Category Archives: What is God Like?

Resurrection, What is God Like?

Is He, Or Isn’t He?

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A Critical Question About Jesus

Forward

I didn’t know my journey would start when I was so young….

My parents divorced when I was six, and my brother was barely two. I remember when my dad knelt, held me close, and said,

“You can call me uncle now.” 

I had no idea what this meant, but I knew it hurt.  Soon, my mom, brother, and I moved in with my grandmother.   During those early years, my grandmother had a great influence on me for God, but an elder in her church would turn me to atheism even though he thought he was doing the opposite. The questions about God began at age eight.

Mom began working full-time as a switchboard operator for a trucking company. So, for about four years, Ronnie (my brother) and I were raised by our sweet grandmother, whom we called “Mamaw.” She fed us, bathed us, and loved us. Though it seemed large then, the house had only two bedrooms and two showerless bathrooms. I slept in Mamaw’s bedroom on a cot beside an unused fireplace; Ronnie and Mom were in the other bedroom, which was part of an open duplex or apartment.

 In her room at night, just before we all retired for the evening, I heard my grandmother talking to God.  It frightened me initially, but after a few nights, I felt comfortable listening to her talk to her God as if they were close friends, unlike the elders of her church who prayed to Him with choice, carefully enunciated flowery words.

Though I never looked at her praying, I imagined her sitting on the floor with Jesus as they discussed her family and their problems.  As the oldest grandson, my name came up near the end of the lengthy conversation.  I could “see” my name floating to the throne room of God the Father, bore on the wings of the Holy Spirit.  I liked the God of my grandmother; He seemed likable, but I would meet a new god at Vacation Bible School a few years later.  This god, I did not like.  He scared me.

Vacation Bible School was fun.  I especially liked the crafts.  On the last day of VBS, all of us children waited anxiously for our parents to arrive so we could show them what we had made during the week. I had painted a King Edwards cigar box black and put decals and shells on it.  It made a perfect jewelry box.  My mom loved her jewelry.  But, before the moms, dads, and grandmothers arrived, we all met in a little room to hear an elder tell us about the upcoming service and how we could participate.  He wanted us to be baptized, so he began to tell us how much Jesus loved us.  I knew this God!  My grandmother talked to Him every night!

Then, the elder told us what would happen if we were not baptized.  We would go to “hell” and burn forever.  He described hell in disgusting detail. This didn’t sound like the God my grandmother talked to each night!  Something was wrong here. It was my first step toward unbelief.  No one, especially my grandmother’s Jesus, could be so cruel as to let all this happen!  Was my uncle in hell because he didn’t believe in Jesus but was a good husband and father?  Later in my journey, I would figure this out through scripture alone. 

Time marched on for my brother and me. I went through elementary school, high school, and eventually to college. In an ancient history class, I learned more than history; I learned about atheism directly from an atheistic professor. He made sense to me as I considered the contradiction of the two gods I had met when I was younger: one very loving and the other watching to ensure I was good or I would burn forever.

At age 18, I married a sweet, petite Christian gal.  We had three lovely children, but before that, we had some tough times and separated for a while.  When I returned, she (Julie) had been attending some “evangelistic” meetings.  I instantly began to make fun of her, telling her how silly it was to believe such nonsense.  I harassed her so much that she threw a dare at me.

“Eddie, if I am wrong, take this Bible and my notes and prove me wrong.”

My snarky response was, “Sure, this will be easy.”

For months, I went to the library for secular information (no web back in 1975) and began to read the Bible and her notes.  Quickly, I realized my attack had to be on this character, Jesus.  He had made some bold claims about Himself.  So, it came down to three questions: 

1.)  Did He exist? That was an easy question, even in secular history. 

2.) Was He all He claimed to be? and

3.) What was I going to do with what I learned? I had no idea. 

The primary and most critical question was, “Is He, or Isn’t He?  The following is just a small portion of my journey to know for myself about Jesus without the influence of denomination, tradition, or opinion.  The result?   I fell in love with Jesus and was baptized into His church, His body. Julie was right.  I was wrong.  My personal story is in my second book, “The Pig Returns To Its Mud.”

 Along the way, I realized that, as followers of Jesus, we must be united on the core beliefs based on God’s grace, compassion, and love expressed perfectly through Jesus. This is where God’s power is most effective. People can know the real Jesus for themselves if they only take time to look and hear. Too many beliefs, opinions, and traditions block out the sunlight of truth as found in Jesus. 

I will likely step on some toes in this book, but I pray that the initial pain will turn into something that will help the reader understand Jesus, as revealed by the prophets, kings, disciples, and apostles. This is my source material. While other “holy books” are written by one man, the story of Jesus is written by 35 to 40 men throughout thousands of years. That should tell us something.

I have settled these questions about Jesus. My atheism changed to a full-fledged believer in Jesus because I searched for the truth, and God directed my paths. He does this for everyone who will search with “all their heart.” It is not a casual search.  There are obstacles along the way. 

The journey continues. I am by no means perfect, but He is! He is worthy. I am not.  I hope that as you read this, you will discover Jesus’ reality and His faithfulness, whether you are a believer or not.  The reward will be greater than you can imagine.  Thank you, Julie.  May you rest in peace knowing God Himself directed your dare.  He knew what I needed.

“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” John 17:3 NLT

Introduction

The world is full of, to use an old Yiddish word, “Shysters.”  There are a multitude of con artists, liars, and cheats who are typically motivated by money, fame, self-gratification, or even worship! The knowledge of a person’s true identity can have life-and-death outcomes.

As I write this, countless writers and speakers are making money and fame from conspiracy theories, health-related topics, and merchandise that have no basis in facts, science, or common sense. They exist off the pocketbooks of the naive, uneducated, and those without critical thinking abilities. Deception includes marketing products, broadcasting news, education, music, and, of course, philosophy. These “industries” make billions of dollars of their victims each year.

Recently, I heard of a woman whose name I will not mention. She writes books and charges money to her fans to listen to her speak on various naturalistic remedies for almost every ailment, including cancer.  You would think she would be a doctor or someone with excellent credentials and that her presentations would include facts and figures to demonstrate her success rate.  On the contrary, this person failed in the medical industry and has been banned in several countries because of her unfounded and often dangerous instructions.  What confounds me is that she packs the house whenever she speaks!  Those in her audience are the anti-doctor, anti-vaccine, anti-science, anti-everything they don’t like.  In my opinion, it would seem that if we want something to be correct, we can find those who will help us feed our disillusionment.  Instead of searching for truth systematically, they search for confirmation from flawed information, reasoning, or feelings. This routine has been going on since the beginning of time.

Then comes Jesus onto the scene. In one of His prayers, he boldly states, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 A knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ leads to eternal life. If this is true, we need to know if He is true. Is He, or isn’t He?

He walks, talks, teaches the ordinary people, and tries to reach the religious people who feel they have everything to know about Jehovah.  The religious leaders, the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees prided themselves in thinking they had God all figured out and processed the authority to speak on behalf of God and express His will.  But Jesus claimed to be four things. He states, without hesitation, that he is “ The way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father (Jehovah) except through me (Jesus).”  John 14:6

       The question is, “Is He? or Isn’t He?  Is Jesus like one of the many Shysters of history and today that prey on the naive, uneducated, and those without common sense? Either Jesus is all He claims to be, or He is not.  His statement in John has no middle ground or room for compromise.  He is either the only way, or He is not.  His disciples took three and a half years to conclude that Jesus was real. What convinced them to die for their faith in Jesus as “… the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 was not in wars between cultures but at the hands of those of their culture who hated them.  What convinced them should also convince us, although we aren’t able to physically handle and touch Him as they did.  They could rightly say, we have “…heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—” 1 John 1:1We cannot.      

However, others existed before Jesus was born who never saw or touched Him but saw Jesus in the future. These were the many prophets, kings, and inspired writers of the Old Testament. On the other hand, modern society has had all this testimony from people for many generations. Those before Jesus looked forward in faith; the disciples and apostles lived by faith at the moment, and we today live in faith, looking back at the record of those before us. There is a need to study these patriarchs to determine Is He, or Isn’t He.  As we discover Jesus, our faith will grow in Him.  Therefore, we can say, “Little time with Jesus and the Bible will result in little faith in Jesus.  Conversely, much time with Jesus and the Bible will result in much faith in Jesus.    “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”  Romans 10:17

After the resurrection of Christ, Jesus first saw Mary and then showed up on a dusty road talking with two men who thought he was a stranger who just happened to walk up and begin a conversation.  They were walking away from the discouragement and sorrow of Jerusalem on a journey to a new beginning in Emmaus,

 As they walked along, Jesus gave them a study from the scriptures.  What is unusual about this study was that there was no New Testament pocket Bible for Jesus to pull out of His robe because printing, as we know it, had not been invented. Still, even more important, the New Testament had not been written yet!  So, this was a “Scripture” study from what we call the Old Testament and what the modern Jews call the Tankah.  It contains the writings of the many prophets and inspired writers.  Something happened to these men that greatly increased their faith in Jesus and set their hearts on fire: “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Luke 24:27. Jesus did this from memory! 

The men were familiar with these writings, but now they had meaning about Christ (the long-awaited Messiah).  Their eyes were opened, and their hearts were greatly encouraged by Jesus because they had heard Him and later looked across the table at Him!    They were so amped up that they ran back the seven miles to Jerusalem to find the other eleven disciples behind closed and locked doors, afraid of what might happen to them. (A side note from a former runner:   If they were seven miles away and ran back within the hour (Luke 24:33), this was equivalent to less than a seven-minute mile pace.  That is fast!  I’ll bet today’s runners could not do that in a robe and sandals!) 

When these two speed-runners made it back to Jerusalem and found the original disciples, they noticed they weren’t gathered to conduct Sunday worship in honor of the resurrection.  No!  They were in a state of disbelief and thought that the body of the One they loved was dead in a tomb in the beginning stages of decay (John 20:9).  Just as our two runners show up, Jesus pops into the sealed room.  The disciples think He is a spirit! (Luke 24:37).  After inviting them to touch him, He said some critical words for us to hear that I will discuss later.  “Look at My hands and My feet. See! It is I, Myself! Touch Me and see for yourself. A spirit does not have flesh and bones as I have.” Luke 24: 39

Then, Jesus did something that conflicted with their expectations of a resurrected immortal body: He asked for food, and they gave him fish and a honeycomb, and he ate it in front of them! (Luke 24: 42, 43).  What does that say about our resurrected immortal bodies and our heavenly experience?  At the very least, we will have bodies that enjoy eating, and we will live in flesh and bone bodies!  Our bodies will be just like His!  I don’t know about you, but that is much more exciting than sitting on a cloud plucking a harp as a ghost! “…we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  1 John 3:2

So, after the short meal, Jesus conducts the second Scripture study of the day. This time, He has the eleven disciples plus the two believers who ran back to Jerusalem from seven miles away in less than an hour. Wow! I’m still amazed by their athleticism, but I digress. 

