When Did Dinosaurs Become Extinct?

Posted on 10 May 2005 by James Johnson

I don’t know exactly when dinosaurs became extinct, but there are some clues.
There is an account of a man in the 1300s who was travelling down a
road in Medieval Europe when he encountered a giant lizard
(this may be in Morris’ commentary on Genesis).
The description of the lizard sounds very much like a stegeosaurus. He
killed it with his sword. The Komodo dragons can reach 15 feet or more, and
that is large enough for me to consider them dinosaurs. There have been
crocodiles reported that were 20 feet long. I consider that
big enough of a lizard to be a dinosaur. They may just have died
out gradually. There are a lot of mammals such as the giant
sloth, mammoths, and sabre toothed tigers that there are also
cave drawings of. Those large mammals are also extinct on
earth. Probably the earth’s climate would not support as large of a saurian
population as the much more benign ante-diluvian earth would. God will
replenish them when He regenerates the earth (Mt 19:28, Acts 3:21). They
apparently are being sustained in Paradise, because Enoch says that Gabriel,
one of the archangels, is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim
(En 20:7).

There has been a lot of concern lately over the disappearance of smaller
varieties of reptiles such as the Texas horned toad. It appears that
reptiles are very sensitive to pollution in the ecosphere, and are subject
to a variety of contageous diseases. Maybe dinosaurs were wiped out by a
germ. Who knows?

Posted in Archeology | Leave a comment

False Teacher

Posted on 10 May 2005 by James Johnson

A reader wrote:
>Had Apollos continued to teach what he taught after learning the truth, he
>would have been a false teacher.

I believe you would be correct here with a modification. Apollos would have
been a false teacher if after he had been taught the truth and understood
it, then he dishonestly decided to persist in teaching error. Had he merely
not been convinced, and persisted in teaching what he honestly believed to
be the truth, then he would not have been a false teacher. All of us have
had disagreements, discussions of that disagreement, and came away from the
discussion unconvinced. Many times the root cause of the disagreement is
not the scripture themselves, but a deeply held desire to be consistent with
a philosophy, such as salvation by grace only. Because of a decision to
embrace a particular methodology, we resist interpretations of scripture
that are incompatible with our philosophy, even though a literal reading of
the text might contradict our view.

I do not believe that one who seeks to harmonize God’s word with an honestly
held philosophy of interpretation of the scriptures is being a false teacher
when he disagrees with some else’s honestly held conviction. Dave B and I
disagree on whether Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John teach Old Testament
doctrine, and we have discussed it at some length. We are only false teachers
if we understand what God wrote and knowingly persist in teaching
error for our own benefit. God’s grace is able to cover honest disagreements
over interpretations of the scriptures.

Posted in Biblical Studies, Church Doctrine | Leave a comment

Is Hell Real?

Posted on 5 May 2005 by James Johnson

I don’t consider the matter of hell to be a doctrine that will damn man’s
soul , but I do object to people calling names over it, as you have
pointed out. I too have posted very little on Mars List of late, and when I
do, I am subject to ridicule. Larry Bunch challenged an innocuous post I
put out in which I stated that my belief was the all OT prophecies have not
been fulfilled. He wrote back and challenged two of us “OT scholars” to
expond upon Dan 12:4 since it had been submitted as one prophecy that was
not fulfilled. Maybe I am thin-skinned, but that seemed like a slur to me.

I have not read from anyone recently who believes that hell is a completely
figurative place. What those brethren believe that I cited is that people
are after a period of appropriate suffering, completely annihilated, both
body and soul, in hell. They believe the term “Lake of Fire” is figurative,
and the NT term “Gehenna” is the literal Valley of Hinnom. They believe
that “eternal” and “everlasting” refer to the effects of God’s punishment
rather than the duration. They believe that the punishment of people who
are sent there is temporal rather than eternal. They do not believe in the
concept of “immortal soul”.

