We need to reflect upon our faith and ruminate on the words of our heavenly Father and Mother over and over again, so that we can attain the everlasting kingdom of God. In the New Year, we shall accomplish complete obedience to God's words, reflecting on what we have not obeyed yet.

Each and every one of us is a great worker for the gospel in this age. The disobedience of one person may cause a great hindrance to the gospel work of God, and by the obedience of one person the gospel work can be fulfilled very quickly by the grace of God.

Disobedience of Adam

The Bible gives a concrete example of how enormous impact one man's obedience and disobedience may have on mankind.

Ro 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Romans chapter 5 contrasts the disobedience of Adam and the obedience of Jesus Christ: The former caused sin and death to enter the world, and the latter caused all men to live forever. As the result of the one man's disobedience to God's word, "Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," every human being faces a tragic consequence, death.

Ge 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, " but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Ge 3:1-6 He said to the woman, "Did God really say,'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say,'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

The same thing may happen to us unless we always keep in mind the words that God has given us. The devil tempts people to eat the fruit God has forbidden them to eat, making the forbidden fruit seem even more desirable. He whispers to them: "Once you eat the fruit, you will be wise like God, full of knowledge. Why don't you eat it right now?" From this came the first sin of mankind.

Adam and Eve were one flesh-Eve was a part of Adam. So the Bible describes their offense as the 'sin of the one man, Adam.' Why did God mention Adam's sin in the first book of the Bible then? To show us what?

We need to understand what a tremendous effect the disobedience of one person might have on human beings. Here is another case showing the effect of one man's sin. When Joshua and his army conquered the city of Jericho and entered the land of Canaan, the sin of one man named Achan caused a whole nation to be punished; Israel was defeated in the battle of Ai and the way to conquer the land of Canaan was temporarily blocked.

By one man's sin the way the whole country should go was blocked, and by one man's disobedience death passed upon all men. Such history is a counterevidence showing how important one man's obedience is.

Obedience of Jesus Christ

The Bible says Adam is a pattern of the one to come (Ro 5:14). Actually, however, Adam was an opposite type of Jesus. He brought death into the world through disobedience to God's command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. On the contrary, Jesus brought eternal life to all men by obeying God's will even to the point of death.

Heb 5:6-10 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Through His obedience, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. He came like one of us and always set the example of obedience to the will of God. When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, just before His suffering and death, He only asked for obedience to God's will: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Thus, even in the face of death, Christ was perfectly obedient to God's will. While the one man's disobedience brought death upon all men, the obedience of the One brought them eternal life.

Php 2:5-12 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

All the words of truth, which God gives us, are worthy of obedience to the point of death. Jesus Himself set the example of obedience when He came to this earth 2,000 years ago.

Like Christ, who was obedient unto death, we should also be obedient to all the words of Elohim God and work out our salvation. If we obey God, He will raise us up to the highest place. God highly exalted Jesus and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Likewise, God will exalt us and give us honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth if we are completely obedient to God's will. So the Bible says we are the royal priests of heaven (1 Pe 2:9).

We can never receive such honor and glory unless we fully obey God's word. So the Bible tells us to always obey God and continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Remove the thoughts of disobedience

The greatest faith is an obedient faith. However, if our own thoughts take precedence over God's word, we will lose our faith in God and disobey His will, as Adam and Eve did.

'This fruit seems good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom. Will I really die if I just eat the fruit?' 'God is merciful. Will He really punish me for just doing this kind of thing?' Thus, if one puts his own thought ahead of God's word, he will fail to obey the will of God, and the disobedience of the one person will bring death not only upon himself but also upon others.

Isa 55:6-11 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God's word is never spoken in vain. Our thoughts differ from God's thoughts. So the Bible tells us to forsake our thoughts and return to God. We must forsake all our thoughts that are contrary to God's word. When we put off our own thoughts and live according to God's will, we can receive abundant blessing and eternal life from God.

