Some Crucial Questions To Answer

 

Yesterday my daughter let me hear a segment of a sermon she was listening to that concerned her. The minister declared in his message that, “A person does not go to hell because of sin because they are covered by the blood of Christ. A person goes to hell due to unbelief!” 

While it is true that a person will go to hell due to unbelief, the way the minister presents his case is misleading. How? Any unforgiven sin against the Lord can send a person to hell – not just unbelief. Judas Iscariot was a believer in Christ, yet he went to hell. Why? Not because of unbelief. But because he never repented of his sins to God. He committed suicide due to his sin of betrayal of the Lord Jesus for money (Matthew 27:3-5).  Another problem with his logic is that he is implying that all sin is forgivable except unbelief. Is not unbelief in the atonement of Jesus a sin too? Yes, it is. All sin is forgivable, including unbelief.  As long as a person does not die in unbelief, the word of God is powerful enough to the convert the soul of the unbeliever and make them a believer in Christ.

Another question I need to present is this one. If a person dies in unbelief, were their sins forgiven? Many Christians would reply with a resounding yes! My answer is no. Why? How could anyone go to heaven if their sins were never forgiven? They cannot. Sin is a debt owed to God. When one believes, Jesus takes away their sin debt making them free. From a judicial-forensic standpoint, their sin is gone. Their sins will never be held against them. So, if person goes to hell, that means their sins were never taken away and they died in an unforgiven state. The condemned person will be ladened with their sins forever separated from God. All sin MUST be paid for – either by Jesus for those of us who are saved, or by the sinner themselves who never repent.

To say that Jesus forgives us of all sin, and one dies in their sins and goes to hell means that Jesus’ atonement was ineffective to save. Because in the final analysis the person went to hell anyway. This is a form of double jeopardy – Jesus paying for sins at the cross and the sinner paying for their own sins in hell. The Bible never teaches a double payment for sins. Either Jesus pays your sin debt, or the sinner pays it themselves in hell.

What many are teaching is that Jesus has already forgiven the sins of all men before they even repent and believe the gospel. While the atonement provision is available, it does not apply to anyone savingly unless they fulfill the necessary condition – one must believe (John 3:16). The already forgiven-of-sins-prior-to-repentance doctrine is the proverbial putting the cart before the horse.

Here is the sum of the matter: Once a person places their faith in Christ’s sacrifice alone for the remission of their sins they are forgiven – forever. They are a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17).

Once a person willfully rejects Christ, they are condemned. If they die in that condemnation, they will be eternally lost (John 3:36). They have died in their sins (John 8:24).  You see, it is one or the other. If Christ is your sin bearer, all of your sins have been removed. If Christ is not your sin bearer, all of your sin is yours to bear. Translation, your sin remains (John 9:41).

A good article to read below: 

https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/piper/piper_atonement.html

Will everyone that has ever lived be Resurrected?

In Daniel 12:1-2 we read this, “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

So, what does all of this mean? Daniel receives visions and records what is going to happen to his people in the future, the nation Israel. Michael is the archangel who watches over the nation. In the latter days, Israel will experience the worst time in its history. As a matter of fact, it will be the worst time in human history because the Lord will unleash His wrath upon mankind for their rebellion. Sin has a payday - death (Romans 6:23).  In verse two Daniel says that many of those who are in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Jesus mentions this same reality in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth - those that do good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

What Jesus and Daniel have declared is that there will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust; a raising of the righteous and the wicked. What are they being raised for? For reward and judgment respectively.

During the end times, when the seven year tribulation period has ended, there will be two resurrections; one at the Millennium, and one after the Millennium. The Millennium occurs after the second coming of Christ (Revelation 19:11-21).  Revelation chapter 20 talks about a thousand years of global peace where the devil will be chained and thrown into the abyss or bottomless pit (Revelation 20:3).  Also in the same chapter, it talks about those who remained faithful to death in that they did not accept the mark of the beast and were beheaded.  These were resurrected and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection (vs 4b). 

Let’s review: During the end times, there is great tribulation on the earth. As I mentioned earlier it will be the worst time the world will ever know. The devil, the antichrist (also known as the Beast, the man of sin and the lawless one) and lastly the false prophet will form an alliance, an unholy trinity. The world will worship them. The beast will have a mark that he will force all those on the earth to receive either on the right hand or on their foreheads. Those who do not will be put to death by beheading. These are the faithful that we call tribulation saints. Many Christians believe the church has been raptured to heaven during this time (pre-tribulationists). 

What I wrote in the last paragraph can be found in Revelation 13.

Now after the thousand years are completed, the devil is released from his imprisonment. In one last-ditch effort, he deceives and gathers all the enemies of God (called Gog and Magog) to converge and destroy Israel. Scripture says fire will come down from heaven and destroy them. The devil will be cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet are. This act will end the reign of global terror by the devil forever (Revelation 20: 7-10).

