store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

this side of the grave. “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:50).

I did not realize until I was prompted to write Book #3 that I had been working on a trilogy. The common theme seemed to come together as I was becoming a witness to the faith of the First Century Church. Jesus gives us a clear example of this faith in the Parable of the Ten Virgins. The five wise virgins lived in anticipation and preparation for the soon-coming bridegroom. The five foolish virgins did not, and they were locked out. In 2 Timothy 4:7–8, Paul gives us an apostle’s view of this faith as he writes, “I have kept the faith.” “Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

 In Ephesians 4, Paul instructs teachers and preachers to make every effort to bring about unity of the faith in the body of Christ. The writer of Hebrews gives us this definition: “Faith is being sure of what is hoped for and certain of what we do not yet see” (Hebrews 11:1). This is belief in the Second Coming of Christ and the awarding of eternal life. This fulfills the promise of resurrection that God made to Abraham. It is an error to believe that salvation is awarded to anyone prior to this event. It is a promise until Jesus comes back and can never be possessed this side of the grave. “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:50).