Jesus expands the scripture study to include the Psalms (These are the poetic books of the Bible that include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.). From these writings of thirty-five men, he showed them “all the things that must be fulfilled” about Him! Luke 24 44, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” Luke 24 45.  After this study, Jesus covered all of the Old Testament divisions: The first five books of the Bible (Law of Moses), the major and minor prophets (the Prophets), and the poetic books (Psalms).  Jesus is there in those many books!  How could we miss that?  It may be because we are not looking or want it to be true.    

Is He or isn’t He all those things written in the Scriptures and the eyewitnesses of the New Testament?  For us to know that Jesus is all He claims to be, our eyes must be opened to understand the scriptures.  Otherwise, we will be like the pious religionists who knew and practiced religion the way they desired it to be, with all the trappings of pride, power, and control.  They didn’t want Jesus to be faithful.  They wanted a king to come riding on a white horse into Jerusalem with a giant sword, chopping off the heads of the Romans whom they despised. 

There is danger in creating a Jesus we want rather than what He really is.  What He is can be found in the Old and New Testaments, not by a popular speaker, philosopher, or even our particular religion/denomination or set of beliefs. 

I take this journey as a person wanting to discover the depth of the Jesus of Scripture, not of my denomination (not that they are bad) nor of what I want Him to be.  At whatever point I am along the way, I desire to feel the presence of Him in my life.  That is enough even if I never have enough time to reach my literary and study goals, I hope you will join me in this Jesus Journey and that Scripture and the Holy Spirit will lead us into a deeper understanding of the One who claims to be the way, the truth, and the life.

Death and Resurrection, Truth About the Deceased, What is God Like?

WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM!

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There she was, lying in a hospital bed with crisp white sheets and monitors beeping all around.   Just a few weeks ago, she was up and doing her normal routine.  Today, she was lying on her back with an oxygen mask forcing her to breathe.  Icema Pappas, my Greek Mom, never liked anything over her face.  Like me, she was claustrophobic.

Mom was an attractive woman.  Some said she looked like Elizabeth Taylor when she was younger.  But what made her special was her kind, quiet spirit.  Everyone who ever met her liked her immediately because she liked people.  She was a praying woman like her mother before her. Even though I was in my Godless decade, having shaken my fist at God, telling Him to go away, I could feel His Spirit coming through her. I had not prayed in 10 years, but I felt moved to comfort her in some way through the God she loved.

My beautiful mom had been fervently praying for me for the last ten years, but I could not find a prayer within me.

They had done everything they could.  She was dying before my eyes.  My heart was breaking for her.  The air seemed to be leaving the room. I asked the doctors and nurses to make her comfortable.  She settled down as the morphine took over.

One by one, the family was called in to say their goodbyes.  She was only 73 years old. 

My parents divorced when I was six and my brother was two.  She had to return to work as the switchboard operator at a trucking company. My Mom, Ronnie, and I lived with my grandmother in a small one-bedroom apartment in a section of the house.  Two very loving women of God raised me.  Both were good Baptists but followers of Christ first. 

When I became a follower of Jesus some twenty-eight years earlier, after studying the Bible to prove my newly baptized Christian wife wrong about the whole religious thing, I shared some of the things I had learned from the Bible with my sweet mom and grandmother.  The passages on the state of the dead, the second coming, and the resurrection were fresh and new to them. 

They listened closely and asked questions.  They found comfort in the return of Jesus, the comparison of sleep with death, and the resurrection, just as Paul instructed in 1 Thess 4: 18 (Comfort one another with these words). They, indeed, found comfort in God’s word.      With a hopeful voice, I described going to sleep in death, but, in a flash, our next view would be of Jesus coming in the clouds; then we would rise above the earth with all the others who loved Him to meet Him there before going to where He promised to take us.

It was my turn to say goodbye to my beautiful, sweet mom, whose brown eyes glowed when she talked to me.  That is what I remember about her.  Her eyes.  Sometimes, it was like Jesus conversed with me…even joking around and laughing with me through those eyes! They were closed now.

I was not sure she could hear me because of the morphine.  She was quiet and not moving as I listened to the heart monitor, beginning to slow.

I took her hand like the young people shake hands by wrapping my fingers around her thumb.  I felt the soft flesh of her hands, which had brushed the hair back from my eyes and wiped the tears away from my face when I was young.    I leaned in to make sure she heard the last words she would hear from me.  “Mom, I love you.  I will see you resurrection morning.”  Suddenly, I felt those sweet fingers squeeze three times.  She had heard me!  Her spirit was saying playfully…”  “You better be there!”

As the heart monitor went silent, so did those in the room.  I looked out to watch the beautiful sun setting in the west.

I had made a promise to her to be there on resurrection morning.  The only way I could keep it is for God to have mercy on His prodigal son.  I was dead in sin.  But, praise God, I was resurrected a few weeks later. 

It is a spiritual truth that we can’t feel our sinfulness until we ask God to take over.  We are like a dead person that feels nothing.  When the Spirit of God convicts us at the request of sweet moms, dads, grandmothers, grandfathers, friends, or strangers. We come alive to our situation, our fate of eternal death; then we die to ourselves, pleading for God’s forgiveness.  Then Jesus comes into our hearts and mind, and the Spirit gives us a new birth, a new way of thinking and feeling.  We are changed miraculously.   

As Mary said in the series The Chosen, “I was one way…now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him.”

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Even though my mother and grandmother were Baptist, They believed what I am about to bring you from God’s word.

The resurrection from the dead is the most important promised event in our spiritual lives! Without the resurrection of Jesus, you and I have no resurrection, and our faith is worthless.  I didn’t say it, Paul did.

1 Corinthians 15:14, 18-19

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty… And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Let’s consider the event that turns us from mortal to immortal, from death to life.

I’ve heard many accounts of heaven, but what will we look like? What will our bodies be like?  Will we be just a wispy spirit floating on a cloud and plucking a harp? Will we be an angel?    

We Will Be Like Him

“…we know that when He is revealed, WE WILL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:2

What was He like physically?

The disciples, who were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ post-resurrected body.  They tell us their account of a real Jesus, not a spirit.  When the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost, He said,

“Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a SPIRIT DOES NOT HAVE FLESH AND BONES as you see I have.”  Luke 24:39

Will we have flesh and bones? Yes! A real person! Then he asked for something to eat!

“But while they still did not believe for joy and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence. Luke 24: 41-43

Will we eat in our glorified bodies?  We will have an appetite!

Jesus had flesh and bones (unlike a spirit), and He ate fish and honey in His glorified body (post-resurrection).  We, too, will have a glorified body with flesh, bones, and an appetite.  We will get a signal from our body that it is time to eat.

The third time Jesus appeared to the disciples (after His resurrection), he returned the favor and cooked them fish and bread!

“Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught…This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.”  John 21: 9-10, 14

Movement by Thought

Our bodies will be like His… Our mode of travel will be walking because we will have legs, but we will be able to think our bodies somewhere, as did Jesus in a room behind locked doors. This is the spiritual side of us.

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” Luke 24:36

Even though we will have real bodies, it will be fashioned after Jesus, not Adam.

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.  1 Corinthians 15: 47-49

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When Do We Get Real Bodies?

We will get real bodies, but when does this happen?

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

We are changed at the last trumpet, which is the second coming of Christ. Continuing with Paul’s description of the second coming, he says,

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?” 1 Corinthians 15: 51-55

Where I am!

 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so,  I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14: 1-3

So when He comes, he takes us to where He is now!  The City of Heaven, the mansions,-The New Jerusalem.  Streets of God, the river that flows from God., and the Tree of Life on both sides of the River.

But we don’t stay there forever after 1,000 years.  The redeemed of all ages return to this earth.  We will get to watch God recreate this earth. (See 1,000 years for more detail.)

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2

New Heavens and a New Earth

Isaiah, Peter, and John describe the abode of the redeemed. 

…we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13

After Jesus makes a new earth, the meek will finally inherit the earth.  We will have active lives and live forever!  We will continue to have worship services!

They shall build houses and inhabit them;

They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit …And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

They shall not labor in vain, Isaiah 66: 21-23

After working for six days, we will attend worship, not as different denominations, but as those who belong to Christ.

“For as the new heavens and the new earth

Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord,…And it shall come to pass, that from one New Moon to another,

And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.”  Isaiah 66: 22: 23

Can you see it?  Time will still be measured in 7 days.  On the 7th (Sabbath), people will come to the throne of God in the city, and our hearts will be filled with joy to sing and worship the one who made all this possible!

Brothers and sisters, we will be like Him but retain our different personalities and features.  We will have real bodies with flesh and bones; We will enjoy eating and drinking the wine Jesus said he would not drink again until we see Him in the Kingdom (Matthew 26:29).  We will have a city home (Mansions) and a country home (Earth), where we will work and enjoy the work of our hands.  Once a month and weekly, we will travel worldwide by thought and attend worship services as one body of believers.

Yes! Eternity is real! But even all that is disclosed in scripture it is just the beginning of what God has prepared!

“The eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

I want to be there!  Don’t you?

Do you love Him? 

HE Loves you!  He doesn’t want any to perish but all to come to repentance. This is the whole gospel in three words.  God is love!

To say “God is love” is to say the whole truth all at once. Everything after that is exposition. Everything contrary to that is heresy. Ty Gibson

It is because of His love that he comes back for us.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

1 Thess 4: 16-18

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Yes, one day, I will keep my promise to my Mom at resurrection morning, but I can’t do it myself.  I must trust Him alone!  Not my work, not anything I have done or will do.  I will meet my Mom and Dad in the air as the power of Christ draws us to Him.  The redeemed of all ages will gather together and go to where Jesus is simultaneously.  What a day that will be! What a family reunion!

Will you be there too?  How can you know for sure?

