen and tax collectors will judge the nations in heaven. If God wills it, a man who once hated the faith will become the apostle to the nations. And if God wills it, the last will be first. Why? Because God is God, and He does as He pleases. Who are you? If you are chosen by Him, that is the only answer that matters.

 

Yes, the devil will come pretending to be God, and his prophets will masquerade as sheep of the Lord. But the devil always rewrites Scripture and reshapes faith into dead religion. You cannot box God inside human delusion. The way to discern is by fruit. “By their fruit you will know them.” Look at the fruit, or you will lose your reward. If you stand against God in arrogance, you may think you are making a difference — but no one takes you seriously, and worse, you may lose your salvation.

 

Now let us consider denominations. How can anyone become first by following denominations blindly? If you are the hundredth bad photocopy of a bad photocopy, how can you be better than your teacher? But if you stand on the shoulders of those who built the denomination and reach farther toward Christ, then you have a better chance of being first — and you will honor your teachers by surpassing them in faith.

 

Denominations have value: they give you the basic foundation to discern right from wrong. But if you end with denominations, you have lost. Those who came before you did their best; they followed God’s leading. But now you have been given their work freely. Is your role only to chant their understanding? No. They were men like you. Stand on their shoulders, and then reach higher to Jesus Himself.

 

Jesus did not come to affirm you. Only the foolish affirm themselves. Your life must affirm Him. He is the perfect image of God, and you are meant to look like Him. Grow toward Him in knowledge, in faith, in obedience, in suffering, and even in death. Stand on the shoulders of those who came before you, drink milk before you chew meat, but aim higher than them — aim to look like Christ.

 

Second-grade believers and second-grade theologians will sneer, “Who are you to think you can be greater than all?” But average students always think they are meant to remain average. They were not born to excel in the kingdom of God. But you were called to transformation, not affirmation. Growth is not about shaping God into your image, but about being shaped into His image. If you grow well, you will set your eyes above this earth, live a holy life at the feet of Jesus, store your treasure in heaven, and work tirelessly to save souls and raise them into faithful soldiers of the Lord. Just like Paul, Peter, John — and above all, like Jesus.

 

To be first with the first ones, you must imitate their lives. This is the only true faith — the faith.