Saturday, January 24, 2015

Revelation 21:8


8 But as for the cowards and the ignoble and the contemptible and the cravenly lacking in courage and the cowardly submissive, and as for the unbelieving and faithless, and as for the depraved and defiled with abominations, and as for murderers and the lewd and adulterous and the practicers of magic arts and the idolaters (those who give supreme devotion to anyone or anything other than God) and all liars (those who knowingly convey untruth by word or deed)—[all of these shall have] their part in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death.
  • If we just would read this verse alone it sounds like Hell will be filled with tons of people. But let’s look at what the Bible tells us about Judgment Day.
  • For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise]. Romans 14:11
  • We are taught that to be saved a person must believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord. Romans 14 shows us that on Judgment Day everyone will do this. 
  • Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
  • We are shown in Revelation 3 that those of the synagogue of satan will come and learn from us. They will clearly see the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem. They will clearly see Jesus and our Father, so it will be very easy for all to believe.  
  • We are told in Romans 11:32 that our Father has consigned all men to disobedience so that He is able to have mercy on all men alike.
  • We are shown in Romans 5:18 that because of Jesus’ success that all men will be saved.
  • We are also shown in 1 Corinthians 3:15 that even if a persons works are wrong, the person will themselves be saved as ones who have passed through the fire. 
  • So how can all of these verses be true and people still have their part in the Lake of Fire?
  • His winnowing fan (shovel, fork) is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear out and clean His threshing floor and gather and store His wheat in His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with fire that cannot be put out. Matthew 3:12
  • What is chaff? Chaff is the dry scaly casing that covers the seed. The chaff is useless for food, so it is cleared away from the seed and then the useful part of the plant is all that is left. Chaff is part of wheat, it is not something on its own, all wheat has chaff. 
  • We all at one time or another have been cowards. We all have looked at another person and lusted, and Jesus tells us that is adultery. We all have been angry at another person and Jesus tells us that is murder. We all have lied at one time or another. So we have all done these things that we are shown in verse 8. What keeps us from being part of the Lake of Fire? Grace does and Grace is freely given by Jesus. Some of us realize this now, some of us will realize it on Judgment Day, but we all will realize it and eternity, or the Wedding Feast, will be filled with the Bride of Christ and with guests.
  • We all have a part in the Lake of Fire because we all have works, or chaff, that will be cleared from us and thrown into it. We won't be thrown into it, just our evil works will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
  • Not all of us will be the Bride of Christ, some of us will be guests, but Jesus will give eternal life to all that He has been given and He has been given all of us.
  • [Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. John 17:2
  • Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth. 1 Timothy 2:4

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