First, you must acknowledge that only He can get you there!

if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9

 While you were yet a sinner, he came running after you.  You can’t get there by your parents’ experience with Christ; You must have your own experience.  You can’t get there by church membership, not your education, or anything but Christ.  It is only through Jesus.  Jesus does not save groups or denominations; He saves people as individuals.

There is no other name among men whereby we are saved.

Jesus tells us we must be born again.  Reborn of the Spirit.  Have you been reborn?  You will know by your love for others and the peace of knowing Jesus personally.

Salvation in Christ is about letting go to the pull (drawing) and convicting power of the Spirit to acknowledge your sins and shortcomings and let Him be your all and all.  It is about asking Him to take over your life.  It is about trusting Him every day.

The enemy will try to make you selfish and unbelieving, but stay close to Him, and no man can pluck you out of His Hand.

Won’t you talk to God today and receive eternal life?  Will you be like Him?

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! Job 19: 26-27

Born Again, Faith, The Gospel, What is God Like?

The Letter Kills, but the Spirit Gives Life

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Overview

“…who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6

This passage is confusing to many, including myself, until I applied the law of context and noncontradiction.  (See article on Context Matters.).  To start, let’s list the keywords: 

ministers,

new covenant,

letter,

kills,

and life. 

Our main questions should center around the deadly “letter.”  Whatever it is.  It kills or takes life.  The questions are simple also:

  1. What does the letter refer to?
  2. What does it kill?
  3. Why is the Spirit the direct opposite of the letter, i.e., life?
  4. Is the letter killing me, or do I have life in the Spirit?

If we can understand Paul’s statement in the context of the story of redemption, we will know what to avoid. Even better, it will lead us to the Spirit which gives life.  Sometimes, it is less about avoidance of something and more about acceptance of a truth that may make us uncomfortable at first.

Immediate Context-

The immediate context (the preceding verses) sets up this metaphoric statement by Paul to the Corinthian church.  The reason for his council is described in the previous two verses (v. 4, 5).

And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,

2 Corinthians 3: 4-5

The key thought here is trust through Christ and sufficiency from God, not ourselves.  This is the pre-thought before he discloses that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  Trust in Christ eliminates self-sufficiency.

Self-Sufficiency

It seems that this church had a “self-sufficiency” problem.  The answer to this dilemma is simple enough: “Our sufficiency is from God.”  Understanding the sufficiency of God through Christ is a critical and unique teaching of Christianity.  It is the difference between life and death. The difference between true and false. This truth is important as we move through this reasoning regarding the letter of the law and the death it causes.

Another passage by Paul to the church in Rome addresses the same issue as the Corinthians.  It appears that the believers at Rome have understood and responded.

But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Romans 7:6

The keywords here are strikingly similar to the ones addressed to Corinth.  The following words in parentheses are the Corinthian words,

Serve (minister),

Newness of the Spirit (new covenant),

Oldness of the letter (letter that kills).

Paul talks as if the Romans had learned the truth.  He mentions “being delivered” from the law by dying to what held them.  What held them?  Self Sufficiency.  It kills faith in Christ. 

Slain by the Law or By Sin?

So, we can conclude that Paul’s theology has not changed between churches.  It is, therefore, a universal pitfall that we can relate to:  The letter of the law kills, and we need to be delivered from it to serve in the newness of the Spirit (i.e., the New Covenant).

I had been told that this letter of the law (that we need to die to) is the ceremonial and priestly law that ended at the cross, but if we stay in context, we see a different law:

Immediately after Romans 7:6, Paul asks a clarifying rhetorical question in verse 7. It lets us know that the Ten Commandments are the object of his discourse.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

Since “You shall not covet” is one of the ten commandments, it is safe to surmise that the context is about the moral law of God. 

For the next few verses, 7-11, Paul expands on how he was alive without the law.  This would indicate he did not know or understand the law and felt no conviction about his sin, but when he came to this written knowledge of sin, he realized that he was a dead man because of sin that was disclosed by the law. He came to a realization and conviction that it was a sin to covet, and therefore, he saw only death before him because of the sin, not the law.  To make his point, he ends with this statement that sounds like the opposite of his disparagement of the letter of the law.

Therefore, the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Romans 7:12

So that which was holy, just, and good made him aware of the penalty of sin. The sin, not the law, slew him.  The law was good for him.  It opened his eyes to sin and its penalty.

Has then what is good (the law) become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

Romans 7: 13

He became aware that he was an exceedingly sinful person by a knowledge of the written law, i.e., the Ten Commandments.

The law lets us know what sin is in God’s eyes.  God gave the law to Moses written by His own finger on stone! 

Whosoever commits sin transgress also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.

1 John 3:4

Purpose of the Law

All would agree obedience to the law, without Christ, does not make us righteous. In fact, it makes us unrighteous because of our attempt at self-sufficiency.  The law’s main purpose is to establish what sin is and point out our need for a Savior:

Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 3:20

To make this precept even more robust, Paul says in the previous chapter,

For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

Romans 2: 13

So, doing the law is important; it is part of justification!

Now I ask this question:  What is it that we have died to and were held by?  Obedience to the law? How are we delivered from the Law? 

The answer seems obvious. It was not the law but the attempt to obey without Christ, to become self-sufficient.

Let me make an important Biblical assertion: Living through the Spirit doesn’t give license to break, nor provide, the impulse to break the letter of the law.  The other extreme is equally true:  Obeying the law without Christ does not bring about righteousness.  So, what is Paul telling us about the letter of the law?  It appears to be a life and death statement (Letter kills, Spirit gives life). 

We have to die to the idea that we can obey the law to the letter and the Spirit without Christ.

Righteousness by Works

When we use obedience through our self-sufficiency as a way to add to what God has already done for our salvation, we are on the wrong path that leads straight to legalism.   This is hard to accept for those who think of self-produced good deeds and works as an addition to what God has already done through His mercy, love, and forgiveness. Things like repetitive prayers and prayer beads will tend to replace simple trust in Christ. Making up personal rules about how to be holy also replaces simple trust and sufficiency in Christ.

 It is only by the grace and love of God that we are in a position to be saved.  To make this even easier, it is a gift from God Himself.  This is the basis for our redemption, the Grace and Love of God.  Without it, we would all be lost. It is given to us without any work on our part.  Redemption from sin and salvation from eternal death is something we did not initiate.  Our Holy God did not make a list of good deeds and works that had to be completed before acceptance. Instead, He asks for something harder:  Belief and trust.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2: 8-10

A man in his shop builds a beautiful piece of furniture.  It is his workmanship…the product of his doing.  He shapes the wood, sands it down, and applies the paint.   Can the piece of furniture do anything to add to this workmanship?  We are His workmanship in the area of good works.  We are to walk (live in them) …not create them (good works).  With Christ, this situation is more spiritually natural and less tiring than working on producing good works on our own.

The Work of Faith

The platform for being saved by the grace of God has another vital component- faith or trusting in God’s plan, i.e., His incarnation, His life, His death, and His resurrection, His gift of the Spirit, His mediation, and His return again.  It is all about Him! Without any one of these, we would be lost. All of these components have their basis and start with the grace and love of God.

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty, and your faith is also empty…And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

1 Cor. 15: 14, 17

Some might say, “See, faith is something I have to “work” on.”  Is it something you “work on,” or is it something you exercise from the start?

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 John 5:4

Being born of God overcomes the world.  With this new birth comes faith in Christ. It is a package deal. He gives a measure of faith to all who come into the world.  It lies dormant until a choice is made to use it and let God change them.  It is certain that faith can grow.  But, remember, a very small amount of faith (mustard seed) can move mountains.  The amount of faith is less important for salvation as it is to use what little you may have.

Works are Fruit, Not as a Method for Salvation

James, the brother of Jesus, understood clearly that works that include obedience are the fruit of salvation, not the method or addition to salvation.  A person who has truly been born again and in love with their Savior will respond with obedience and good works.  They will live by the workmanship of Christ…good works.

 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

James 2: 18-20

It is James’ way of saying, “lip service proves nothing.”  The proof of your faith is in the pudding itself, i.e., “works.” I can say all day long that I have saving faith, but if my actions prove otherwise, my faith is dead or not real.

So, where do we focus?  On becoming a wonderful worker for God or a wonderful lover and truster of God?  Do we concentrate on doing good works to be accepted by God, or do we respond out of a new spiritual heart that loves God and loves our neighbor?

The Letter is Important. Why does it Kill?

The direct commands of God are important, but not the way you may think.

Let me give a couple of examples and then apply some common sense.

Example:  Jesus described two cases where the Spirit of the law was explained.  He used the two commandments about adultery (seventh) and murder (sixth).

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

Matthew 5: 27-28,

Again, it would seem that Jesus is dismissing, minimizing, or contradicting the specific commandment about adultery (letter of the law), which is having sex with someone who is not my wife.  Instead, He expands the law to include the thoughts (heart).  It is not merely looking at the woman (or a man) but mulling it over and creating lust (strong sexual desire) in the thoughts and perhaps playing it out in the mind to plan a rendezvous.

There is no need to complete the act to commit adultery; It has already been done in the heart. We have broken the seventh commandment.  In such a case, we need forgiveness from Christ even if we didn’t actually sleep with the woman or man.  We may actually need a new heart if this urge is uncontrollable and repetitive.

Here is where spiritual common sense comes into play.  What if I told my wife that from now on, I was going to live by the Spirit and not by the letter?  Consequently, I plan to have sex with as many women as I please because the letter (the literal words of the law) kills, but the Spirit gives life.  I think that reasoning would lead to not just a killing by the letter but murder by my wife! 😊 This leads to the next expansion of the law by Jesus: Murder 

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”

Matthew 5: 21-22

Again, Jesus seems to dismiss the letter or literal words of the command to focus only on the Spirit of the law, But in effect, He is magnifying or expanding the letter of the law…a direct fulfillment of an ancient prophecy about Jesus:

The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honorable. Isaiah 42: 21

Committing murder by the letter of the law, i.e., taking someone’s life, is not negated by the Spirit of the law, which is anger without a purpose or reason.  So, it would not make sense to say, “I can murder as long as I don’t hate the person.”  Letter VS Spirit. 