The Great White Throne Judgment

All those who were not resurrected during the Millennium will be raised during this time. All the wicked dead from all time will be raised from the dead to face judgment for everything they have ever done while they were on the earth. This group includes all the OT enemies of God like Pharoah of Egypt during the time of Moses, and Adolph Hitler of Nazi Germany and even those who live and die during the Tribulation and Millennium period. The Bible tells us the books will be opened. These books are records of the deeds of those who have rebelled against the Lord their whole life long. In other words, they will be facing Jesus Christ as their judge, not their Savior for their wretched life. They will know why they are guilty. Understand, prior to these countless lives facing eternal judgment, they were in hell when they died physically. Their ultimate destination is the lake of fire that death and hell will be thrown into (Revelation 20:14).  Just as the redeemed will live eternally with the Lord, the holy angels, and all the saints, the unredeemed will live eternally without the Lord, with the devil, his angels, the beast and the false prophet. The saints are given new resurrection immortal bodies fit for heaven and eternity whereas non-believers are given bodies fit for eternal hell. No one ever goes out of existence. Believers receive everlasting rest. Non-believers receive everlasting torment because their names are not found in the book of life (Revelation 20:11-15).

The Bible refers to this as the second death. You can also call it eternal death.

So, all who die will be resurrected; either to be rewarded or be punished. Keep in mind that many will never die but will be changed and given immortal bodies when Christ comes for His church but that is for perhaps another article (1 Thess 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:51-58). 

I CAN'T STAND YOU - GO TO HELL!

WOW!! That’s a lot of anger to tell someone that. Are you using that phrase as a figure of speech? Did you say it in jest? I would venture to say that most people that use that harsh language really mean it. Do not say you didn’t mean it because if you didn’t, you would not have said it. Personally, I’m offended by the expression, in jest or otherwise. It’s a cruel and ungodly thing to say. No Christian should EVER say to someone” GO TO HELL!” Call me a prude if you want to, but let me take it to another level.

To tell someone to go to Hell is tantamount to murder. Why? It’s an expression of hatred. Jesus in Matthew 5:22 states, “But I say to you that whosever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. The prior verse, verse 21 says that whoever murders shall be in danger of judgment. Not only is the act of murder punishable, the thought of it is evil and is murderous at heart. The murderous act begins in the mind and in the heart. The term Judgment is the greek word krisis which contains several meanings-the primary of which means the process of investigation, the act of distinguishing or separating. Just like today’s judicial system, evidence is examined in a trial and the result will be either an innocent or guilty verdict. How much more will God judge our evil intentions? Why would anyone tell someone they claim to love to go to Hell? Apparently you don’t love them. You have to hate them to tell them that. We need to think very carefully about what we say before we open our mouths.

Here are some reasons why we say the harmful things we say to one another: Let’s first take a look at Matt 15:18-20, Jesus said, “But the things that proceed out the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man. Matthew 12:34 says, “Brood of vipers! How can you being evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” From these two verses alone we see that it is the heart that is the problem. People are filling their hearts with the wrong things and thus they are contaminating, blackening the soul. We must follow the example of King David, ”create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Have you done that? If not, do it today for your own well being.

Another reason we do not want to consign someone to Hell is because it’s not God’s desire.

Ezekiel 33:11, “Say to them, as I live says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?”

The Lord is displeased when we rejoice over the failure of the wicked:

Proverbs 24:17-18, Do not rejoice when your enemy falls and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the Lord see it and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

We ruin our witness to the lost

Proverbs 25:26, A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well.

When we curse men with ungodly speech, this gives the unsaved an occasion to dishonor God; in this instance, it’s our fault.

Demanding someone’s damnation is the total antithesis of why Jesus came.

Luke 19:10 – Jesus said, “I came to seek and save that which was lost.”

God came to the earth to save men through his perfect blood sacrifice, not condemn them.

Look at John 3:17 – Jesus said, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

So, in essence what you’re doing when you condemn someone to Hell, you’re actually a hindrance to the kingdom of God and a tool for the devil. Once again, your hate speech is murderous at heart and that’s the “Modus Operandi” of Satan himself, to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). You have cast your vote with the arch enemy of Almighty God!!

Beloved, I would watch my mouth if I were you (James 1:19). As wise man told me long ago. “you have two ears and one mouth; you should listen at least twice as much as you speak.” That’s a good rule to live by don’t you think?

The perfect description of a forked tongue

In the book of James 3:2-10 it says, For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is perfect man, able to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. (Here’s the analogy) Look also at ships: although they are large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be.

My friend, that says it all.

What I would recommend to tame your tongue: Let the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16).

Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11).

Remember the Word of God contains dynamic, explosive power to change your behavior if you let it. The more the word gets in you, the more Christ-like you’ll become. We should all be making this our life pursuit.

This is a difficult one, very difficult: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (Romans 12:14).  Dear Lord, help me with this one, please!!

Do not overcome evil by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).