There is no eternal life apart from righteous and holy conduct. The amount of eternal life we possess is revealed in our behavior. It is impossible for eternal life and sin to dwell together. The fruit of freedom from sin, and slavery to God, is holiness of personality and behavior. The final result of holiness of personality and behavior is eternal life (Romans 6:22).

Without holiness no person ever shall see the Lord or be received by Him (Hebrews 12:14; II Corinthians 6:17).

The second and third chapters of Revelation describe the seven churches "in Asia," the Christian churches on the earth, the golden lampstands of the Divine testimony.

It is clear from these two chapters that each of the churches had problems of behavior. Many of the members were not up to the Lord's standard of discipleship. Jesus promised rewards to each believer who overcame the problems of conduct in the churches.

In the hour in which we are living we who teach the Word of God must begin to stress the role righteous conduct plays in determining the eternal destinies of both Christians and non-Christians alike.

It is important to note in the second and third chapters of Revelation that the Lord Jesus did not speak as though the Christian faith of the believers would cause God to overlook their sins and shortcomings. Christ was judging their works and warning the believers of the consequences of failure to live righteous, holy, and obedient lives before Himself.

It seems evident that only a minority of each of these Christian assemblings qualified as victorious saints, becoming eligible for the rewards promised to the overcomer. This fact strikes a heavy blow to the doctrine that all the saved will participate in the first resurrection, the resurrection that will take place when the Lord appears.

To those not acquainted with the concept of the two resurrections let us interject that there is a resurrection when the Lord comes, at the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, and one at the end, often termed the "white-throne" judgment. The common teaching is that all the saved will participate in the first resurrection and all those raised in the second resurrection will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

Our point of view is that the first resurrection is for the members of the royal priesthood, that it is a special, advance resurrection, and it is this resurrection that the Apostle Paul was striving to attain.

We believe further that the majority of those raised in the second resurrection will be saved into the new heaven and earth reign of the Lord Jesus. But they will be judged according to their works and rewarded accordingly. This is what the Scripture teaches and to maintain that all will be lost at the second resurrection is to go outside the written Word.

In line with our perception of the two resurrections we are urging all Christians to stop sinning and begin to keep God's commandments. It appears to us that those who will return with Christ are the victorious saints. The purpose in their returning with Christ is to bring multitudes of people to salvation and to release the material creation.

If we are correct one can see immediately that the lukewarm Christian indeed is playing a dangerous game with his or her future. It is not Divine grace that is at issue here but the works of the believer, the works of righteousness that always accompany the life of victory in Jesus.

To be continued.