What is Salvation and Why the Cross?

If you say saints of old could not resurrect and go to heaven before Jesus died and resurrected because they were not "born again", then please, how do you explain Enoch and Elijah who went to heaven; who by the way, did not even see death? How could they have gone to heaven if they were not saved (or born again), if they were not, according to your theology, "washed by the blood of the lamb"? Please, how come they went to heaven? They were so close to the Father, so deeply spiritually minded; so high in intelligence and spirituality, they were caught up! They were born from above (or born again) otherwise, they could never have become so close to the Father and could never have made it to heaven... 

Please, here's another question:

Is it justice to punish an innocent righteous man for the wrongs of guilty offenders? If we, as humans understand this is not justice, how much more our heavenly Father? How can we say our loving Paradise Father would depend on the punishment of an innocent man for the sins of guilty offenders in order for "some wrath" to go away? To hold such a view shows we do not understand the Father.

I have been studying the topic of salvation for nothing less than 25 years. Paul, Peter and their associates got it wrong somewhere. Jesus did not teach the atonement doctrine. He did not go from place to place, screaming atonement. He went from place to place declaring, "The kingdom of God is within you". And he taught how to manifest the kingdom in our human affairs... The early Apostles must have been overwhelmed by "the Master's death and resurrection" that they got carried away and made it a doctrine of salvation. They meant well. But sowed seeds of confusion. Now, we have a big mess to clean up. 🙏

I am convinced in my heart, sincerely, speaking that the salvation message from the Father has never changed. It has always been the same thing regardless of dispensation. It is man's understanding and interpretation of it that changes, from time to time. As far as the Father is concerned, the MUST requirements for salvation has always been the same thing. Abraham received salvation. Enoch did. Elijah did...

My conclusion is, "We are saved by faith through grace". Faith in what? And whose grace? It is faith that God is our Father and we are his children and that he loves us. And it is the divine grace. It's that simple. But man finds it very hard to believe so they come up with all kinds of rituals and sacrifices that must be done. But that's syncretism.

I have asked, "Then why did Jesus really die?" Please, some of my conclusions thus far:

Before Jesus died, his disciples were saved. They were already in God's Kingdom. People's sins were washed away without the shedding of Jesus' blood. Jesus clearly forgave people their sins before he died. This tells you that blood must not be spilled for sins to be washed away. There's salvation at the Cross primarily because at the Cross, Jesus gave a very deep and powerful revelation of God's love. In the depths of the greatest hatred, despair and wickedness, he showed love and forgiveness. He revealed the love of God. It is this revelation of God's love in the midst of so much hatred that pulls many more people to God and His salvation. It is not the shedding of blood per se which inevitably followed his brutal hanging on the Cross.

This explains why some people recite the so-called sinner's prayer but do not experience salvation, even though they may think they have magically become saved. If at the Cross, an individual does not experience a soul-quickening transformation birthed from an understanding of God's love, resulting to a total acceptance of this love, he/she may not walk away saved. It does not matter the amount of sinner's prayer memorized and offered. It does not matter the number of times he/she runs to the altar in response to an "altar call". God is not a magician.

As we understand the Heavenly Father better, we see that it is LOVE that saves. This love may be discovered and wholeheartedly embraced at the foot of the Cross or somewhere else. This explains why in Heaven, we would meet people from all walks of life, various faiths and different planets.

So, why did the Master choose to die? I am convinced that this is one of the key reasons why:
He knew that through the sufferings and brutal death on a Cross, he would reveal God's love in a very deep, very emotional and very moving way. He knew that the Cross would reveal a love that may not be matched by anything else for, "No greater love can a man show towards others than to lay down his life for them". He knew that the revelation of God's love in the midst of so much hatred has a tremendous spiritual drawing power to pull many, many more people to God and His salvation. And for this, he was willing to take that extra step - to go that extra mile; "to walk a second mile", in order to make it easier for so many more people to embrace salvation. He did not have to do it but he chose to.

