GOD’S FINALE JUDGEMENT OF THE WICKED.

 

1Thessalonians 1:9 says that “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might”.  What is Paul’s message here?

The Bible records, see Acts 16 and 17, that Paul did not have a good experience when he visited Thessalonica.  Paul was beaten illegally and then put into prison.  They then forced him to leave the city by night because unbelieving Jews brought false charges against Paul. 

Paul did not give up, he made several attempt to return but he was hindered by Satan.

“But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, for a short time (in presence, not in affection) we became all the more fervent in our great desire to see you in person. For we wanted to come to you (I, Paul, in fact tried again and again) but Satan thwarted us” (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18).

In this first letter to the Thessalonian Church Paul was concerned about the progress of the church and wanted to be with them to strengthen them in their faith and beliefs.

“All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

He wanted to reassure the Church that they were chosen by God.  He did not want the Thessalonians to give up.  He wanted them to look to their faith so that they could endure the persecution that was sure to come.  Paul knew that the people who persecuted them were wicked and would get their just due, but this was not the message he had for them here. 

Paul was using God’s authentication and empowering of the gospel message when he wrote this letter.  He said that because of their “…perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials…” that they were enduring, it was proof that God chose them. (1 Thessalonians 1:4).  Because of this fact he was encouraging them to continue to endure these persecutions.

For this message to have power it is important to understand that the gospel that Paul preached were not his words, but the words came from God through the Holy Spirit and he constantly used this fact to authenticate and empower his words.  The church in Corinth he wrote:

“God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.  For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him?  So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God.  And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.  The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.  The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one.  For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).

Paul’s message was always that Jesus Christ made the promises to all those who follow Him that when the Holy Spirit came, He would empower the messengers so that others would believe and be saved to eternal life.  This is what this passage is based on.  It is an encouragement to all saints down through the last almost two thousand years that in difficult days of adversity and persecution, God’s word can serve to encourage us as the dark clouds of persecution gather for Christians around the world. This power of God will sustain believers when persecuted in the end times.

The message of Eternal destruction, is an important message based on the fact that it is mentioned throughout the Old and the New Testaments.  The problem is that the phrase “eternal destruction” is misunderstood by many.  More importantly, it is not the message we need to be taking away from this Biblical passage.  If this is done, the true message is hidden, which is what Satan wants to happen. 

Because it is mentioned here, it is important to have a basic scriptural knowledge of what the phrase means.  There is a very simple answer when trying to describe what eternal destruction means, if you take each word individually.  Eternal means, “Continuing without interruption; perpetual”, (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eternal ), forever, it will never change.

Destruction means “to cause (something) to end or no longer exist, to cause the destruction of (something), to damage (something) so badly that it cannot be repaired. (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destroy ).  When a human being meets “eternal destruction” as described in 1 Thessalonians 1:9, it means that that person will be damaged so badly, that he or she will no longer exist.  That that person cannot be repaired.  The existence of that person will come to an end.

The prophet Malachi explains it clearly:

““Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.”” (Malachi 4:1).

The non-believers and the wicked will be burned to ashes to such an extent that there will be nothing left.  There will be no “root” or “branch left”.  When this happens there is no way that that person can exist, period.

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ETERNAL LIFE IS IMPARTED AT THE LAST TRUMPET.

In John 5:24 Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

When it comes to being alive or dead, Jesus places people in two categories.  Jesus identifies these two groups of people in the above verse.  The difference between these two groups is that those who are spiritually alive have heard Jesus’ words and believed in the One who sent Him, whereas the latter do not and are spiritually dead.  To understand the verse, it must be understood that Jesus is talking about a person spiritually.

Notice that “death” is put before “life” in this verse.  This is not a coincidence.  Since Adam and Eve, all humans have been born spiritually dead.  Physically man is alive at birth and continues to be “physically alive” until he dies.  At that point, according to the Bible, he no longer exists in any form. (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).  Jesus is making the claim here that at “judgement” he can “impart eternal life” to those who believe in Him.

Jesus goes on (5:25-26) to state that He has the power to impart eternal life.  In (5:27-30) Jesus claims that in the future He will raise from the dead everyone who has ever lived and at that time will judge them for all eternity. This claim that Jesus is making about eternal life must be understood in the context of God’s plan of redemption as outlined throughout the Old and the New Testaments.