How do I know that each letter of the law is important?  Before Jesus expanded on these two commandments, he made sure his audience understood that He did not come to destroy the Law (letter) or the Prophets.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5: 17-20

Jesus’ “fulfilling the law and the Prophets” does not do away with the letter of the law.  In fact, He makes reference to the details of the letter (that He has no intention of destroying). Like a microscope, he zooms in on the details of the Ten-Commandment law.  He references the importance of every letter and mark:  Jot (smallest letter) and tittle (the smallest stroke of the smallest Hebrew letter).  It is like Jesus is saying He isn’t going to change even the dot on top of our smallest letter. “i.” Yet, as humans, we want to rewrite the Ten Commandments to fit our own lifestyle and then teach others to break His law. This is the spirit of the anti-Christ. We are putting ourselves in the place of Christ and contradicting his plain word.  It is not just one commandment; it is all of them!

Righteousness by the law-The Cart before the Horse

Until all is fulfilled, the law and the prophets remain.  All has not been fulfilled yet. Many prophecies about the Second Coming remain unfulfilled.  Jesus’ keeping the law perfectly (jot and tittle) does not give us the green light to break any of the commandments.  We can’t say,

“I don’t have to keep the law; Jesus did it for me.” 

Try to explain that to my wife or those I love if I lie, steal, covet, or live an adulterous life, etc.    But we can never reach righteousness by our own efforts by gritting our teeth and working hard to become a good law keeper.  We must not get the cart before the horse. 

Too many Christians get hung up on that last part of the passage:

For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

 V. 20

They think Jesus is saying obedience to the smallest letter and the smallest stroke will create more righteousness and ensure acceptance by the Lord.  Did the scribes and Pharisees have righteousness?  Yes!  In their own eyes, manufactured by strict observance of the law, but in reality, they did not have the righteousness that comes from faith in Jesus.  Now, keep in mind faith does not negate obedience to the law.  Paul said it very clearly in Romans 3:

Therefore by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.:

Romans 3:20

Can it be any clearer?  That commandment keeping and deeds of the law will not justify anyone in God’s sight.  Thanks be to God for the atoning sacrifice of God!  Paul explains further:

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

Romans 3: 21-22

Did you catch that?  The righteousness of God is apart from the law.  It is not connected!  This should have been good news for those Scribes, Pharisees, and religious people who were trying to obtain righteousness and acceptance of God through the meticulous, to-the-letter keeping of the law.  The righteousness of God cannot be obtained that way. Further, we are all sinners with a human heart that lusts and hates without cause.  Generations of evil and sin influence our hearts.

“Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Roman 3:28

This does not contradict James, who said works (deeds of the law) are evidence of faith.  To say it very simply, Paul describes the soil for salvation (grace through faith); James describes the result (or fruit) of salvation (i.e., works).  One is the method of salvation (gospel), and the other is the results of salvation or the gospel.

That should be settled in the heart of every follower of Christ.  To make sure we understand about the law, Paul exclaims.

Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Romans 3:31

Conclusion Part 1

The attempt to obey the letter kills the relationship with Jesus. However, living in the Spirit will give life to your Jesus Journey. We must die to self-sufficiency in our obedience to the law as a way to obtain righteousness or to gain acceptance with God.  Obedience and good works come spiritually naturally with a new heart and new motives of love toward a holy God who saved us by His unmerited favor towards us.  This kind of salvation is real and spills over to those around us. Instead of pushing people away with legalistic requirements, they pull them to Jesus by their love.

We are thankful for His mercy and love, and we respond accordingly.  By doing this, we obtain life through the spirit rather than death by working on obedience or perfection instead of trusting Jesus.

Take a moment to study these two illustrations.

In “1 Me” I relate to God by the law.

In “2 Me” I relate to the law through God. 

The “1 Me” starts with the law to build a relationship with God. I think that obedience improves my relationship with God.  But my vision of God can be blurred by the obligations God set forth in the Ten Commandments or any other of His commands.  It will lead me to be religious and to live by the letter and not the Spirit.

On the other hand, The “2 Me” knows God first. I see the law through a relationship with God.  I have experienced a loving God who has forgiven my sins, and my desire is to follow Him.  I keep God’s law because I love Him.  It is a response of love and not obligation.  My focus is on Him and Him alone. The more personal associations I have with Him and observe how He works in my life and others, the more I love Him.   I can then clearly see that righteousness by faith works through love.  I have a new heart that seeks to carry out the will of God because of love, not obligation, religiosity, or to gain favor with God.   The law is not negated.  It is established in the heart.  I respond out of love for Christ.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

John 14: 15

“…showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

 Exodus 20:6

Now, let’s look at another chart to close:

Above the blue horizontal lines is Salvation. Below it is the opposite (lost or unsaved). We are lost either at birth or at the age where we can respond to the Holy Spirit. The act of infant baptism accomplishes nothing toward salvation. The destiny of these innocent babies, baptized or not, only God knows, but this I know: The character of God is merciful, loving, and forgiving. He looks to save, not condemn.

At the point where we respond by choice, then repent, and turn to Jesus for forgiveness, we are born again and have salvation. The Holy Spirit will testify to this new birth. Our upward journey with Christ begins. We want to be more like Christ. If we let him, He alone will mold us into His image for His sake, not ours. So even if we die without the molding complete (Christ’s likeness), we are still saved from eternal death. This journey towards Christ’s likeness is called sanctification or the upward call. This we will discuss next time. It is important because there is an enemy that wants to take the Jesus experience away from you and to leave Him. This is why Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-18). We are in a battle and “press on” even in the bad times.

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3: 12-14

Faith, Reasons to Believe, The Gospel, What is God Like?

The Murder of Jesus-Part 2-Is Jesus God?

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(Disclaimer, again):  I have never read Bill O’Riley’s book called Killing Jesus. The following thoughts came from my own personal study. Any similarities are purely coincidental.)

I am using the word “murder” because it is different than “killing”.  Killing can be an accident or defensive.  Murder is intentional with malice. Further, the word “murder” in this article is used symbolically to demonstrate how Jesus and His message are denigrated in our society, including in some churches.

__________

Last time, we looked at how the religious leaders of Jesus’ day belittled and denigrated Jesus’ words, teachings, and example.  They sought to murder Him because he cut across their traditions and man-made rules about the Sabbath.  Their hatred was so strong for Him that they sought how they might destroy Him!

They also did not know Jesus.  They claimed that only God could forgive sins.  They were right about that but wrong about who He was.  In their midst stood Immanuel (God with us)!  Their religiosity blinded them.  Indeed, Jesus could forgive sins because He is God, a member of the eternal Godhead. 

There is nothing new under the sun.  Today, the same two topics of the Sabbath and the divinity of Jesus are constantly called into question even though the Bible is clear on these two topics.  They are twisted and degraded, which leads to the murder of Jesus (symbolically).  So, as we walk on holy ground approaching this topic of divinity, let us consider the importance of understanding the nature of Christ.

Sometimes, someone else can so clearly express the truth better than me.  Rarely do I rely on someone else’s writings, but in this case, I make an exception.  A small book written in the 19th century by E. J. Waggoner, Christ, and His Righteousness, follows the scripture closely and fairly to come to a Biblical conclusion about the nature of Christ.  While some of the following are his words, mine are interspersed as the Spirit leads me. But, the most important words are the words from God Himself as found in both the Old and New Testaments.

The ultimate goal is to understand the depth of the sacrifice of Christ,

who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

Philippians 2:6

If we fall short in our understanding of Christ’s nature, we may attempt to murder Him by minimizing the story of redemption.  Let’s begin with the basic question:

IS CHRIST GOD?

In many places in the Bible, Christ is called God.  The Psalmist says:

“The mighty God (Elohim), even the Lord [Jehovah], hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness; for God is judge Himself.”

Ps. 50:1-6.

It should be clear that this passage refers to the 2nd coming of Christ by two declarations from God’s word:

First, all judgment is given to Christ by God the Father.

Last time, we saw where the Jews sought to kill Jesus, broke their traditions of Sabbath observance, and He made himself equal with God.  He did this by forgiving the paralytic’s sins, and in John 5, Jesus claimed that He and God were equal:

“Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.”

John 5:18

Jesus’ answer to them showed the closeness of the work of Jesus and God the Father (verses 19-20). It is logical that if Jesus didn’t think He was equal with God, He would have said so.  Instead, He refers back to the Psalmist Asaph’s description of Jesus (God) being given all judgment (Psalm 50: 4-6).  His response to the Jews probably surprised and infuriated them because He is showing the power given to Him by the Father:

For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

John 5: 22-23

Is it not clear that honoring Jesus honors the Father, also?  More on that later.

Secondly, the description of the Psalmist Asaph matches Paull and Peter’s New Testament description of the second coming of Christ.  Asaph refers to God (Elohim) whose coming is destructive and is the time to gather His people.  Jesus fulfills this prophecy.  Elohim is the same name used at the beginning of Genesis…” In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” and over 2,400 times elsewhere in the Old Testament.  This simple comparative chart should help us see the connection between Psalm 50 and the New Testament.  This is just one of many connections between the God of the Old Testament and Jesus’ divinity in the New Testament.

Psalm 50New Testament
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous (like a storm) all around Him. V.3“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with *a shout, (1 Thess 4:16).” “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be [burned up. 2 Peter 3: 10
The Saints shall be gathered together….God is judge Himself.And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His [saints) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  Matthew 24: 31, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” 1 Thess 4: 17

*Note: This shout will be the voice of the Son of God, which will be heard by all that are in their graves and which will cause them to come forth. John 5:28, 29.

A prophecy of Isaiah makes it certain that Jesus would be called (among other descriptive names) “the mighty God, the everlasting Father.”

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

 Isa. 9:6.

These are not simply the words of Isaiah; they are the words of the Spirit of God. God has, in direct address to the Son, called Him by the same title.

In Ps. 45:6, we read these words:

“Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Thy kingdom is a right scepter.”

The casual reader might take this to be simply the Psalmist’s description of praise to God, but when we turn to the New Testament, we find that it is much more. We find that God the Father is the speaker and that He is addressing the Son, calling Him God. (See Heb. 1:1-8).

But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

Hebrews 1: 8

Christ is the “express image” of the Father’s person. Heb. 1:3. As the Son of the self-existent God, He has by nature all the attributes of Deity. It is true that there are many sons of God, but Christ is the “only begotten Son of God,” and therefore, the Son of God is, in a sense, that which no other being ever was or ever can be.

The angels are sons of God, as was Adam (Job 38:7; Luke 3:38), by creation; Christians are the sons of God by adoption (Rom. 8:14, 15); but Christ is the Son of God by association with the Father.

When Philip said to Jesus,

“Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father”

John 14:8, 9.