I believe that “Gehenna” in the NT is an actual place near Jerusalem that
undergoes a transformation at the Second Coming as Enoch describes
and will become the place of eternal punishment. I believe it is a literal place
that will be transformed into a literal lake of fire just south of
Jerusalem that literally burns forever. The wicked are cast there and
burn in torment forever (Rev 14:11) “where their
worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched” (Mk 9:48). The people who are
cast into the Lake of Fire are people who refused to repent and serve God.
No one goes there who tries to do right.

Phil commented that he does not believe that hell is a specific physical
place. I wonder if people are not punished at all then. People have
location, even as spirits, and if they are punished at all, it is at a
specific place. The Bible says that it is appointed unto men once to die [a
literal physical death], and after that the Judgment [a real appearance
before God to be eternally judged]. Is the judgment merely a figure of
speech? Are there no real consequences for evil? Have we metaphorized the
future to the point that there is no meaningful existence either in heaven
or in hell after death?

Just wondering.

Posted in Eschatology, Gehenna | Leave a comment

Mary Was Married and Not a Single Mother

Posted on 2 May 2005 by James Johnson

The Bible teaches that Mary was not single. “Espoused” was equivalent to
“Mary thy wife” (Mt 1:18, 20). They simply had not yet come together. The
morality of Mary having another’s child seems to be that there was no
intercourse involved. God simply started the gestation process by
miraculous intervention. He provided the male part of Christ’s human genome
by His word.

Posted in Biblical Studies | Leave a comment

Eschatology

Posted on 31 Mar 2005 by James Johnson

> My apologies for being so slow in my reply. I’ve
> had a problem finding a time-
> span sufficient to give much of any answer
> to your comments. My time is short
> now, as well, but will do my best. I
> appreciate your respect for God’s word and
> our liberty in Christ. All of this makes
> me realize that there’s always more to
> learn. Eschatology has always been
> a fascinating study for me, but as I’ve
> said before, I am a bit unsettled.
> I just hope I’m not “tossed to and fro, and
> carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
> I want to base my faith and hope
> only on a “thus saith the Lord.”

Brother Bartanen, when I started my study, I had decided I didn’t know
much of anything about eschatology, and I decided to start over with a
clean slate. I had tried several different things including Revelation is
the destruction of Jerusalem and “all prophecy is the church” and none of
them were at all consistent. The commentators seemed to see the church
and temporal judgment (see Keil and Delitch) in every single prophecy
whether it made any sense or not. I decided to throw out the whole mess
and just read the Bible and see if I could make sense out of it just by
reading what it said. I developed what I now believe from just reading
and studying the scriptures with a belief that God knew what He was
talking about.

> I generally would agree that much of prophecy
> should be taken literally unless
> context or plain passages of scripture
> should indicate otherwise. For instance,
> I would have a problem with Ezekiel’s
> temple-visions of Ez. 40 f.f. Taken
> literally it would require the restoration
> of temple sacrifices, priesthood, etc.–
> the “weak and beggarly elements” of the
> law, which is hard for me to swallow.
> But if I spiritualize all of that away, who
> am I to say that other passages much
> be taken at face-value?

The temple sacrifices no longer are effective at remediating sin, because
Christ has suffered once for all (Heb 10:12). All who would be saved must
come to Christ (Jn 14:6, Acts 2:38). It is a mistake, however, to say
that God is done with the Jews for ever (Rom 3:1-2, Ro 11:25, Ezek
37:21-28). It is my understanding that while Christians are dead to the
Law (Rom 7:4), it is still in effect for those Jews who are not Christians
(Rom 3:19, Rom 7:9, Gal 5:4, et al.).

It is possible that the temple will be restored since God has never rescinded the Law for the Jews (Mt 5:18). There is a passage in Jeremiah regarding the day of Jacob’s trouble that seems to promise the restoration of the temple after Jacob’s trouble is over.

Jer 30:18 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

In my opinion, “palace” here refers to God’s temple. There is nothing else in the history of Israel that would merit the singular attention Jeremiah gives to “palace” here. The restitution of the “palace” is on the same scale of importance as the restoration of a ruined Jerusalem, and the location of this “palace” appears to be in Jerusalem. The restoration of Jerusalem and the palace both happen after the day of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:7), which is an event for Israel that is comparable to the destruction of the nations when Christ comes again. The “palace” is rebuilt during a time when God blesses Israel with health, every one of her adversaries will be destroyed, all that devour Israel will be devoured, they that spoil Israel will be spoiled, and all that prey upon Israel will become a prey. The rebuilding of the “palace” happens when God breaks Israel’s bonds of oppression, and Israel returns to serve the Lord their God and David their king (Jer 30:9).

As far as the need for a temple is concerned, it should also be remembered
that there were several sacrifices other than sacrifices for sin. Other
than sin offerings there were wave offerings, heave offerings, drink
offerings, peace offerings, guilt offerings (e.g. for leprosy) and meal
offerings. Christ’s sacrifice for sin did not have any affect on these
other offerings, because they were offered for things other than sin (see
ISBE on sacrifice).

It appears that there will even be a temple on the new earth (Isa
59:20-60:7, Hag 2:7, II Sam 7:12-13, En 90:28) even though Christ has died once for
all for sin. There will be festivals and holy days on the new earth when
men assemble at Jerusalem in God’s house (Zech 14:16-17).

James wrote:
>> I also believe we are in the end times,
>> and I look forward to Christ’s
>> return, but I dread what happens
>> at the end times. It is a very bad time
>> for believers. It will be worse even
>> than the first three centuries after
>> Christ. It is the antitype of the 10
>> plagues on Egypt and the antitype of
>> King Saul’s annihilation of the Amalekites.
>> The end time plagues destroy
>> the earth like the 10 plagues
>> destroyed Egypt. Believers will either
>> recant and serve the Devil
>> (II Thes 2:11-12, Rev 13:14), die (Rev13:15),
>> flee into the mountains (Lk 17:36), or go to Israel (Zech 14:2) before
>> Christ returns to save the remnant and destroy the wicked (Micah 2:12).

Ronald replied:
> This is one area where I have problems.
> In anticipating the antichrist, great
> tribulation, etc., do I find myself looking
> for these or for Christ? Here, those who
> teach a pre-trib rapture seem to me
> to make a strong point. The thought of
> going through such a time makes me
> hesitant to pray, “Even so, come, Lord
> Jesus!” I would prefer to die before
> it all begins, and then be among those
> changed at His appearing.

James responds:
In one of the extracanonical works it says the ones who survive the end
times are more blessed than those who don’t. I don’t remember where I
read it, but I guess the ones who are alive when Jesus comes will receive
a special blessing in having witnessed it with their eyes and having
endured all that the antichrist can throw at them, and when all seems
hopeless, God comes and snatches them out of the jaws of certain death
like Abraham rescued Lot (Gen 14:9-16) or Gideon routed the Midianites
(Jud 7:19-22).

I view the end times as the antitype of the plagues on Egypt. If you read
Exodus, you find that Israel endured the first plagues just like the
Egyptians. It seems that it was not until the fifth plague that God made
a difference between Israel and the Egyptians (Ex 9:6). Thereafter God
spared Israel from the worst of the plagues, but the children of Israel
suffered through the first plagues just like the righteous will suffer
through the first plagues at the end of the world.

The “rapture” (actually it’s a resurrection) is found in I Thes 4:14-17.
It happens at the Second Coming when Christ comes to raise the righteous,
to destroy the nations and to burn the earth. The whole millennial theory
has gotten way too convoluted because of the fact that the millennialists
try to put it after the Second Coming. I plan to post another article on
the millennium a little later.

You should look beyond the plagues at the end of the world to the coming
of the Lord. Have faith in God and pray, even as we have example, “Even
so, Come Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20, I Cor 16:22, Mt 6:10, Lk 11:2). Jesus
said when you see these plagues begin to come to pass, lift up your head
[look at the sky?], for your redemption draws near (Lk 21:28).

James wrote:
>> Christ will rule over the earth in
>> peace for ever (Ezek 37:24-28), and God will then be all in all (I Cor
>> 15:28). Christ will be our elder brother in one sense (Rom 8:29), and we
>> will be married to Him as His bride in another (Eph 5:32). The earth
>> will be a place of fatness and plenty (Jer 31:12-14).
>> There will be no more curse (Rev 22:3). Wild animals will not harm
>> any more (Isa 11:6).

Ronald replied:
> This has basically been my view of the matter, although I’ve not been
> acquainted with non-canonical writings. I would not consider them
> authoritative, but speculative.

James responds:
Could your present view be the result of the fact that you are
unacquainted with them? The church fathers considered them authoritative:

“For the Scripture says, ‘And it will come to pass in the last days, that
the Lord will deliver up the sheep of His pasture, their sheepfold and
their tower to destruction'” Barnabas 1:147 (c. AD 70-130) quoting Enoch 89:56-66.

“Jude says, ‘Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these.’ In
these words, he verifies the prophecy”. Clement of Alexandria (c.195)
2.573.

“I am aware that the scripture of Enoch, which has assigned this order of
action to angels, is not received by some. For it is not admitted into
the Jewish canon, either. I suppose they did not think that, having been
written before the deluge, it could have safely survived that worldwide
calamity, the destroyer of all things. If that is the reason for
rejecting, let them remember that Noah, who survived the deluge, was the
great-grandson of Enoch himself…There is still then consideration to
warrant our assertion of the genuineness of this Scripture: [Noah] could
equally have rewritten it, under the Spirit’s inspiration, if it had been
destroyed by the violence of the deluge.” Tertullian (c. 198), 4:15.

I don’t know why Tertullian did not hit upon the obvious. Noah could have
had a library on the ark and simply carried it with him through the Flood.
The point here, though, is that in the first three centuries of the
church, the brethren considered Enoch to be scripture. It was not until
the Council of Carthage in 397 that Enoch was excluded from acceptance by
the church. Before that it had been widely accepted, and probably was
included in the versions of the Septuagint in circulation in Christ’s day.
Even today Enoch is included in the canon of the Ethiopian Christian
Church, and has been there for nearly 2000 years.

> Those who hold to premillennialism would insert
> the millennium, which I question.

I question it also. I cannot find any time after
the Second Coming when the millennium could
possibly occur. I believe it has already taken
place. See my post on the millennium that should follow shortly.

> However, do I reject it because it’s
> under attack by so many good brethren, or
> because of scripture? It does seem
> to be an even flow from Rev. 19 into ch. 20.

Actually, Rev 19 is a view of the end of the world. Rev 20 must take
place BEFORE the end of the world, because there are souls of dead
saints in heaven with Christ (Rev 20:4). There can be no disembodied
souls of saints after the Second Coming and the resurrection of the
righteous (I Thes 4:16). You see another account of the end of the world
in Rev 20:8-10 that is almost identical to Rev 19:19-21. The reason they
are so similar is that Rev 20-22 is a prophetic history of Christians that
is parallel to two previous histories (Rev 8-14, 15-19). These previous
two visions are parallel accounts of some of the history of the Jews and
the Gentiles as Christ controls the events of the histories of these two
peoples under the powers granted Him by God through the power of the
seventh seal (Rev 5:1ff).

> And does “lived” in verse 4 (with respect to
> believers) refer to a spiritual
> resurrection (as in baptism), while
> “lived” (not again) (referring to the ungodly)
> in verse 5 refers to a literal resurrection?

They are both literal resurrections. The righteous who participate in the
first resurrection we read about in Mt 27:52. I believe those on the
thrones there in Rev 20:4 are those resurrected in Mt 27:52 and who
literally reigned with Christ during the millennium. But it is over now.

> Too, is Satan’s deceiving “the
> nations no more” (20:3) in contrast to his
> deceiving the whole world (12:9)? Is
> he in both positions at the same time?

Satan does not deceive the nations while he is in the Abyss “till the 1000
years are ended”. After the 1000 years are ended he comes out to work
lying wonders (II Thes 2:9) and deceives the whole world (Rev 12:9, 19:20,
20:10).

> If it weren’t for this chapter, I seem to be
> defending a position I have not really
> accepted, but honesty requires that I face
> the problems of interpretation.

Chapter 20 has become the keystone of premillennialism even though the
time, the extent, and the location of Christ’s reign are not specified.
Men have felt at liberty to stretch it to cover a multitude of theories.
See my analysis in the post on the millennium that is to follow.

Posted in Eschatology | Leave a comment

Not All Old Testament Prophecies Have Yet Been Fulfilled

Posted on 29 Mar 2005 by James Johnson

All OT prophecy has not been fulfilled. Consider the following verse from
Zephaniah:

Zephaniah 3:8 ¶Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day
that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations,
that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even
all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of
my jealousy.

Compare the burning of the earth with II Thes 1:7-8
2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Notice also Peter’s promise that the earth would be burned:
2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same
word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and
perdition of ungodly men.

Peter goes on to say that he was still looking for a new heavens and a new earth
(II Pet 3:12) at the time that he wrote around AD 60, for the old one had
not yet been consumed by fire as the prophets require.  It is apparent that
Zephaniah, Paul and Peter are all talking about the same day, and both
Paul and Peter said the day was still in the future even in the days of the
apostles. Zephaniah has not yet been fulfilled.

Posted in Biblical Studies, Prophecy | Leave a comment

Premillennialism

Posted on 25 Mar 2005 by James Johnson

Brother Bartanen wrote:
> I was raised in southern Indiana, near Louisville, KY, the heart of
> premillennialism in Churches of Christ. Sermons I heard were constantly
> opposing this position. Somebody put my parents on the mailing list for
> Word & Work, which you may be familiar with. I was more impressed with the
> emphasis upon the grace of God than I was with their view of the 2nd
> coming. When I went to Freed-Hardeman College (’51-54) I took a course
> opposing the premillennial view, and of course read Foy E. Wallace’s book.
> However, through it all I could not be convinced that this was a salvation
> issue. As I continued to study the matter, I realized some of the
> arguments against premillennialism were a distortion and misrepresentation
> of what was really being taught. I corresponded some with premill
> brethren, and in ’62 was invited to consider working with a premill
> congregation in Louisville. I accepted it–not because I was necessarily
> premill, but more as a statement of Christian liberty, and

James Replies:
I have never known much of anything about the premill churches. I grew up in the amill churches and only knew what little I had read about the premill ones. I thought the only ones left were around middle Tennessee, but now I find that there are more around Louisville and Evansville.

Brother Bartanen wrote:
> a refusal to stay withdrawn from fellow-Christians.

James replies: I don’t know how brother Foy Wallace ever worked the millennial doctrine into a fellowship issue.

Brother Bartanen wrote:
> I worked with the congregation for 5 years before accepting a work with
> another amill church. I still am uncertain about the millennium.

James replies: The millennium is a topic that has caused me a great deal of difficulty. I have concluded that it must be an event on earth during this present age that ran parallel to His reign in heaven. There is no time after Jesus comes again when the millennium of Rev 20 could occur, because when He begins His reign on David’s throne, His reign there is unending (Lk 1:33) and not just a 1000 years. Also, He cannot return to earth until He restores everything (Acts 3:21), and that includes raising the dead (I Cor 15:26). Therefore, the millennium must end before He comes again and raises the dead, because Satan is released after the Millennium, makes war with the saints, and is destroyed at Christ’s Second Coming (Rev 19:20). When Jesus comes again, He will destroy the last enemy, death (I Cor 15:25-26). He cannot return until the last enemy is destroyed (I Cor 15:25-26). Therefore, Satan cannot be released after Jesus comes again. There is, however, obviously a 1000 yr reign some time (Rev 20:4). I think it was in parallel with Christ’s reign in heaven. I think in some way the ones who were sitting on the thrones in Rev 20:4 reigned with Christ over the earth. I don’t know exactly how they did it; maybe through the ministry of angels, but it is the only viable option. Foy was right about one thing: when Jesus comes again, the show is over (II Pet 3:7). When Jesus comes, He comes as the Conquering Christ and as David, the Warrior King (Rev 19:11-12, 15), and He claims His rightful dominion over the earth (Ezek 37:24-28). There is no place for the 1000 year reign of Rev 20 after Jesus comes to destroy the LAST enemy (I Cor 15:26).

