Civil Rights Does Not Impart Righteousness

What if I told you that I was a Christian, BUT...

I didn't believe that Jesus was the Son of God.

I didn't believe that Jesus was God Himself. 

I didn't believe Jesus was born of a virgin.

I didn't believe that Jesus ever rose bodily from the dead.

What if I said that all of these things - indeed, much about the story of Jesus Christ - was simply a reworking of historical fables & myths?

What if I claimed that the "truths" in Scripture were no more valid than the "truths" found in Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Greek philosophy, and among other great minds throughout civilization?

That the Scriptures were not the words of God, but the words of men under the "spell" of Jesus and as affected & infected by their cultural surroundings?

Would you still consider me a believer?

Would you call me a heretic?

Or would you call me one of the greatest Christian leaders of our time?

In the vein of coming against man's natural inclination to be religious, I thought I would post here an answer to someone asking me about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

My grandparents & parents attended the March on Washington.  They were rightfully enraged and protested when Dr. King was unjustly assassinated.  Still today there are pictures of, and books about, Dr. King in their homes as he is fondly remembered for the sacrifices he made - even of his own life - to bring about social justice for the disenfranchised.

And yet none of that has anything to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It would shock most to realize that this great reverend, minister, preacher, and "man of God" didn't even believe in Jesus Christ and never preached the Gospel a day in his life.

Dr. King taught an ecumenical, new age "gospel" of social justice that he learned from Mahatma Gandhi and only used Christian principles when convenient to promote that platform.

social justice: the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society

civil rights: of, relating to, or promoting equality in social, economic, and political rights

I am not talking about the rantings of racists or the efforts by government officials to discredit him.  You only have to examine Dr. King's own words to see what he believed.

What Experiences of Christians Living in the Early Christian Century Led to the Christian Doctrines of the Divine Sonship of Jesus, the Virgin Birth, and the Bodily Resurrection?

"Doctrines and creeds do not spring forth uncaused like Athene sprang from the head of Zeus, but they grow out of the historical settings and the psychological moods of the individuals that set them forth...But if we delve into the deeper meaning of these doctrines, and somehow strip them of their literal interpretation, we will find that they are based on a profound foundation. Although we may be able to argue with all degrees of logic that these doctrines are historically and philolophically untenable, yet we can never undermine the foundation on which they are based."

A Study of Mithraism

"For an instance, in the mystery-religions identification between the devotee and the Lord of the cult was supposed to be brought about by various rites of initiation; the taurobolium, or bath of blood; the eating of flesh of the sacrifical beast and the like. Now there was something of this in Paul too, for he thought of the believer as buried with Christ in baptism and as feeding upon him in the eucharist. This is only one of many examples that I could give to prove the similarity between the developing Christian Church and the Mystery Religions...That Christianity did copy and borrow from Mithraism cannot be denied...To discuss Christianity without mentioning other religions would be like discussing the greatness of the Atlantic Ocean without the slightest mention of the many tributaries that keep it flowing."

Unfulfilled Dreams

"It’s there: a tension at the heart of the universe between good and evil. (Yes, sir) Hinduism refers to this as a struggle between illusion and reality. Platonic philosophy used to refer to it as a tension between body and soul. Zoroastrianism, a religion of old, used to refer to it as a tension between the god of light and the god of darkness. Traditional Judaism and Christianity refer to it as a tension between God and Satan. Whatever you call it, there is a struggle in the universe between good and evil."

Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution

"The world in which we live is geographically one. The challenge that we face today is to make it one in terms of brotherhood...We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured."

I've Been to the Mountaintop

"And I'm always happy to see a relevant ministry.  It's all right to talk about long white robes over yonder, in all of its symbolism, but ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here...Now let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end...But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land."

An Autobiography of Religious Development

"From this it seems quite clear that I joined the church not out of any dynamic conviction, but out of a childhood desire to keep up with my sister... I guess I accepted Biblical studies uncritically until I was about twelve years old. But this uncritical attitude could not last long, for it was contrary to the very nature of my being. I had always been the questioning and precocious type. At the age of 13 I shocked my Sunday School class by denying the bodily resurrection of Jesus. From the age of thirteen on doubts began to spring forth unrelentingly. At the age of fifteen I entered college and more and more could I see a gap between what I had learned in Sunday School and what I was learning in college...As stated above, my college training, especially the first two years, brought many doubts into my mind. It was at this period that the shackles of fundamentalism were removed from my body. This is why, when I came to Crozer, I could accept the liberal interpretation with relative ease."

Is it just a fable that Jesus is God, the Son of God, born of a virgin and risen from the dead?

Is faith in Jesus Christ just a copy-cat belief adopted from pagan myths?

Are other world religions and philosophies just as valid as Christianity?

Is God "struggling" with Satan or is Satan a created being subject to the will of God like every other creature?

Is the purpose of God to make all people one and share a common brotherhood?

Is there an intertwined destiny for all mankind or does God say there there are two destinies, one to salvation and the other to damnation?

Is the here and now supposed to be more real and important to the Christian than our eternal destiny?

Are the fundamentals of faith in Jesus Christ merely illogical & unscientific "shackles" incongruent with an educated, reasoning mind?

What Promised Land is Dr. King speaking of?  What faith?  What god?  Is it not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Some might say, "How can you say these things about such a great American hero?  He has done great things for African-Americans!"

I would respond, "How can a 'man of the cloth' say such things about my Savior, Jesus?  How can people who claim to belong to Christ deny Him in order to champion some sort of perceived justice in this temporal world?"
 
Yet this is more than just about Dr. King.  In Dr. King, we have the "beliefs" of many Christians, the teaching of many "Christian" colleges, and the tenets of faith for even our own President Barak Obama.

According to such persons, Jesus Christ is not the Truth, the Way, and the Life, but is one of many truths, ways, and lives.  Being a "Christian" is simply about taking what one can from these "stories" about Jesus and seeking to be a better person through them.

No matter how many "good works" one has done, unless one has done the will of God, such persons will hear the terrifying words, "Depart from me you worker of iniquity.  I never knew you." (Luke 13:23-28; Matthew 7:21-23)

Israel was unable to receive Jesus as their Lord & King because they were looking for someone to "right the wrongs" done to them in this present, evil world.  They were looking for an earthly kingdom with earthly justice.  Jesus gave it no consideration.  In fact, He told His followers that His kingdom was not of this world.  They were to expect injustice in this life because the god of this world is Satan.  Instead, Jesus tells us to set our affections on things above, and not below (Colossians 3:2).

Does such mean that we should ignore injustice and do nothing when inequity occurs?  No, but it does mean that we must never set aside the fundamental truths of our faith in order to obtain some temporary justice, peace, or unity in this world. If we do, then we have become idolators.

Today, schools, lunch counters, libraries, housing, workplaces and the like are largely integrated (albeit perhaps not equitably).  Yet the majority of folks in them are on their way to being damned.  Giving people a life of social equality may give them 60, 70, 80 years of justice in this life, but they will still wind up spending an eternity in Hell if they never come to know and believe in Jesus Christ.

Don't be shocked by this, but most folks don't care about Jesus.   They are simply pimping Him to further their social, financial, political, corporate, community agendas.  Whether in the pulpit, on the street corner, or on the Internet...you had better be sure you know which Jesus people are professing faith in and be even more certain of the Jesus you personally confess (II Corinthians 11:4).

Jesus was more than just a good man.  He is God incarnate and is the name above all names by which man must be saved.

I Am A Pastor's Wife

OK, I am not really - although I have always believed that God was preparing me to be - but that is another story altogether.  LOL

I am actually speaking of another blog called "I Am Pastor's Wife" that I was introduced to this morning.  Linked below are some posts that address themes we have been dealing with lately:

Does Jesus Go To Church? - Jesus & Religion?

Horizontal Christianity - Time to grow up Church!

A Sinsual Seduction - Who is Jezebel?

Daylight Savings Time - It is time to save the lost and bring in the harvest!

Why Are We Silent & The Devil So Loud? - "Christian" music as a tool of the Gospel

Be Careful Who You Idolize - In light of MLK day  [SIDE NOTE: And don't get me started on MLK who was not a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at all.  When I wonder will we finally be ready to be free from Babylon?]

And finally, from her article on Wise and Foolish:

Foolish Virgins (examples):

• Are on “fellowship cruises” with other “believers”, enjoying themselves and “letting their hair down a little”.
• Are booking the hottest gospel artist to come and “minister” to the people.
• Are holding “financial peace” seminars in God’s sanctuary instead of teaching .
• Are “trying out” different ministries to see which one fits them best.
• Are certain that there is more than one “way”, and won’t stop until they find it.
• Dismiss Jesus’ own words outlined here: http://wp.me/p1wKvm-9n and believe that they can pinpoint the time.
• Trust in horoscopes, tarot cards and false prophets even though they know the Word.

Wise Virgins (examples):

• The “lunatic” on the corner telling people to “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”.
• The Pastor/Preacher who is teaching the full gospel of Jesus Christ.
• The believer who is not swayed by every wind of doctrine.
• Are evangelizing and spreading the Good News.

Feel free to peruse the site as I have this morning. I have found the posts insightful, biblical, and just plain real.  I pray that it edifies you and emboldens you more for the Lord.

The Caretaker

"For if a man know not how to rule his own house, HOW shall he take care of the church of God?" I Timothy 3:5

This text in I Timothy 3:5 makes clear certain things about God's church:

• God has charged some men with responsibility for "taking care" of His church.  
  
  Therefore, assertions that God has not invested any authority in man for overseeing His church are false.  Likewise, claims that the Holy Spirit replaces any need for man's leadership in the church are also false.  God has given us His Holy Spirit as well as Godly leadership for the care & development of His people; therefore, we obviously need both.
  
• These caretakers' responsibility is to be a servant to those who are broken, imparting healing to restore them to wholeness by the power of God.
  
  The word for "taking care" is epimeleomai and is used in Scripture for only one other instance; the story of the Good Samaritan who tended to the injured man on the side of the road:
  
  "And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  And on the morrow when he departed , he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee."  Luke 10:34-35
  
  This is a picture of the caretaking role, tending to those who were lost.  He is a servant to those in his care by helping to bind up their wounds with oil and wine (types of the Holy Spirit) until they are made whole.  Like the Good Samaritan, the church caretaker oversees this restoration, delegating responsibilities to others when necessary in providing such care.  What happens once these have been made whole?  They in turn become healers of others (Matthew 10:8; Luke 4:18, 9:2, 10:9, 22:32).
  
  
• God requires that these caretakers be patriarchal in heart.
  
  The criteria (in part) for being a caretaker of God's church is that one be the husband of one wife, ruling his own house well with his children also in subjection to that authority (I Timothy 2:12-14, 3:2-5, 12; I Corinthians 11:3; Titus 1:6).  We know that only a man can be a husband and only a man is charged by God for being the head of the home.  Very obviously then, the oversight God provides for His church is reflected in patriarchal authority.  Why patriarchy?  Because such is a reflection of God's authority as our Everlasting Father and He raises up men as caretakers after His own heart (Jeremiah 3:15).
  
  This also tells us that God sees His Church as a family.  The family unit was the first reflection of authority God established in the earth.  The care of God's people is just that important & personal to Him so as to trust it to nothing less.  He ensures that those in charge of leading earthly families have His authoity and He does the same for the church.  Just as a man is to demonstrate his love for his family by laying his life down for them, those called to be caretakers in the church likewise lay their lives down for the flock.
  

caretaker: a person who is in charge of the maintenance of a person, place or thing, esp in the owner's absence.

God selects men to be servants in His Church by equipping them to oversee the restoration of souls in the Body of Christ.  This is the calling of elders in the church. When we respect that authority, it is not because the man is some great one; it is because we are honoring the God whose authority is being reflected in that vessel. The caretaker doesn't replace the One to whom we belong (we have been bought with a price), but we recognize that Jesus is using the caretaker to help us mature in Him.

Jesus told Peter that unless he allowed Jesus to serve him in washing his feet, he would have no part in Christ (John 13:8).  Someone who has been called by Jesus will understand this and seek to be a servant in order to lead because he has been given the nature of a caretaker.  Likewise, others who understand it will allow themselves to be so served.

This Idol Called "Institutional Church"

Are We Finally Ready to Be Free From Babylon?

"Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils." – G.K. Chesterton

A brother called me this week about the article on Biblical, Godly authority.  I mentioned that many church folks do not understand this topic because of idolatry.  What do they idolize?  The very system which enslaved them.

People mistakenly think that you can only idolize that which you adore, want to be like, or desire to attain.  However, you can also idolize that which you hate or fear.  How do you know something has become an idol to you?  It begins to take a place in your life that only God should have.  You begin to be molded by IT (either your attraction to it or your repulsion from it) instead of by the Lord.

A young girl might say, "I don't want to be anything like my mother when I grow up."  So she spends her whole life trying not to be like her mother.  Guess what?  Her mother is her idol.  Everything she does or says is calculated to "not be like her mother"; as a result, she remains bound.  She is not free to be conformed to the image of Christ because the image of her mother is the standard by which she measures herself.  This is what people have done with the church.

The world is full of all kinds of religion - even within what is called 'Christianity' - where man does good works to become a better person or to be accepted by God.  Yet, the problem is that such is impossible.  Good works do not change who you are on the inside.  No amount of feeding the poor is going to make you stop wanting to fornicate.  No matter how much time you spend caring for the elderly, it won't remove the urge to lie. We are only changed inwardly as we abide in relationship with Jesus Christ.

The thing to remember is this: Religion concentrates on the external (outward performance). but relationship with God deals with what is internal (inward transformation) (I Samuel 16:7; Matthew 23:27; John 7:24).  However, there are plenty of people who are willing to let you try to work up your redemption in servitude to them (their opinions, rules, etc.).  You will often find such persons in a place around the corner called "church".  This is why abuse - emotional, sexual, financial, spiritual, etc. -  abounds in many "church" settings.  Until we are ready for God to deal with who we are on the inside (not just how we appear before men), we will stumble around circling in that wilderness of religion, trying to be pleasers & worshipers of men.

In coming out of such situations, it is not uncommon for folks to focus on what they think was wrong with the "church".  Yet, the truth which many fail to realize is this: You were never in the church of God.  Such was not "the church", nor was it the "institutional church"...it was simply Babylon.

The issue is not that church has become a business, that wolves are abusing authority, or that men are trying to bind people to themselves.  The issue is that people falsely believe that Babylon is the church.

Let's Come Out of Babylon & Get Babylon Out of Us!

As the young girl trying desperately to not be like her mother, we now have multitudes of church folks trying desperately not to be like the "institutional church" (IC).  Instead of looking to the word of God to determine the standard for truth, beliefs are erected or eradicated based upon what seems unlike that idol.  This has resulted in Biblical attributes of the church being demonized and perverted.

A frequent cry of some who fight against the IC is that 'The church is not a building.' or "I am the church."   Yet these assertions are not completely accurate. The word translated "church" in the New Testament refers primarily to those whom God has called out of the world unto Himself; the ekklēsia or "called out ones".

ekklēsia: a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting; the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth; those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body.

The word "church" is a corporate word.  While our bodies are each individually the temple of the Lord, the "church" is a gathering of those bodies; an assembly or company of the saints united into one body.  One person is not the "church", but is a part of the church.  The church as a whole is the Body of Christ, and we are all members of that Body; but no one member constitutes the Body of Christ by itself (Romans 12:4-5; I Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 5:23, 30; Colossians 1:18, 24).

The "church" is not only those whom God has called out, it is also a reference to the "place" where these "called out ones" fellowship, gather, assemble, and meet.  So we see that whether such gatherings occur in a building or not is a non-issue.  In fact, those who focus on how the "church is not a building", are still often trapped in the very realm of religion (Babylon) that they claim to fight against.

If "going TO a building" does not make one a member of the church of God, then how does "coming OUT of a building" make one a member of the church of God?  Do we not see how ludicrous that is?

When God commands us to come out of Babylon, He is speaking of turning away from all false religion (including our false ideals about it) to experience life in Him through relationship with Jesus.  Fellowship within buildings does not make you a Christian any more than staying away from fellowships in buildings makes you a Christian (both external works), but being born again by the Spirit of the Living God (an internal work).

In glancing at the Scriptures, we can see that the church is:

• Those people who have been called out of the world in reconciliation to God through His Son Jesus Christ (Acts 2:47; Ephesians 2:19-20)
• The place where such people gather, assemble, and meet for worship (Acts 11:22; Romans 16:1,5; I Corinthians 1:2, 4:7, 11:18-22, 14:19, 16:19; Colossians 4:15, 16; I Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 12:23)
• One Body with many members and one head, namely Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:22, 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 24)
• Endowed with patriarchal authority from God to serve as leadership in providing order and oversight  (I Timothy 3:5; Acts 14:23; Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:7,17; I Corinthians 12:18, 14:35, 15:16-17; I Thessalonians 5:12,17; )
• Given spiritual power to trample over the enemy (Satan), spoil his kingdom, and set his captives free (Matthew 16:18-19; Mark 16:16-18)
• Purposed with perfecting the individual saints so that they in turn can do the works of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12)

There is government, there is order, there is accountability, there is power, and yes, there is even liberty in the church of God.

We must stop trying to reform Babylon and calling it "church".  Babylon has been a harlot from the beginning and will continue to be until it is judged by God.  The answer to Babylon is to be transformed into the image of Christ so that YOU can then do the works of the ministry as a living member of His Body. 

Stand Up & Reclaim Your Anointing

The story of Samson & Delilah is a depiction of the spiritual reality behind Babylon.  You lay your head in the lap of a harlot as she lulls you to sleep.  She then cuts off the source of your anointing, leaving you spiritually blind and imprisoned in a lifestyle of servitude unto men.

And consider as well, the problem was not Delilah; the problem was with Samson!  Delilah's immorality should have been apparent to Samson because he was fornicating with her and she had repeatedly tried to abuse him.  If he had not been filled and drawn away with his own diverse lusts, Delilah wouldn't have been appealing to him (James 1:14).  This teaches us an important lesson.  When we are attracted to the harlot, the problem is never outside of us, but within.  Likewise, the solution to the problem is never outside of us, but within. 

BUT, Samson's hair eventually grew back and his anointing returned; although not because he kept focusing on Delilah and what she had done to him.  Samson's anointing returned when he turned his whole heart to God.  No longer driven by his carnal lusts, he didn't even care about his own life in this world.  It was then that he could stand in the midst of the Philistine's pagan temple and be a channel of God's power to demolish it.

Why am I harping on this?  Because too many church folk are being deceived thinking that ascribing to something that doesn't look like the "IC" equates to freedom in Christ.  It doesn't!  Since folks don't want to deal with what is wrong within themselves, it easier to simply blame the harlot.  Yet the harlot did exactly what she was supposed to do: hunt for unstable souls (Proverbs 6:26, 7:10-15, 23:28; II Peter 2:14).  Folks are saying they are "free from religion" but are still very much religious because they base their freedom on what they do or don't do (external works). 

Many times, church folks are being led out of the "IC" and into the same bondage of religious performance because their souls have not been made whole.  Unless the pattern we have for defining the church is based on the whole counsel of Scripture, then even our answer for addressing perceived ills is in error.  If what we wind up with once we have left the "IC" is at odds with Scripture, then we are still in Babylon.

Do you have to attend a local fellowship to be a Christian?  No.  However, if you are born again, you will have a desire for fellowship with the saints.  Further, you will understand that such is a mechanism chosen by God to grow you up so that you in turn can then go forth and preach the Gospel yourself. 

Some assert that every Christian has to attend local fellowships or else they are rebellious, lazy, proud, and not a believer.  This perspective is just as skewed as those who fight against joining local fellowships.  While it is true that those who reject the Biblical outline & benefits of church fellowship are in error, we must set our sights higher folks!

The purpose of "church" is not to offer us a place where we can socialize from week to week for years on end as some 'proof' that we are Christians.  The purpose of church is to be a training ground & source of edification for the saints while representing the Kingdom of Heaven to those around us who are lost.  In other words, the church is to be about the Father's business.

When Jesus came, He did not run around trying to fight the Pharisees & Sadduccees.  While He dealt with these religious leaders when they approached him, they were not the focus of His ministry.  Why?  Because He was about the Father's business (Luke 2:49; John 4:34, 5:17, 6:38, 8:29, 9:4) and what is the chaff to the wheat?  This is our answer as well.  We need to be about the Father's business, and we cannot do that while trying to protect & defend these idols we have about "church" (whether positive or negative).

To be completely whole, we must do more than know & talk about that which is wrong; we must be conformed to that which is right.  The true sign that you belong to Christ - and thereby His church - is that the life of Jesus is flowing through you and being imparted to others to draw them into the faith.  Such must be our goal.

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14

For an example of how some are endeavoring to uphold the biblical pattern of church to reach the lost, see the following video about Omega Church & Ministries Center's global evangelical outreach.

Hell

Artwork by William Thomas Thompson

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions." A Proverb

In the following message of the "Life After Death" series, Min. David Pawson addresses the topic of Hell.

Before summarizing this message below, I want to provide a little more info on the doctrine of Universalism which Min. Pawson also addresses.  Some believe that - although it is a place of punishment - Hell is primarily a place of purging, enabling those who don't receive Christ in this life to be reconciled to Him at a later time.  Those holding to this belief therefore claim that eventually, all mankind will be saved.  An article which goes into the errors of this doctrine in more detail may be found here: Hell Bent. 

In Min. Pawson's sermon below, he addresses:

• Deep down in human nature is an instinctive belief that after we die, there is some kind of distinguishing between good and bad.
• Hell is a place of conscious torment where the wicked are punished forever.
• The majority of people in modern society have rejected belief about Hell, including much of the churchworld.
• Some simply don't like the idea of it.
• Some assume it must be wrong since the concept induces fear, which they deem unhealthy.
• We have departed in society from the idea of punishment for its own sake (retribution).  Instead, punishment is seen as only for deterrent or reformatory reasons; and Hell can do neither. 
• Some also believe Hell is not fair; that eternal punishment is not an equitable punishment for a few sins in a short life.
• Some believe that if there is a Hell, then God has failed to deal with and remove evil.
• Others question that, if God is a God of love, then how could He send a person to Hell forever?
• Nearly every one of the cults in Christianity have attacked & dismissed the Biblical idea of Hell.
• Alternative ideas have been proposed to the existence of Hell
• Hell is self-imposed suffering in this life. Yet the Scriptures are clear that Hell is to be experienced in the next life and is a place made by God, not man.
• Universalism, which says that although Hell exists after this life, God will ultimately save everyone and reconcile them to Himself.  Such is impossible to believe in light of the clear teachings of our Lord that an eternal Hell is a certainty.
• Conditional Immortality or Annihilation suggests that the wicked will be removed from existence completely at some point after judgement.  While some texts may seem to support this, such is not consistent with all of Jesus' teachings on the matter which states that the suffering of those within it will be without end.
• For the Christian, we should want to know what the Bible actually says.
• While there is info about Sheol or Hades in the Old Testament, there is hardly any information about Hell.
• There is also hardly anything about Hell in the Epistles.
• It is Jesus Christ who spoke the most about Hell than any other in Scripture.  It is as if God decided that the one who would be seen as more loving, kind, and merciful than any other should be the one to bear this message so that the seriousness of it will be believed.
• So he decisive issue for Hell boils down to one question, "Is Jesus the Truth?"
• If you only accept the words of Scripture when your mind agrees with them, then YOU are lord of your life and not Christ.  The only way to truth is to submit to the One who said, "I am the Truth."
• "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28  
• The word for "hell" was the word Gehenna. This is a valley which eventually became so defiled that people would burn & sacrifice their children to pagan gods here.  Once this idolatry was ended by King Josiah, it became the trash dump of Jerusalem where worms & maggots fed on the refuse and bonfires burned to destroy the rest.  By Jesus' day, this was also the place where the bodies of executed criminals were disposed.  When Jesus spoke of hell, He always used this word.
• The word "destroy" does not mean annihilation, but refers to something ruined, useless, or wasted.  The same word is used to reference the lost sheep in the parable of the lost sheep; of the withered wine skin when new wine is put into it; of the alabaster box ointment the woman wasted according to Judas on Jesus. There is nothing one can do with that which is utterly useless other than put it in the garbage bin.  Jesus Christ has the power to mend broken lives, but the thing He spoke about with the utmost horror was not lives that were broken, but lives that were perishing.
• If it is bad for us to "fear" hell, then why does Jesus tell us to? 
  
• "...into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:43b-44
• Unlike the earthly Gehenna, in Hell the worms never die and the fire never ceases.  Why would the worm & fire continue forever if in fact the people in it cease to exist?
• Even if viewed metaphorically, the reality behind this depiction of the worm and the fire is that there will be personal horror experienced here.
  
