What is the True Word? #2
About Life, Death, Resurrections, Salvation
Part Two by John Leier OUR JUST GOD Please read Revelation 20:4-15, with careful consideration given to verses 5 and 6. Note that there is a thousand years between the first resurrection and the second resurrection. What follows is a revelation from God. He reveals something that is strange to those of us that were taught that only those in the first resurrection are saved. At the second resurrection, the whole world will be resurrected and the books are opened including the book of life, and whosoever is not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed, that is to perish. Note that those in the first resurrection are already judged, the book of life had already been opened to them in the first resurrection, and therefore, it will be opened again to those in the second resurrection. Everyone will receive a just judgment and a just reward, and the wicked will go to an everlasting death. Those who then accept Jesus Christ at that time are forgiven unto a righteous judgment unto everlasting joy. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" Revelation 20.12. Note this is at the end of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. WE KNOW BY THE WORD OF GOD THAT WORKS DO NOT SAVE YOU "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. You can see the eternal wisdom of God, He knows the end from the beginning, and God knows all who love and obey Him and keep His commandnents, because they love Him and are worthy to be in the kingdom of heaven. God knows who will be happy with Him as their constant ruler. God knows the wicked ones who refuse to obey and would be unhappy with Him as their constant ruler. Their evil thoughts, their anguish, bitterness, and selfish ways, will come to an end. They will be no more. "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished: neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun" Ecclesiastes 9:5-6. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death path no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ. and shall reign with him a thousand years Revelation 20:6. And, in the end Satan will be destroyed, this is the only way revealed in the Scriptures. See Ezekiel 28:13-19. "All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more" Ezekiel 28:19. (Not so! No there is NO proof in the Bible that Satan will be destroyed. This section in Ezekiel goes from type to anti-type, the physical man back to Satan the Devil and visa-versa. Well I go through the fate of Satan in-depth in a study on my website. There is much more to it than the passage in Ezekiel - Keith Hunt) WE NEED TO KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF WORDS We find many mistranslated words that lead us to believe differently, and we may have been brought up to believe a certain way so when we come to the truth, it may be very difficult to recognize. We may find it is a fearful thing to change our thoughts to those of the truth. It comes to us, that if we should believe something different than the way we were raised-up to believe, we would burn for all eternity (as many pagan religions believe). Is that not a religion of fear? Christianity however, is a religion of love, joy, peace - it is not a religion of fear. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casted out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" I John 4:18. It is total commitment to trust in God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Is it not written that we should not sorrow over the death of a loved one, as those that are without hope? "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" I Thessalonians 4:13. God is merciful. Death is a release of this cruel world of mistrust in God; however, it remains an enemy because of our human nature. GOD ONLY HAS IMMORTALITY "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen" I Timothy 6:16. Scripture tells us that only God has immortality. We are mortals subject to death. Death is ceasing to live or to exist in a life in another form or dimension. Scriptures reveal that those who love God know the truth: and that they will be given life after death, only in the resurrection. Read I Corinthians 15:42-54 and then note that in verse 53 it states: "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." To believe that we do not totally die, to cease to have life, is to believe the lie that Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden. Believe what the Bible teaches, the Scriptures tell us that we are mortal and only in the resurrection and transformation of the saved shall we receive immortality. Remember also, and consider that the Scriptures tell us that only God is immortal. "Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, the Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man bath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen" I Timothy 6:15-16. Scripture reveals to us that only our Lord has immortality and that man is yet to put on incorruption and immortality. We can only conclude that man is a mortal being. ONLY A COMFORT IN THE WISDOM OF GOD By revelation in the Holy Scriptures we are told that if someone should not come to the knowledge of the truth by his or her own free will and having turned back to the sinful way of life, forsaking the grace of God, then he or she will not suffer for all eternity, but for a short time, to reveal his or her shame. "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt' Daniel 12:2. Scriptures are silent on the real length of the sufferings of the wicked, or the reasons for the sufferings, however, it does say, "forever and ever." Note: "Ever" means ages, and the true words are, "for ages and ages" and an age does have an end. God does not reveal to us the reasons for these sufferings of the wicked; perhaps it is for a reminder to us of what we were saved from. God's ways are above our way of thinking and it is by the grace of God that we will not find ourselves in the state of the unsaved. To see the mercy of the eternal God, consider what the Scriptures say and let us reason together with God, as He reveals Himself to us in the Holy Scriptures. "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little" Luke 7:47. "Come now, let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" Isaiah 1:18. Come now, let God reason with you through His revealed Word. If when we die, a separate part of us goes either to heaven or hell, as is the popular belief, then those in hell will not experience any kind of peace for all eternity. The evil will remain with them. If they should live in such horrendous torture, here on earth, or, in the earth, then it could not be said that the earth is in complete peace and harmony. Would not a large part of the earth be assigned to hellfire? According to popular belief, most people will end up in hell. Also, it is revealed to us in Scripture that only a few will find the way that leads to eternal life. THE FATHER - THROUGH JESUS CHRIST IS THE WAY "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" Matthew 7:14. "And I saw a new heaven and anew earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea" Revelation 21:1. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" Revelation 21:4. God tells us there will be no more sorrow on earth. How beautiful and wonderful that will be. All bitterness and sorrow will be gone. Even those who were enemies of God will be no more for they will not be suffering any longer. You can understand the love and mercy of our eternal Father when one knows the true meaning of death, which is that "ceasing to exist." Do not believe the lie Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden that she would not die. God's word tells us that all shall die (perish), with the exception of those who are in Christ and at His coming, they shall be changed. This is speaking of the first resurrection. "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" I Corinthians 15:51-52. This is at the first resurrection. There will be a second resurrection. That will be a resurrection unto judgment, a true translation, (not a resurrection unto condemnation as some would say). This judgment will bring condemnation and eternal death to many, and eternal life to those written in the book of life. HEAR THE WORD OF GOD "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" Revelation 20:6. Consider this second resurrection different from the first resurrection. These will be raised up to a physical nature, subject to death. Remember that the word "destruction" and "perish" are used along with death: destruction means to take apart, and perish means to destroy. GOD'S ETERNAL PLAN REVEALED Understanding the love and mercy of our eternal God goes beyond our comprehension. There is a blindness that our creator God takes full responsibility for, that helps us to understand the second resurrection and the love of God for His creation. "For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" Romans 11:25-26. "And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed" Genesis 32:27-28. Looking in the Hebrew Dictionary from Strongs Exhaustive Concordance, looking at "endure" #3201, means, might, overcome, have power, prevail. As a Christian, he or she "endures, overcomes, prevails," in Christ Jesus. It is helpful for one to know that when the Bible speaks of "all" it does not necessarily mean 100 percent, Jacob was named Israel because he was a prevailer. "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of promise are counted for the seed" Romans 9:6-8. Understand from this that those who call upon God are also called of God and God will then have mercy on those who are held in unbelief. The true judgments of God are from His infinite love and mercy to those who desire to show their love of God by keeping His commandments, by and through Jesus Christ. And there is more. We read Romans chapter 11 and see that for those who would believe, God will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy. "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out' Romans 11:32-33. After the first resurrection is accomplished, all those who are in Christ, at His coming are changed to His likeness (immortal). Remember this; it would be necessary for those in the first resurrection to have already been judged righteous, through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. They prevailed with God because they believed in Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. Their salvation is secure, in other words, they are not judged again. We know this when the books are opened at the end of the thousand year reign of the saints from the first resurrection. Those who are judged are the resurrected in the second resurrection. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works" Revelation 20:12. This resurrection is different from the first resurrection in that those who are judged in the second resurrection are judged of works. In the first resurrection those are being judged during this time of the dispensation of grace, it is "now" that we are judged by our faith and not of works. Whatever works we do is the working of the Spirit of God in us through Jesus Christ, while in the second resurrection they are judged according to their works. (Well though we are saved by grace and not works, the fact is we are judge by the word of God. It is the attitude of us that gives the judgment. Upon accepting Jesus are our personal Savior, repenting of sin, are we willing to walk in the light of God, the truth of God, and Jesus said God's word was truth [John 17:17]. Jesus also taught that man was not to live by physical bread alone but by every word that came from the mouth of God [Mat.4:4]. So it is in that sense we are judged by God's word and by our works - our attitude towards God's word; will we be willing to live by it. It is not a case of working to earn more good points than bad points. All this is fully explained in my study called "Saved by Grace" on my website. But our attitude of mind does in one sense translate into works - our attitude of being willing to live by the Eternal's word. Hence our judgment now - as Christians today - will be or is the same as the judgment of those in the SECOND resurrection as they are given their chance of salvation. Being saved into eternal life HAS ALWAYS been the same for EVERYONE from the time of Adam and Eve, and will remain the same unto and into the second resurrection - Keith Hunt) THE WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT We can understand the second resurrection and the purpose for it, you will see, there will be those who will be judged to receive eternal life. At the time of the second resurrection the whole earth will be included in the white throne judgment, that will include all those who have ever lived since the beginning of creation. "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 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" Revelation 20:11-15. What it does not say is that ALL those in the second resurrection are cast into the lake of fire. We do not know the mind of God and His mercy. However, our Father does give us enough knowledge to somewhat comprehend the magnitude of His glorious love for each and every one of us to understand His nature. God's love is an outgoing concern for His creation. For any who are called now, we would not wish to wait for the second resurrection. We shall serve our Father in heaven, through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in spirit and in truth. Note this, there is no life beyond for those in the second death. WE SHALL KEEP GOD'S COMMANDMENTS To serve Jesus Christ and our Father is to keep His commandments, which are not grievous in spirit. "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" Romans 7:12. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" I John 5:3. "And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" Acts 3:23. "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" 2 Thessalonians 1:9. Note: "Punished" here means "a sentence executed by destruction." "Destruction" means "to take apart, extirpate, or completely remove." It is not continual punishING. See Revelation 2:11: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Jesus Christ is our deliverer, the love and mercy of our eternal Father in heaven will not permit suffering for all eternity, we can see that God's desire is that not any should perish. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" 2 Peter 3:9. Remember that perish means ceasing to exist. Also, consider that man was created by divine desire of God. Man is not alive by his own initiative, nor did man ask to be created or born. However, man was given a free choice and it is by this choice that you will receive blessings or destruction, or a curse. It is good also to remember that it is a final destruction to those who do hear Him and do not respond to serving our Lord. It is for those who never had a chance to hear Him, including those that were allowed to be blinded by the god of this world, so that God may have mercy on them. Take a good look at what the apostle Paul is saying in Romans chapter 11, it reveals to us a lesson that we need to take heed of. We should not be highminded to think that God has only called us to salvation and that none other will be saved; we can focus in on a better understanding of the mercies of God, our Father. "Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all" Romans 11:31-32. "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the gentiles be come in" Romans 11:25. What a privilege and joy that we, mankind, who were created by God, will be able to behold His sovereign glory for all eternity. Man did not ask to be created, conceived or born; we are conceived by the lust of the flesh. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" Psalm 51:5. [WE ARE NOT CONCEIVED BY LUST OF THE FLESH; WE ARE CONCEIVED AND SIN IS ALL AROUND THE HUMAN FAMILY, AS WE ARE CONCEIVED SIN IS ALL AROUND OUR PHYSICAL PARENTS, OUR MOTHER. WE ARE NOT BORN WITH SIN, BUT WE EVENTUALLY DO SIN. THE MARRIAGE ACT, SO THE SEXUAL ACT, IS FROM GOD, HE INVENTED IT ALL; IT IS NOT THE LUST OF THE FLESH, TO MARRY AND HAVE CHILDREN — Keith Hunt]
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