Free Will's Requiem

 
Free will is a human concept the purports that God gave mankind a free and unencumbered will upon his creation.  The teaching claims that man has the capacity to FREELY choose.  I have proved the preposterousness of this heresy in many of my writings, and I wish to further show the error of this concept.

Consider the Jews.  These were a people chosen by God out of many nations.  They were given a covenant that was not given to ANY other nation.  It is important to realize this, because the covenant that the Jews had was between them and God.  It was not OPEN to any of the other nations. The covenant outlined a list of things that God was requiring of them.  Embedded in this list was a plethora of promises and a host of curses.  In order for the Jews to experience UTOPIA all they needed to do was OBEY THE LAW.  Do you understand this?  This is key to revealing the error of free will.  The Jews only needed to obey the words of the covenant and their lives would have been HEAVEN ON EARTH. All their physical needs would have been met and they would have wanted for NOTHING.  Why did the Jews NOT exercise their supposed FREE WILL to access this option?  It is because their will was NOT free!  And I thank God that they DID NOT OBEY; you will agree in a bit!

EVERY man born into the world is a SLAVE!  A slave has NO ability to exercise his own will but by nature is UNDER the will of another.  We are not born free but rather we are born slaves to sin:

Psalms 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,And in sin my mother conceived me.

Psalms 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.

Genesis 8:21b
“I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is EVIL FROM HIS YOUTH; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

The  Jews were no different from you or me.  The day before the received the covenant they were slaves to sin and the day after they received the covenant the were STILL slaves to sin!  The covenant DID NOT CORRECT THEIR SINFUL DISPOSITION.  But this is all besides the point because if mankind, inclusive of the Jews, had the capacity to choose freely then why do they ALL invariably choose darkness rather than light.

Consider what would have happened if the Jews had chosen by their supposed free will to OBEY God.  What would that mean for you GENTILES that were NOT God's chosen people:

Hebrews 8:7
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.

DID YOU READ THAT???  If the the Jews had somehow been able to exercise their 'free' will and had chosen to obey God the scripture says that 'THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO OCCASION SOUGHT FOR A SECOND' covenant. Where would that lead us who were not of the physical lineage of Abraham?  We would to this day be HOPELESS.  This was all part of God's plan because we read in the very next verse:

Hebrews 8:8
For finding fault with them, He says,“ Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, When I will effect A new covenant With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

In which way did God find fault with THEM (the Jews)?  It was in their INABILITY to keep the covenant.  They had NO capacity to obey the Law because they were SLAVES to sin. It was THIS that made the second covenant necessary.

Okay now we have a New Covenant, but can we choose by some free will to obey God even in this new covenant?

Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

It is God that is doing the willing in you AND the doing.  This is the reason why the Israelites were UNABLE to obey the law.  God was NOT in them.  The Law was an EXTERNAL stimuli that had NO POWER of the internal condition of mankind which was INCLINED to sin.  Now that we are in a new covenant does he now tell us to use OUR FREE WILL to live rightly? The new covenant has God now working IN us both to will and to do his good pleasure.  What is this good pleasure:

Jude 1:24
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,

His good pleasure is to make us stand in the presence of his glory.  What is required for this to happen? We MUST keep from stumbling AND be blameless. But consider, WHO IS IT THAT KEEPS YOU FROM STUMBLING? God, NOT free will.  Well can our free will cause us to stand blamelessly?  Of course not:

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is GOD who does the sanctifying, NOT OUR FREE WILL!!!  He confirms this in the VERY next verse:

...Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

Listen to this. IT IS GOD WHO BRINGS IT TO PASS NOT US OR A MYTHICAL FREE WILL!!!!

So, since we can't even use free will to freely will ourselves to NOT sin what good is it to lay claim to this BLASPHEMOUS and DEMONIC concept? We do well to heed this warning:

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through PHILOSOPHY and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, RATHER than according to Christ.

The MEDIOCRE Jesus...of Christianity

The word mediocre is defined as:

Of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; BARELY adequate.

We use this word to describe the efforts of those who do not apply themselves to a task at hand.  We use this word to describe our children's efforts when they bring home report cards laden with C's.  But could this word also be applied to a more celestial figure, namely Jesus?

How do we know if something is mediocre?  A label of mediocrity can only be applied when a purpose/task is defined.  Therefore, if the leadership of the CEO of a company produces break-even results for the fiscal year and profitability was the task then we can label the CEO as mediocre.  So what does this have to do with Jesus?

What was Jesus' purpose?
Why was Jesus born?  For what reason was Jesus sent?  What was Jesus' purpose?:

1 John 3:8b
The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

Here we have the clearly defined purpose of Jesus.  This is the reason for his coming.  The reason was 'to destroy the works of the devil'.  But what does that mean?  We can only know if Jesus is fulfilling the task if we understand the task.  So what does it mean to destroy the works of the devil?  The word destroy here is the Greek word 'luo' and it means to 'to reverse the result of tying by untying - to untie, to loosen'.  Okay now we have clarity; so Jesus' reason for coming to earth was to REVERSE THE EFFECTS of the devil.  So when did Satan begin to have an effect over mankind?  It began in the garden and it was at the point of the fall of man that Satan began his work.

What does the work of Satan produce in mankind?
We can see the effects of evil all around us.  Murder, hypocrisy, fornication, and every other thing that God regards as sin.  The results of this effect is shown in the bible:
 
1 John 5:19
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Ephesians 2:2
...in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

2 Timothy 2:26
...and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

From these verse we can confirm that the works of the devil are:
Corrupting the whole world
Working in the sons of disobedience
Captivating mankind to do his will
Deceiving the whole world

From these we can further deduce that this is the cause of the condition of our world today.  Now we can precipitate a definition for the works of the devil:

The devil works in mankind holding them captive and deceiving them, thus binding them to corruption and rendering them disobedient.

This is the work of Satan.

Is Jesus fulfilling his purpose?
If the purpose of Jesus is to UNDO the effects of the devil, I ask you, honestly, is he effective at that task?  Consider that by Christianity's measurement there are BILLIONS of souls in hell RIGHT NOW..  Why are they there?  Well they are there because they are unsaved. So if there are billions unsaved and  Jesus' purpose was to undo the effects of the devil that MUST mean that he is mediocre.  But we have a problem, consider:

Isaiah 55:11
So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

God is speaking here and he is saying something important.  Who is the WORD OF GOD?:

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The word of God IS Jesus.  Okay, so what does God say about this Word?:

'It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.'

Okay, so what is the desire of God?  To UNDO ALL (not SOME but all) that the devil has done.  What has the devil done to mankind? He 'holds them captive, deceiving them, thus binding them to corruption and rendering them disobedient'.  My question to you is, do any die in this bound up state?  Yes, billions do.  So what does that mean?  It means either Jesus is mediocre (only ABLE to save a few) or that there is work yet to be accomplished in the future.

Yeah, but...
I can hear it now, the fervent cries of free will!  Okay consider this analogy.  You go to the store to purchase a toaster.  You do this because you want toasted bread.  You unbox the toaster, plug it in and begin to toast.  Question, why do you use a toaster to do this?  Because a toaster IS SUPPOSE TO TOAST BREAD!  That is its PURPOSE.  Now imagine if you will this brand new toaster begins toasting, and out of ten slices of bread the toaster ONLY toasts four slices.  What do you do?  Do you take the six slices of bread back to the bakery and say 'Mr. Baker sir, this here bread don't toast'?  That would be ridiculous because you would KNOW that that CAPACITY to toast bread was NOT IN THE BREAD ITSELF.  That capacity is ONLY found in the toaster.  If we applied our ideas of salvation to the bread we think that the  toasting process had SOMETHING to do with the bread. When in fact:

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

The grace is from GOD and the faith is from JESUS.  And to further deny you ANY part in this process he says:

Ephesians 2:9
...not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This 'not a result of works' includes your so called 'acceptance' of him.  The work of Jesus is to 'toast' every man.  Consider:

Mark 9:49
“For everyone will be salted with fire.

So will Jesus be successful in his work of UNDOING all the works of the devil?  We have these witnesses:

1 Timothy 4:10
For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

A greater witness is this:

1 John 4:14
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

And since the Word of God 'will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it', I DARE TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS WILL SAVE THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!

The Sheol Contradiction

The word hell is used 31 times in the King James version of the Old Testament.  Each one of those times the word hell is translated from the Hebrew word Sheol.  The problem is that there should be some correlation between the number of times that hell is used and the number of times Sheol is present.  The word Sheol shows up in the Old Testament a total of 65 times.  Okay here is the issue, if Sheol is translated hell then how do we have hell 31 times but Sheol 65 times.  Shouldn't there be a closer reconciliation?

Let us at this time define the meaning of the word Sheol.  Sheol is defined as: a place to which people descend at death, a grave.  This is cause for concern.  Consider how the word was used at its first mention in the bible:

Genesis 37:35
Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

This passage is talking about the time when Jacob thought that he had lost his son.  It tells us that Jacob lamented that he will go down to Sheol in mourning.  What is more interesting is that the King James version translates Sheol in this instance as grave and herein is the contradiction.  Research will show that the word Sheol is translated hell in some instances and grave in others; but does this even make sense?  Look at the definition of the word grave:

A place where a dead body is buried. It is essentially a hole in the ground where a dead body is buried

Okay let's get a definition of the word hell:

A place of everlasting fiery punishment in the afterlife

Now there are instances where a word can have more than one meaning, but can ANYONE tell me how ONE word can mean a hole in the ground AND AT THE SAME TIME mean a place of fire and burning and punishment no end!!!!  Are these concepts even interchangeable? The first person to tell me that these things are ONLY understood in the spirit will get a VIRTUAL SLAP!!!  Consider:

Where is John Smith? He died and we buried him. (Grave)

Where is John Smith? He died and he is burning forever in a fiery hell hole. (Hell)

One question, was there a shortage of words that necessitated the Hebrews to cause the word Sheol to do double duty?  How would they EVER be able to communicate?  How would they ever know to what the other person was referring; heaven help us if it was written down and used in a sentence because a whole council would have to be called just to interpret!

The King James interpreters ran up against this problem pretty early on as they now had a dilemma.  If Sheol is to be translated as hell (a place of everlasting burning) then how could it be used in connection with the righteous of the Old Testament:

2 Samuel 22:6
The cords of Sheol/HELL surrounded me (David); The snares of death confronted me.

Here is a funny one:

1 Kings 2:6
So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.

According to this verse it is possible to go down to HELL in PEACE.  Seriously?

Oh and don't forget Job:

Job 14:13
“Oh that You would hide me in Sheol/HELL, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

How bad was Job's trials that he BEGGED God to send him to a place of everlasting burning and torment!  DOES THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE???  Job's plea was, Oh God I am in a bad place now but I beg you to send me to an even worse place.  Not only that but it appears that you could escape hell:

Psalms 86:13
For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol/HELL.

I guess this isn't strange since Jonah went there for three days:

 Jonah 2:2
...and he said, “I called out of my distress to the Lord, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol/HELL; You heard my voice.

So which is it? Can we finally put to rest this contradiction?  Is Sheol a place of everlasting fiery punishment or is it the grave?

How would they know?
If Sheol was a place of everlasting torment how would the Hebrews come to know this?  THINK ABOUT IT. There is no account where some Hebrew had a near death experience and came back and said 'hey you guys, that Sheol, let me tell ya that place is no joke'.  Seriously, how would they know?  Since this is a place that wicked people supposedly went to after death how would the know?  The only way for them to know is for God to tell them.  Well, did God EVER DESCRIBE Sheol as a place of torment?  Where did God ever clue the Hebrews into the fact that Sheol is a place of fiery torment? Remember that this word was first used in the bible by Jacob, but when was it first used by God?

Isaiah 5:14
Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; And Jerusalem’s splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.

Okay this is ridiculous.  This is the first time that God utters the word Sheol. He used it in connection with Jerusalem's splendor.  Now this is important; can we deduce from the way that God uses this word that he is talking about some fiery place filled with burning wicked?  On top of this he WAITS THOUSANDS OF YEARS AFTER THE FALL OF MAN TO EVEN MENTION THE WORD!  It would be a matter of great importance for man to know that when he dies in his sin that he would go to a fiery hell hole forever dontcha think?  Wouldn't God WANT TO WARN people of their fate?  Or does he say upon death when he is casting them into fire 'oh did I forget to mention that you are going to be tormented here for EVER and EVER.

The concept of hell is NOT articulated by God or ANY of his prophets in the Old Testament.  So how did the translators come to substitue Sheol in some places for the word hell?  The world knew what a grave was, they had been digging them since the fall of man.  It would require knowledge BEYOND what could be seen in the natural to grant an understanding of hell.  The Hebrews, by the time God used the word, had been using it for thousands of years.  To them it meant a hole in the ground to put the dead, nothing more.  It is used THROUGHOUT the Old Testament to mean just that; you can prove this by just substituting the King James usage of hell in the Old Testament for grave and IT MAKES SENSE EVERY TIME.

What is the wages/ punishment for sin?
In my post 'The mystery of the second death' I show clearly God's ultimate punishment for sin.  He NEVER told Adam that the punishment for sin would be an eternity in a fiery pit.   God said that the punishment for sin is the cessation of life.  That's IT; the price for sinning is DEATH.  The translators who translated the word Sheol to hell will have much to answer for on the day in which God will judge the world and so will the purveyors of this teaching.

(PLEASE DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME, God will further judge the wicked when he submits them to the second death.  This second death is where the wicked will undergo God's obedience program (see my post on The purpose of the Lake of Fire))

What are the implications of this understanding?
If Sheol can ONLY mean the grave then we have been duped.  We have been conveying to the world the idea that God punishes sin with an eternity of burning, and we have been using Sheol as a vehicle to do it.

But doesn't the New Testament talk about hell?
Let me ask you a question.  Jesus shows up on the scene about four thousand years after the fall of man.  By this time MILLIONS of people have died.  Could he at this time introduce to mankind a fresh new idea of how God punishes sin?  At some point he would have to say to the crowd 'Oh by the way, we didn't get to mention this earlier but when you die you don't REALLY die but you go to a fiery pit where you burn forever'.  WHAT, YOUR JUST TELLING US THIS NOW!!!!!  Remember that to them Sheol was the grave, could Jesus now come on the scene and CHANGE this definition?

True to form the translators continued their destructive tactics in their work in the New Testament, but we can now see their error.  Since we now know Sheol to be the grave can we use this information to offer clarity in the New Testament? 

Acts 2:27
...Because You will not abandon my soul to Hell, Nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

Oh you translators, this passage of scripture is taken from the book of Psalms and there the word Sheol is used.  In the New Testament where it is written in Greek the word is Hades.  Based on this then we can conclude that whenever the New Testament mentions Hades it is synonymous with the Hebrew word Sheol.  Now just how many times is the word Hades used in the New Testament?  Ten times; and do you know that the KJV rendered the word HADES as HELL each of these times?

See what is happening here is that there was and effort to transmit a doctrine and not a translation.  This is important to know because in doing so we have LOST a great understanding.  Consider:

Matthew 16:18
I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hell will not overpower it.

Upon reading this most Christians have fanciful ideas of Satan seeking to overcome the church with the gates of hell.  What is lost here is Jesus telling the church that the gates of HADES/SHEOL/GRAVE will not be able to overpower his church.  This was no rallying cry to beat back the forces of the devil, but it was a reassurance that death will not be a PERMANENT STATE for the church.  It was a promise that the power of God will rob the grave of its power over the saints by RESURRECTION.

We also lose an essential understanding here:

Revelation 20:14
Then death and Hell were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Again Christians have ideas of God taking up hell, filled with the wicked, and throwing it into a supposedly bigger fire.  But if you understand that HADES=SHEOL=GRAVE you realize that this is a wonderful picture of God bringing an END to death.

When you understand the equation HADES=SHEOL=GRAVE you can come to see just how specific the word of God is.  Consider:

Revelation 20:13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Has everyone who has ever died on the earth buried in the earth?  No, because some people died at sea.  Therefore the scripture says that the sea gives up its dead and Hades which is the grave which is a HOLE IN THE GROUND gave up its dead.
 
It is based on the fact that HADES=SHEOL=GRAVE that we can finally conclude that the story that Jesus gave of the rich man and Lazarus was indeed a PARABLE.  This is evident because to the hearers of this story they knew immediately that Sheol meant the grave and since one is dead in a grave  one could not LITERALLY lift up ones eyes and see anything! (see my post 'You shall not surely die...')

God inspired the use of the word Hades to be synonymous with Sheol, because he wanted New Testament followers to understand them to mean the same thing.  The only word left that the translators translate as hell is the word Gehenna (Oh what a versatile word HELL is). In my paper 'The mystery of the second death' I tried to show where Jesus' use of the concept of Gehenna is in fact the book of Revelations Lake of Fire.  In my post 'The purpose of the Lake of Fire' I prove where the lake of fire is the place where ALL the enemies of God are MADE TO BE OBEDIENT TO CHRIST.

I am made to wonder about this doctrine of hell when I consider the following:

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

Laying up treasures.

The parable that Jesus gives in Luke 12 is most awesome in that it DIRECTLY confronts the wisdom of the world and a destructive heresy adopted by the church.  The parable is of a rich man who was able to amass a considerable amount of wealth. The parable addresses what the man does with the wealth:

Luke 12:16
16 And He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was very productive.

Nothing wrong here is there?  In fact it was God who had blessed the land of the man so that it could bring forth a great harvest.

Luke 12:17-18
17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops? 18 Then he said, This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

These verses completely describes the wisdom of this world and the church has adopted these concepts as 'wisdom'.  In response to an abundance of wealth the man initiated a retirement plan.  Note that he was NOT a profligate, but one who introduced a REASONED response that ANY PERSON WOULD CONSIDER RESPONSIBLE.  He was preparing for the future.  Well isn't that what we are supposed to do?  Isn't this wisdom?  Aren't we suppose to save and invest for when we are not able to work?

Luke 12:19
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.

According to our wisdom, and yes this IS the wisdom that has been adopted by much of the church,  the state of the man in verse nineteen is EXACTLY the goal we aspire too.  This is NOTHING MORE THAN A REASONABLE RETIREMENT PLAN.  In fact this is what passes as sensible.  This is what makes God's statement all the more troubling:

Luke 12:20
20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?

God calls this man a fool!  He calls a man that is doing what is called wisdom a fool.  But WHY?:

Luke 12:21
21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Jesus CONDEMNS the actions of this man because the man was not being what he calls 'rich toward God'. All the efforts of this man was summed up by Jesus as wanting.  He had a plan that he acted on, he was not a profligate, he save responsibly ; all things that we accept as wisdom.  God calls FOOLISH!!!  What is more flabbergasting is that in this verse Jesus says that storing up treasures is not the same thing as being rich toward God.   Now what follows in the very next verse is what God calls wisdom:

Luke 12:22-23

22 And He said to His disciples, For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

THIS IS INSANE TO OUR UNDERSTANDING!  Jesus just castigated a SOLID RESPONSIBLE case of financial planning  calling it FOOLISH and he counters with the above verses. Jesus tells us NOT to worry about our lives. So EVERYTHING that this man did by responsibly securing for his future was what Jesus would determine WORRY.  I tremble as I contemplate these words because this is saying that our ideas on how we should order our financial steps are an affront to God.  In fact what Jesus is advocating here is a carefree lifestyle where we do not do the things that are determined as good sense and we adopt this lifestyle that he calls 'rich towards God' and does not involve storing up and saving for the future. What about my children's college tuition?  Shouldn't I store up for this?  Or what about retirement? What about my future?  Jesus does not console us in our insecurities but goes on to talk about ravens and lilies and concludes by saying:

Luke 12:28
28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!

God calls a life where NOTHING is secure and NOTHING is paid for in advance and NOTHING is responsibly prepared a life of faith.  So how are we SUPPOSED to acquire all the things we need:

Luke 12:29-31
29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

He tells us to NOT be responsible as the world understands in fact he calls that worrying.  He tells us to cast that all aside and seek his kingdom and somehow all the other things will be added to us.  WOW, now isn't that a kick in the head!!!!  That requires FAITH.  Now I see why Jesus asks the question:

When the Son of man comes will he find faith on the earth?

Can you live like this?  Can you live irresponsibly?  I invite you to walk on the side of faith because after all:

Whatever is NOT of faith is sin. Roman 14:23

Jesus continues:

Luke 12:32
32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

The reason he says to you not to be afraid is because the life that he just described would cause you to fear because one would only have faith in a God that he could not see in order to live a life of promise.  But now comes the hard part.  How does one acquire a life that is rich toward God:

Luke 12:33

33 Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.

The Mystery of the Second Death

What is God's ultimate punishment? In the mind of God what was the highest form of punishment that he could devise against mankind for sin?  Christians the world over imagine an eternity in the fires of hell to be God's highest form of punishment.  This is blasphemy!  God is not a sadist; he does not find pleasure in torture NOR does it satisfy him.  What does God regard as the greatest punishment for sin?  Consider:

Genesis 2:17
...but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely DIE.”

Here we see God explaining to Adam the consequences for sin. The answer to the question of God's ultimate punishment is DEATH.  It is confirmed by Paul:

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is DEATH...

Romans 1:32
...and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are WORTHY OF DEATH, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Romans 6:20-21
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? FOR THE OUTCOME OF THOSE THINGS IS DEATH.

So, we see that the highest form of punishment that God meets out to all mankind is death, or said another way the cessation of life. (My post titled 'You shall not surely die...' gives a clear understanding of the effects of death on the human being.  In it I show that dead means dead). An understanding of how God punishes with death is essential for grasping the mystery of the 'second death' spoken of in the book of Revelation.

What happens after death?
The scriptures say what happens after death:

Hebrews 9:27
...And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

Christians assume that judgment takes place immediately after you die, but what does the word of God say:

Acts 17:31
Because he hath appointed A DAY, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained...

God tells us that he has appointed a day when he will judge the world.  Judgment does not happen on the day you die but on  the 'appointed day in which he will judge the world'.  At the time of judgment what happens?

John 5:28-29
Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Now, on the day that the wicked are resurrected we see that they are judged.  Where does the judgement of God lead them?

Revelation 20:14-15
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if ANYONE'S NAME was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the LAKE OF FIRE.

So where does the judgment of God lead them?  TO DIE AGAIN of course; this is why it is called the SECOND DEATH.

What specifically is the lake of fire?
The Lake of Fire is the wrath of God fueled by his anger (It is important that you read my post on 'The purpose of the Lake of Fire' to get a seamless understanding here) , consider:

Romans 2:5
...But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Colossians 3:5-6
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things 'sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience

These verses show that the wrath of God is for the sons of disobedience; the bible also classifies them as 'the wicked'.  This wrath is experienced in connection with judgment.

The wrath of God has different effects on different types of people.
This is a strange statement because most people think God an equal opportunity destroyer.  But consider that the scriptures make a clear distinction regarding the wicked.  All the wicked find their place in the Lake of Fire, but they experience it differently.  For the purpose of this post let us offer a classification of the wicked:
Wicked 1.0
Wicked 2.0
The wicked 1.0 is your run of the mill unsaved, unredeemed, unbeliever from all of antiquity up until the time of the beast.  The Wicked 2.0 is all those  who 'worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand'.

Why was it necessary to use the word 'alive'?

Revelation 19:20
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown ALIVE into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

If all who experience this lake of fire are alive when they are cast into it then why is it necessary to distinguish that the beast and false prophet were cast in ALIVE?

Revelation 20:10
...and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages.

Where is it EVER written that ALL the people who are wicked are:
1- alive in the fire and brimstone
2- are tormented

The smoke of WHOSE torment ascended up for ages of ages?

Revelation 20:14-15
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

What is the state of those who are thrown into the lake of fire?  Are the alive  or are they DEAD?  Consider Jesus' words:

John 15:6
If anyone DOES NOT ABIDE in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and DRIES UP; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

This drying up is death.  This branch is DEAD when it enters the fire to be burned.

Matthew 3:10
The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

What happens when you cut down a tree?  It dies.

Who is ALIVE when they are cast into the Lake of Fire?

1- the beast
2- the false prophet
3- Satan
4- those who take the mark of the beast and worship his image

Revelation 14:9-11
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends up to ages of ages: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

The church upon reading this assumes that this is ALL the wicked.  This is a VERY SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE!  These people receive the WRATH OF GOD WITHOUT MIXTURE!  THEY ARE ALIVE in the Lake of fire.  Consider the use of the words 'without mixture'.  This phrase denotes  a CONCENTRATION of wrath.  If wrath was only experienced in ONE FORM why would it be necessary to specify 'without mixture'?

THE SECOND DEATH (lake of fire) KILLS THE WICKED 1.0.  They enter it DEAD.  They are DEAD as the power of God's judgement SALTS them with fire.  These are then made alive in Christ since there impurities will be burnt away.  Those in the four categories listed above will get the FULL MEASURE OF THE WRATH OF GOD WITHOUT MIXTURE.

What is the end result of all these things?

Zephaniah 3:8-9
“Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My INDIGNATION, All My BURNING ANGER; For all the earth will be devoured By the FIRE of My zeal. “For THEN I will give to the peoples purified lips, That ALL OF THEM may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

The Poison that is Pastoral Ministry

Have you ever wondered how a function (notice I said function and NOT office--more on this later) that is listed in the New Testament all of TWO times has become the dominant face of Christian work?  The pastor has become the centerpiece of the body of Christ, but is this even scriptural?  Consider this:

A man says that he has heard from God and has received a calling to 'ministry'.  He then gathers a people unto himself.  He becomes the repository of God's word to the people.  He speaks to God on behalf of the people and to the people on behalf of God.  He baptizes you, performs marriages and funerals. He becomes an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist and a healer. He eventually becomes quintessential; the 'be all and end all'.

One question.  WHERE IS THE BIBLICAL PRECEDENCE FOR THIS?  What if someone came to you and said that God has called them to a rocking ministry?  You would be puzzled as you ask them just what is a rocking ministry?  They tell you that a rocking ministry is where you walk up to an unbeliever and quietly rock back and forth, and the unbeliever would come to know Christ in this way.  You would at least search the scriptures to see if there is any basis for a rocking ministry, wouldn't you?  My point is that the scriptures are our point of reference for our lives, and should be the foundation of ALL our beliefs.  That said there is no precedence for pastoral ministry as we have come to know it.

Functions not offices
A function for our purposes is defined as a role distinguished by a particular activity.  An office is defined as a position of authority.  The difference between the two is that one is concerned with action and the other is concerned with position.  

God was particular in collectively comparing those born of God to a body.  This is important to know; because the body though composed of different parts all the parts have FUNCTIONS.  The clergy has taken on the role of OFFICES which is diametrically opposed to how a body works.  Your liver functions WITHIN the body.  This act of 'functioning within' is important in that it is DEPENDENT on OTHER functions to preform its function.  This  therefore creates INTERRELATIONSHIP and INTERDEPENDENCY within the body.  The clergy acts as an OFFICE in that activities, people and works flow TO IT.  The clergy/office system sets itself as the FOCAL POINT.  The body has no focal point but ONE, and that is the head which is represented by Christ and not some pastor.

Temporary in function
Consider this:

Ephesians 4:11-16
...And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 

The apostles: these functioned to establish the oracles of God.  They were the foundation of the church.  The apostles were purposed at establishing the accepted doctrine of the church.  They gave the word of God to us.  Their purpose was temporary, because once a foundation is set it DOES NOT CHANGE.

The prophet: his function is to provide the believer with a word of edification, exhortation and comfort.  They were gifted by God to tell of the future. Their function is to, at the discretion of God, give us useful glimpses of the future to aid us in our lives.  Their purpose is expressed intermittently and is by nature temporary.

The evangelist: his function was to go about spreading the good news of the gospel of God.  They were gifted as they were able to lead persons to Christ through their preaching.  After the person has been born of God he no longer is in need of the evangelist.  Therefore his purpose is also temporary in the life of the believer.

The pastor/teacher:  his purpose was to teach the people of God so that they can take all that the prophet, apostles and evangelist have shown them.  They were to teach the ELEMENTARY truths of God.  This teaching is to bring the person to the POINT OF MATURITY where they no longer are in need of milk.  Their purpose was TEMPORARY.


By now you should have been...

Hebrews 5:12
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

The clergy system corrupts your development since it hinders and stops your maturity.  A tree needs fertilizer while it is young, but as it matures the RESULT OF MATURITY is that it comes to a point where the tree is now able to absorb nutrients from the soil on its own.  If cultivated correctly the tree now finds itself firmly anchored to the soil, and because of this deep relationship it is able to gain access to nutrients.  This is important because  it is no longer dependent on an external source (a farmer) for its continued growth but now is TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON THE SOIL.  (Just as a side note, when the tree matures it switches the source of its dependency.) The clergy system ENSURES that you never arrive at this point, because you are always dependent on them to feed you. They have in effect usurped the relationship between God and his people.

The nature of solid food

Hebrews 5:13-14
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

When someone is mature enough to eat solid food that person is no longer dependent on SOMEONE ELSE to feed them.  Babies are always in need of assistance in the way of feeding, because they are not mature.  But when you mature to being able to eat solid food it is around that time when you become able to find and prepare your food yourself.

Milk comes from the breast of your mother.  It has in it the necessary nutrients that helps your body to grow.  It is suppose to bring your body to a point where YOU NO LONGER NEED IT.  The mother in this case uses the milk to bring you to a point where YOU NO LONGER NEED HER, but where you become able to EAT SOLID FOOD.  The thing though is that solid food DOES NOT COME OUT OF THE MOTHER'S BREAST.  In this same way the function of the pastor can ONLY BRING YOU TO A POINT WHERE YOU ARE MATURE AND AT THAT POINT ONLY GOD CAN FEED YOU.

Remember the purpose
It is easy to forget that the pastor/teacher had a VERY distinct purpose, and it is a SHARED purpose that was accomplished in conjunction with all the other functions.  What is that purpose?:

Ephesians 4:11-16
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 

Here we see that each of these functions were linked together, because TOGETHER they have ONE purpose and that is :

...for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; UNTIL we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 

Now what would be the RESULT of the accomplishment of this shared purpose:

...As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

Do you see what was suppose to be the result of SUCCESSFUL functioning?  Let me ask you, since the word of God says that this would be the result of the fulfillment of this shared purpose DO YOU SEE THIS ANYWHERE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST?  The clergy system has produced NOTHING BUT children tossed here and there and easily tricked by schemes of men.  But hold on there are more results:

...but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Love?  You mean to tell me that LOVE was supposed to be a result?  WHERE?  In addition, we were to 'grow up in all aspects into him who is head, even Christ'.  Well monkey foot ARE YOU SERIOUS!  How can this be when EVERY so called ministry under the sun thinks itself GOD's true one and only.  

The point is that it is OBVIOUS that this clergy system FAILS us.  It has NO basis in truth and is therefore ILLEGITIMATE.  The functions described by Paul in Ephesians can find no place in our churches today.  I have no doubt that God is restoring his established and sanctioned order and those whom he has called will see his light.

The last nail in the coffin of FREE WILL.

The REALITY: Man is a puppet
The PROBLEM: He cannot see the strings
The DELUSION: I am the master of my fate; the captain of my soul

The doctrine of free will is THE MOST destructive doctrine held by the church today.  The doctrine goes something like this:

When God made man he put in him the ability to freely choose.  This free will is what allows man to come to God or to refuse him.

This doctrine and variations of it has permeated the church, and has become the lynchpin for a host of heresies that in and of themselves CANNOT stand without it.

Can a person choose?
This is a valid question because if we are to lay to rest the teaching of free will this glaring reality must be addressed.  The question 'can a person choose' is a good one, but it does not offer proof of free will.  Yes, a person can choose; but the real question is 'Is a person FREE to choose'.  As Christians we often see the world in black and white.  To us there are those who are of God and those who are not.  Let us examine the unbeliever.

Is the unbeliever free to choose?
We see the unbeliever as a reprobate CHOOSING to live a life of sin and refusing God.  What does the bible say of him:

Psalms 51:5
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Psalms 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.

Here we have the BIBLICAL description of EVERY human EVER born.  We are born NOT with a clean slate, but rather we are all born with a propensity to sin.  Notice that the scripture does not tell us that we come to CHOOSE sin but that we are BORN sinners.  Now since we are born this way what does this birth produce:

Ephesians 2:3
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Paul tells us that unbelievers 'live in the lust of the flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind'.  Why is this?  It is because they are 'BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH'.  Do you see that?  Let me pose a question 'Are these people operating by their own will?'.  Let the word of God answer:

2 Timothy 2:26
...and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Do you see the condition of EVERY man born into the world.  They are ALL being HELD CAPTIVE BY THE DEVIL TO DO HIS WILL.  They are not performing their OWN will as the doctrine of free will purports.  The bible says that they are in the SNARE of the devil.  The word snare means trap.  If you are in a trap ARE YOU FREE?  Not only are they in a trap but they are being held captive to perform the WILL OF THE DEVIL.  Do you see any freedom here?  Whose will are they performing, their own or the devil's?

As you continue to grasp at the brittle threads of free will you may say 'well, they can escape at any time the want'.  Oh really?  The following verses tell us how they got into the trap in the first place and why:

Romans 11:32
For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

Galatians 3:22
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

I have written before in the post 'Why do sinners sin' that the unbeliever can no more stop sinning than a blind man can avoid a ditch. God is the ONLY ONE who can set the sinner free from the captivity of Satan; NOT some FREE WILL.  Consider:

2 Timothy 2:25
...with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, IF PERHAPS GOD may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,

But surely the Christian has free will doesn't he?
You may still want to cling to the heresy of free will by concluding that the Christian has free will since he is of God.  NO HE DOES NOT.  Consider this scripture:

Philippians 2:13
...for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Solomon understood this:

1 Kings 8:57-58
May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers.

It is God doing then inclining! The Christian has been led to believe that it is he that is choosing to obey God by his own free will.  Consider:

1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has CAUSED us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  
We are all slaves.
The New Testament uses the Greek word 'Doulos'.  This word is translated as 'slave' in english.  This is an important description because it helps us to understand how man operates.  The word translated as slave means 'ONE WHO HAS NO WILL OF HIS OWN AND IS UNDER COMPLETE CONTROL OF ANOTHER'. Since this is the case we can see how the doctrine of free will can finally be defeated by the following:

Romans 6:15-22
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey –whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 

Remember that this 'offering' of ourselves to sin occurs at CONCEPTION.  Let us continue:

...But thanks be to God that, though you USED to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 

Remember this obedience occurs BY GOD's WILL.  Continue:

...You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

The Christian now is a slave, that is WITHOUT HIS OWN WILL, to righteousness.  Notice that the condition of slavery does NOT cease; we simply move from one master to another.  He continues:

...I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever- increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 

Did you see that?  Sinners are FREE FROM THE CONTROL OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Go on:

...What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

There it is, the one born of God is himself a SLAVE to God.  No free will here.  In fact Paul takes it further in telling us thatWE ARE OWNED:

1 Corinthians 6:20
For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

I pray that God will grant you understanding as you too come to see that indeed we are ALWAYS slaves.

Do you really ACCEPT Jesus as Lord?

The Christian's clarion call to the world is 'Accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior'. The word accept means: To take or receive with approval or favor, to agree or to consent to.  You will come to see that the use of the word 'accept' has become the basis of misunderstanding of how salvation really works.

Most Chrisitians have the following viewpoint of God: 

God sent his son, Jesus, with a message that if the world would receive it they would be saved from destruction.  All day long God has his arms stretched out longing for people to respond favorably to this message of life.

The greatest problem with this line of thought is that the responsibility is placed on the unbeliever, and all he need do is ACCEPT Jesus and he will be saved.  This is nonsense, because the scriptures paint a very different picture of salvation. Consider:

Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many AS HAD BEEN APPOINTED to eternal life believed.

The word 'accept' denotes a choice of the accepter.  If you ask me to accept something that must mean that I have a choice in the matter.  But is salvation a CHOICE?

John 1:12-13
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John tells us here that those who come to God DO NOT do so by THEIR OWN will but by THE WILL OF GOD.  In order to continue on to understanding you must come to see this verse as a GOVERNING principle when dealing with salvation.  We are born of God NOT BY OUR WILL but BECAUSE of God's will.  We see this again in Galatians:

Galatians 1:4
...who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the WILL OF OUR GOD and Father,

Again, acceptance denotes the will of the accepter.  But salvation is not based on our choice.  Consider

Ephesians 1:4-5
...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Here we see God doing the choosing AND the predestination.  The problem is that when most Christians read this they assume that God does this by his foreknowledge.  This is ridiculous because we just read in John where it states that salvation is based on an act of the will of God. 

Ephesians 1:11
...also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

Again this act of predestination was ACCORDING to his PURPOSE.  Just as a side bar let me try and explain predestination.  God wants to build a fence so he FIRST makes a hammer.  When the time comes when the job requires the use of a hammer he selects that hammer.  The hammer DOES NOT accept him.  The hammer was MADE FOR THIS PURPOSE. Consider:

2 Timothy 1:9
...who did save us, and did call with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, that was given to us in Christ Jesus, before the times of the ages,

Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

What were the tools used to BRING us to God?  Grace and faith, consider:

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Acceptance?  Not hardly!  The grace was GOD's and the faith used was GOD's gift.

Colossians 3:12
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

Again the choice was God's.

Listen to Paul's description of his salvation:

Galatians 1:15-16
But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles...

Look at this; God set him apart, God called him through his grace, WHEN IT PLEASED GOD he revealed his son in him.  Wow this is amazing.  NONE of these things that established the salvation of Paul had ANYTHING to do with him but EVERYTHING to do with God.

1 Thessalonians 1:4
...knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;

God's choice and NOT your acceptance.

2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

This verse again shows that our salvation is BASED NOT ON the foreknowledge of God but the CHOICE OF GOD.  So we must conclude that salvation is NOT based on our ACCEPTANCE but on GOD's choice.

What about whosoever believeth?
Let us look at the most famous verse of the entire bible:

John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Ahhhhhh you say does not this verse denote us choosing and accepting God. Nahhhhhhh it doesn't.  There are several 'whosoever believeth' verses throughout the New Testament but does that tell us HOW we are saved or does it allow us to IDENTIFY who is being saved?  When we see the phrase 'whoever believes' this is an identification, because we see that belief comes about by faith and we saw earlier that the FAITH THROUGH WHICH WE BELEIEVE IS OF GOD.  This therefore is a way of DETERMINING who is born of God.  It is like having a bunch of fruit trees in your yard and not knowing which of them is a Mango tree.  So I come to you and say 'the tree that produces a mango fruit is a mango tree'.  In the same way whosoever believes IS born of God

So do we ACCEPT God into our lives?  No, but he CHOOSES us into his.  The fallacy that we 'accept Jesus' bears exposing because Christians the world over harbor the SILLY notion that unbelievers RESIST God.  We are born of God BY HIS WILL and NO ONE can resist his will.

Why do CHRISTIANS sin?

How is it that Christians continue to sin?  Aren't we suppose to be different from those in the world who can't help themselves?  Is it even possible to stop sinning?  God understands doesn't he?  After all I am only human, a sinner saved by grace, right?These questions are all applicable to the body of Christ.  I have, as I am sure you have, wrestled with the reality of sin.  This post will address these issues and shed light on the road to our maturity.

What do you understand by the terms 'Saved', and 'Born of God'?  Most Christians would not see ANY difference between the two, and in fact they would have no problem with using these terms interchangeably.  They would be wrong, because these two concepts are completely different.

Are you saved?
Christians use this opening line when 'witnessing' their faith to an unbeliever.  It too represents a way of gauging the individuals current spiritual state.  But does it really?  The word 'saved' is listed over 50 times in the King James Version of the New Testament.  The problem is that to our understanding the word 'saved' is an event.  This simple misconception of the term has led us to believe that a person can be 'saved' in an instant.  But is this true?  Consider Jesus' use of this term:

Matthew 10:22
You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

Matthew 24:13
But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

These two instances where Jesus uses the word 'saved' denote a PROCESS and not an event.  This is confirmed by the Apostles' use of the word. Consider:

Luke 13:23
And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are BEING saved?”

Acts 2:47b
...and the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1 Corinthians 1:18
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

2 Corinthians 2:15
For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;

It is clear that the word used here represents a process.  But a process of what?  The word translated 'saved' in these instances means to 'make whole, to heal and to make well'.  This helps our understanding, because it causes us to to see that 'being saved' is the process whereby God makes us whole by healing us and making us well.  So to the question 'Are you saved' the more accurate answer from a Christian is 'No, but I am BEING saved'.

So what does it mean to be Born of God?
This is where we have an instantaneous event.  Consider:

John 1:12-13
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who WERE born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

1 Peter 1:23
...for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 John 3:9
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 5:1
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

1 John 5:4
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world —our faith.

It is clear from the use of the words 'were born', 'have been born' and 'is born' that to be 'Born of God' happens immediately.  The correlation that exist between 'born of God' and 'being saved' is that ONE INITIATES THE PROCESS OF THE OTHER.  When one is born of God you automatically begin the process of being saved.

Consider Babies.
God used the analogy of birth because it aids us in our understanding of this process.  Being born of God is not unlike being born a natural baby.  What separates a baby from an adult?  You may answer, time of course.  Not really, what separates a baby from adulthood is IGNORANCE.  Adults can talk but babies cannot because of ignorance.  Adults can understand but babies cannot because of ignorance.  Adults can walk but babies cannot because of ignorance.  Does a baby have a tongue, yes they do but they are ignorant of speech.  Do they have feet, yes they do but their leg muscles are ignorant of how to get them to move properly.  Growth in the life of a baby is in effect the SHEDDING OF IGNORANCE.  Consider:

2 Corinthians 2:11
...so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

1 Timothy 1:13
...even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;

1 Peter 1:14
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,

As a baby struggles with ignorance to mature we too as Christians born of God must overcome ignorance (which is the process of being saved ). Like the baby you too have all the capacity to overcome ignorance by the very fact that you were born.  But where is this ignorance?  Consider:

James 1:14
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

This 'each one' is not just talking about sinners but EACH ONE.  This is the condition of every man.  Being born of God DOES NOT remove the lusts from your heart, but rather it is the 'being saved' process that does this.  Therefore EACH human, Christian or not, has resident in them lusts.  These lusts are different form individual to individual and their combinations are as varied as humans are.  One may have lusts toward peadophilia, and murder.  Another may have lust to fornication and hateful speech.  Regardless of the orientation what is common is that all have these lusts.  What makes the person born of God unique is this; they have the capacity through the initiation of the 'being saved' process to overcome these lusts.  So why do Christians sin?

James 1:14-15
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

Here is the process of the development of sin.  From this we learn that Christians sin because of their connection with their OWN lusts.  The work of God in our lives during the BEING SAVED process is to sever the ties between 'us and the lusts'.  This is where Satan is so important.  Since God does not tempt anyone to sin he sends Satan to do this.   As we renew our minds through the word of God this powerful link between 'us and the lusts' becomes weaker and weaker. 

Most Christians see sin as an ever present reality and they do not believe that they are even able to overcome it.  But what does God tell us:

Romans 6:11-12
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,

Paul says consider yourself dead to sin.  This is important because the 'being saved' process is suppose to bring about the first death to the Christian.  For us the first death we experience is death to sin, and it simply means that we NO LONGER RESPOND TO THE IMPULSES OF SIN.  

Many Christians mark the beginning of their experience with some prayer they repeated way back when.  This is flawed.  How de we KNOW that we have been born of God and have begun the being saved process?

1 John 2:3-6
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1 John 3:9
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

These two passages declare to us how we can KNOW that we have entered the process of sanctification:
Do you keep the WORDS of Jesus?
Do you walk in WAYS of Jesus?
Do you continue in or practice sin?

These three questions are the acid test of our faith.  Overcoming sin is no pie in the sky state but a REQUIREMENT from God, because it is at this point that we become  HOLY UNTO THE LORD.  In fact the being saved process has an end result and that is holiness, and holiness is essential because:

Hebrews 12:14
...without holiness no one will see the Lord.

This is why we are told to PERFECT holiness:

2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The end result of the entire process of being born of God to being saved to holiness is this:

Ephesians 4:13b
... to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Therefore I encourage you:

Colossians 1:10
...so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

ARE YOU MEASURING UP?

Knowing God

I have debunked the biblical use of the word 'eternal' in my post 'The Myth of Eternal'.  There I proved that the use of this word in most English versions DISTORTS the truth of the scriptures.  In fact using the word 'eternal' has robbed us of the truth, in that, it has led us to a critical misunderstanding of a fundamental concept throughout the bible.  If I were to ask MOST Christians the question 'What is eternal life' they may answer, 'living with Jesus in complete bliss forever in heaven'.  The reason why they would answer this way is because of the word 'eternal'.  By the way that answer, or ANY variation of it, is COMPLETELY wrong.

I proved that the word 'eternal' in the Greek scriptures is translated from the word AION which DOES NOT MEAN eternal but an indefinite period of time that has a beginning and an end.  Since this is so we can see that the scriptures hold no promise of eternal life but 'AGE-ABIDING life.  What does this have to do with the original question?  Everything, because 'ETERNAL' life has NOTHING to do with time!  So what would be the correct answer to the question 'What is eternal life'.  Consider:

John 17:3
3 This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Jesus gives us the answer.  'ETERNAL' life is not about living forever but about knowing GOD.  It is because of the error of 'eternal' that we have lost out on the most overarching promise of Jesus.  The word eternal here is the word AION; so it actually renders this verse:

John 17:3
3 and this is the life age- during, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and him whom Thou didst send -- Jesus Christ;

Now this is where we have something beautiful.  We have Jesus DEFINING a concept that is used by him and the apostles throughout the New Testament.  What's is the definition of 'ETERNAL' (Age-Long) life?

Eternal life is the process whereby one comes to know the TRUE God and Jesus Christ.

I ask you, does Jesus' definition of this life have ANYTHING to do with time?

Now that we have a true definition of the conept of the life that Jesus was describing throughout his ministry we can now get a better understanding of the scriptures.  Whenever we see in a typical bible translation the words 'Eternal Life' we can substitute it for phrase 'knowing the true God and his son Jesus'.  Let us see:

John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have 'KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE GOD AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST'.

Mark 10:30
30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, 'KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE GOD AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST'.

Acts 13:48
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to 'COMING INTO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE GOD AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST' believed.

Romans 6:22-23
22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE GOD AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.  23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is KNOWING THE TRUE GOD AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To some this may be a disappointment because it has nothing to do with getting wings and eating heavenly grapes.  What I am saying sounds a whole lot like school!  You mean to tell me that I am going through all this trouble on earth to die and go back to school!  Give me back my grapes.

When you understand the concept of the life that Jesus promised us you come to realize that this knowledge actually does something to you.  Consider:

2 Peter 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

From these verses we see that through this knowledge of God we will:
Have grace and peace multiplied to us
Have everything pertaining to life and godliness
Have precious and magnificent promises
Be partakers in the divine nature

The process of knowing God begins right now in this age, but it is not fulfilled in this age, consider:

1 Corinthians 13:12
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

When we enter the next age it is then that we would be able to come into the full knowledge of God.

So what will this knowledge of God create in us?

...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature

This true knowledge cause us to be able to share in, become a partner with, the divine nature.

1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We will come to know fully his Love, wisdom, power, goodness, faithfulness.

Another aspect often overlooked in knowing God is that sin was an essential element in our coming to know him in his fulness.  Adam's sin was ESSENTIAL in that it brought man to a state where he could some day completely know God.  Sin, essential?  Yes, because without sin how could we EVER have come to know the MERCY of God.  What is mercy?  Consider:

Psalms 103:10
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

That is mercy. Mercy is such an important part of God's character that he would go to extreme measures JUST TO SHOW IT.  Consider:

Romans 11:32
32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.  

The shutting up of all in disobedience was an action INITIATED BY GOD for the SOLE purpose of DISPLAYING HIS MERCY.  Mercy was not a side product of the fall but an intricate part of the nature of God.  Thank God for a disobedient Adam.

The whole purpose for our existence is for God to bring sons into the knowledge of their Father and their elder brother. The human race is on a remarkable journey indeed.  We are coming to a place where we will finally Know God, and THIS IS LIFE.

The purpose of the Lake of Fire

The Lake of Fire is mentioned only in the book of Revelation.  Ask any Christian and their imaginations will come alive with ideas about the Lake of Fire.  But what exactly is this Lake of Fire or more importantly what is it's purpose?  Consider:

Revelation 19:20
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

Okay, we see here that the Beast and false prophet are cast into this lake of fire.  What else do we know:

Revelation 20:10
10 and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where [are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night -- to the ages of the ages.

Here we see that the devil will be thrown into this lake of fire.  What else:

Revelation 21:8
8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 20:15
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

From these two verses we can see that ANYONE (HUMANS) not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.  What else:

Revelation 20:14
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

There you have it; ALL the verses that mention the Lake of Fire.  I left Revelation 20:14 until last because it gives us a link to understanding what this lake of fire is and its purpose.  John saw where DEATH was cast into the lake of fire.  This is important to know because another writer talks about death as well.  Consider:

1 Corinthians 15:25-26
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

Paul tells us that Christ must reign until God has put ALL his enemies under his feet.  Paul then goes on to say that the LAST enemy will be death.  Paul makes sure to say the 'LAST' enemy because there are other enemies that will be abolished.  Who are the other enemies? John lists them in Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 21:8 and 21:15 (see above).  Altogether the enemies of God are those who REMAIN disobedient in this age. These enemies of God are all to be abolished as Paul says. So how does God abolish death?  John tells us how; God abolishes death by casting it into the Lake of Fire.  Now here is where the purpose of Lake of Fire is revealed.

John says that Death along with the enemies of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire, Paul says that death and the enemies of God will be abolished.  But what does abolish mean?

1 Corinthians 15:25-27
25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For HE has put all things in SUBJECTION under His feet.

Paul tells us that the enemies of God will be abolished BY being SUBJECTED under the feet of Christ.  Okay, let's look at this:

John says ALL the enemies of God will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

Paul says ALL the enemies of God will be put in subjection under Christ's feet.

Therefore, we MUST conclude that the 'Lake of Fire' and 'Subjection under the feet of Christ' has to be the SAME thing.  So how do we find out what is the purpose of the Lake of Fire?  We discover its purpose when we understand the meaning of the word 'SUBJECT'.  The word subject in this passage is the Greek word 'hupotasso', and this word means, 'TO BRING UNDER CONTROL AND TO MAKE OBEDIENT'.  Now we can see the purpose of the lake of fire:

The Lake of Fire is a process used by God to bring ALL His enemies under control thus MAKING them obedient to Christ.

It is AT this point when ALL the enemies of God, that is, everyone not written into the book of life because of DISOBEDIENCE will be MADE OBEDIENT.  

Those chosen by God are made obedient NOW, but later ALL will be made obedient. (See post 'Everyone will be salted by Fire')

You shall not surely die...

The title statement is the first recorded lie in the bible, and indeed in all of creation.  It was uttered by a serpent in the garden and it was directed towards Eve.  Not only was this the first lie, but it remains the most ENDURING lie of all time.  I say that it endures because this particular lie is the most pervasive lie today.  What makes it even more heinous is that this lie now parades itself as a THEOLOGICAL TRUTH.

Well we know what happened, Eve and Adam ate the fruit and just as true as God spoke it death entered the world.  I think we can all agree that we have been dying ever since.  But what exactly is death?  Death was first mentioned by God as punishment for disobeying him. Death literally means the cessation  of life or lifelessness. In essence life IS what death IS NOT.

The prevailing Christian thought on death is that at the moment you die, that is your body dies, the 'real' you travels to some other place.  If you have been righteous in life you are welcomed into heaven, and if you have been unrighteous in life then you will be cast into a bad bad place. But is it true?  Let us look at some problems with this view:

1- The Christian teaching on death assumes that when you die you continue to live. This is based on, depending on who you talk to, presumptions that your body is not you and the real you lives inside of your body.  The big problem with this, IF IT WERE TRUE, is that that would mean upon birth in this life you would have IMMORTALITY.  Immortality means being unable to die.  Think about it, if you die but the real you continues to live then that means that YOU HAVE NEVER EXPEREICED DEATH.  That would also mean that you are IMMORTAL.  What would be the point of God's punishment for Adam's disobedience? What does the bible say about this?

1 Timothy 6:16
16 (GOD) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

Paul tells us that God is the ONLY one who possesses immortality, no one else possesses it YET.  In fact Paul tells us that we will, IN THE FUTURE, be GIVEN immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

It is NOWHERE written that this process takes place upon ones death.  IN FACT PAUL CLEARLY SAYS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AT THE LAST TRUMPET.

2-Jesus NEVER taught this.  In fact Jesus confirms that when you die you are in fact DEAD, not alive somewhere else but DEAD.  Consider these words:

John 14:3
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

This one is a doozy!  Jesus is comforting his disciples by telling them he is going to prepare a place for them.  Now Christians teach that upon death we go to heaven to be with the Lord.  How can this be when in the above verse he says:

...I will come again, and receive you unto myself; THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO.

Does anyone see the contradiction here?  If when you die you go to be with Jesus in heaven how is it that he tells you that he 'will come again to RECEIVE you unto myself'.  But they teach that you are already in heaven with Jesus!  Then he continues, 'that where I am THERE YE may be also'.  Wow!  This being with Jesus DOES NOT EVEN HAPPEN UNTIL AFTER HE RETURNS! 

Jesus even goes further when he says the following:

John 5:28-29
28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

Do you see this?  Let's ask Jesus some questions:
Christian teacher: Mr. Jesus, Sir, where are dead christians right now? In heaven right?
Jesus: No they are in their graves
Christian teacher: but we teach that when you return christians who have died will come back with you because they are already in heaven with you.
Jesus: No, upon my return the dead will hear my voice FROM WITHIN THEIR TOMBS
Christian teacher: errr.... Jesus we don't teach that.
Jesus: well guess which one of us is right.

3-The concept of resurrection is negated if we CONTINUE to live upon death.  Just think about it.  The word resurrect means to RESTORE TO LIFE.  Why would we need to be resurrected of we are not dead.  But beyond that consider how the bible uses the term:

Luke 20:35-36
35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Do we REALLY read the bible?  JESUS tells us here those who are resurrected FROM THE DEAD cannot die ANYMORE.  Why would he say this if they were living with him in heaven?  Why would he say that if they were NEVER REALLY DEAD?  Additionally, Christians today believe that when you die we will be translated into our spiritual bodies, but Jesus says that we will only be EQUAL to the angels AFTER THE RESURRECTION.  Paul tells us as much:

1 Corinthians 15:44
44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 

Why do we continue to teach error even in the presence of CLEAR truth?

1 Thessalonians 4:16
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Who is it that will rise first? And what will they be raised to do? The very next verse tells us that they will 'MEET the Lord in the air, AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD'.  THIS IS THE POINT WHEN THE DEAD WILL FIRST meet Jesus. If you think that's mind-blowing, guess what.  PAUL IS STILL DEAD AND HE HASN'T MET THE LORD YET, neither has ANY OTHER Christian who has died.

Where did this teaching come from?

To those who believe the prevailing Christian thought on death, this teaching comes from the same verse you have been probably shouting at you computer since you started reading this post. The verse is:

2 Corinthians 5:8
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Ahhh, you say, doesn't this verse tell us that if we are absent from the body we will be present with the Lord.  Let us examine this.  To what does Jesus and Paul liken death?

1 Corinthians 15:51
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep...

John 11:11
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

1 Corinthians 11:30
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

I believe that the comparison of death to sleep was divinely inspired by God to convey to us an understanding of death.  Most people when they go to sleep at night they wake at morning.  If you are a sound sleeper like most you can go to sleep at 10 pm and awake at 6am.  Here is the marvel of sleep, 8 HOURS WOULD HAVE PASSED AND YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARE OF ANY OF THEM.  Your last memory would be of you falling asleep and then presto you are awake.  This is EXACTLY how death is.  For the believer they die (fall asleep) and their NEXT conscious thought is hearing the voice of Jesus FROM THEIR TOMBS.  They would NOT BE AWARE OF ONE SECOND of any length of time that might have passed.  So Paul is correct in his assertion that ABSENT FROM THE BODY he will be PRESENT WITH THE LORD.  After all we have these witnesses:

Ecclesiastes 9:5
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing...

And

Psalms 6:5
5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee:

The summation of the matter is that when you die you are DEAD.  You are not somewhere else with wings or looking down from some great cloud.  You are DEAD.  Death makes you dead.

The myth of Eternal.

Eternal is defined as 'having no beginning and no end; lasting forever; always existing'.

Our understanding of the word eternal is paramount in our understanding of God.  The word eternal occurs 45 times in the New Testament of the King James version of the bible.  The word is used to reference many things that are considered important, we have:

Eternal life
Eternal punishment
Eternal damnation
Eternal power
Eternal weight of glory
Eternal unseen
Eternal building in the heavens
Eternal purpose
Eternal king
Eternal glory
Eternal salvation
Eternal judgment 
Eternal redemption 
Eternal spirit
Eternal inheritance
Eternal fire

At issue is NOT the word eternal, because this word identifies a concept that serves an essential purpose in understanding in the English language.  What is at issue is it's use by the translators of the bible.  Contrary to popular belief the bible was not written in English.  EVERY version of the bible we have today is a TRANSLATION.  This is important to know, because in studying the bible one must realize that in order to have the BEST understanding we must get as close to the ORIGINAL source language as possible.  The importance of this is most profound in our reading of the KING JAMES version because this version is A TRANSLATION OF A TRANSLATION OF THE ORIGINAL TEXT.  That said let us examine the issue at hand.

If something is ETERNAL it CANNOT have a beginning. Revisiting the definition of the word eternal as 'having no beginning and no ending' some things become immediately apparent.  By nature of the concept of eternal anything that is eternal MUST HAVE ALWAYS BEEN.  So something CANNOT be eternal if it had not ALREADY been occurring for ALL eternity.  Therefore, an eternal state CANNOT be entered.  One must have ALWAYS been, in order for one to inhabit  the ETERNAL. Eternity, and it's alter ego forever, can ONLY be attributed to God. By it's very nature the concept of eternal in its application to anything created, is FLAWED.

Let us look at the word eternal in the scriptures and let us ask the hard question.  Does its usage make sense?

2 Corinthians 5:1
For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

This verse can be connected to the statement of Jesus:
John 14:2
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

By the definition of 'eternal' Paul's statement here makes no sense.  If this building from God is 'eternal in the heavens' then how could Jesus have said I go to prepare a place.  By the very definition of eternal IT MUST HAVE ALWAYS BEEN.  So Paul is telling us that there is a building for us THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, yet Jesus tells us that he is GOING to prepare a place.  How can he GO AND PREPARE something that ALWAYS WAS?

Ephesians 3:11
11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Now what was this eternal purpose? The answer is in the preceding verse:

Ephesians 3:10
10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Now since this is the stated 'eternal' purpose does it make sense using the definition of the word eternal?  There will come a time when the manifold wisdom of God will be known by everybody.  Once it becomes known to everyone will this purpose continue OR will it be accomplished?

Let us consider Jesus' use of the word eternal. Consider the most famous of all:

John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Christians today see this as the greatest of all promises. Jesus is telling us that if we believe in him we will have eternal life.  But I ask you, DOES THIS MAKE SENSE?  How can we  be given a life that NEVER BEGINS AND NEVER ENDS.  Think about this, one cannot be GIVEN eternal life.  Eternal means no beginning and no ending; this makes no sense, because at some point your 'eternal' life will BEGIN. If this word was correct then that would mean that YOU ALWAYS WERE, and that would ALSO mean that you can carry the grandiose title,

'he who was, and is and is to come'.

Let us look at this verse again using the definition of eternal:
...that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have a life that has NEVER begun and will never end.

HOW CAN THIS BE SINCE THERE WAS A TIME WHEN YOU WERE NOT!!!!

Here again, consider a question asked of Jesus:

Matthew 19:16
16 And someone came to Him and said, Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?

The rich ruler asked the question because he KNEW that this life that he was seeking was something that he did not yet have.  If he already had it he would not ask how to obtain it.  Understanding that he asks how to obtain it mean that it was something that could be acquired, but eternal life has no beginning. Again we see the word 'eternal' making no sense.  In using the word eternal this is what he asked Jesus:
Teacher what good thing must I do to obtain a life that never began and never ends. If he did not already have this life then upon acquiring the life THAT IS WHEN IT WILL BEGIN.

Let us examine Jesus' use of the word in regards to judgment:

Matthew 25:46
46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

 Can you see the immediate problems with this verse?  Here Jesus is telling the goats of his parable that they will suffer ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.  How can this be? Eternal means having no beginning and no ending, so how can they be promised a punishment to which they ARE NOT YET EXPERIENCING.  For this interpretation to be correct there would have to have NEVER been a time when they were NOT suffering punishment.

Something is terribly wrong with the use of the word eternal in these bible translations.  So what is the problem?  Remember I said that the King James is a translation of a translation? In each of these cases where eternal is used, and many more besides, the word is translated from the Greek word AIONIOS or AION to the LATIN word AETERNUM to the ENGLISH word ETERNAL.  Here is the trouble.  The translators translated AION (the noun) and AIONIOS (the adjective) as the English word ETERNAL.  This was INCORRECT since we can see that the use of the word DOES NOT make any sense in the contexts that it is used.  An AION is defined as AN INDEFINITE FIXED PERIOD OF TIME.  While time in the period is indefinite it DOES NOT MEAN having no beginning and no ending.  Therefore, we can easily conclude that AION cannot be interchangeable with eternal because a word cannot simultaneously be 'a fixed period of time'  AND AT THE SAME TIME MEAN 'having no beginning  and no ending'.  Consider these sentences:

How long has Bob been hitting John with that stick? For an age.

How long has Bob been hitting John with that stick?  Eternally.

Do these sentences mean the same thing?  In one sentence Bob at SOME point BEGAN to hit John with the stick.  In the other sentence THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A TIME WHEN BOB WAS NOT HITTING JOHN WITH THE STICK.  This simple example proves that AION (age) cannot be interchangeable with ETERNAL.

Let us look at a verse with the new understanding of the TRUE word AION:

...that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have a life AIONION (AGE ABIDING, AGE LASTING)


But you say isn't God eternal?

Yes he is and Paul uses ANOTHER word to describe him:

Romans 1:20
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Now this is very interesting, Paul describes God by saying he has ETERNAL power and divine nature.  On it's surface one can make the case that since it is used in connection with God it cannot mean that God has power only for an age (AION).  This is where the translators were inconsistent, because the word translated 'eternal' in this verse is the word AIDIOS and it DOES MEAN ETERNAL in the english sense and is ONLY used in the bible TWICE and both times it is used in connection with God and his power.

It is therefore clear that the translation of the word AION to ETERNAL is erroneous since it makes no sense to our proper understanding of the word of God.  The summation of all of this is that and ETERNAL life can NEVER begin.