• "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...And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:41, 46
  
• For those who say that "eternal" cannot mean endless, they faced with the difficulty that almost every time it is used in the New Testament it does mean endless - including as it relates to the "eternal life" received by the saints.  God is eternal, Christ is eternal, His salvation is eternal, Heaven is eternal... 
  
• "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." Luke 13:28
  
• Jesus taught that from Hell, you could see Heaven.
  
• Either our thinking is going to be brought in line with the word of Jesus (because He is our lord) or we are our own gods.  
• If what Jesus said about Hell is true, then the reality of Hell is a legitimate part of the message to non-believers about the importance of the Gospel.
• Most people believe that everyone is good the moment they die. Yet, the best intentions will never get you free from Hell.  If ever God speaks to you and you know that you are headed to Hell, do not put it off; turn in repentance to Jesus while you have the chance.
• According to God's word, things which can send people to hell include: Jealousy, Envy, Anger, Drunkenness, Filthy Talking, Hypocrisy, Cowardice, Covetousness, Lying, & Fornicating.
• If there is anything you are looking at, anything you are doing with your hands, anywhere your feet take you that is leading you to Hell, then cut it right out.  Better to be called narrow than to let such take you to Hell.
• It is at the cross that Hell becomes most real. 
• What awful necessity required that Jesus die before God could forgive me?
• What awful experience did Jesus go through for me?
• Considering then the reality of Hell, the priority of every Christian therefore should be to win others to Christ.

Judgement

Artwork by William Thomas Thompson

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27

The fourth in Min. David Pawson's series on "Life After Death" where he focuses on judgment.

• There are two appointments that every person has: 1) the day we die; and 2) the day we are judged by God for how we lived.
• The injustice of life demands justice, but more importantly, the justice of God demands it. 
• God's justice will be justice for all to see so that He is vindicated before the false accusations of the world (and of Satan).
• God has relegated the responsibility of judging the world to Jesus Christ.
• During judgement, each person will be personally judged by the Lord.  We will each have to give account for our own lives.
• The evidence of "appearances" will mean nothing in that day; we will be judged by what is on the inside of us (what is in the heart).
• The evidence of "verbal professions of faith" will mean nothing in that day; not everyone who says "Lord, "Lord" will be known by Him.
• There will not be testimonies from other people to come to our defense because God knows everything.
• The evidence used will be in books which contain all of the works done in our bodies; this is everything done & said, including every idle word.
• We shall each be judged by how much of the revealed will of God we kept.
• There will be many people who will stand with Jesus as He judges the world because they have been justified.  These are those whose names are in the Lamb's Book of Life, who have had the issue of their sin dealt with beforehand in Christ Jesus.
• This means that Christians will never come into the judgement of punishment for sin, but we will face a judgment for purposes of reward in Heaven as Jesus tests our service to Him.
  

Resurrection

"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28-29

The next message in Min. David Pawson's series on "Life After Death" addresses the resurrection:

• Just as a seed dies and then grows into a plant with a different body, we will also get a different body after the resurrection
• Our current bodies are weak and can become sick & die; they are bodies of death.  But after the resurrection, all who are Christ's will be given Heavenly bodies which are supernatural and full of glory & strength.
• There be will a trumpet blast from the sky and all Christians who have died will become alive with new bodies that will never die.  We who are still alive will suddenly have new bodies too, as body and spirit are reunited.
• When we question how God can resurrect a body that has decayed or even been cremated we are limiting God's almighty power.
• The evidence for the resurrection is better than for most events of history 2000 years ago.
• It is because Jesus rode from the dead with a body that the Christian can believe in the resurrection of the body.
• There will be the resurrection of the Just and the Unjust.  
• The Just are those who are accepted by God as being worthy of living with Him forever; those who are "justified".
• The Unjust are those who are not pardoned.  
• The resurrection of the Unjust (the 1st resurrection) is not at the same time as the resurrection of the Just, but some time afterwards (the 2nd resurrection).
  
• The body we receive in the resurrection will be related to our current ones, but different.
• If the Just receive a body that reflects the glory of their real life in Christ, then the Unjust will be given a body of that reflects the state of their selfish, sinful character.  In the saint the beauty of Christ begins to show in the resurrected body; in the sinner the horror of Satan begins to show in the resurrected body (Daniel 12:2).
• The moment you are born, you begin to die.  We are all a dying people.
• We rise from the dead to make judgment possible, both of reward & punishment.