When Adam and Eve were filled with God's word, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil seemed flavorless and distasteful to them. However, when they heard the words of the devil and were immersed with their own thoughts, the fruit of the tree seemed good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom. God's thoughts differ so widely from human thoughts. Nobody knows what may happen tomorrow. However, God foresees all future events. That was why He told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree.

We should do what God has told us to do with continual and unceasing joy, and keep ourselves from what God has forbidden us, however desirable. Then the heavenly angels will bow down before us, acknowledging us as the people who are led by the Spirit of God and are in accord with God's thoughts and will and His living word.

Disobedience leads to death. God gives eternal life to him who is faithful to the point of death. One person is important. If each one of us absolutely obeys the will of Father and Mother, we will all be able to enter into life. However, the disobedience of one of us may lead us all astray.

World evangelism fulfilled through obedience

God does not command us to obey Him to exert absolute authority over us. Every-thing that God has taught us is given for our salvation-for the safety of our souls.

Isa 48:17-19 This is what the LORD says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be cut off nor destroyed from before me."

In the days of the prophet Isaiah, the Israelites disobeyed God's command and their disobedience brought calamity upon themselves. Biblical history shows us every calamity is the result of disobedience to God's word, while all blessing is the result of obedience.

God teaches everything for our own good and commands us the things that we ought to do and sets examples for us, so that He may bring us to the everlasting kingdom of heaven where we can live forever. For our own benefit, God has taught us to keep His commandments, preach the gospel, love one another, resist the devil, etc.

2 Co 10:6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

It is unfair for God to punish only others for their disobedience while even His children are disobeying. Obedience is a necessary qualification to enter heaven. God, who is righteous and just, is ready to fulfill the gospel work when our obedience is complete.

Now we need to examine ourselves whether we fully obey all the teachings of our heavenly Father and Mother or we only obey what we like and disobey what we don't. We must obey everything that God has commanded us, even the least thing.

God told us, "Be joyful always," and "Be united in love for one another." We have to obey these words, too. If one says, "I can do all things except this kind of thing," that's a mere excuse to replace God's will with his own. He is just like Adam and Eve who ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that God forbade them to eat, seeing that the forbidden fruit was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom. When we forsake our own thoughts and submit joyfully to God's will, we can complete our salvation.

Obedience leads to the heavenly Canaan

The 144,000 saints, redeemed from the earth by the grace of God, are ‘those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.' As it is prophesied:

Rev 14:1-5 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

The 144,000 are the people who fully obey the word of God with joy and thanksgiving. As for the word of God, we should not think that it doesn't matter whether we do it or not. We must be obedient to what God says, just as Christ did even to the point of death. Unless we forsake our stubbornness, disobedience and unrepentant heart, we will be punished with everlasting destruction. As it is written:

Ro 2:4-5 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

Now self-centered individualism is widespread in the world. People are lovers of themselves and unwilling to do what is even a little bit contrary to their ideas. They are stubborn and unrepentant.

If we do things our own way, we may be tempted by Satan and even a bad thing seems good and pleasing to the ear as well as the eye. The way God leads us may seem unprofitable to us right now. However, if we continually obey the word of God, who knows our future and teaches us for our own profit, our obedience will result in abundant blessing.

During Israel's 40 years in the desert, those who disobeyed could not enter Canaan, the promised land, and finally they were all destroyed in the desert.

Heb 3:18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?

None of the disobedient people could enter the land of Canaan. Even now, those who do not obey cannot enter into God's rest-they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Though the world rejects God, we shall follow Elohim God in faith to the end. Every one of us shall diligently preach the teachings of the Spirit and the Bride to all people in the world.

One person is important. If each and every one of us undertakes the mission of waking up the whole world from the deep spiritual sleep, we will be able to find all the lost children of God. Remember that one man's disobedience brought death upon so many, while the obedience of the One brought many to eternal life. If one person keeps the word of God to the end, all men will be brought to eternal life. Believing that, let us be fully obedient to God.

We are the saints who follow Elohim [Gods] wherever They lead us. As the people of Zion, we shall always be willing to obey God's word with joy and thankfulness, depending only on God and following Him. Then we will all be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven.