A Sorrowful Truth

Something to think about. 

A Sorrowful Truth 

7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. 10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 

I know it has fallen out of style and is seldom preach on any more but the reality still exists. Those who choose to refuse the Gospel of Christ will face a terrible existence in the life that is to come. I would like you to notice it says "eternal destruction forever separated from the Lord."  It says eternal destruction, for something to be eternally destroyed it must exist eternally. It says forever separated from God. To be permanently separated from God you must exist eternally. Unlike the current wisdom of humanity, we will not cease to exist. Nor will we be transformed into eternal energy or matter. We will stand before God in our eternal bodies and reap the rewards of our choices. For some it will be to share and experience the unfettered glory of God. For other's it will be to experience His permanent wrath. It may not be popular or politically correct  to mention such things. But it will be a sorrowful truth to those who refuse to believe. 

Leia Mais…

Smite

Something to think about.

Smite

Something to think about.
Smite

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 1 Samuel 15-3

God is good He is the provider of all our needs. His love is never-ending. He is long-suffering and patient, kind, forgiving and tolerant. He has given us more than we can hope or think. He has provided for our salvation and eternal life. He made way for us when there was no way. He is gracious beyond measure, and His glory fills our lives. He gives us purpose and fulfillment. He completes our lives. He is good to us. He is perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing. He fulfills and exceeds our expectations. He is better than I can describe.

He is also the one who commanded Israel to utterly destroy the Amalekites. Look at the verse again God commands Israel to kill everything. We want to quote and hide behind the goodness of God. It is almost like we want to present a one-dimensional God. A God who is only a benevolent king. You might say this command about the Amalekites is an aberration. This command is not consistent with the character of God. That is not true. Remember the flood. Remember the 3000 dead Israelite's on their way to the promise land. Remember the generation of Israel that died in the desert. Remember the judgments that were carried out by the enemies of Israel upon Israel. God throughout history has judged people, nations. He has continually judged Israel.

God is a complete God; He is full of compassion, love, and patience. But He is also a God of judgment, wrath, and fury. What I am saying is yes God is good, but He is also going to pass judgment on humanity. His judgment will be both just and fair. Which means some of us will celebrate with complete joy: while some of us will suffer unimaginable pain. Knowing Gods impending judgment is important to Christians. Because we need to be aware of the consequences of sin in the lives of those we love. Those consequences are not just for today they are also still to come. By preaching a one-dimensional God, we are hiding the truth of God's judgment.

Is it just to share only the grace of God and not mention the wrath of God? For me, I prefer to know about every facet of God, not just those things that are music to my ears.

Leia Mais…

All Who Call

Something to think about.

All Who Call

5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

 

We have perpetuated this idea that God is forgiving and merciful to all people.  As I read this verse, I see a condition of Gods forgiveness " to all that call upon you". As I read about "gnashing of teeth"  Matthew 8:12

Matthew 13:41–42

Matthew 22:11–13

Matthew 25:14–30)

and the judgment seat,  

Revelation 20:11-15
I see a different dynamic.  

We, you and I, Christian, are doing more than a disservice to the world when we continue to ignore this condition or encourage this erroneous ideology.   Gnashing of teeth and the Judgement of God when it leads to eternal punishment can not be ignored and hidden behind the mercy of God. God is merciful and kind. He is forgiving and loving. But His judgment will be just and eternal, painful and final. Let us not whitewash the severity of the final judgment. People that reject God will not find mercy, that concept is inconsistent with the word of God. 

Leia Mais…

The Narrow Door

Something to think about.

The Narrow Door

24 "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.' 26 Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' 27 But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.Luke 13:24:28

I used to think these verses referred to people outside of the Christian faith or on the fringes. But it does not, people on the fringes or outside the faith are easily identified. These verses, unfortunately, are referring to our present day leadership. Our leadership that has decided that modern reinterpretation of scripture should supplant or erase the undeniable word of God.  Leadership that has decided that it better understands the needs of man than God himself. Leadership that insists on putting forth their own errant interpretation of scripture rather than bowing down to the clear word of God. Our leaders and ourselves need to read the word of God and acknowledge it and obey it even if we don't agree with it.  Knowing that the God who created us is in a better position to supply our needs. He is the only one that sees the entirity of Humanity and knows how best to redeem it. If you are one of the ones that follow these leaders with their reinterpretation of scripture, you will in that day, find yourself knocking on the door requesting access and hearing;  'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'

Leia Mais…

What We Would Like to Forget

Something to think about.

What we would like to forget

2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. Nahum 1;2-3

We hear very little of the wrath of God anymore, it is almost forgotten. However, it is real it is all consuming, and it is coming.  Those that reject Christ will not be forgiven; their future is horrible and unavoidable.
The wrath of God is part of the truth of God we should not forget it, or push it to the furthest reaches of our minds. The wrath of God is going to be dispensed on people we love if we love them should we not warn them?

Leia Mais…

The Fruit You Deserve

Something to think about.

The Fruit You Deserve

“"I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."”
Jeremiah 17:10 ESV

Is this a verse you claim for your life or is it a verse you fear? Do you look forward to the fulfillment of this verse or hope that it never comes to fruition. Are you living a life that will allow you to receive the best fruits for your life or are you living a life that will only produce sorrowful fruit?

Interesting questions, but the truth is without Christ we will receive the fruit we deserve. With Christ, we will receive the forgiveness and restoration provided by His life, death, and resurrection.

Leia Mais…