The Bible tells us that God gave us physical life and also that we all will eventually die.  This situation came about by the actions of our first parents, Adam and Eve.  God made available for them the gift of eternal life that is represented by the tree of life in Genesis 2:9.  The tree represented God’s way of life which was total obedience to God’s revealed will. 

The garden also had another tree which was the called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The tree represented man deciding for himself what was right and what was wrong.  They rejected the total obedience to God’s will in favor of choosing to follow their own will.  If they would not have done this, they would have received eternal life (Genesis 2:17).  God told them their fate, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

The good news is that God, from the beginning, had a plan, and the offer of eternal life still stands.  Through the rest of the Bible, God unfolds this plan for us.  We are rescued from death by the blood of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul explains how and when we will receive eternal life when he explains, “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.  When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Paul clearly tells us that this will happen when Christ returns to earth.  “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

This is when all Christians meet with Jesus, receive our immortal glorified bodies and return to heaven with Jesus to live eternally.

 

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THE IMMORTALITY OF MANKIND, MATTHEW 25:46.

 

There are many Bible verses that are taken out of the context of the passage they are found in to support various Christian doctrines.  In order to understand passages, the entire passage needs to be read, and then it has to be related to the time period that the passage is referring to.  We then need to be sure that our interpretation can be verified and not denied by other passages in the Bible.  

Matthew 25:46 is one of these passages.  It reads, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”  Several questions immediately come to mind.  What time period is this talking about?  Who are “they”?  What is meant when is says that the righteous will “go away…to eternal life”? 

The chapter Matthew 25 is describing the future judgment of the “nations”.  This judgment will take place immediately after the second coming of Jesus Christ.  During this time period there will be mortal human beings, on earth, who survived the tribulation.  Christ is on the earth. 

There will be people living on the earth at this time who started believing in Christ during the tribulation during the tribulation period.  There will be other people who still do not believe.  These two groups of people are represented by the sheep, (the ones who believe in Christ), and the goats, (the ones who do not).  The people will be judged on how they treated each other during the tribulation period.  (Matthew 25:37-45).

There will also be a group of people on the earth who will be resurrected at that time.  These are people who died during the tribulation period believing in Christ.  Revelation 20:5-6 says “This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”  Revelation 20:5-6 is referring to Matthew 25:46.

Revelation 20:5-6 indicates that before these people were judged at this point in time, they were subject to “The second death…” (Revelation 20:6).  If that is the case, these human beings are not yet immortal because they can die.  It is here that the righteous people, those who survived the tribulation and those who were just resurrected, are judged and receive eternal life, immortality. 

Matthew 25:46 confirms this where it states clearly that, “Then they will go away…the righteous to eternal life.” (emphasis added).

 

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DO NOT ABUSE YOUR PRIVELEGE OF PRAYER.

 

The Bible characterizes Solomon as being richer and wiser than any other king and the story of how he came to be so wise is repeated in every generation. Solomon had a dream in which he said the Lord appeared to him and asked “What would you like me to give you?” After thanking God “for letting me succeed my father, David,” he said “give me wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil.” (I Kings 3:5,7,9) 

King Solomon wrote, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.  Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.  For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore, let your words be few.  For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.  (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3)

People have this idea that they impress God by a long prayer Mark wrote that some people pray for show and feel that they need to make lengthy prayers in order to make their prayer relevant. Mark writes that this does not impress Him and if a person is using prayer to glorify himself he will be punished.  Depending on the person, he or she could be punished severely. (Mark 12:40).

In Ecclesiastes King Solomon says that some people do this and are not even aware that they are actually doing something that God considers to be evil. The Bible often warns people about proud attitudes. And that is especially important when people pray.   

King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 to  "Walk prudently" which means "watch your moral conduct." Frequently, "hear" is used synonymously with "obey," and the "sacrifice of fools" is allowing fellowship to degenerate into mere socializing, especially in a church setting, without a serious regard toward walking prudently and hearing God.

Hastiness in prayer, speaking fast to save time and get it over with, is speaking ill-considered words before God. Though we pour out a prayer to Him in anguish, we may not think about the possible effects of our words. We can also do this by praying carelessly, ignorant of the seriousness of our communication with God.

