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The
Lake of Fire
PART V
A SCRIPTURAL EXPLANATION OF THE LAKE OF FIRE
We will now delve into some spiritual matters—"yea, the
DEEP things of God."
How does the Church decide just what the lake of fire is, what
happens there, why, to whom, and for how long? Remember back about thirty pages where I
showed you that the Scriptures in Rev. 20 and 21 do not actually say what happens to a
person who is thrown into the lake of fire? It does not say they are burned or tortured.
It does not say if they are killed. It does not say how long they are in this fire (there
is an indication as to how low the beast, false prophet, and Satan are in this lake of
fire, however). So how then does the church decide that those who are thrown into this
lake of fire are tortured, in their physical flesh, by real fire, for all eternity? A
detractor recently e-mailed me and asked how I could say that a certain thing Jesus said
was "spiritual?" He told me, "Ray, these things that Jesus spoke of are
REAL!" Wow! As though "spiritual things" are NOT REAL?
I never thought about this before, but just maybe that is what
scares people about spiritual things—maybe they think spiritual things ARE NOT REAL!
I assure you that the lake of fire IS REAL. It is, in fact, MORE REAL being spiritual than
if it were physical, material, and literal!
Let me share a practice that I have seen applied to the explanation
of Scriptures. It is a common practice to compare physical things with physical things in
an endeavor to prove that the thing in question is indeed physical and literal.
Ironically, those who practice such things believe that they have accomplished a spiritual
undertaking. God, on the other hand, tells us that even all the physical things in
creation are signs of His spiritual divinity (Rom. 1:20). Contrary to human logic,
physical things are not made out of solid matter. God says they are made out of things
[‘things’ not out of nothing] which "do not appear"—invisible
things, things of God. God is invisible and therefore "visible things" are made
out of the invisible Creator God (Heb. 11:2). Scientists know this for a fact. Physical,
tangible, material substances can be reduced down to atomic and subatomic invisible
energy—SPIRITUAL ENERGY, if you will!
Theologians say that "the lake of fire" is
physical, material, and literal. They compare this phrase with similar phrases in
Scripture thinking that they have proved that the lake of fire is literal. Here are a few
examples that they believe proves that the "lake of fire" is physical, material,
and literal:
"…cast into everlasting fire…cast into hell
fire," (Matt. 18:8-9).
"…cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be
quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark.
9:45-46).
"…cast into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 13:42-43).
"Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart
from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," (Matt.
25:41).
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day
and night for ever and ever," (Rev. 20:10).
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14-15) and "But the fearful, and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death," (Rev. 21:8).
I will add one more, not because it mentions either hell or fire,
but because it is often used to establish the length of punishment in hell. "And
these shall go away into everlasting punishment…" (Matt. 25:46).
There are other verses and parables that mention "burning"
and "fire," but these are the most frequently and strongest verses used to
establish the Christian doctrine of eternal torment by literal fire. The proof that these
are all literal, however, is found in the carnal mind, and not in the Scriptures. Some of
these verses regarding "fire" may sound like they can be taken literally, but
that is not the test of whether something is literal or figurative—whether it sounds
like it could be literal. Some of the parables of Jesus sound like they could be
literal, but NONE OF THEM ARE LITERAL, they all have a higher spiritual truth than is ever
conveyed in the literal example or story.
Well, what about it? Do all of these verses combined establish that
the lake of fire is a literal fire that burns literal physical bodies as an eternal
punishment for unbelieving sinners? No, they do not. They in fact prove something quite
opposite from that of eternal torture in real fire. They have NOTHING to do with physical
bodies! They have NOTHING to do with physical torture! And they have NOTHING to do with
eternity! You have been lied to long enough: it is now time that you know the TRUTH. I am
now going to rock some boats!
"THE FLESH PROFITS NOTHING / MY WORDS
ARE SPIRIT"
When Jesus Christ said in John 6:63:
"It is the SPIRIT that quickens [gives life]; the
FLESH PROFITS NOTHING: the words that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT,
and they are life"
The Scripture then tells us in verse 66:
"From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked
no more with Him."
Why did Christ’s words so offend His own disciples? Because
they were carnal and unconverted, that’s why. They did not, could not, and would not
understand "spiritual things." They could understand and believe physical,
material, and literal things. They could not understand "spiritual" things, and
therefore they walked with Christ NO MORE!
So what’s new? Has human nature changed over the past two
thousand years? I think not. After reading this next section, many of you may decide that
you too have had ENOUGH. You may feel that these things are getting just too
"spiritual" for your liking. Maybe you too will doubt the existence of spiritual
things, and that if you can’t have things in their natural, physical, material,
carnal and literal way, then you will have none of it!
Jesus Christ asked in Luke 18:8,
"Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall He find FAITH
ON THE EARTH?"
Orthodoxy would answer, "Why YES, He will find lots of
faith—no less than a BILLION or two, filled with the faith of God." Oh really?
Does anyone believe that Jesus would have asked such a profound question if He already
knew and believed that there would be no less than a BILLION or two believing Christians
on the earth waiting to prove their faith to Him? Many professing Christians do not
believe God; they do not believe Jesus Christ; and they do not believe the Scriptures! I
didn’t say they don’t believe there is a God or that there is a Christ or that
there is a book of Scripture; I said they don’t believe God or Christ—they
don’t believe what They have said in the Scriptures.
Don’t think that I am always trying to be hard on the Christian
Church; I am not. I am trying to get people to BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES, BELIEVE GOD, and
BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST! I hear a lot of lip service, but I fear that all too many have a
heart that is far from God. We claim to believe the Scriptures, but do we really?
We may believe part of a Scripture, one word of a Scripture, someone’s interpretation
of a Scripture, our own interpretation of a Scripture, but do we believe ALL THE
SCRIPTURE? How am I to prove to someone that the lake of fire is not God’s eternal
version of a terrorist’s torture chamber, if they do not believe in the credibility
of Scriptures? If I give a Scripture and someone says, "Well, I don’t believe
that! That’s YOUR interpretation," how are we to ever establish the truth of the
Scriptures in such minds and attitudes?
There really is simplicity in the Scriptures. But who believes them?
We SAY, we TALK, we AFFIRM, we SWEAR, we PRETEND, but do we really believe the
Scriptures? "GOD IS LOVE" (I John 4:8). How many believe it? Do YOU believe it?
Not if you also believe that God will torture the majority of mankind unmercifully in real
fire for all eternity, you don’t. The two thoughts are incompatible and incongruous.
One cannot hate one’s enemies while claiming to love them. One cannot torture someone
while at the same time insisting that this is showing love. One cannot lie to his children
while claiming to be truthful. Little children understand these concepts; why can’t
adults?
Heb. 12:6-8, "For whom the Lord LOVES He chastens,
and scourges every son whom He receives. If ye endure chastening, God deals with
you as with sons; for which son is he whom the father chastens not? But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye BASTARDS, and not
sons."
There isn’t a theologian alive who can explain this Scripture
if he also believes that God will torture most of humanity in a literal lake of fire for
all eternity. God chastens EVERY son, but He does not torture him in literal fire for all
eternity. If we endure chastening, then we know that God is dealing with us as SONS! But.
. . .BUT, if any are "without chastisement" then they are "bastards,
and NOT sons." Now then, does God LOVE all His sons whom He scourges and
chastises? Yes, of course He does, He says He does. But here’s the sixty-four
thousands dollar question: "Does He also LOVE the bastards, or does He HATE the
bastards and enemies of the cross?" Don’t be too hasty to answer, as your answer
has huge and eternal consequences. Well, some may say, "Love," while others may
say, "Hate." Okay, let’s look at both:
- If God "Loves" the bastards, then He will eventually HAVE
TO CHASTEN THEM, because….He chastens "EVERY son whom He loves." And
God then "receives" all that He chastens. No exceptions here. So God can’t
burn any whom He "Loves" in a literal lake of fire for all eternity.
- But if God "Hates" the bastards who are enemies of the
cross…wait a minute…God can’t "HATE His enemies!" Jesus
Christ said we are to, "Be ye therefore perfect EVEN AS your Father which is in
Heaven is perfect." A great part of becoming perfect is to LOVE ONE’S
ENEMIES! Jesus said we are to, "LOVE YOU ENEMIES, BLESS them that curse you, DO
GOOD to them that hate you…." No exceptions here regarding any enemies that
we are allowed to hate. This is HOW ones becomes perfect like the Father. "LOVE
YOUR ENEMIES!" (Matt. 5:48 & 45)! And so God can’t burn any of these
enemies in a lake of fire for all eternity, either, and still be Our PERFECT Father Who
LOVES HIS ENEMIES, just as we are to LOVE OUR ENEMIES!
Bastards are born bastards and did not create themselves or choose
to be bastards…"!!!
By the way, just what does God do with those who are "enemies
of the cross" (Phil. 3:18)?
"For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell
you even weeping, that they are the ENEMIES of the cross of Christ: Whose end is
DESTRUCTION…"
Need I remind you of the Scriptures we covered in the last
installment on who Christ came to SAVE: those who are "lost, perished, and
destroyed?"
So by God’s Own Words He prevents Himself from hating or
torturing enemies for all eternity in a literal lake of fire. You see, GOD REALLY DOES LOVE
HIS ENEMIES! But many of us do not, and so we make God into a carnal-minded image of
ourselves, which is IDOLATRY! God has never said in His Word that He will torture anyone
in literal fire for all eternity—carnal-minded theologians have come up with such
utter rank blasphemy! Let me get frank for a moment (as if I am not normally frank). Not
many people "LOVE their enemies." No, they don’t. Don’t even
try to tell me that they do. A few do. Not many. I myself struggle with the command at
times.
DO YOU LOVE YOUR ENEMIES?
How many prayed for the seven POW’s held captive in Iraq? I
myself prayed earnestly for them. I hate the thought of being tortured, and I had no idea
how badly our POW’s were being treated. Millions upon millions prayed for them. But
how many prayed for not only Jessica, but for her enemy captors who "cursed her,
and hated her, and despitefully used her, and persecuted her?" How many?
That’s what I thought. How many would like to see her captors BURN IN HELL? (That is,
were there such a place). I rest my case. We do NOT believe the Scriptures. We
pretend! We boast! We LIE! By the way,
"…and ALL LIARS [do you see any
exceptions in that statement, ‘ALL liars?"] shall have their part in the lake
which BURNS WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8)!
How many still desire that this lake should be a LITERAL FIRE that
tortures the flesh for all eternity? So maybe you think you’re not "a
murderer, or whoremonger, or sorcerer;" maybe you are just an occasional "liar
who hates his enemies?" Think about it.
So you are one of those who "Believes the Scriptures," are
you? And you believe that billions upon billions of human beings "…shall have
their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death?" And do you believe that they will be tortured there for ALL ETERNITY? Do
you? Do you really? Is this what you think the "lake of fire/second death" is?
An eternal torture chamber? Well, then you must also concede that if you or anyone you
know is "fearful" (same verse) ("fearful" in the Greek here is
"timid"), or a "liar," then you and everyone you know who is
either "timid" or a "liar" is going to burn and burn and burn in
literal fire in this lake of fire for ALL ETERNITY. Are you ever "timid?"
Do you ever tell a "lie?" Are you ready to go to Hell
and be burned in real fire for all eternity? Why does God lump such relatively minor
character flaws such as "timidity (fearful)" with "murderers" and
"sorcerers?" Have you ever had the reason for that explained to you? Ask your
pastor, I am sure he will be able to explain it to you. (On second thought scratch that
last statement. I believe that statement is a "lie." I don’t
believe your pastor can explain it to you, and I don’t want to burn in Hell for all
eternity for being a "liar").
I can see it all now: Satan is standing at the Rusty Gates of Hell
welcoming all newcomers:
SATAN: "And why are you here, young man?"
YOUNG MAN: "In my life I was ABOMINABLE, committed MURDERS,
practiced SORCERY, and was an IDOLATER!"
SATAN: "Throw this young man into the burning lake of fire for
all eternity!"
SATAN: "And why are you here, young lady?"
YOUNG LADY: "I have never done anything abominable or committed
murder or practiced sorcery, nor was I an idolater. But when I heard all those Hell-fire
and brimstone sermons on television by all those worldly millionaire preachers of doom, I
became a little "fearful" as I am timid by nature."
SATAN: "Throw this evil sinner into the burning lake of fire
for all eternity!"
SATAN: "Demon Scribe, how many fearful and timid young ladies
have we thrown into the lake of fire thus far?
DEMON SCRIBE: "Your Unholy Corruptness: that last one makes
four billion, six hundred and eighty-nine million, five hundred and seventy-eight
thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine!"
SATAN: "Very good! Next….."
WE MUST BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES
Here is another verse that will test your faith in the Scriptures:
"That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be
saved" (Rom. 10:9).
Is not this Scripture so absolutely fundamental to our faith that
every Christian on earth believes every word of this Scripture? Let us see. Test yourself:
First we must "confess Jesus." Not just saying the name of Jesus as a real
historical Figure, but EVERYTHING THAT HIS NAME STANDS FOR! Jesus means
"Jehovah-Saviour." Saviour of what? Saviour of whom? Here’s a Scriptural
answer:
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the
Son [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD"
(I John 4:14)!
Do you know of a verse anywhere in the Bible that says Jesus will
FAIL at being "The SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD?" Do you then completely
believe Rom. 10:9 as the infallible Word of God? Do you believe that Jesus IS what His
name SAYS He is—Saviour of THE WORLD? Do you believe that His Father gave Him a
commission that could only be hoped for, but never accomplished? Do you believe that Jesus
Christ will FAIL TO LIVE UP TO HIS NAME? Well, then, if you believe that Jesus IS the
Saviour of the world, then you certainly cannot believe that He will NOT save most of the
world but rather torture most of the world for all eternity in a lake of fire.
Jesus gave a parable about a father who commissioned one of his sons
to do a job. The son said he would do what his father commissioned. However, he lied and
did not do what his father commissioned. Jesus told those Pharisees that harlots would
enter the kingdom before someone with an attitude like that, (Matt. 21:28-31)! Are we to
believe that the very Son of God Himself is no better than this failing servant in
Christ’s own parable?
What will it take before we really BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES? We hear a
great deal these days about "THE GREAT COMMISSION," (as though those talking
about it have a clue as to what it is). Teaching the gospel is certainly commanded by our
Lord, but the greatest thing about the gospel is never taught by most evangelists. That
Jesus Christ died to save a small fraction of sinners is only a small fraction of the
gospel. And the gospel is not the Great Commission. Would you like to know what The Great
Commission really is? Okay, here it is: "And we have seen and do testify that the
Father sent [Gk: apostello, to send out on a mission—commission]
TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" (I John 4:14)! See Second Witness in John
3:17. Now if anyone knows of a GREATER mission or commission than this, I am sure we would
all like to know what it is?
Now it would only be fitting that such a Dignitary ought to have a
name that exemplifies so great a commission:
"Wherefore God also has highly EXALTED HIM, and given Him A
NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME: That at THE NAME OF JESUS [Jehovah-SAVIOUR]…"
(Phil. 2:9). See Second Witness in Eph. 1:21.
Okay then, we have the "commission," and we have "a
name" befitting that commission, but do we have a Son Who will do the works of that
commission or will He fail?
"…the works which the Father hath given me to finish,
the same works that I DO, bear witness of Me…." (John 5:36).
A second witness: Did Jesus take the works ("to be the
SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD") seriously?
"I MUST WORK THE WORKS [SAVE THE WORLD] OF
HIM THAT SENT ME…." (John 9:4)!!!
What power might Jesus lack that could disable or frustrate
this august commission of His Father?
"ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME in heaven and in
earth" (Matt. 28:18)!
See Second Witness in Dan. 7:14.
Has Jesus already proven that He has enough power to overcome all
the "free wills" of the world? "Be of good cheer; I have OVERCOME THE
WORLD" (John 16:33).
See Second Witness in I John 4:4.
Maybe God doesn’t want the whole world to be saved?
"Who WILL have all men to be saved" (I Tim. 2:4).
Second witness:
"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because
we trust in the living God, Who is the Saviour of ALL MEN, especially [but not
exclusively] of those who believe" (I Tim. 4:10).
Doesn’t God will that most of humanity will eternally perish in
the lake of fire?
"The Lord…is NOT WILLING that ANY should perish [eternally]…"
(II Peter. 3:9).
Second witness:
"And I, if I be lifted up [on the cross] from the
earth, will draw ALL MEN UNTO ME" (John 12:32).
But doesn’t the whole world need first to have their sins
atoned for?
"And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for
our’s only, but also for THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD" (I John 2:2).
Second witness:
"The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and says,
Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD" (John 1:29).
Hasn’t the Church proven by their interpretation of the
"lake of fire" that it is "impossible" to save all mankind?
"Who then CAN be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto
them, With men this is impossible; but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE" (Matt.
19:25-26).
See Second Witness in Job 42:2.
Isn’t it up to each individual to "CHOOSE CHIRST" in
order to be saved?
"You have NOT CHOSEN ME, but I have CHOSEN YOU…" (John
15:16).
But didn’t Billy Graham say at one of his crusades that
"we must come to Christ all on our own?" To not even pray for those making that
decision, because that decision to "come to Christ" must be theirs and THEIRS
ALONE?
"NO MAN CAN COME TO ME [by his own free will choice]
except the Father which has sent me DRAW HIM [Greek: DRAG HIM] and I WILL
raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
See Second Witness in Verse 65.
Are you telling me that I never did seek God ON MY OWN?
"There is NONE that seeks after God" (Rom. 3:11b).
See Second Witness in Psalm 14:2.
But what if I believe that I can and I do WILL to serve God on my
own.
"For it is GOD which works IN you both TO WILL and TO DO of
His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
See Second Witness in I Cor. 15:10.
Well I know for a fact that it says in Heb. 11:6 that without faith
it is impossible to please God, so surely we must work up our OWN FAITH in order to please
God?
"For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that [that
‘FAITH’] is NOT OF YOURSELVES [well where does it come from then, if not
from US?]; it is the GIFT OF GOD" (Eph. 2:8).
Second Witness:
"…and what have you that you did not
RECEIVE….?" (I Cor. 4:7).
But surely everyone will have to acknowledge the RISEN Jesus Christ
as their Lord and their Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] before they can ever be saved, so when
does that happen?
"That at the name of Jesus [Jehovah-Saviour—THEIR
Saviour] EVERY knee should bow, in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth; and that
EVERY tongue should confess [‘That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him
from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED, Rom. 10:9)] that Jesus Christ [The
Christ that God ‘raised from the dead.’ Christ was already ‘RISEN’
when this was written in Phil. 2:11] is Lord [‘Lord’ means
‘master’—acknowledging Christ as Master of their lives], to the glory of
God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).
But doesn’t this sound like ALL that we do to be saved is OF
GOD, and not of ourselves?
"God is operating ALL in all" (I Cor. 12:6)
"Yet ALL is of God" (II Cor. 5:18)
"For OF Him, and THROUGH Him, and TO Him, ARE ALL THINGS: to
Whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:34)
"…being predestinated according to the purpose of Him
Who works ALL THINGS after the counsel of His OWN WILL" (Eph. 1:11).
This almost sounds like we can do absolutely NOTHING on our own to
bring about our own salvation.
"I am the vine, you are the branches … for without me
you can do NOTHING" (John 15:5).
All these Scriptures make it sound as if the Church has many worship
practices that are nothing but the philosophies, commandments, and traditions of men
rather than Scripture.
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men…Full well you reject the commandments of God, [like: ‘LOVE YOUR ENEMIES’] that you may keep your OWN
TRADITION" (Mark 7:7 & 9).
Am I failing to find even a single Scriptural excuse for Christ to
FAIL in His Great Commission? I hope so! Perhaps your pastor knows of a Scripture that
will justify the Christian concept that Jesus Christ will FAIL to fulfill His commission.
If anyone finds such a Scripture, be sure to e-mail me immediately.
Maybe your pastor will say that I am being too negative and
expecting too much of our Saviour. Shouldn’t I be content that Jesus saves at least a
few? The small flock? The narrow gate? The firstfruit? Is not a FIVE PERCENT success rate
something to be praised and awarded even if NINETY-FIVE PERCENT of humanity are to be lost
and eternally tortured in a lake of fire? Is FIVE PERCENT considered a GOOD RETURN on His
investment according to our Heavenly Father? Jesus gave another parable about a Lord [God]
who gave five, two, and one talents to each of his servants ("But made
Himself [Jesus] of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a SERVANT….,"
Phil. 2:7), and later reckoned with them about how well they did with their talents.
The two servants with five and two talents were praised and rewarded. The one with
one talent (TWENTY PERCENT as much as the one with five talents) gave his Lord back his
one talent to which the Lord commanded:
"And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness;
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:14-30).
The servant gave back to his Lord ALL that He had given him. Did the
Lord consider that something to be praised and rewarded? DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT GOD THE
FATHER EXPECTS NO MORE THAN THIS FROM HIS OWN SON, JESUS [JEHOVAH-SAVIOUR] THE
SAVIOUR OF THE WHOLE WORLD? God the Father commissioned HIS OWN SON to do a job,
which His Son agreed to DO.
How many of you parents would be content with your children if they
achieved the SAME PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESS, as the Church attributes to Jesus Christ in
saving the world? Are five or ten percent test scores from your children in school
acceptable to you as parents? What about if they get FIFTY percent? If they always achieve
at least a fifty percent grade on their papers, will you consider that ACCEPTABLE? Fifty
percent is considerably higher and better than what is attributed to Jesus Christ for the
work God has set before Him! Do you think that if Jesus saves FIFTY percent of humanity
that it will be "good and acceptable" to His Father?
NO! NO! A thousands times, NO! I’ll show you what percentage is
"good and acceptable" to God the Father:
"For THIS is GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE in the sight
of God our Saviour; Who will have ALL men [What percentage? Five
percent? Fifty percent?] … ALL men to be saved…" (I Tim.
2:3-4).
Jesus DIED FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD. That part of the commission is
finished ("IT IS FINISHED" Jn. 19:30). The sins of the whole world
are already forgiven,
"And He [Jesus-SAVIOUR] is the propitiation for our
sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD" (I
John 2:2)
And,
"To wit that God was in Christ, reconciling THE WORLD unto
Himself, NOT imputing [reckoning] THEIR TRESPASSES [SINS] AGAINST THEM"
(II Cor. 5:19).
Why then is not the whole world saved, NOW? Because "dying for
the sins of the world" is not the total commission. Well what pray tell could still
be remaining? Answer: JUDGMENT and KNOWLEDGE!
"And as it is appointed unto [all] men once to die,
but after this the JUDGMENT" (Heb. 9:27)
"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come into the KNOWLEDGE
of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).
"For the EARTH shall be FILLED with the KNOWLEDGE of the
glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).
"For when Thy [God’s] JUDGMENTS are in the
earth, the inhabitants of the world will LEARN [that’s KNOWLEDGE]
righteousness" (Isaiah 26:9).
Rest assured that Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] will not fail to fulfill
His commission and become an unprofitable Servant to His Father. And don’t let anyone
tell you that Jesus is only the "potential" Saviour of the world and that
actually getting saved is up to man! One cannot even be the "potential Saviour of the
world," and yet NOT save the world, because that would be proof that the
"potential" was not really there in the first place?
One cannot be the "SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD," and yet, NOT
SAVE THE WORLD!
Am I going too fast for anyone?
All that we covered here is the meaning of the name itself,
"Jesus=Jehovah Saviour." Believing in the name of Jesus also means believing the
dozens and dozens of godly character traits of our Lord. We could certainly spend many
pages going through all of the qualities of character, virtue, godliness, and love,
contained in the person of "Jesus." But hopefully many of my readers are
beginning to see the light.
Why should I have to spend paragraph after paragraph trying to
persuade people that Rom. 10:9 and I John 4:14, and I Tim. 2:4 and dozens and dozens of
Scripture just like these, really are TRUE? Why? Because many Christians DO NOT BELIEVE
THESE SCRIPTURES, THAT’S WHY!
Back to our Scripture, second part of Rom. 10:9, "…that
God has raised Him from the DEAD?" Do you believe that? Do you really? Or do you
believe as orthodoxy does that Jesus (Himself) NEVER DIED! That’s right. Jesus Christ
(the REAL Jesus) Himself, is said to have never died. Theologians teach that only His body
died. That Jesus Himself was not DEAD, but was rather on a preaching mission,
somewhere in a place called Hell, during the time He was supposed to be dead, and was
supposed to be in the heart of the earth, and was supposed to be fulfilling the sign of
Jonah, and was supposed to be paying for the sins of the world by suffering death, and
supposed to be fulfilling prophecy, all in accord with what His Father ordained for Him to
do. Do you believe "JESUS" died or that only His "body" died?
But some will protest: "How can GOD die?" God can die IN
THE FORM OF A MORTAL MAN! Jesus emptied Himself, lowered Himself, gave up His glory to
BECOME A MAN for the express purpose of DYING!
"But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the
angels for the SUFFERING OF DEATH…" (Heb. 2:9).
Remember that just as we have a spirit in us that gives us life and
at death preserves who we are, Jesus likewise had a spirit that He gave up to His Father
when He died. The life of Jesus was preserved in that spirit even though He, Himself, was
unconscious and DEAD for three days.
Please understand that what I am saying does in no way negate the
faith of those who believe that Christ DIED for them, but do not as yet understand that
Jesus Himself died, and not just His shell, His housing, His clothing of a physical body.
It is essential that one believe the Gospel, that Christ died for them and that God raised
Him again from the dead in order to be saved. This is the gospel, of course, and one
doesn’t have to "understand" a thousand and one other facts surrounding the
gospel in order to be saved. But let’s also understand that the faith to believe and
the faith to be saved is as much a GIFT from God as is the very GRACE by which we are
saved. It isn’t that we provide one (faith) and then God will provide the other
(saving grace). No. God provides BOTH (Eph. 2:8). Here is what we must believe in order to
be saved:
"That if thou shall confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
YOU SHALL BE SAVED" (Rom. 10:9).
"Sirs [Paul and Silas] what must I do to be saved?
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and YOU SHALL BE SAVED…"
(Acts 16:31).
"We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ we SHALL BE SAVED…" (Acts 15:11).
"…whereby you and all your house SHALL BE SAVED … God
gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ…"
(Acts 11:14 & 17).
"…that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead…Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we MUST BE
SAVED" (acts 4:10 & 12).
"I [Jesus the Christ] am the door: by ME if any
man enter in, HE SHALL BE SAVED…"(John 10:9).
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED" (Acts 2:21).
And, of course, EVERYONE in heaven and earth will ultimately believe
this gospel:
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Ask a hundred pastors or theologians if your mother, let’s say,
were to bow her knees in the name of Jesus [Jehovah-Saviour] Christ and confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, will she be saved? I am pretty sure all one hundred would say,
"YES, OF COURSE!" Next ask the same one hundred whether all those in heaven and
earth who will also bow and confess Jesus as Lord will be saved, and I am pretty sure all
one hundred would say, "NO, OF COURSE NOT!" See the difference? Me neither!
Ever consider how the thief on the cross was saved? It doesn’t
say whether he was Jew and circumcised, or Gentile and baptized—all it says is that
he was a sinner and he acknowledged it, (remember that it was for just such sinners that
Jesus was commissioned by God to come into the world in the first place). Did the thief on
the cross believe on the name of Jesus Christ? Did he acknowledge Christ as his Lord and
Master? Did he believe that God would raise Him from the dead? Yes, he did:
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God,
seeing you art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due
reward of our deeds: but this man has done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord,
remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 22:40-43.
The thief believed that Jesus was the Christ and the Saviour (this
Man has done nothing amiss). He acknowledged Him as his Lord and Master (calling Him
Lord). He knew that in order for Jesus to "come into" His kingdom, God would
have to resurrect Him from the dead, for soon they would all be dead. Simple, isn’t
it? I will give you my shortest possible statement as to how one is saved: "BELIEVE
THE SAVIOUR!" That’s it.
I don’t want anyone to draw false assumptions from the things
that I teach. I firmly believe that God will save ALL. But I have never said that anyone
HAS to believe that the salvation of all order to be saved, anymore than one must believe
that his faith to believe God in the first place came from God and not himself. Again, the
Scripture says we must "believe," but does not say that we must know
"where" that faith came from in the first place. I believe that we are all in
for lots of surprises when God reveals all. My papers are trying to show people the
wonderful Truths of God and His plan for the salvation of the entire human race, and the
entire heavenly host. God sent and commissioned His Son Jesus [Jehovah-Saviour] to save
the whole world. Do you believe the following Scriptures:
"For God sent NOT his Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that THE WORLD through Him [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] might be SAVED"
(John 3:17)!
"…the Lamb of God [Jehovah-SAVIOUR], which takes
away the sin of THE WORLD" (John 1:29)!
"And He [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] is the propitiation for our
sins [satisfactorily covered all sin] and not for our’s only, but also for the
sins of THE WHOLE WORLD" (I John 2:2)!
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the
Son [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] to be the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" (I John
4:14)!
"…for when Thy [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] judgments are
in the earth, the inhabitants of THE WORLD will learn righteousness" (Isaiah
26:9)!
"…for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this
is indeed the Christ, [Jehovah-SAVIOUR], the Saviour of THE WORLD" (John
4:42)!
"To wit that God was in Christ [Jehovah-SAVIOUR],
reconciling THE WORLD unto Himself, NOT imputing their trespasses unto
them…" (II Cor. 5:19)!
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation [will
you accept it?] that Christ Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] came into THE
WORLD to SAVE SINNERS…" (I Tim. 1:15)!
"And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge Him
not, for I [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] came not to judge the world, but to SAVE THE WORLD"
(John 12:47)!
How then can one believe all of these Scriptures and yet believe
that Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] will NOT SAVE, but will eternally torture in the lake of
fire, most of THE WORLD? My prayer is that many of you will, for the first time in
your lives, repent of your stubbornness, and start believing these marvelous
Scriptures.
Now it is no secret that I firmly believe that there are a dozen or
two Scriptures in the King James and other modern English Bibles that are not translated
correctly, and that those dozen or two Scriptures are of such paramount importance that
many false doctrines can be attributed to them. I also know that there are a dozen or so
English translations that DO translate those dozen or two Scriptures correctly. However,
setting those few Scriptures aside for the moment, let me say this: When I present the
really powerful and spiritual Scriptures to orthodox Christians, they invariably will
either disagree with the verse or try to contradict it with another
Scripture! I present a Scripture to prove a vital point, my opposer then presents another
verse, which he says proves my Scripture wrong. In other words, he thinks he has found a
Scripture that contradicts my Scripture, which only proves that this person believes the
Bible is a book of CONTRADICTING SCRIPTURES! Unbelievable!
DO YOU BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES?
Test yourself now with another classic prophetic verse that I firmly
believe, but that I have had many Christians tell me will never be fulfilled. The verse I
am referencing is correctly translated; it is profoundly and simply stated; and yet is
believed by virtually NO ONE! Most Christians don’t believe it because THEY
DON’T WANT TO BELIEVE IT. If I were to show you a Scripture that says God will NOT
torture most of humanity in an eternal lake of fire, would you believe it? What if I
showed you a dozen such Scriptures? What about two dozen? Let’s just try one and see
how serious you are about believing the Scriptures. We cannot believe that God will save
ALL mankind while, at the same time, torturing most of the mankind in an eternal lake of
fire, now can we? Here then is just one profound and beautiful statement of Good News from
God that virtually none of the Christian world teaches or believes:
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour: Who WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come unto
the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).
Now I don’t mean to be continually picking on the World of
Christendom, but understand that it is ONLY Christians (lead by Christian theologians,
clergymen, pastors, and teachers) that teach the whole world that Jesus Christ, the
Saviour of the Whole World (I Jn. 4:14), WILL NOT SAVE THE WHOLE WORLD. It is only THEY,
who teach the world that this prophecy in I Tim. 2:4 will NEVER COME TO PASS. And so in
being obedient to Titus 1:9, I expose them for their heresy. If atheists and pagans and
heathens had a billion-dollar campaign to tell the world that I Tim. 2:4 will never come
to pass, then I would expose them as well!
Understanding the colossal and far-reaching implications of such a
verse, many translators have tried to water down this Scripture. People have told me
personally many times that this verse doesn’t mean that God really "will"
save all men, but that He only "desires," "wants" "longs"
and "wishes" that if only He could save all mankind, it would "please"
Him. And I have four translations that use the words, "desires, wants, longs, and
wishes" in this verse! NONE of which are a correct translation of this verse.
Consider for a moment if this verse had said in the original Greek
manuscripts that, "God our Saviour Who desires and pleases that all men be
saved." Would such a translation open the door to possible failure as most
contend? Is there a verse of Scripture somewhere that declares that God can’t have or
bring about things for which He only desires or pleases? IS THERE? WHERE? SHOW ME? Before
we can believe that God will actually and factually DO WHAT HE SAYS, is it necessary and
mandatory that He say something like this: "I swear on a stack of Bibles that I
absolutely, positively will do, accomplish, and carry out 100%, totally and
completely……such and such." So why make such unscriptural and stupid
statements that if God only "desires or pleases" for something He can’t
always have what He wants? After all, HE’S ONLY GOD!!!
Let’s now look at a few verses where “thelo” has to
mean something that absolutely is going to be, rather than only wished for:
- “I will [thelo] not send them away
fasting…” (Matt. 15:28).
Jesus not only “desired” to not send them away, HE absolutely was not going to
send them away famished.
- “To whom our fathers would [thelo] not
obey…” (Acts 7:39).
Is anyone so silly as to assert that Israel only “DESIRED” to disobey God, but
maybe they really wouldn’t disobey?
- “What will [thelo] this babbler [Paul]
say?” (Acts 17:18).
Where these Greeks only interested in what Paul “desired” to say? If Paul would
not actually say anything, but only “desire” to say something, then the Greeks
would have to be mind-readers to know what Paul only “desired” to say, but maybe
wouldn’t actually say audibly. No, they wanted to hear what Paul “would”
say, not what maybe Paul “desired” to say.
- “For I will [thelo] not see you
now…” (I Cor. 16:7).
Was Paul really telling them that he had no “desire” to see them now? Of
course not, he had a very strong desire to see them, but it just was not possible to see
them now. Paul was clearly stating a physical hindrance to seeing them now rather
than that he had NO EMOTIONAL DESIRE to see them now.
- “For it is GOD which works in you both to will [thelo]
and TO DO…” (Phil. 2:13).
When God’s Word adds “to DO” to the word “will/thelo,” it becomes
a contradiction to say that the “will” part does not have to come to fruition.
The “and TO DO” makes the “thelo/will” an absolute necessity rather
than a mere wish.
- “If any would [thelo] not work, either
should he eat” (II Thes. 3:10).
Imagine Paul stating that if anyone has a ‘desire not to work” then he
shouldn’t eat? Why that would include just about everyone, even those who do
work. Most people in the world have no “DESIRE” to work when the alarm clock
goes off, but they go to work anyway, because they know that is the only way they
“will eat.”
- “Yea, and shall that will [thelo] live
godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12).
Can we even imagine Paul telling us that if we don’t actually, but only desire, to
live godly in Jesus, we will, nevertheless, suffer persecution? Do people suffer
persecution for what they “think or desire in their heart,” but don’t
actually live out in their Christian walk? Absurd. “Thelo” will be fulfilled
just as “thelemo” will be fulfilled.
Well, that’s seven, a good number to stop.
God is not obligated to even state whether he "wills" or
"desires" something or not; all He has to do is SPEAK IT! God "SPOKE
IT" in I Tim. 2:4; that’s all that is necessary for it to be accomplished.
Are we so blind that we cannot see that it is blasphemy for mere mortals to diminish,
disparage, degrade, and derogate the desires of VERY GOD into watered-down, wish-washy,
unattainable, weak wishes? The SAME GOD Who created the entirety of the universe with its
TWO HUNDRED BILLION GALAXIES EACH HAVING TWO HUNDRED BILLION STARS? And pious,
carnal-minded theologians tell us that God WILL NOT accomplish His Own desires? !
Must we assume that if God had said: "I will [Gk: thelema]
that there be light" that then there WOULD be light?" But had He said: "I
will [Gk: telo] that there be light" that then there WOULD NOT be light? It is
foolish and demeaning to try to relegate a POSITIVE statement of intent by God into a
NEGATIVE and unattainable reality. All God had to say was: "LET there be light and
there WAS light"! God is not obligated to preface everything that He says He plans do
with such words as, I will…, I wish…, I desire…, It pleases me to…,
etc. Has not the Lord also "spoken it" in I Tim. 2:4? All God has to do is SPEAK
THE WORDS AND IT WILL SURELY COME TO PASS. Now then, are there any who doubt
that I Tim. 2:4 ARE THE WORDS OF GOD? Then why do so many insist that it will NEVER
HAPPEN? They have not a love of the Truth. They do not believe God. They do not believe
Jesus Christ. They do not believe the Scriptures!
They are traitors of the Truth.
More proof: We have shown that God doesn’t need to use a
strong word such as "WILL" in order for His word to be fulfilled. But on those
occasions when God uses a word such as "pleases," "desires," or
"wills," does not that word then contain within its meaning the possibility of
negating God’s whole statement? No, absolutely NOT. If it merely "pleases"
God to do something, it will be done just as assuredly as if He had "WILLED" it,
"So shall my WORD be that goes forth OUT OF MY MOUTH [just
as in I Tim. 2:4 and everywhere else] it shall NOT return into me void, but it SHALL
ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, and it SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WHERETO I
SENT IT" (Isaiah 55:11).
Here then is an opportunity for everyone to stand up and be counted.
Is Isaiah 55:11 TRUE or is it FALSE or is it only sometimes true and sometimes false? The
only negative in that verse is: "it shall NOT return into me void." That
is the only thing that can NOT happen in this verse. Notice God’s Word, "SHALL
go forth…," "SHALL accomplish that which I please…" and it
"SHALL prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." This is not rocket science.
This is 1, 2, 3, elementary deduction:
- "ALL Scripture is given by inspiration [Greek:
God-breathed—out of His mouth] of GOD…" (II Tim. 3:16).
- I Timothy 2:4 IS " SCRIPTURE"!
- Therefore what God has inspired (breathed) in I Tim. 2:4, "SHALL
go forth…," It is has gone forth for nearly two thousand years and is going
forth over the whole internet on this very printed page that you are reading. It also "SHALL
accomplish that which I please…," Is the word "will" weaker than
the word "please"? And finally, it "SHALL prosper in the thing whereto I
sent it."
So here we have just one more Scripture that says God, SHALL,
SHALL, SHALL, while at the same time Traitors of the Truth tell us that God, shall
NOT, shall NOT, shall NOT!
So again I ask, if God only "pleases" that something
prosper in the word that He sent fort to accomplish, shall it "prosper" or shall
it not "prosper?" Theologians say if God only "pleases" that all men
be saved, then THEY WILL NOT ALL BE SAVED, but God says if He "pleases" to do
something, "…IT SHALL PROSPER in the thing whereto I sent it." Who
ya gonna believe: men or GOD?
More proof: I Tim. 2:4 says that God "wills" that
all mankind be saved. What determines God’s will? Answer:
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who works [operates] ALL THINGS after
the COUNSEL of his own WILL" (Eph. 1:11).
Now then, will God’s "counsel" stand? Answer:
"There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless
the COUNSEL of the LORD, that SHALL STAND" (Prov. 19:21).
Will God’s "will" be done both in the heavens and on
the earth? YES:
"Our Father Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE in earth, as it is in
heaven" (Matt. 6:10).
More proof: When God speaks something, is He so weak and
incapable as mortal men who make great boasts and are unable to accomplish their boast?
"God is NOT a man, that He should LIE [do we think God
LIES when He says that He WILL save all mankind in I Tim. 2:4?]; neither the son of
man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not DO IT? Or has He spoken [as
in I Tim. 2:4 and many other places], and shall He not MAKE IT GOOD?" (Numbers
23:19).
Well? Those of you who contend with your Maker: "Hath God
SAID" in I Tim. 2:4 that He "WILL have all men to be saved?"
Well then, "SHALL HE NOT DO IT?" (Num. 23:19). Has "He
[God] SPOKEN" in I Tim. 2:4 and many other places, that He "…WILL
have all men to be saved?" Well then, "…shall He NOT MAKE
IT GOOD?" (Num. 23:19).
More proof:
"…Let God be TRUE [Who says He "WILL
save ALL MANKIND"], but every man a LIAR [who says He WILL NOT "save
ALL MANKIND"]!
More proof:
"Remember the former things of old: for I am GOD, and there is
none else; I am GOD, and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and
from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel SHALL STAND, and
WILL DO ALL MY PLEASURE [as in I Tim. 2:4 and everywhere else]:
Calling a ravenous bird from the east [Cyrus?], the man that
executes my counsel [just as the king of Assyria] from a far country: yea, I have
SPOKEN IT [as in I Tim. 2:4 and everywhere else] I WILL ALSO BRING IT TO PASS [as
also in saving all mankind]; I have PURPOSED IT [as also in saving all mankind]
I WILL ALSO DO IT" (Isaiah 46:9-11).
God says, "I WILL DO IT," and He will also do
EVERYTHING ELSE that He has , said, declared, spoken, desired, counseled, willed,
decreed, or pleased in His Word!
By the way, God NEVER, EVER "wishes" or "hopes"
for ANYTHING! He "desires" things that absolutely are certain to come about, but
God never wishes or hopes for things that may or may not come about! The very thought of
God "hoping" for something, blasphemes His sovereignty!
Now then, how many of my readers still believe that God will NOT
save all mankind as He says He "WILLS" in I Tim. 2:4? It is foolish and stupid
to insist that God will not perform and fulfill and do His Own WILL in I Tim. 2:4. I have
PROVEN it by the Scriptures. I have given you the absolute proof from both the etymology
of words and the many Scriptures regarding the fulfillment of God’s will, pleasures,
word, desires, etc., etc., etc. Anyone who denies that I Tim. 2:4 will be fulfilled also
must deny HUNDREDS of other Scriptures as well. But yet I sense in my spirit a dozen
carnal minds out there in computerland that are anguishing over a new approach to prove
that I Tim. 2:4 will never be accomplished and that this verse is at best a
never-to-be-fulfilled pipe dream of our Great Creator God and Saviour.
Consider this: Suppose I Tim. 2:3-4 did not say what is in
our Bibles, but suppose it said the following: "For this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Saviour; Who will NOT have all men to be saved, and to come
unto the knowledge of the truth."
Would not every single detractor who teaches that God will NOT save
all humanity then use this Scripture to PROVE THAT GOD WILL NOT SAVE ALL MEN? YES
OF COURSE THEY WOULD; YOU KNOW THEY WOULD! They would be delighted to show from the
Scriptures a statement saying that God "WILL NOT" save all men? And this
Scripture would then be the one most profound statements in all Scripture to back up their
doctrine that all men will NOT be saved. This would be their "proof text" that
God most assuredly WILL NOT (pardon my redundancy here, but I am attempting to make
a point of major consequence) save all men.
Now then, the ONLY difference between the fabricated verse above and
the real verse found in all Bibles in I Tim. 2:3-4 is the addition of the word
"not." So if the addition of the word "NOT" would prove that God will not
save all men, then the deletion of the word "NOT" would have to prove that God
WILL save all men—this is axiomatic! So if this verse had said that God "WILL NOT"
save all men, then it would definitely mean that all men will NOT be saved. I don’t
think there is a theologian alive who would deny that! But here is the unbelievable irony
of their teaching: since it says that God "WILL have all men to be saved"
(according to theologians), this phrase also MEANS THAT GOD WILL NOT SAVE
ALL MEN! Excuse me, but am I missing something here?
When Christians don’t want to believe that God will save all
humanity, it doesn’t matter what God says. They will believe what they want, not what
the Bible says.
If anyone believes that God’s statement that He "will"
save all mankind really means that He "will NOT" save all mankind, then maybe
they had better click off this site and listen to some Jack Van Impe tapes prophesying
that according to his newly revealed knowledge of the length of a Biblical generation,
Jesus Christ will return to set up His kingdom in the year 1996! Yes, you saw that
correctly, I said NINETEEN NINETY-SIX! In 1990, when I heard Jack say that, I
PROPHESIED that Jack didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about. It is now,
2003! I’ll say this, however, Mr. Van Impe certainly has a lot of Scripture verses
memorized—now if he only he knew their meaning. (Excuse my little diversion—just
trying to relax your intense concentration for a moment with a little humor).
Imagine if I Tim. 2:3-4 really did say that "God will NOT save
all men," and then I would try to argue (using the same stupid scholarship as
theologians use) that this verse doesn’t really mean that God will NOT save all men,
but that it means He only "DESIRES" that all men "NOT" be saved when
in reality they WILL all be saved, even if God were to say He "will NOT" save
all men. Would not my detractors try to laugh me to scorn over such inane reasoning? OF
COURSE THEY WOULD! YOU KNOW THEY WOULD. EVEN THEY KNOW THEY WOULD. Well, guess
what? The word "NOT" is NOT in this verse. So God really "WILL save
ALL men!"
Here then is true Christian scholarship: If God will NOT save all
men, then He will NOT save all men, and if God WILL save all men, then He also will
NOT save all men!! Do you see now why it has become popular to say that: "You can
prove ANYTHING from the Bible?" And HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of Christians do not see a
problem with kind of inane and insane reasoning! Does anyone think that the word
"HYPOCRISY" is too strong to describe the way God’s word is slanderously
perverted to maintain such evil doctrines as eternal torment in a lake of fire for those
whom theologians say God won’t save even though God says He WILL save them?
Do you still believe that the "lake of fire" contradicts I
Tim. 2:4, and that when God says He WILL save all men, what He really means is that He
will NOT save all men, but will rather torture MOST men for all eternity in a lake of real
fire? Is that what you still believe?
Let’s not neglect the first part of the sentence which begins
in verse 3 of I Tim. 2:
"For this is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE in the sight
of God our Saviour…"
That God will "have ALL men to be saved" is both
GOOD and ACCEPTABLE in God’s sight. These verses do NOT say: "For this is GOOD
and ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour; Who WILL NOT have all men to be
saved, and WILL NOT have all men come unto the knowledge of the truth" now
does it? Theologians tell us that the reality of this Scripture is that all men WILL NOT
come into a knowledge of the truth and that all men WILL NOT be saved. THAT they tell us
is the reality and truth of the Scriptures.
Now then, if the reality is that all men WILL NOT BE SAVED, but
rather most men will be tortured in a literal lake of fire for all eternity, I ask: Is
this "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our SAVIOUR? Again I ask:
Is it "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE" that most of humanity be tortured for
all eternity? If it is "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE" that God DOES save all
mankind, then it CANNOT also be "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE" that
God DOES NOT save all mankind! Am I going too fast for anyone?
I believe that our Christian friends have been once more painted
into their little theological corner from which the only way out is repentance!
God says in I Tim. 2:3 that it is "good and acceptable"
that all men come to a knowledge of the truth and that all men be saved. This is a fact.
This is not debatable. We know for sure the answer to that question. However, theologians
tell us that most men (and women and teens) will be tortured in a lake of fire for all
eternity, so they will NOT all be saved. Hence my next question: Is it "good and
acceptable" in the sight of God our Saviour that most of humanity be tortured in
a literal lake of fire for all eternity?
If we say: "Yes," we blaspheme!
If we say: "No," then God is compelled to do what IS
"good and acceptable!"
Does anyone have a third alternative to this question? Do we really
believe the Scriptures?
I can give you much more proof on this one verse, but more proof is
not what we need. What we need is FAITH! FAITH to believe God; FAITH to believe Christ;
FAITH to believe the Word!
So that was my little "test verse" to see how many truly
believe the Word of God and have a love of the Truth. If you will not and can not believe
I Tim. 2:4, then what need have I to show you more verses that you ALSO WILL NOT BELIEVE?
If you still believe that I Tim. 2:4 will NEVER be fulfilled, then you have just proven to
yourself conclusively that you will NEVER accept ANY VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THAT DOES NOT
AGREE WITH YOUR OWN PRECONCEIVED PERSONAL AND CARNAL DOCTRINES!
There are only two options for those who claim that I Tim. 2:4 will
NEVER come to pass: (1) You must prove that this verse is WRONGLY TRANSLATED and has a
different meaning from what is stated, or (2) You must confess that YOU REALLY DON’T
BELIEVE that the Scriptures are the divinely inspired Words of God. You have now been
painted into your own little theological corner, and the only way out is REPENTANCE! There
is NO WAY AROUND this verse in I Tim. 2:4 (and a dozen just like it). I have book-ended
this verse so that no one can Scripturally contradict it. Anyone who attempts to do so is
a LIAR and attempts to make God a LIAR! Now then, with that said:
"…and ALL LIARS, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8)!
But know this: all liars enter the lake of fire, but after going
through it, they emerge honest as the day is long! I will prove that! For those of you who
still have a love of the Truth, let’s continue:
Now for all of those who insist that all of God’s Word must be
taken literally, I have another problem verse for you. Jesus Christ said in John
6:63b:
"…the words that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT
and they are life."
Even this simple statement is a metaphor! Condensed, it says this:
"[my] words are spirit." That’s not literal; that’s figurative.
Here’s the proof: If all the words that Jesus spoke were "literally"
"spirit," then no one could ever READ THEM. You could never see them on a
printed page because THEY WOULD BE INVISIBLE! SPIRIT IS INVISIBLE! GOD IS INVISIBLE!
Maybe here is the place that I should explain what I believe a
metaphor represents. I have heard many and complicated theories as to what the components
of a metaphor are and represent. Here are a few:
"The lake of fire, which, by virtue of being its cause, thus, represents
the second death.
Not true.
"In the interpretation of a metaphor, the goal is to take note
of the essential way in which the SYMBOLIC subject is like the LITERAL predicate."
Not true.
"Indeed, if in the presence of a symbolic, subject-expression,
the meaning of the predicate-expression were itself unknowable—which would be the
case if the predicate expression were a figure of speech—it would be IMPOSSIBLE to
note the likeness between the two." (All CAPS are mine).
Not true.
"Meaningful, metaphorical usage entails a literal, predicate
nominative."
Not true.
Not one of the above definitions of a metaphor is true.
Interestingly, the same person who says that the subject of a
metaphor must be "symbolic" and the predicate "literal" or there would
be no real comparison to determine the meaning of the metaphor, also goes on to say that
the people thrown into this lake of fire are LITERALLY burned up and DIE. So they would
have to die and be burned by SYMBOLIC FIRE? Give me a break. Symbolic fire does not
literally burn up physical matter! The reverse is also true: LITERAL FIRE cannot burn up
SYMBOLIC BODIES! No, the subject AND predicate of this metaphor are BOTH symbolic! Nor
does one part of a metaphor "represent" the other part as stated above.
The above definitions of a metaphor just won’t work in the real
world. Let’s try a couple:
"All flesh is grass" (I Pet. 1:24)
"All flesh represents grass"—In no way does
"all flesh" represent "grass"!
"All symbolic flesh is literal
grass"—In what way is "symbolic flesh," "literal GRASS? Or, in
what way is literal grass like symbolic flesh. This is nonsense.
"All flesh" is itself a symbol for "life"
and specifically HUMAN LIFE. "Grass" is ALSO a symbol for a very fragile
FORM OF LIFE. BOTH are symbols! And it is not "impossible," but rather very easy
to see the likeness between them.
For the benefit of my critics, let me get technical here for just a
paragraph and then we will move on. Even a metaphor must be understood in the context that
we find it, as no Scripture is its OWN interpretation. In our example "all flesh
is grass," it does not say whether it means, "all living flesh is living
grass" or "all living flesh is dead grass" or "all dead
flesh is living grass" or "all dead flesh is dead
grass." Is it important for us to know which it is? Well, yes it is, and God tells us
in the verses that follow:
"All flesh is grass, And all its glory is as the flower of
grass. Withered is the grass, And the flower falls off … Yet the declaration
of the Lord is remaining…" (I Pet. 1:24-25).
This clearly shows a flowering grass in the "process" of
dying, contrasted with God’s declarations which "remain" and do not die. In
Isaiah 40:6-8, we also have the phrase, "the PEOPLE is grass," so again,
we are speaking of living people who will rather quickly become like "dying
grass."
Now then, is there a simple way that we can at least represent all
metaphors in an intelligent, understandable statement? I think so. I have come up with a
statement that seems to represent ALL metaphors correctly and honestly. Here is how it
works: Take ANY metaphor and apply this principle to it:
A. "The WORDS that I speak unto you, they are
SPIRIT." Or condensed: [My] Words ARE Spirit.
Next, add the words "like" and "in certain
ways," and state the metaphor like this:
B. "The WORDS that I speak unto you, they are [like]
SPIRIT [in certain ways].
There it is. Simple. Christ’s words are not literally
spirit, but like spirit, but not in all ways, only in certain ways. And so
far I have found this principle to work in all metaphors. Christ’s words are not like
spirit in that they can be audibly heard by physical ears. They are not like spirit in
that we have them on physical paper imprinted with physical ink, etc. But they are
like spirit in that they have INVISIBLE POWER. Jesus Himself gives us an explanation of
this very sort of thing,
"The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound
thereof, but can not tell whence it comes, and where it goes, SO IS every one that is born
of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
Jesus could have used a metaphor here and said something like this: "Those
born of the Spirit are wind." But He didn’t. He explained in what "certain
ways" they are "like" the wind. And that, you see, is what a
metaphor really is. Now let’s try this principle to other metaphors and see if it
does not simplify them:
A. "Take, eat: this [bread] is my body" Or
condensed: "Bread is Body"
B. "Take eat: this [bread] is [like] my
body [in certain ways]"
As physical bread gives nourishment to the physical body, the Bread
from heaven is spiritual nourishment to our spiritual life as if we were eating
Christ’s spiritual body.
A. "All flesh is grass" (I Pet. 1:24) Or
condensed: "Flesh is Grass"
B. "All flesh is [like] grass [in certain ways].
Flesh, specifically that of humans, is very fragile like grass.
It is short lived. It is easily killed or destroyed, etc.
A. "The lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rev.
20:14). Or condensed: "Lake of fire is Second death"
B. "The lake of fire is [like] the second
death [in certain ways]."
But before we can see in what ways the lake of fire is like
the second death, we must determine what this lake of fire is and what the second death
is.
This metaphor is, admittedly, considerably more complex than most
for a number of reasons:
- The subject contains the addition of an adjective.
- The Predicate contains the addition of an adjective.
- The phrase "lake of fire" is used nowhere else in
Scripture.
- The Phrase "second death" is used nowhere else in
Scripture.
- A lake is a body of water not fire.
- Nowhere do we find a counter-balancing phrase such as "the first
death."
- Satan is thrown into this metaphor—real fire can’t hurt
him.
- Why are the beast and false prophet thrown in to this metaphor before
Satan?
- Although it is called the "second death," NO ONE ACTUALLY DIES!
- Why would we find "brimstone" or sulfur in this
metaphor—brimstone is not something that is used to torture? (
- Death and hades are thrown into this metaphor—death and hades
are not living creatures.
- Many humans are thrown into this metaphor, but we are not told that
their bodies are either "burned" or "killed."
- Being only "fearful" (Greek: "timid") is cause to
be thrown into this lake of fire. Even my detractors might find eternal torture rather
excessive punishment for merely being "timid." There are Scriptural answers to
all these enigmas.
How then shall we interpret this metaphorical Scripture? Or is this
the enigma of all enigmas? The riddle of all riddles? Actually the Scriptures tell us exactly
what this "lake of fire/second death" really is. But let me be quick to reassure
you that we will never come to an understanding of this metaphor by applying the
principles of Christian Theology. This metaphor is NOT physical, material, or literal, but
SPIRITUAL in every way! We must look to the spiritual, through spiritual eyes if we are to
ever comprehend this enigmatic metaphor.
THE KEYS TO SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION
We will consider four guiding Scriptures:
1. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is
of any private interpretation" (II Pet. 1:20).
The KJV is not the best translation of this verse—it is neither
by far the worst. The word "private" tends to fog the understanding of this
Scripture. If no Scripture is to be of a "private" interpretation, are we to
look for a "PUBLIC" interpretation? That sounds silly.
This is a profoundly important verse when it comes to interpreting
Scripture. Yet, I doubt that there are many who understand this verse.
The Greek word translated "private" in the KJV is the word
idios, and although it can mean private or separate, more specifically it
has reference to "one’s OWN" or "his OWN" or "their
OWN" or "your OWN" or "OWN." In this case, it would mean
"ITS own" as a prophecy is non-personal and inanimate. See Strong’s Greek
Dictionary p. 119. Now notice a couple of translations that retain this definition:
First from the Concordant Greek Text in an "Ultraliteral
English Sublinear": "…this BEFORE-most KNOWING that EVERY
BEFORE-AVERment OF-WRITing OWN ON-LOOSing NOT IS-BECOMING."
Rendered in the Translation as: "…knowing this
first, that no prophecy of Scripture at all is becoming its OWN
explanation."—Concordant Literal New Testament
Next from the Emphatic Diaglott English Interlineary: "…this
first knowing, that all prophecy of a writing, of its OWN loosing not it is."
Rendered in the Translation as: "This first ascertaining,
That All Prophecy of Scripture is not of its OWN Solution"—The
Emphatic Diaglot, A New Emphatic Version.
I go to all these extra efforts of showing you the Greek so that you
can be convinced yourself and not just believe that this is "my interpretation"
of how a verse can or cannot be "interpreted."
So now we can make sense out of this verse, and how profound it is.
It destroys the carnal minded approach to Scriptural interpretation. So here is what God
is teaching us. No prophetic statement (Revelation is prophecy—See Rev. 22:18, "…the
words of the prophecy of this scroll") has within its OWN statement the
explanation and fulfillment of that statement. Therefore it is wrong and unscriptural to
insist that the very verse that contains the prophecy (such as "the lake of fire.
This is the second death") has within itself the interpretation of itself.
That’s what God has now taught us in II Pet. 1:20! Therefore, we must go elsewhere to
find the correct interpretation. But how do we do that without making blunders and
mistakes? We have three more Key verses that will keep us on the right track.
2. "It is the spirit that quickens [makes alive]; the
flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT and they
are life."
We touched on this verse already, but it is an important part of our
four-verse key. Again I ask: Who believes this verse? If the words that Jesus spoke are
"spirit," then how can anyone suggest that everything He said must be taken
"literally?" Christ taught in public by parables only. Parables are spiritual,
not literal. The book of Revelation is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ,"
therefore the words of the book of Revelation are SPIRIT! The book of Revelation was
"signified" (that is SYMBOLIZED). It is a whole book of symbols, metaphors, and
figurative language. Therefore the metaphor: "the lake of fire which is the second
death" must be spiritual! But how do we discern things that are
"spiritual?"
We need another key.
3. "But the natural man receives not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED" (I Cor. 2:14).
And so when I explain spiritual things, I get a lot of e-mail from
Christians who condemn me in not too flattering tones, because they are carnal and cannot
possibly receive spiritual things. They truly are FOOLISHNESS to them. They ask me if I
can’t read. They tell me the verse ITSELF tells us what it means. (But isn’t
that just what Peter said cannot be done? That no verse of prophecy explains ITSELF)?
There are reasons God put these verses in the Scriptures.
Remember earlier when we discussed how theologians compare physical
things with physical things thinking that they will accomplish something spiritual? Show
me a Scripture where God instructs us to compare physical things with physical things for
spiritual understanding? SHOW ME! David said "A good understanding have all they that
KEEP God’s commandments." The problem with all too many is that they don’t
obey God ("Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed CAN BE" Rom. 8:7), and they don’t believe
God. We MUST believe God when we are told that the book of Revelation is the words of
Jesus Christ and therefore is SPIRIT! Next I will give you one of God’s commandments
we are to follow if we are to ever understand such things as "the lake of fire."
The Scriptures don’t command us to compare physical things with
spiritual things or spiritual things with physical things or physical things with physical
things, so why do we do it? That is exactly how theologians have come to believe that the
lake of fire and second death are literal physical tortures for all eternity. They have
compared physical fire with physical fire and came up with the conclusion that the lake of
fire is physical, material, literal FIRE! God never instructed us to learn spiritual
lessons in this manner!
Next we will see how God does instruct us to understand SPIRITUAL
MATTERS.
4. "Which things also we speak, not in words which
man’s wisdom teacheth [not by comparing physical things with physical things],
but which the HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES; COMPARING [OR MATCHING] SPIRITUAL THINGS
WITH SPIRITUAL" (I Cor. 2:13)!
This is really quite profound. This marvelous Scripture, plus the
three prior Scriptures will open up understanding to us that has been closed to many
Christians for two thousand years.
Let’s recap what we have discovered about "the lake of
fire" so far, not according to man’s wisdom, but according to God’s
declarations in the SCRIPTURES:
- "The lake of fire is the second death" is FIGURATIVE
language.
- "The lake of fire is the second death" is composed of four
word SYMBOLS.
- "The lake of fire is the second death" is a classic example
of a METAPHOR.
- "The lake of fire is the second death" was written in a
book that was SIGNIFIED which makes something known by a sign, and a sign is a symbol.
- "The lake of fire is the second death" is a statement of
prophecy and cannot be its OWN INTERPRETATION according to II Pet. 1:20.
- "The lake of fire is the second death" is a prophecy by Jesus,
and Jesus has told us that His words are SPIRIT!
- "Things of the SPIRIT…are SPIRITUALLY discerned" (I
Cor. 2:13). The "lake of fire" cannot, therefore, be PHYSICALLY discerned.
Here are seven proofs that "the lake of fire is the second
death" cannot possibly be physical, material, and literal, as many claim to deduce
from the verse itself.
Now back to our fourth key verse: "…comparing spiritual
things with spiritual." Several translations make this "…matching
spiritual things with spiritual." And that word "matching" clarifies
this verse even more. Notice the next verse which we have already quoted above, "But
the natural [carnal, Greek: animal man] receives NOT the things of the Spirit of
God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither CAN he know them, because they are
SPIRITUALLY discerned." Now I have heard that verse quoted as many times as any
of you, but how many quoting it had even a clue as to what they were quoting? It is often
used by charismatic preachers to insinuate that they have special powers of spiritual
discernment, and can therefore read your mind and heart and know whether you are in a bad
attitude or maybe have a demon, etc., etc. But notice that God tells us exactly how to
have "spiritual discernment." We are to follow the instruction in the preceding
verse: "comparing [and/or matching] SPIRITUAL things with SPIRITUAL!"
So we have SEVEN proofs that this "lake of fire-second
death" is FIGURATIVE language SIGNIFIED IN SYMBOLS, taking the form of a METAPHOR
witnessed by John in a VISION and written in a BOOK OF SYMBOLS that is prophetic and
therefore cannot be its OWN INTERPRETATION, being a revelation of Christ Who’s words
are SPIRIT! And therefore we know two things to be absolute Scriptural truth: (1) This
phrase is SPIRITUAL in meaning and not literal. (2) This prophecy cannot be its OWN
INTERPRETATION as God commands in II Pet. 1:20. But if one doesn’t believe these
seven spiritual proofs (or even ONE of them), how is he to have a spiritual understanding
of spiritual things? To find the true interpretation of this spiritual metaphor we must
compare it with other spiritual teachings of the same nature until we find a MATCH!
Before we look for something spiritual to match this metaphor, it
will be helpful to know just what it means to be "spiritual." There is a giant
different between something sounding spiritual and something that actually is spiritual.
WHAT DOES "SPIRITUAL" MEAN?
The American Heritage Dictionary, p. 1335, spiritual adj.
1. Of, relating in, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; NOT TANGIBLE
OR MATERIAL.
Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, "spiritual"
#4152, pneumatkos, "Pneumatkos ALWAYS connotes the ideas of
INVISIBILITY and of POWER" p. 205. (All CAPS are mine).
THE "LAKE OF FIRE-SECOND DEATH" IS NOT TANGIBLE OR
MATERIAL OR LITERAL, BUT RATHER IS AN INVISIBLE POWER! THE LAKE OF FIRE IS SPIRITUAL!
That’s right: the lake of fire is spiritual and therefore
invisible. No one will ever SEE the lake of fire; just as no one will ever SEE God’s
Spirit; and just as no one will ever SEE God’s "consuming fire" (Heb.
12:29). But make no mistake about it; the lake of fire is REAL, and it is very HOT, and it
BURNS things, and its effects are ETERNAL—all, of course, SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING.
We need also to understand that not everything that is
"spiritual" is holy and good. There is also "spiritual wickedness"
(Eph. 6:12). Many believe that the impartation of "immortality" and
"incorruption" automatically impart holiness and perfection as well. This is
obviously not true, as there is much "spiritual wickedness" in high places among
those who do possess incorruption and immortality. We must understand that something
"spiritual" can also be extremely wicked, as this has much to do with the
purpose and function of the lake of fire. Not only is the lake of fire itself
"spiritual," but, everything that is thrown into the lake of fire is either
spiritual or at least inanimate or intangible (as with "hades and death").