This is as emphatic a statement as when He said,

“I and My Father are one.”

John 10:30.

So truly was Christ God, even when here among men, that when asked to exhibit the Father, He could say, Behold Me. And this brings to mind the statement that when the Father brought the First-begotten into the world, He said,

“And let all the Christ And His Righteousness. angels of God worship Him.”

Heb. 1:6.

It was not simply when Christ was sharing the glory of the Father before the world that He was entitled to homage, but when He came as a Babe in Bethlehem, even then, all the angels of God were commanded to adore Him.

The Jews did not misunderstand Christ’s teaching concerning Himself. When He declared that He was one with the Father, the Jews took up stones to stone Him, and when He asked them for which of His good works they sought to stone Him, they replied:

” For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

John 10:33.

If He had been what they regarded Him, a mere man, His words would indeed have been blasphemy, but He was God. The object of Christ in coming to earth was to reveal God to men so that they might come to Him. Thus, the apostle Paul says that.

“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself”

2 Cor. 5:19

In John, we read that the Word, which was God, was “made flesh.” John 1:1,14.

In the same connection, it is stated,

” No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (or made Him known).

John 1:18.

Note the expression, “the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.” He has His abode there, and He is there as a part of the Godhead, as surely when on earth as when in heaven. The use of the present tense implies continued existence. It presents the same idea that is contained in the statement of Jesus to the Jews (John 8:58),

“Before Abraham was, I am.”

John 8:58

And this again shows His identity with the One who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, who declared His name to be “I AM THAT I AM.” And, finally, we have the inspired words of the apostle Paul concerning Jesus Christ, that

“it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.”

Col. 1:19

What this fullness is, which dwells in Christ, we learn from the next chapter, where we are told that.

” For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;”

Col. 2:9.

This is the most absolute and unequivocal testimony to the fact that Christ possesses by nature all the attributes of Divinity.

Conclusion:

The sacrifice of God the Father and Jesus, who are so intimately associated by their existence and purpose. The plan of the Father and Jesus made Jesus’ sacrifice far exceed the mere blood of bulls and goats.  Those poor animals who knew not of their pending death must have kicked and squirmed as they felt the blade of the knife on their tender throats and felt the life go slowly out of their consciences.

But Jesus willingly laid down His life in cooperation with the Father,

Therefore, My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

John 10: 17-18

Let us stand in awe and respond with love for God and the value of sinful mankind that our Creator would die for the created. 

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?” Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?  For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11: 33-36

Next time, we will consider Jesus as our Creator. 

Faith, God's Will For Us, The Gospel, What is God Like?

THE MURDER OF JESUS-PART 1

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(Disclaimer:  I have never read Bill O’Riley’s book called Killing Jesus. The following thoughts came from my own personal study. Any similarities are purely coincidental.)

I am using the word “murder” because it is different than “killing”.  Killing can be an accident or defensive.  Murder is intentional with malice. Further, the word “murder” in this article is used symbolically to demonstrate how Jesus and His message are denigrated in our society, including in some churches.

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Let it never be said that a single race initiated the murder of Jesus.  He willingly laid down His life for all races.  He allowed Himself to become the sacrifice for everyone’s sin, whether now, in the past, or in the future. His dying words were one of grace and forgiveness:

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Luke 23:24

It was out of ignorance, protection of traditions, and religiosity that they encouraged the crucifixion. But It was always in the plan, from the beginning of time, for Jesus to descend to earth to be an example and to be the sacrificial lamb to pay for our sins so that we might have eternal life. Then to rise from death to the heavenly sanctuary.

Jesus Willingly Laid Down His Life

No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down for Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

John 10:18

A thought question: “Were we in the same position as the religious leaders, would we want to murder Jesus?”  The answer is likely “yes” if we are as religious, dogmatic, and sold out to traditions as they were. The religious leaders were not open to His words.   They tried to keep Him from talking and teaching. However, we can murder HIm today by making His word and followers of no effect or minimized. Jesus is murdered almost daily in the public eye through social media, movies, TV shows, and leftist news channels.

Another way we can murder Jesus is by treating followers of Christ the same as they did Jesus via hatred.

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

John 15:18

‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Matthew 25:40

Since no one can kill Jesus physically, the enemy and our unconverted selves can do so by promoting our own teachings over His.  This is the point of this article. 

It is not physical harm but the hate-filled accusatory judgment that the world dishes out. Even church members do the same when they fight with each other over the gnat while swallowing the camel in the room.

The Spirit of the Antichrist in the world today

The Jews of Jesus’ day wanted to murder Him because of His teachings. His message cut across their long-held traditions and man-made rules. Today, arguments over theology and man-made traditions have become the anti-Christ of His teachings. In fact, the “Ant-Christ” and the Beast of Daniel and Revelation seek to put traditions and man-made worship and Religious rules above the teachings of Christ! Perhaps this is why John exclaimed that the spirit of the Antichrist is already in the world. (1 John 4:3). This passage is in the context of false teachers or prophets (see verses 1 and 2). False teachers always promote their own agenda, beliefs, and interpretations over the plain spoken word. Let’s examine this closer:

Nothing New Under The Sun

“Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill Him because He not only broke the Sabbath but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.”

John 5: 18

John’s account of the Jews seeking to murder Jesus points out several great mysteries of God’s kingdom.

On this day, the religious leaders charged Jesus with two violations worthy of death.  One was based on carefully guarded traditions, the other on the word of God!

First, they said He “broke the Sabbath.”  Secondly, they said Jesus (made) Himself equal to God.  Today, churches are still at odds over these two accusations.  They point to this passage and say, “The Sabbath is of no significance because Jesus broke it.” Some claim that Jesus is not God. By making these claims, they denigrate His teaching and thereby murder Him again.

Are we just as rigid, religious, and closed-minded as the religious leaders were? Have we closed our ears to the plain word of God in favor of our denomination or traditions?

Have you heard someone say, “If it was good enough for grandma, it is good enough for me.” This really puts Grandma and her traditions on a pedestal, even over God’s word! She must have known all the truth. While good ole Grandma was a fine Christian lady, I like Jesus better. Is Jesus murdered when the grandson or granddaughter put Grandma over Jesus? Is this not replacing Christ with Grandma?

Murdering Jesus With Man-Made Rules

“Jesus replied…You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

“‘These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules.;”

Matthew 15:7-9 NIV (Jesus quoting from Isaiah 29:13)

Why did the Jews think Jesus  “broke the Sabbath”? Did He really break the Sabbath?  The answer is found in verses 8-10 in the same chapter (John 5).

“Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately, the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews, therefore, said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.’“

John 5: 8-10

Who said it was not lawful to “carry your bed” on the Sabbath?  They did!  Not Jesus!  Did you notice that the haughty religious leaders directed their judgment towards the man who was cured, not at Jesus?    It is much easier to judge someone who is weak and unlike the majority than it is to judge Jesus. 

At another time, Jesus demonstrated to them a concept that overruled their legalistic Sabbath keeping when he healed the man with a withered hand in the Synagogue on the Sabbath (Matthew 12: 9-13). He asked them which one would not rescue a sheep fallen in a pit on the Sabbath.” By asking this rhetorical question, he demonstrated the value of a person over the animal world and made this point about keeping the Sabbath:

Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath

Matthew 12: 11-12”

So, doing good on the Sabbath is a teaching of Jesus on how to observe it, but it so enraged the religious leaders that they sought to murder him. The very next verse says this,

Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy (murder) Him.

Matthew 12: 14

How powerful are long-held traditions and man-made rules about the Sabbath? Going against it can lead to the murder of the Son of God and even His followers!

At another time, they would accuse Jesus directly of breaking the Sabbath by healing on the Sabbath (See Mark 3:2) and causing the man to “work” on the Sabbath!  The Lord Jesus told the man to “take up his bed and walk.”  Jesus was influencing the healed man to sin (according to their definition) when Jesus instructed the man to do something that violated their man-made rules about the Sabbath, i.e., getting out of bed, lifting it, and walking!

Ponder Question:  Do we seek to murder Jesus (degrade) His teachings) when we make up our self-made laws about the fourth commandment?  By thinking we obey, we really are modifying based on our traditions to conform the Sabbath to our lifestyle and the popularity of the world or the way we were raised or taught.  Do we set our own rules about keeping the day holy, as the commandment states?  Or do we annul the Sabbath commandment and place the solemnity on another day without scriptural authority? There is no evidence that Jesus broke the spirit or the letter of the fourth commandment…only the religious leaders claimed He broke it. He did, however, break their silly, made-up rules and traditions. Why? Because they didn’t know who He was!

Killing Jesus by Refusing to See Him as God

Jesus answered, “I am the Father are one…”We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

John 10:33

When Jesus healed another paralytic, Jesus forgave his sins. 

When Jesus saw their faith, He told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Mark 2: 5-7

The scribes were right by reasoning in their hearts that only God can forgive sins.  They didn’t dare to claim to have the power to forgive sins. The priests of the Temple performed ceremonies to lead the sinner to God for atonement, but they would never proclaim their sins forgiven.  Sins have always been forgiven by faith in God’s love, grace, and mercy.  Someone greater than the religious teachers was in their midst, the incarnate Immanuel (God with us). He had the power because He is God.

Ponder Question: Do we kill Jesus when we seek forgiveness of sins or absolution from a priest?  Is the heavenly temple where Jesus is ready to minister to our sins and failures left desolate because a mere man has stepped into His place?

Further thought: do we murder Jesus by hating other people?

A Christian teacher at a private school asked her students to draw a picture of the person they disliked the most. One girl drew a picture of her once-best friend who stole her boyfriend. Another person drew a picture of a political figure, while another drew a picture of her father, who had left the family.

Next, the teacher took the pictures and placed them carefully on a dart board. Each student was given darts. Without prompting, all stood and faced the picture of the person they disliked the most and began to throw the darts at their picture. The activity began to get lively as each student threw the darts harder and harder. Soon, the pictures were in tatters, and the teacher asked them to return to their desks.

Once the students were settled and quiet, the wise teacher began to remove the tattered pictures from the dart boards. Underneath was another tattered picture. It was a picture of Jesus!

The students gasped, and some wept when the teacher reverently quoted these words of Jesus:

“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

Next time, we will explore further Jesus’ claim to divinity from His works, the Apostles, and the Prophets. Did Jesus ever degrade the words of the Father or of the Old Testament writers?

Daniel and Revelation, What is God Like?

Revelation 14: 10-11 Question

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A Question From Hasin

I was asking this same question for a moment as I studied the bible. But I was looking for a specific verse I wish you would address.

Revelation 14:10-11

“…they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”


I can understand all the verses but this one. If truly it’s destruction, how do you see this one as an eternal torment with no rest day and night?

Response:

Hasin, Thank you for your question. If Revelation 14: 10-11 were the only verses we had in scripture on the fate of the lost, I would still see a conflict in its words with the remainder of the Bible, which describes our Creator’s character of love, mercy, justice, and fairness. There are so many verses that describe something different from what we think we are seeing in this one verse. Very clear verses without symbols or metaphors tell us clearly that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23, not life in non-ending flames. God’s love for the world was so great that He allowed His Son to perish on the cross for our sins so we don’t have to perish as He did.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him SHOULD NOT PERISH but have everlasting life. John 3:16

The lost do not live forever (even in flames). Only those “who has the Son has life” not those who do not have the Son:

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:11-12

When we think it through, those who maintain that God burns people alive in a place called hell for eternity want us to believe that a loving, merciful Creator exchanges a lost person’s short time on earth for trillions of years of punishment in stinging hot flames without any mercy at all.

They want us to believe that God’s wrath is so great that it can never be quenched. His anger will never be satisfied.

So, what is John describing in the book of Revelation that we may be missing? He is describing through symbols the end of those who choose to worship the beast over Himself. It is a specific group at the end of time. First, let’s look at this verse and see what is literal and what is symbolic, and always careful to remember context with God’s character of love.

“…he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Revelation 14: 10-11

Here are the metaphors and symbols lifted out of the verses:

1.) Drinking the wine of the wrath of God.

2.) God pouring out this wrath

3.) Smoke of torment.

If we take this passage literally, we see people burning in flames right in front of Jesus and the lamb forever…every day…without end…The redeemed can actually see the smoke off their suffering bodies! So how can that be heaven for them and us who “follow the lamb wheresoever he goes?” (verse 4). Logically, and knowing what we know about Jesus, we suspect we may be missing the symbolism of a one-time fire of everlasting “destruction.”

Also, if we take it literally, those who worship the beast and its image continue to do so in the flames. So something about taking this literally doesn’t add up with the nature of God, Jesus, and heaven.

The problem with the Western mind is the understanding of the word “forever.” We use it one way, i.e., “without end.” The same with the word “everlasting.” We look at it as it without end. But the Greek word aiōn, translated into English forever, can mean until its purpose is completed. Here is an example to consider.

The Bible uses Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of suffering the “vengeance of eternal fire” Jude 1:7 Yet the flames have gone out and turned into ashes,

“turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;” 2 Peter 2: 6

So very clearly, we see that there is an example of the fate of the lost. Their fire will have eternal effects…not eternal duration. They will be turned to ashes.

Malachi and other passages confirm that the fate of the lost is being burned to ashes, and there is nothing left of them…no root or branch.

“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4:1

Even Satan, himself, will be turned to ashes

“You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. Ezekiel 28:18

Ask a fireman about an unquenchable file. When they arrive on the scene of a house engulfed in flames, they can’t put it out …it is unquenchable…Consequently, they wait for the flames to die down after doing its work of destruction. An unquenchable fire can’t be put out, but it will eventually die out.

Those who know God personally like they would a loving earthly father feel uncomfortable with the ancient Pagan belief in a vengeful God who tortures unbelievers in flames without end. It doesn’t fit the remainder of the Bible’s description of the love and mercy of a benevolent Father and Son. Many preachers are turning away from the scare tactics of hell to the love expressed in the cross. It is the love, kindness, and mercy that leads people to Christ.


And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”

John 12: 22


And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Jeremiah 31:3

Pastors, draw people to Jesus this way without the scare tactics and you will see revival in your church. Show His mercy, and eagerness to forgive. Lift Him up! Be like Paul when he said to unruly church at Corinth:

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 1

Corinthians 2:2


Sorry for the long answer. Please read part 3 of this series which explains some of the difficult verses…https://www.answersfromscriptureonline.com/2019/02/01/the-fate-of-the-lost-part-3-difficult-verses/

Hell, What is God Like?

The Fate of The Lost (Part 1)

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Imagine This

You love your father greatly. You have a thousand reasons to do so. As a child, you can recall sitting on his lap as he read Bible stories and books about adventure. He took you to church every week and told you about the love of the Creator and how Jesus gave his life so that you could live eternally without any pain or sorrow. You had great times with him at the many places you went together, especially the hiking trips and fishing for your supper.

You noticed him praying in the morning and crying over loved ones who had passed away or had walked away from his Savior. He helped strangers in need and would give any of them the “shirt off his back.” He was your rock in times of trouble, pain, and doubt. You know without a doubt that he loves you and would give his life for you without even thinking about it.

One day America was attacked, and he joined the Air Force to protect liberty and shield you and the rest of the country from tyranny. He became a high-ranking officer and directed a lot of men into battle. Most all of them respected him (in the same manner you would) for his kindness even when he had to be resolute in making tough life-and-death decisions.

One day you hear that your sweet Dad tortured the enemy he captured. He did so by slowly burning them. He would let the fire slowly roast them until they cried out for mercy, willing to tell any war secrets, but your Dad showed no mercy. He wanted to punish the prisioners.

Would you believe these stories? Of course not, because you know your Father. You have a relationship with him. Yet, modern Christian teachers describe our heavenly Father as One who has reserved a place where people burn without end, tortured throughout eternity without any mercy or relief. The Author of life keeps them alive, so they continue to burn and suffer. Do you believe this?

I know my Heavenly Father. He is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, and great in mercy. Quick to forgive! This is the first reason why I know that this place of torture is not real but created by the enemy himself.

The next way I know the truth is from the Bible. The wages of sin is death or perishing…The warning against unbelief is found in John 3:16., but it is not eternal torture.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should NOT PERISH but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Everyone knows God loved all of us so much that He was willing to let Jesus die so we could have eternal life and NOT PERISH! If we believe the false teaching about torture, John 3:16 would have to be rewritten to say,

“whosoever believes in him will not go to hell and be tortured…”

The warning to Adam and Eve would be,

“The day you eat of the tree, you will surely go to hell and be tortured forever.

Genesis 2:17 (modified)

What amazes me is that these teachers get angry when someone rejects the idea that God tortures those who choose not to believe. Is this the kind of God you want to serve in heaven? Or is it a human desire for the wicked to experience unsatisfied anger? Many preachers ask,

“How how can I get people to come to Christ without a non-stop burning place? In other words, they feel that scaring the lost will create a life-saving relationship with Jesus. Here is my answer; bring them to Christ by demonstrating the great love of God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Did we scare our spouses into marriage? Or did we woo and draw them with our great love for them?

“…I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3.

Lift Jesus up and He will draw the the lost to himself,

“If I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself.” John 12:32. “

Here are some of the clearest and most powerful verses on the fate of the lost (not a parable.). As instructed through inspiration, we should consider the coming of Jesus and how we live and relate to the lost. There is a hell, but it is not eternal. It burns people up instead of torturing them. The coming destruction is a warning to the people of this earth.


By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.


But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.


But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.


Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

2 Peter 3: 7-12

An apparent delay…out of mercy:

2 Peter 3: 7-9 (above) reveals some important truths about the character of God:

1.) We think God is slow concerning His promises, but He is not tied to our mortal time-keeping and has a purpose for His apparent delay.


2.) God is patient with us. What is He waiting for that requires his divine patience? It is repentance from sin.


3.) He does not want anyone to perish. The Greek word for “perish” is “apollymi.” It means to destroy or abolish. This makes sense if you read the verses proceeding today’s verse:

4.) At the Second Coming of Jesus, He burns up the earth and those who are “ungodly.”

5.) These facts tell us we should be living lives where we remember what God is going to do to this earth.

The coming of Christ is a destructive event. It destroys the earth and those who are unrepentant “perish” in its fire. Please note: The verse does not say God does not want anyone to “go to hell” or be tortured throughout eternity. The fate of the lost is eternal destruction (Perish). Those who twist scripture to ignore the love of God and His desire to keep people from perishing ignore passages that demonstrate that God is love. Any teaching that is not founded on this Biblical principal is false.

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” Psalm 103:8.

How do we relate to the wickedness of this world? Do we want unrepentant sinners to burn in hell forever? This is a human wish not God’s. Or do we want to save them from the coming eternal destruction?.

For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

Hebrews 10:39

The soul that sins shall die…For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

Ezekiel 18: 4, 32


Hell, Rapture, The Soon Return of Jesus, The Truth About The Fate of The Lost, Truth About the Deceased

FINAL FATE OF ALL ON PLANET EARTH

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God will not allow us to destroy the earth. He will destroy the planet while we are nearing self-annihilation.

And should destroy those who destroy the earth.” Revelation 11:18 b

The preceding verses here in Revelation 11:18 describe the earth’s condition when we are near destroying ourselves through atomic weapons. John had to write this verse in faith because he could probably not imagine such power man would possess to literally destroy the entire earth. But we have arrived just in one generation.

The nations are angry, and so is God!

The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,  Revelation 11: 18

God has reserved the destruction of the earth for Himself.

But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition (destruction) of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:7

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Before we move along, let’s review a key component of this coming destruction. It begins with the return of Christ.

In the last article, we clearly answered the following question from the Bible, “Doesn’t Matthew 24:37-41 Say One Is Taken (Raptured) and the Other Left Behind?”

God’s word precisely describes the following about the second coming when Jesus appears in the sky and “every eye shall see Him.” Note: I am not addressing the tribulation in this article. That topic will be for another time.

The Literal Return of Christ Summary:


1.) It is not a quiet or secret event. It is a powerful rescue of God’s people! Every person alive (whether lost or saved) sees Him coming (Rev. 1:7)

2.) It is a destructive event. God destroys the earth and its contents by fire. (2 Peter 3: 10-13)

3.) There are two different responses to the second coming: The response of God’s people and the response of the wicked. The wicked run and hide (Revelation 6:16). The redeemed rejoice! (Isaiah 25:9)

4.) All can hear it! He descends with a shout and a loud trumpet. (1 Thess 4:16)

5.) Jesus’ literal return is the keeping of a promise He made and is the hope of His followers. I go and prepare a place…I will return again. His rescue is not in two parts. (John 14: 1-3)

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To this point in this review, we have primarily shown that when Christ returns, there are two classes of saved people:

1.) The saved alive who will not see death.

2.) The saved of all ages who are “dead in Christ.”

Both classes are given immortality here and rise from the earth to meet the Lord in the air. It is here that eternity begins. There are two very clear verses that support this clearly:

 For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. *Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Notice the key statements:

1.) Lord Himself comes down with a shout, voice, and a trumpet (you can hear it). So can the lost, as we will see.

2.) The “dead in Christ” rise first. Graves open up, and out come the saved of all ages.

3.) Then those who are alive who were protected by the Lord during the tribulation rise to meet those who were resurrected and the Lord in the air. Notice the word “remain.” Some translations use the word “left.” This alludes to the fact that they were left or remained after the plagues that hit the earth. An example: If a house burns down that has a full library. There might be some books that were destroyed and some that were in a safe which were “left” or untouched by the fire.

4.) From this point forward, the redeemed will spend eternity with the Lord

*These are the words (as described in 1 Thess 4: 16-18) where we are to find comfort. Why is this verse hardly ever mentioned at funerals? Instead, the pagan idea of the bodiless soul going immediately to heaven is described, yet there is no biblical evidence of this. That falsehood contradicts both 1 Thess 4: 16-18 that we just read and Paul’s further details found in the 15th Chapter of 1 Corinthians:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15: 51-54

Again, notice the key statements:

1.) Not all will sleep (die)

2.) The saved are “changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” Note: it is the change that is very fast…not the second coming.”

3.) The dead (in Christ) are raised incorruptible (No longer subject to decay)

4.) God gives (puts on) the redeemed incorruption and immortality to their resurrected bodies in a flash.

5.) When this change to our bodies is made, it is then that the saying “Death is swallowed up in victory.” can be made. It cannot be made at the grave site or at a funeral. It is only when Jesus returns.

Somehow, we have made dying the gateway to immortality, but without the return of Christ and our resurrection, we are all lost. We might as well live it up, for tomorrow, we die forever.

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable…If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

1 Corinthians 15: 16-19, 32b

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What Happens to the Lost at the Return of Christ?

We have already seen “that every eye” will see the return. The wicked cannot stand to see Jesus when He comes. They run anywhere to hide from the face of the Lamb:

They Can’t Stand the Sight of His Coming

 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave, and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6: 15-17

The key points are:

1.) Every person who does not love Jesus’ appearing on the earth, (regardless of their economic status) cannot stand the sight and try to flee to dark places. They ask a question that is answered in the next chapter of Revelation: “Who is able to stand?”

a.) The sealed of Israel. This is not literal Jews, but those who are “in Christ. A study for another time.

b.) The vast multitude of those who are alive and survived the great tribulation through the power of God. “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7: 14

Some have suggested that the 144,000 and the vast multitude are the same group of people. Another study for another time.

They Are Destroyed By The Brightness of His Coming:

As far back as the Old Testament, the fate of the lost has been described. Here is a clear example:

“For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch.…You shall trample the wicked,
For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet
On the day that I do this,”
Says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 4: 1,3

Key Points:

1.) That day will be like an oven

2.) All who do wickedly will be like stubble and will be burned up

3.) Burned up means nothing left (neither a root nor a branch left)

4.) They shall be turned to ashes

Paul describes the same event in 2 Thessalonians:

 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,  and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2: 8-11

Key Point

1.) As shown earlier, Christ’s return is destructive. God destroys the “lawless one” (aka Antichrist) and those who perish with “him” because they did not love the truth. They chose the convenience and selfishness of a lie.

What are the Second Death and the Second Resurrection?

Both Jesus and John talk of two resurrections:

Jesus clearly states that all who are in the graves will be resurrected. But the resurrections have two different results: life or condemnation.

 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5: 28-30

John, who recorded Jesus’ statement above, adds more detail about the timing of the two resurrections. They are separated by 1,000 years:

And they (the saved) lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Revelation 20: 4-6

Key Points as we compare with previous verses:

1.) When Christ returns, those in the grave are resurrected. They are in the “first resurrection.”

2.) Those in the first resurrection (along with those who were alive at the return of Christ) live and reign with Christ for 1,000 years. A lot of our questions are answered during this time.

3.) The second death has no power over those who are reigning with Christ for this 1,000 years.

4.) Those who were wicked and dead when Christ returned were not resurrected until the end of the 1,000 years. Those who were wicked and alive were destroyed by the brightness of the Lord’s return. Both the wicked dead and the wicked destroyed are raised at the second resurrection at the end of 1,000 years.

5.) The wicked at the return of Christ die twice! One on earth and again for eternity after their judgment. The second death is forever with no hope. Fire comes down and devours them. “And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” Revelation 20:9

6.) The ultimate fate of the unbelievers is “perishing,” as John described in that famous verse John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Notice the fate of the lost: “Perish.” It is contrasted with the believers’ gift of everlasting life. The lost do not have everlasting life in a burning place.

For more on hell, see these two articles:

1.) Hell-Let Us Reason Together

2.) Lord Teach Me About Hell Part 1

3.) Did Jesus Really Teach More About Hell Than Heaven?

Christian, Do you really want to believe in a God who so loved the world that He would burn the lost or quad trillions of years without mercy? This is a horrible picture of burning people in some corner of the universe. Do you really know Jesus if you believe this pagan picture?

At the end of the 1,000 years, John describes (in the next Chapter 21) the “New Jerusalem” coming down out of heaven. It is at this point that God creates a new heaven and a new earth. The saved of all ages spend eternity with sin and death destroyed forever. God dwells with His people in the new dwelling place of God…with His people who have been redeemed

 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21: 1-4

Key Points

1.) Like John, the redeemed will be witnesses to God creating a new heaven and a new earth! Praise God! What a sight!

2.) The New Jerusalem, currently residing in heaven, will come to this new earth!

3.) God will reside with us here on the new earth!

4.) All tears, sorrow, crying, and pain will be eliminated…gone forever. Praise our Holy God!!

One last picture. Each month and each week, we will be worshiping together. Congregating will be continued on the new earth!

“For as the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord,
“So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass
From one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord. Isaiah 66:22-23

Just as the Sabbath of the 10 commandments commemorated the creation of the earth, this “new” Sabbath will honor the new earth…a new creation. And as on the first earth, we will work six days and then worship on the seventh day.

They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and another eat;
For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. Isaiah 65: 21-22

Heaven, as we call it, will be a real place on a real earth.

Summary of the Fate of all People

In this simple chart, we see the fate of everyone who has ever lived on this planet. There are only two places: eternal life on a new planet or eternal death. You can have the promise of eternity today through Jesus. Will you repent of your sins and turn to Him? He will gladly save you from yourself and the wiles of the enemy.

RedeemedLost
Both dead and alive, go where Jesus is now at His second coming.Destroyed by the brightness of His coming
Spend 1,000 years in New Jerusalem-A Honey Moon of sortsLay in the grave for 1,000 years
At the end of the 1,000 years, the redeemed come down in the New Jerusalem with JesusAre resurrected in the resurrection of the condemnation.
Resurrected and then try to attack the New Jerusalem. God sends fire down from heaven. This is the second death for the wicked. They died once on earth and once at the end of the 1,000 years. They perish for eternity.
The redeemed enjoy eternity without any more pain or death. They build houses and plant vineyards and enjoy the work of their hands in immortal bodies. They worship on the Sabbath.Like Satan, never shall they be anymore. Ezekiel 28: 18-19
Hell, Truth About the Deceased, What is God Like?

Halloween and Evil: Are the Wicked Given Eternal Life in Hell?

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“A young mother discovered that her little boy had lied to her. Utterly shocked and desperate to correct his wayward behavior, she sat him down and said to him, ‘Listen-you can’t lie to Mommy! If you do that again, a big tall man with red eyes and horns (will) come and take you away. He’ll make you work for a hundred years in the coal mines just for telling one little lie!’ The look on the boy’s face told the mother that he was listening carefully. Encouraged that she was getting through to him, she said, ‘Now you’ll never lie to Mommy again, will you.’

He thought for a moment, then blurted out, ‘No ma’am, I wouldn’t dare-’cause you tell them better than id do!”-From the book, Draining the Styx-Boonstra p. 90

Many churches and pastors have taken the scare-tactic to “soul-winning.” Like this mother, they picture a place so bad that people will accept Jesus out of fear rather than repentance and love. This place is called hell, where the fallen and wicked will be tortured in flames for eternity.

Life Eternal is for the Saved Only

Eternity for the saved begins when Jesus returns. Perhaps the clearest single passage in the Bible to confirm this is found in Paul’s writing in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

We are to comfort ourselves about those who have died in Christ this way: Jesus will return, and those who are alive then and those who died “in Christ” will gather around Jesus in the air for the first time. Here is where eternity begins for the saved. What a reunion day that will be!

Jesus confirmed the importance of His return in the following words. His words, like Paul’s, give comfort to those who fear death or have lost loved ones to the enemy of death.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

John 14: 1-3

Notice what these verses do not say. They do not say that eternity for the saved begins at death. It begins at the return of Christ. It is because He has the keys to the grave and death (Rev. 1: 18) that we can be resurrected from decayed bodies, perhaps that are dust, to receive immortality and new bodies. Paul describes the importance of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. 

1 Corinthians 15: 41-44

Without our resurrection, there is no immortality; there is no heaven. All those who have “fallen asleep” are lost, and we have no hope or comfort for those who have died and for ourselves. Paul described it this way:

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. …For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have allen asleep in Christ have perished.

1 Corinthians 15: 13-14, 17-18

The resureection of Christ demonstrates God’s plan to resurrect the saved for eternity. While death is an enemy, Jesus and the Bible describe this period between the grave and the second coming of Christ as a unconscience sleep. When He returns after a nano-second nap, the saved of all ages will meet Jesus in the air after receiving immortal incorruptuible bodies. Eternity will begin for His people.

Author-Eddie Armstrong

But What About the Lost?

Did you notice in the passages above that there is no mention of the resurrection of the wicked and the lost? What happens to them? Modern theology has these people burning in hell after they die or at a later time, e.g., after the White Throne Judgement. But is that what the Bible teaches?

Unfortunately, traditions absorbed from pagan philosophers have created a God that is sadistic that His anger against the wicked is so great that it is never satisfied. A God of mercy and love who loses it and shows absolutely no mercy for those screaming for death to escape the licks of flames on their flesh.

“…Consider a nineteenth-century account of the fate of the wicked, which a children’s author named John Furniss (no pun intended-that was his name!) wrote to scare children into behaving.

Come into this room. You see it is very small. But see, in the midst of it, there is a girl, perhaps about eighteen years old. What a terrible dress she has on–On her head, she wears a bonnet of fire. It is pressed down close all over her head; it burns into the skin; it scorches the bone of the skull and makes it smoke. The red hot fiery heat goes into the brain and melts it…There she will stand forever, burning and scorched! She counts with her fingers the moments as they pass away slowly, for each moment seems to her like a hundred years. As she counts the moments, she remembers that she will have to count them forever and ever.

Look into this little prison. In the middle of it, there is a boy, a young man. He is silent; despair is on him. He stands straight up. His eyes are burning like two burning coals. Two long flames come out of his ears. His breathing is difficult. Sometimes he opens his mouth, and a breath of blazing fire rolls out of it. But listen! There is a sound just like that of a kettle boiling! It is really a kettle boiling? No; then what is it? The blood is boiling in the scalded veins of that boy. The brain is boiling and bubbling in the head. The marrow is boiling in these bones. Ask him why he is thus tormented. His answer is that when he was alive, his blood boiled to do very wicked things.” Rev. J. Furnis, Tracts for Spiritual Reading (New York – P.J Kenedy, 1877, page 19

Draining the Styx-Boonstra p. 91 and 92

This tract by Rev. Furniss is often quoted by atheists as an argument for throwing out Christianity. When I was 8 years old, attending Vacation Bible School along with other children, an elder of the church described hell in this same manner to all of us boys and girls. He was prepping us for the Sunday Service. He wanted us to come forward at the altar call and be baptized…trophies for him and the vacation Bible School program. This was the beginning of my atheistic beliefs. But, praise God, I discovered the love, mercy, and compassion of the God who loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me so I could have eternal life. For my testimony, start here:

The Biblical Fate of the Lost

There is no story in the Bible like Rev. Furniss’s. Some will point to the Rich Man and Lazarus as proof that the lost are tortured in a place that burns forever, But in this parable, Jesus takes the pagan beliefs that had infiltrated Jewish theology to make his point which is at the end of the parable. The point of the parable was about the resurrection and belief in Jesus. It was not a description of a place of torture. To learn more about this parable, click on this link regarding the Rich Man and Lazarus: Lord Teach Me About Hell-Part 1 (Rich Man & Lazarus) – Answers From Scripture – A Jesus Journey (answersfromscriptureonline.com)

The fate of the lost has always been eternal death. In that famous verse that everyone can quote, Jesus tells us that the fate of the lost is that they “perish” If their fate were eternal life in burning flames, we would have to rewrite it:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not live for eternity in hell- a burning place of firey torture

The operative word here is “perish.” It is different from the death that all must experience. It is eternal.

The Lost Have A Resurrection Too!

Jesus taught there were two resurrections:

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

John 5: 28-29

These two resurrections are confirmed by the Apostle John in Revelation. John also gives more detail about the vision given to him of the end times:

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has a part in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

Revelation 20: 5-6

It is very easy to see from these passages the two resurrections are separated by one thousand years. The first resurrection occurs when Jesus comes. This was described above in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and 1 Corinthians 15: 50-55. This is the starting point for the one thousand years of the honeymoon of the bride (church) and the groom (Jesus). But the rest of the dead don’t come alive until one thousand years have passed.

The lost are resurrected. Satan gathers them together to attack the Holy City coming down out of heaven. This Holy City was where Jesus and the saints were in heaven for one thousand years. The lost of all ages are convinced by Satan to attack the heavenly city, and then God sends fire out of heaven, and this fire devours them.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 

Revelation 20: 7-9

Thus all the enemies of God are forever turned to ashes. Nothing left of them, they are devoured! And never shall they ever be any more. This is the way a merciful God deals with those who want no part of Him. Their reward was living on earth and enjoying their 70 or so years. They don’t receive eternal life, as do the saved.

For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4: 1

Satan shares the same fate after watching his people destroyed. He is saved for last:

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:14


“You (Satan) defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. Ezekiel 28:18 (See entire chapter for context)

If you want more information on confusing passages that seem to support eternal life in hell for the lost vs. what the Bible teaches about eternal death, click here for more information: The Fate of The Lost-Difficult Verses.

The Fate of The Lost (Part 3)-Difficult Verses – Answers From Scripture – A Jesus Journey (answersfromscriptureonline.com)

My friends, let us lift up Jesus as the only source of eternal life and pray for those in our circle of friends and family who can be saved from eternal death. This is scary enough.

Hell, Pain and Suffering, What is God Like?

KNOWING GOD-PART 3-HIS CHARACTER

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Those who know God know His character.

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:24

The platform for understanding God’s character must start with John’s bedrock description of God Himself:

All Biblical understanding must conform to this grand description of God the Father and Jesus Christ.

If God’s character of love does not transfer into our own experience, it is a demonstration that we don’t really know God. If we don’t have love in our hearts for God and other people (even our enemies), we don’t know God. John said this very clearly:

 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 

1 John 4: 7-8

If our understanding of God rejects these characteristics, it is likely due to a misunderstanding of who God is. If this is the case, certain Bible texts about the nature of God will be twisted to make God uncaring and cruel beyond belief.

A Modern Parable

There was a certain young boy who loved his father very much. We will call him Jim. His Dad, Bill, took an interest in everything Jim did. They often talked about life while fishing or working around the house. His Dad taught him many things about relating to family, friends, and even enemies. He encouraged Jim to love them all and to honor each person. To love them as God loves them.

As far back as he could remember, Jim’s Dad read to him. Nightly, many good books, including the Bible, brought peace and understanding to Jim. Dad taught him how to pray. In the morning, Jim would see his Dad on his knees at the window, praying to God.

When war came, Jim’s Dad volunteered for service and went away to war. Bill was a good soldier that could be trusted. He was promoted rapidly as a leader and was in charge of taking men into battle. After the war, Bill was decorated for his bravery and leadership. Jim was so proud of his father!

The boy grew, and so did his relationship with his father. The boy knew his Dad better than anyone else. He wanted to be like his brave and kind father.

Jim went off to college. While there, he met some young men whose dads had also been to war. They remember the stories told to them of the war. One young man, in particular, had heard of Jim’s decorated Dad. The young man said his father had told stories about Bill torturing the enemy troops that were captured. In detail, Jim’s classmate described the torture of burning a prisoner a little at a time and keeping them alive to suffer even more. The prisoner would cry out for mercy and even death, but Bill ignored them.

Jim was shocked!. He knew his Dad was not that kind of person and rejected the gruesome story of torture.

After discussing this with his Dad, the true story came out. The father of the young man at college was someone who disliked Jim’s Dad and was angry because he did not get the promotions in rank as did Bill. He began to spread rumors and lies to smear Bill’s good name and character. The truth was turned into lies and events twisted to satisfy the narrative of cruelty.

Jim knew his Dad. Because of this, he was certain Bill was not capable of torturing anyone. It was beyond reason and contradicted everything he knew about his Dad. The lessons taught to Jim about God’s love and compassion, even for enemies, did not square with the conflicting characteristics of someone who did not know his Dad nor his God.

God’s Character

Image a God who tortures his enemies for eternity. Is this a God of love and mercy? To believe that God gives no relief from the flames lost sinners can suffer without end means one of a couple of things:

1.) Passages of scripture have been twisted to teach that the lost have eternal life in burning flames even though the Bible clearly states that the wages of sin is eternal death, not eternal life in flames. We may have created a God, in our heads, where His wrath is never satisfied. Unlike God, we want revenge on the evil person and for them to pay for their wrongs through suffering. We want revenge, but God wants justice.

How is it justice that my lost relative who refused to believe in Jesus or go to church should burn without end for his free choice?

2.) We don’t know God. We like the idea of hell where people burn for their evil deeds, but remember…When we talk about salvation, we are talking about the good moral people who don’t care for Jesus or religion. They pay their taxes, have families, and are good neighbors. Should they burn forever along with Hitler? Is it justice to live for 30 years in riotous living, die in a car wreck, and then burn for 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 + years?

Someone suggested I don’t believe in hell. I always tell them, “I believe in a hell that is hotter than the one you support. The hell of the Bible burns up and leaves no root or branch. It is not meant to torture.

For behold, the day is coming,
Burning like an oven,
And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble.
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“That will leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4:1

This means nothing will be left of the person for eternity. Even Satan is turned into ashes:

Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you.

Ezekiel 28:18

So yes, I believe in a firey END…not firey torture. Sodom and Gomorrah are no longer cities, but they are examples of what will happen to the ungodly at the end of time:

 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

2 Peter 2:6

Destruction awaits the lost. Jesus tells it plainly:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Matthew 7:13

Do you know God?

Do you know God like Jim knew his Dad bill? If God takes no delight in the death of the wicked, He would take no delight in unmerciful torture.

‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. 

Ezekiel 33:11

Do you really believe our Heavenly Father, that sent Jesus to die for our sins, would make the penalty of unbelief flames licking at their body parts of melting skin and bones in a torture chamber where people cry out to die? We would need to alter several verses to support this idea. The most famous one of God’s love, John 3:16 would need to be changed to read:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish (burn in flames) but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16

Wages of sin is death life in a burning hell for eternity.

Romans 6:23


He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. has a life in burning flames called hell.

1 John 5:12

Friends, salvation is a matter of life or eternal death. Eternal death is punishment enough. But it is also an act of mercy. Heaven is not the place for those who love sin. Their reward or their heaven is while they are on earth living a life of selfish indulgence. Their philosophy is “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.”

Salvation also includes the victory over the sins that we love. A born-again follower of Jesus is given a new heart, God replaces that love of the world of sin with a love for Him and other people.

Salvation and eternal life are more about who you know rather than what you know:

Author

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

John 17:3

We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20

God does not scare people into accepting Him. He uses powerful words of reason, demonstration, and understanding. It is His love, mercy, compassion, and kindness that win people to Him for eternal life. It is the cross of Christ that draws people to Him.

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Jeremiah 31:3

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.

John 12:32

This is the God of love that we serve and preach to a dying world. There is no opposing character in our God. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never changes (Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6).

He loves even the sinner and desires him/her to turn (repent) and live. If this is you, will you do that just now?