This reveals the great, great, great depths of his love towards us, such that he was willing to do anything and everything to rake in the numbers... But some of us have mistaken this to mean that his death and his blood were a MUST requirement for the salvation of anyone and everyone! The salvation was already available for anyone and everyone before he died; even before he came. And some people received it. But his physical presence (mortal bestowal), his teachings, his death and resurrection has made it and continues to make it much, much easier for many, many more people to understand, grasp and embrace salvation.

If we really understand exactly what one must do in order for his "soul" to be transformed, then things become clearer. There is this something that must happen to a soul in order for the soul to be saved. There's something or a spiritual transaction the soul must "go through" in order to receive the gift of salvation. If we really narrow things down and come to a good understanding of this spiritual transaction and the requirements needed for the transaction to occur, then we will really understand salvation. The concept of "the soul" is little understood. This is a part of the problem.

It is this "spiritual transaction" the soul must go through that I call "the spiritual technique of salvation". And I define it thus:
The spiritual technique of SALVATION occurs when an individual accepts and is "quickened" by the expression of God's LOVE and MERCY. Salvation is yours when you get a revelation of God's love and mercy: a revelation or understanding-experience that causes you to open your heart to God, to trust Him, to welcome Him into your life; to surrender all to Him and have FAITH in Him as your Father. These acts bring you to a place where you begin to see others as your brothers and sisters and you develop FAITH in your eternal salvation - that you will exist in and with God forever. Your heart becomes totally committed to doing His will. This is possible because of the GRACE and GOODNESS of God. Herein is your salvation. This is the explanation of salvation by faith through grace.

As I study (various books) and inquire further (within myself and interactions with others), I discover that Jesus also went through the Cross as a way to give a powerful response to his rebellious celestial children: Lucifer, Satan, the fallen Prince of this world, Beelzebub, fallen angels, etc. A close look at human history reveals that all over the world, these arch rebels instituted a system of religious blood sacrifice: in Africa, South America, the Middle East, etc - everywhere. They demanded something for favor. The priests would say, "...to appease God" or "to appease the gods". In actuality, the Paradise Father did not make those demands. It was the forces of darkness pretending to be angels of light that made those demands.

The Father even said he did not desire sacrifices and burnt offerings but a broken and a contrite heart; steadfast LOVE and the KNOWLEDGE of God (Psalm 51:16, Hebrews 10:8, Hosea 6:6, Psalm 40:6, 1 Sam 15:22). In the midst of the confusion of bloodletting, the Still Small Voice within sometimes managed to come through, speaking clearly to any who cared to listen, "I do not desire sacrifices and burnt offerings but a broken and a contrite heart; steadfast LOVE and the KNOWLEDGE of God". This has been the Father's heart from the very beginning. Never for once, did he change it.

Jesus must have thought to himself that there has to be a way to put a total, final and lasting stop to these ruthless human and animal blood sacrifices that were taking place, practically all over the world. He knew the celestial rebels were behind it and that they also used the "energies" from these blood for their nefarious aims. The Master must have thought to himself, "I can use my death on the Cross to show to these arch rebels and also to loyal angels the futility and madness of these crazy bloodletting. My rebellious celestial forces always used blood as a way to demand for something. I shall take the extra step; go an extra mile to present my blood in a bid to fully reclaim my planet in a way that will be unquestionable, even by the standards of my celestial arch enemies." The Cross was an unsuspecting chess move that Jesus used to shut them up, once and for all time. They did not see it coming. Initially, they thought they had their way when they inspired wicked men to crucify him.

The Cross was like the final straw that broke the camel's back! The vast host of loyal celestial personalities were in total shock to see their Creator (incarnated in flesh), hanging on a tree, bleeding like a useless vagabond; a helpless sheep. Any and every sympathy they may have had for the rebels evaporated! A very strong message with regards to the total folly of the Lucifer rebellion was registered all over the Universe. Even Lucifer was in shock! A lot of the arch rebels were in shock - when the realization of the folly of their actions began to dawn on them. Jesus offered his blood. And they could not even accept it. They could not touch it! They could not tap into "its energies and powers - its life" like they were doing with that of animals and humans, the world over. Oh! Yes, "There's power in the blood of Jesus!" It was game up for them.

These are some insights one can draw from the death on the Cross on a deeper cosmic, esoteric or celestial level. To die on that Cross was not a MUST. However, Christ, as Jesus, chose to, for various reasons (and interestingly, the Father willed it). And some of us are deeply engrossed in exploring and understanding these reasons. 🙏

One Love,
- Karo E. Akamune 

Syncretism in Christianity's Soteriology

"What MUST I do to be saved?" 

As far as God the Father is concerned, the answer to that question IS always the same: yesterday, today and forever. The "MUST REQUIREMENT" for salvation has never, ever changed. It is man's understanding of it that changes from one era to the other. Our Heavenly Father's standard and requirement for salvation remains the same.

Moses did not change it. Jesus did not change it. You and I cannot change it. The very same requirement that Enoch met - is the very same requirement that Elijah met. It is the very same requirement that Mary Magdalene met. It is the very same requirement that you and I must meet. The doctrine of salvation according to Paradise is changeless. But man's understanding of it continues to evolve…

The spiritual technique of SALVATION occurs when an individual accepts and is "quickened" by the expression of God's LOVE and MERCY. Salvation is yours when you get a revelation of God's love and mercy: a revelation or understanding-experience that causes you to open your heart to God, to trust Him, to welcome Him into your life; to surrender all to Him and have FAITH in Him as your Father. These acts bring you to a place where you begin to see others as your brothers and sisters and you develop FAITH in your eternal salvation – faith that you will exist in and with God forever. Your heart becomes totally committed to doing His will. This is possible because of the GRACE and GOODNESS of God. Herein is your salvation.

This is the explanation of salvation by faith through grace. When you experience true, real and living salvation, you are cleansed by God. In the spirit realm, you go through the “Christ Portal” to God. You are enveloped in the “Christ Anointing”. This is true even if you do not consciously mention the names “Christ” or “Jesus Christ”. This happens because “The Way”, “The Truth” and “The Life” is Christ. It has always been this way since time immemorial.

When you understand this, you will see that there are people from various “faiths” who are saved. This is made very clear in different ways. There are many, many examples. Do you know that even before Jesus died, his disciples were saved? You see, they were already in God's Kingdom. People's sins were washed away without the shedding of Jesus' blood. Jesus clearly forgave people their sins before he died. This tells you that blood must not be spilled for sins to be washed away. There's salvation at the Cross primarily because at the Cross, Jesus gave a very deep and powerful revelation of God's love. In the depths of the greatest hatred, despair and wickedness, he showed love and forgiveness. He revealed the love of God. It is this revelation of God's love in the midst of so much hatred that pulls many more people to God and His salvation. It is not the shedding of blood per se which inevitably followed his brutal hanging on the Cross.

This explains why some people recite the so-called sinner's prayer but do not experience salvation, even though they may think they have magically become saved. If at the Cross, an individual does not experience a soul-quickening transformation birthed from an understanding of God's love, resulting to a total acceptance of this love, he/she may not walk away saved. It does not matter the amount of sinner's prayer memorized and offered. God is not a magician.

As we understand the Heavenly Father better, we see that it is LOVE that saves. This love may be discovered and wholeheartedly embraced at the foot of the Cross or somewhere else. This explains why in Heaven, we would meet people from all walks of life, various faiths and different planets. The atonement doctrine of Christianity has so many loopholes. For starters, you cannot regard as justice, the punishment by God of an innocent man for the wrongs of guilty offenders. Even our human justice system knows better. How much more our Heavenly Father – the all knowing and all wise God?

If you study human spiritual history very closely, you will learn that the demand for blood as a ransom was an age old practice instituted by fallen spirits of darkness. From a deeper esoteric standpoint, Jesus chose to go through the Cross experience as a way to meet them at their low level and to hand them a crushing defeat at that level of blood-energy thirst. This is a matter of great significance in the angelic cosmic realm. God the Paradise Father has no business asking people for blood sacrifices.

Salvation is by faith through grace. You may ask, “Faith in what and whose grace?”

It is faith in God that He is your Father and He loves you. This is possible because of His grace. This is the summary of salvation. And this explains why we have aliens who are saved. Jesus would not go to their planets to die... And some of them do not yet know that Christ came to planet Earth as Jesus, let alone that he died, resurrected and ascended. So, why did Jesus die? There are very important reasons why...

When you understand these things, you will begin to see clearly the true meaning of the gospel that Jesus declared. He declared the good news that, “The Kingdom of God is within you”. This is true for God the Father has already placed His indwelling spirit, the Still Small Voice, within you. Jesus taught that God’s Kingdom is already within you. You just need to discover it by faith through God’s great grace. He did not teach that you must believe that without the shedding of his blood, your sins cannot be forgiven. The salvation message of Jesus is different from that of Peter or Paul. There are similarities. But there are differences. Study the Master’s teachings closely. He taught salvation and the Kingdom life. Please, look at what he placed emphasis on. It’s all there.

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Salvation and the Blood of Jesus

Matthew 9:1-2, 6-7 
1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home.
Jesus and Nicodemus: See John chapter 3.
Hebrews 9:22, "And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."
Hebrews 9:28, "so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many..." 

If blood MUST be shed before your sins can be forgiven, please how come Jesus forgave the sins of this man in Matthew chapter 9 WITHOUT the shedding of his blood? Clearly, God can forgive sins WITHOUT the shedding of blood. But the author of Hebrews seems to tell us otherwise. In a bid to portray “the Law” (or Judaism) as a perfect shadow of the “New Covenant”, the author of the book of Hebrews knowingly or unknowingly dabbled into syncretism. Please, keep on reading. You should see this.

I suspect the Apostle Paul is the author of that book. I see his fingerprints all over it. It portrays Paul’s strategy of seeking to “become all things to all men so that he might win some of them over”. This strategy made him to adapt and adjust the teachings of Jesus to suit each particular audience. There is wisdom in this but it can also be dangerous. There is the possibility of weeding out true meanings, if care is not taken. The letter to the Hebrews shows a great desperation to win over as many Jews as possible. This is a desperation that yielded very, very little results, if any. It failed to win a lot of Jews over to Paul’s Christianity. And New Millennium Kingdom thought-leaders have to deal with the mess the good brother left behind…  And of course, he knows better where he is now in the Heavenlies.

Do you know Jesus told another man, Nicodemus that, in essence, right there and then in the garden, he could become born again? No blood had been shed o! And do you know that the Apostles and disciples were saved before Jesus died? There's no true record anywhere that says they prayed for forgiveness and salvation after Jesus died. None. There was no need to. They were saved already.

So why do some people get saved at the Cross? It is a soul-transforming revelation of the love of our Heavenly Father that they receive at the foot of the Cross that ushers in salvation. It is not the blood per se. We need to clear out the confusion. Is there a great spiritual drawing power at the Cross of Christ? Of course, YES! There is! The tragic death of a righteous and perfect God-man and the all powerful divine love displayed by him in spite of the brutalities all have great saving powers! Jesus knew this. And this is why we see in Matthew 26:27-28, “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

When you understand these things, then you'll know that it is possible for people in very remote places on Earth, who have not even heard of the death of Jesus to be saved. And that we have aliens in many other planets who know nothing about the Cross that are saved. You do not need to board a flight to their planets to go preach to them. In His own ways, God reveals Himself to them.

To understand the Gospel of Salvation, we have to focus, first and foremost on what Jesus Christ taught. What did Jesus teach with regards to salvation? In other words, according to Jesus, what MUST one do to be saved? It is very important you look at these questions, “according to Jesus” – not according to the Apostles Peter or Paul. A very close examination reveals that “Salvation” according to Jesus is not exactly the same as “Salvation” according to Peter or Paul. There are similarities but there are differences.

In Luke 10:25-28 a lawyer asked Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It is very important to examine Jesus’ response very closely. If a belief in the shedding of blood “as a MUST requirement” for salvation is God’s ultimate standard, Jesus would have said so. But he did not.

Luke 10:25-28
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Jesus said, “Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” Oh Hallelujah! The Master said, “You have answered correctly – do this and you shall live.” Right here, Jesus reveals our Heavenly Father’s “MUST requirement” for salvation. In order for you to be born again, all you need to do is to embrace LOVE, the divine LOVE with all your heart. This is the gospel of salvation according to God the Father. This is what Jesus Christ, God incarnate in the flesh preached and taught. Adding all kinds of requirements to this leads to syncretism.

And by syncretism, I mean adding man-made culture, ideas and practice into that of God and in the process, diluting, watering down and even losing completely, the pure truth from God. Syncretism is the combination of different forms of belief or practice. Christianity practices “salvation syncretism” because it mixes or combines “salvation by faith through grace, not of works” with “salvation by blood sacrifice – the work of the offering of blood”. You have to key into the ministry of the Spirit of Truth, the very spirit of Jesus Christ in order to fully understand these things. There are very subtle meanings and values you might miss out on or lose if you do not allow the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth to work with you unfettered.

Now, some people may ask, “Why did Jesus die a brutal death which led to a literal spilling of his blood?” Here are some thoughts in answer to such an inquiry:

The Death of Jesus on the Cross

As we ponder upon the blood of Jesus, we may ask, “Is there power in the blood of Jesus?” The answer is a very resounding, “YES!” Life is in the blood. And the blood “speaks”. For example, the blood of an innocent child, that is brutally murdered cries out for JUSTICE! In a very tangible, spiritual sense, his/her blood speaks. Great changes have transpired in various societies because of the blood of people “speaking”. Now if the blood of mere mortals can be this powerful, how much more the blood of Jesus, God incarnate in mortal flesh? Please, stop and think about this for a minute! This is very, very powerful! It carries great meanings and values beyond our present ability to comprehend!

The Cross shows that Jesus was completely overtaken by the divine love - to such an extent he wasn't afraid to die for believing and teaching truth, goodness and love. It also shows that when you are filled with love, it becomes so easy to forgive your friends (who may have betrayed or denied you) and your enemies who hate you with all their hearts. The Cross reveals the love of God in a very unique, touching and moving way. The display, in any way, form or fashion of deep love has great spiritual drawing power!

Rebellious fallen spirits always demanded blood as a sacrifice for atonement. In part, they depended on blood for power. Blood sucking demons always hungered for blood to draw “energy” therefrom. For centuries upon centuries human beings would spill or shed blood to appease their tribal gods - rebellious fallen spirits pretending to be gods.

All over the world, a lot and a lot of blood were shed for many, many years - blood of animals and the blood of human beings as well. A lot of blood – at the altar of ceremonial sacrificial offerings! This means a lot of energies wasted away; destroyed and even messed up! This was happening every week, every year, all over the world! This was creating serious problems in the spirit realm which was affecting the progress of planet Earth. It was a very mean and calculated attempt by rebellious fallen spirits to mess up the planet and make things very difficult, if not impossible for God. That was their core but delusional mission!

All those messed up, wasted and troubled "energies" had to be cleared off from the planet. Also, the culture of shedding blood all in the name of "atonement" had to be brought to an end. The rebellious fallen spirits had that messy program going on and on, on Earth and a powerful answer or response had to be given to them to shut them up forever. Someone had to show in a very emotional, touching and moving way the folly of what they were doing.

The rebellious fallen spirits didn't kill Jesus but they had a hand in it. Jesus hung on the Cross, bleeding and dying in a very painful and slow manner. Here was the Creator of our Universe, in mortal flesh, hanging, sweating, bleeding and dying slowly like a guilty, useless, reckless and common criminal! Hanging on a Cross in public, almost naked like a distasteful animal; like a useless vagabond! This sent shock waves all over the Universe. The entire Celestial Realms were in total shock! Even Lucifer turned his face away. He couldn't withstand it! Very powerful and resounding messages were sent all over the Universe and beyond! This was the stroke that broke the camel's back! This was when Lucifer, Satan (Lucifer’s assistant), Caligastia (the fallen and deposed Prince of our planet), Beelzebub (a rebellious Midwayer), etc lost any and all sympathy they enjoyed from some loyal-to-God Celestial Personalities. It was over! Game up! They were effectively silenced! They lost any leeway to argue or state their case!! Hallelujah!!!

In hanging, bleeding and dying on the Cross, Jesus effectively terminated the shedding of blood - that was used as atonement. In a new and deep way, it became so very clear that the shedding of the blood of animals and humans must be abandoned! The blood of Jesus gave a very powerful answer to that. The devil’s scheme of wasting countless “energies” through the shedding of blood was squashed - once and for all! Blood sucking demons who always demanded for blood from which to draw “energy” could not handle Jesus’ blood. This was a quicker and faster way to squash “ceremonial sacrificial blood-letting” and save Earth from all the troubles and karma that such a scheme piles up. In dying the way he did, Christ, as Jesus cleared up the karmic debts from the ruthless and senseless shedding of the blood of animals and humans - a global practice that, in many ways, was having a very heavy toll on mother Earth and her inhabitants. This as well, has Universe-wide implications.

These things explain why demons and evil forces shudder in fear and withdraw when people petition, "The Blood of Jesus".

And do you know that an earthquake occurred in Calvary while Jesus hung on the Cross? Do you also know that his blood flowed through the cracks to the "Mercy Seat" of the Ark of the Covenant underground? Years before, King Solomon had made provisions for the Ark to be moved and hidden underground, in the event that a foreign power attacks Jerusalem and seek to steal or remove it.

In the Bible, the Ark, with regards to its location, was last mentioned in 2 Chronicles 35:3. This was during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah. Judah was conquered by Babylon in 586 B.C. - less than 3 decades after Josiah's death and the Ark disappeared. In actuality, it was taken to the secret underground location prepared by king Solomon, who through foresight provided an alternate dwelling place for it, to secure it from theft or seizure in any event of a foreign invasion.

Interestingly, when Jesus showed up on planet Earth, the Ark was hidden and kept away. And the Master was crucified on the same location where it was in safe hiding underground. As he bled, and the ground shook, his blood flowed to that same "Mercy Seat", where the Jewish High Priest would offer blood once a year. This is no mere coincidence! An online search for a brother by the name, "Ron Wyatt", an archeologist would show you this discovery. He also discovered many different things. Some people say Ron was a "Destiny reservist". It is significant to observe that the blood of Jesus flowed to the same “Mercy Seat” of the Ark of Judaism, a religion that was troubled by syncretism – righteous divine practice, mixed with man-made belief and also demonic interferences. These demonic interferences were fallen spirits appearing as angels of light to interject their agenda into human religious/spiritual experiences.

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Your salvation is by faith through grace – faith that the Heavenly Father is “your Father” and that He loves you! This is a quickening faith that causes you to, as it were, “Surrender everything to the Father of all”. Nothing extra or additional is needed as a “must requirement”. Christ did not come to planet Earth to change the Father’s requirement for salvation. However, His mortal bestowal played a great role in making it much easier for humans to develop a better understanding of the Father and His love. This makes it much easier for them to embrace salvation and walk in the fullness of life – the God kind of life. Hallelujah!

Christ did not come because it was impossible for people to be saved. The Father’s free gift of salvation has always been available all through the ages. Enoch embraced it. David received it. Isaiah did as well and millions more all through the ages before Christ showed up as, “Jesus of Nazareth”. True indeed, the mortal incarnation of our Creator-Christ brought a lot of numerous blessings to our planet and our Universe. YES! However, a primary reason Christ came was for Him to reveal “our Father in Heaven” in new, greater and better ways and also for Him to attain, “a name far above all other names”. With regards to the attainment of, “a name far above all other names”, Paul the Apostle had some understanding of this. We are challenged to even go deeper and come up with a far greater understanding than Paul had…

Christ came to Earth to be promoted by the Father. He did not come because humans were finding it impossible to be saved. It was important for Him to “experience” the life of His mortal children. This results in a lot of progress in terms of Universe Administration. These are matters that concern the organization and administration of Universe affairs. We may need a separate space and time to go in greater details concerning these things. Anyway my dear, go get your salvation and hold onto it firmly and wholeheartedly! Peace be upon you! Hallelujah!