Okay, fine; the lake of fire is spiritual, but what about these
questions: Who are thrown into it? When is it? Where is it? Why is it? What does it
accomplish? How long will it burn, and how can you escape it? Now I could answer all those
in one sentence, but it wouldn’t be very detailed, and I am sure you would want to
know more.
I think most of my readers by now realize that I don’t believe
for one second that the lake of fire is some hellhole of real fire that burns and tortures
human flesh for all eternity. So we will now concentrate on just what the lake of fire is,
what it accomplishes, for whom, and how long will it take.
To do this we must follow God’s four keys to understand
spiritual things. God has provided these Scriptural keys so that the wise can and will
understand His Word. We need to compare this SPIRITUAL lake of fire with something else
SPIRITUAL that will tell us exactly what it is and what it does, to whom, and for how
long. Is there such a spiritual Scripture in the Bible that matches the spiritual lake of
fire? Yes, there is. There is but one other section of Scripture that fits that of the
lake of fire and actually tells us what happens there.
A SPIRITUAL MATCH
In Rev. 20:11 we read of "a great white throne." In
Verse 12 the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books are opened, and God
presents us with a double witness that "every man’s work" shall be
judged by "fire":
- "and the dead judged… ACCORDING TO THEIR
WORKS," (Rev. 20:11). And they are judged in "FIRE," Vers. 14,
15 & 21:8.
- "…they were judged every man ACCORDING TO THEIR
WORKS." (Rev. 20:13). And they are judged in "FIRE," Vers. 14,
15 & 21:8.
Now then, is there another Scripture that speaks of the judgment of "every
man’s WORK?" and every man’s work judged by "FIRE?" Yes,
there is, and only one other:
- "EVERY MAN’S WORK shall be made manifest: for the day
shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by FIRE" (I Cor. 3:13a).
- "…And the FIRE shall try EVERY MAN’S
WORK…." (I Cor. 3:13b).
We have now located our "two witnesses." These are the
only two places in the entirety of the Bible that speak of:
- "EVERY MAN…,"
- "Every man’s WORK…,"
- "Every man’s work, JUDGED…MANIFESTED,
DECLARED, REVEALED, AND TRIED…,"
- "Every man’s work judged…tried BY FIRE."
We have proven by SEVEN proofs that the lake of fire in Rev. 20 is
not physical, material, or literal, but SPIRITUAL. We shall now prove conclusively that
the fire of I Cor. 3 is likewise, not physical, material, or literal, but SPIRITUAL as
well. These two sets of Scriptures will explain each other. Remember that we learned there
are two groups of people to be judged: (1) The whole world in the day of judging (Acts
17:31), and (2) The house of God NOW (I Pet. 4:17 & I Cor. 11:32). Since God is no
respecter of persons, He judges both groups by the same means.
EXAMINING THE METAPHORS AND SYMBOLS OF I COR. 3
"I [Paul] have planted, Apollos has watered; but God
gave the increase" (I Cor. 3:6).
"Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every
man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor [works]. For we are
laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry [garden], ye are God’s
building" (Vers. 8-9).
Comment: Paul didn’t plant carrots in a garden, which Apollos
then watered, and God made them grow. This is not speaking of produce in a vegetable
garden. This is figurative, symbolic language concerning the spiritual growth of PEOPLE!
Paul says "YE" are God’s garden, and "YE" are God’s
building. Now then, people are no more buildings than they are gardens. "Ye are
God’s garden" is a METAPHOR and "Ye are God’s building" is a
METAPHOR. Remember my aid to understanding metaphors: "Ye are [LIKE] God’s
garden [IN CERTAIN WAYS]; "Ye are [LIKE] God’s building [IN CERTAIN WAYS]."
WE ARE GOD’S GARDEN
In what "certain ways" are we "like God’s
garden?" Remember we must compare spiritual things with spiritual. Answer:
"My Father is the Farmer… "I [Jesus]
am the grape vine. You [that’s us] are the branches. He who is remaining in
Me, and I in him, this one is BRINGING FORTH MUCH FRUIT" (John 15:1 &
5). I
sn’t this easy when we stop fighting God’s Word with our
own preconceived doctrines? And trust me; this is as hard as it get, if we will just allow
God’s spirit to TEACH US spiritual things!
Now then, WHAT KIND of fruit are we talking about—apples and
grapes? Let’s again, compare spiritual things with spiritual. Answer:
"But the FRUIT of the SPIRIT [in
God’s spiritual garden, which we are] is love, joy, peace, patience,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control" (Gal. 5:22-23).
All of these character traits from God’s Spirit are invisible
and they are SPIRITUAL. But does that mean that they are not real? Of course not. In fact,
we can SEE the results of these invisible, spiritual character traits of the spirit just
as Jesus told us we can see the results of the invisible wind.
WE ARE GOD’S BUILDING
In what "certain ways" are we "like" God’s
"building?"
"Know ye not that YE [that’s us] ARE the temple
of God and that the Spirit of God dwells IN YOU" (I Cor. 3:16). "For ye
are the temple of the living God…" II Cor. 6:16).
Notice that "ye are the temple of God" is another
metaphor. In what certain ways are we like the temple of God? Answer:
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief corner
stone; in Whom ALL THE BUILDING fitly framed together grows unto AN HOLY TEMPLE in
the Lord: In Whom YE [that's us again] ALSO ARE BUILDED TOGETHER for an habitation
of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19:23).
The Lord of heaven and earth "dwells not in temples made
with hands" (Acts 17:24). Where does God then dwell? Are you ready for this? This
is heavy stuff!
"If a man love Me, He will keep My words: and my Father will
love him, and WE [both Jesus Christ AND His Father] WILL COME UNTO HIM [this is
US if we love God], AND MADE OUR ABODE [our home] WITH HIM" (John
14:23)! WOW!
LOVE IS THE KEY TO DWELLING WITH GOD
And how does God make His abode with us? The key is to LOVE GOD!
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and
every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for
GOD IS LOVE. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that
we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any
time. If we love one another, GOD DWELLS IN US, and His love is perfected in us. Hereby
know we that WE DWELL IN HIM and HE IN US, because He hath given us of His SPIRIT" (I
John 4:7-13).
Now for those who are glorying in the above marvelous Scriptures (to
the exclusion of about FIFTY BILLION brothers and sisters whom they think will
never experience any of this LOVE OF GOD), let us not neglect to read the next verse:
"And we have SEEN and do TESTIFY [so apparently this is
more than just pious, unattainable, wishful thinking] that the Father SENT [COMMISSIONED]
THE SON TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD"!
Do we need a second witness on this:
"We trust in the living God, Who IS THE SAVIOUR OF ALL
MANKIND…" (I Tim. 4:10)!
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
DON’T BE DECEIVED! Those who glory and delight in the doctrine
of eternal torment do NOT have the Spirit of God, and God does NOT make His abode with
them! Such persons have a darkened heart, and what fellowship has light (God) with
darkness? If you have been deceived into believing that God is going to torture most of
humanity for all eternity in fire, but have hated the whole idea with all of your heart,
then God will have mercy on your ignorance. But if you gloat in your pious
self-righteousness, and eagerly await the day when those who do not follow your religion
will be thrown into some hellhole lake of fire, then you have some serious repenting to
do.
Here is where this evil doctrine of eternal torment brings out the
evil in those who endorse it. Obviously if one feels that God is justified in TORTURING
billions of precious human beings in literal fire, then certainly it must seem okay for us
to have disdain now for these people that we just know are on their way to hell. I
understand that one of the Queens of England justified burning people at the stake by
stating that she was only doing NOW what God will be doing to them LATER. Sick!
And so Paul tells us that we are His "garden" where there
will be fruit produced, and we are His "building" where God Himself will dwell.
But He also tells us that we will have our old man pulled down and humbled while the fire
of His spirit burns the wood, straw, and stubble till all such evils and destroyed. And at
the same time, God builds man up by refining and purifying gold, silver, and precious
stones (the very character traits of God Himself). First comes the physical, the carnal,
the Old man that must be destroyed. Then comes the Spiritual—the man of God.
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (I Cor.
15:42-44).
First we are born into mortal bodies with carnal minds by which we
build a plethora of straw, hay, and stubble. In judgment these things are burned up and
destroyed by the God’s spirit, which is a CONSUMING FIRE. At the same time the
qualities pictured as gold, silver, and precious stones are purged and purified by the
fire of God’s spirit and made even better.
And so God’s instructions to Jeremiah in chapter one verse ten,
are applied to each and every individual whom has ever lived: "See, I have this
day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms [of
every man and every man’s work] to root out [‘For it is a FIRE that
consumes to destruction, and would ROOT OUT all mine increase’ Job 31:12], and to
pull down [‘And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall He
PULL THEE DOWN’ Isaiah 22:19], and to destroy [‘To deliver such an one
unto Satan for the DESTRUCTION of the flesh, that the spirit may be SAVED in the day of
the Lord Jesus’ I Cor. 5:5], and to throw down, [‘And I will cut off the
cities of thy land, and THROW DOWN all thy strong holds’ Micah 5:11, And the
‘idols in their heart’ Ezek. 14:7, ‘CASTING DOWN imaginations, and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and brining in to captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ’ II Cor. 10:5], TO BUILD [‘And
now, brethren, I command you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to BUILD
YOU UP, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified’ Acts
20-32], and TO PLANT [‘Thou shalt bring them in, and PLANT THEM in the
mountain of Thine inheritance {heavenly Mount Zion} in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast
made for Thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have
established’ Ex. 15:17]!"
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