In prayer, the scripture tells us to “…let your words be few.” because “…a fool’s voice is known by his many words.” It is more important to have the right attitudes than to say the right words. God already knows what we will ask. And he knows what we really need (Matthew 6:8).

(John W. Ritenbaugh), ( http://usefulbible.com/ecclesiastes/foolish-wise-prayers.htm )

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SPIRITUALISM AND THE BIBLE - LIFE AFTER DEATH.

SPIRITUALISM AND THE BIBLE – LIFE AFTER DEATH.

 

 

“Spiritualism is the belief or doctrine that the spirits of the dead, surviving after the mortal life, can and do communicate with the living, especially through a person (a medium) particularly susceptible to their influence.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spiritualism).

Satan uses many successful agencies in order to seduce man and spiritualism is one of these delusive teachings.  The belief that spirits of the dead can return and/or communicate with the living is a sacred channel through which Satan works to accomplish his purpose.  The fallen angels who do Satan’s bidding appear as messengers. 

Satan has the power to bring before men what appears to be their departed friends.  His counterfeits are perfect in familiarity as far as looks, words, tone and demeanor.  Satan comforts many with the false assurance that their loved ones are enjoying bliss in heaven and he does this without any suspicion of danger.  Men give ear “…to the seducing spirits and doctrines of devils”. (1 Timothy 4:1).

The these fallen spirits sometimes utter cautions and warnings which prove to be correct.  They build confidence and then they present doctrines, by leading people to misinterpret scriptures, which actually undermines the scriptures.  They state some truths and this gives their statements the appearance of reliability and the false teachings are believed as implicitly as if they were the most sacred truths of the Bible.

He contradicts what the apostles wrote as documented in the Bible and in this way he denies the truth of the Holy Spirit and the divine origin of the Bible.  In this way Satan tears away the foundation of the Christian’s hope for eternal life and puts out the truth that reveals the only path to salvation.  This is ultimately Satan’s goal.  The same way Satan tried to exalt himself…

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:” (Isaiah 14:13).

…and lost his place in heaven, he is now trying to do the same thing to mankind.

Satan misleads people by exciting the ambition for self-exaltation.  In the place of righteousness and perfection of the infinite God, he has substituted the sinful, erring nature of man himself as the rule of judgement, standard, and character.  Instead of progressing upward toward the likeness of God, man is descending downward.

Spiritualism professes to teach Christ and the Bible.  The problem is, the Bible is interpreted in a manner that is pleasing to the ears of unrepentant men with un-renewed hearts.  Love is upheld as the chief attribute of God, but it is degraded with a weak sentimentalism and does not make a distinction between what God and Jesus Christ view as good and evil.  God’s denunciations of sin, the requirements of His holy law and His justice are all kept out of site.

Satan, as sure as the sunrises in the east, is preparing for his final effort to deceive the world.  He laid the foundation when he assured Eve in the garden “In the day ye eat thereof, then you surely not die.  In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as good as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5-5).  


God never intended man to determine "good and evil".  That is why he told Adam and Eve, (...Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  (Genesis 2:16-17). 

 

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH?

 

The Bible does not contradict itself and the word of God does not lie.  The scriptures all have to support each other in what they mean.

King Solomon wrote:

“So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.  All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

“As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.  This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun:

“The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.  Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

“For the living know that they will die but the dead know nothing.  They have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:1-6).

After we die, we do not either go to heaven, hell or somewhere else to continue to live on as a conscious being until the time when Jesus passes judgment.  When we die, we no longer exist in any conscious form, we simply "...return to dust".

Daniel 12:2 says “…those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awaken.” Explaining the present condition of the dead, they are asleep, not aware of what is going on.  Solomon explains “For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them:  as one dies, so does the other…All go to one place:  all are from dust, and all return to dust.”  (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).

Job wrote, “man comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue” (Job 14:2).  “Since his days are determined, the number of his months are with you; you have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5).  

Job goes on to note the stark reality of death when he wrote, “So man lies down and does not rise.  Till the heavens and earths are no more, they will not awake or be aroused from their sleep” (Job 14:12).  Job wrote about the complete absence of consciousness in death.

I do believe that there is both eternal and immortal life, just not the way most Christians define it.