Brother Bartanen wrote:
>However, I find myself in agreement on many areas of prophecy. I believe
>there will be a time of great tribulation, the time of “Jacob’s trouble”,
>in which Israel will come to faith in Christ. I believe there will be a
>personal antichrist who will head a global government. I believe Matt. 24
>has a dual application–the tribulation of the Jews in 70 AD and the final
>great tribulation followed by the return of Christ. Somehow, believers
>will be under divine protection at that time. We are to pray that we be
>”counted worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of
>Man.” That sounds powerfully like a rapture-event. Anyway, as you can
>see, I’m conflicted within myself.

James replies: The brethren who object to the premill doctrine often cite the things like the theories of the horses that breathe fire and have snake tails being Cobra helicopters and the like. I can sympathize with their exasperation over such fantasies. However, my view does not incorporate any of that stuff. There are some unorthodox aspects of what I believe, but it is based on what I read, not a fanciful imagination such as some of the Pentecostals have with respect to Revelation.

I agree with the things that you have said above. The evidence for it is abundantly clear if you are willing to take the Bible for what it says. While I agree that I Thes 4:16 is a rapture, I do not take the position that Christ leaves then with the righteous to let the earth fester in its own juices. I believe that He raises the righteous in I Thes 4:14ff, and they immediately thereafter descend with Him to fight the enemy in the Battle of Armageddon (Rev 19:14-21, Jer 49:22, Micah 2:12-13). They are gathered together to be with Christ, and apparently are given white raiment and horses (Rev 19:14).

Since there can be no thousand year reign interrupted by war after Jesus comes (Isa 9:7), then the millennium of Rev 20:4 must occur before the end of the world, must be a limited reign, must be by proxy from heaven, and must allow time on earth for Satan’s little season.

Posted in Eschatology, The Millennium | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Dishonest Attitude of Some Toward the End Times

Posted on 25 Mar 2005 by James Johnson

 

To Ron Bartanen:

I think people are actually afraid to have the end time topic investigated
too closely. They are afarid they will find that Foy Wallace for the most
part did not know what he was talking about, and they would be faced with the dilemma of changing or becoming dishonest.

My biggest complaint about end times is that people will not deal honestly with it. They start out with the assumption that most prophecy is “figurative”, and it turns into pursuit of fantasy. I say that because 1)
there is no real reason to declare the texts that they claim to be
figurative to actually be figurative 2) they have no basis for the
explanations that they offer to explain prophecy except that it has some
link in their mind. You can do word associations all day long, but that
does not mean that the link you came up with is what God had in mind. The explanation is therefore baseless unless you can find a Bible key.

Most of the time the prophecy is literal and they merely assume it to be
figurative. The problem is that the world-view, the gestalt, accepted by
the brethren as a basis, a framework, in which to understand prophecy will not admit a literal interpretation of many prophecies. Instead of taking the obvious course and rethinking their gestalt, they make the text to be figurative. You can at least superficially harmonize anything if you take it to be figurative. The problem is that the supposed explanation will not work if you analyze the context of the verse that is so interpreted.

The meaning of the passage in its context will not permit the explanation when you try to use it.

I hold the views dogmatically, but I don’t make them an issue of
fellowship or salvation. The views I hold on prophecy I arrived at on the
same basis I arrived at Christianity. I contend for them in the same way,
but hopefully not contentiously.

I also believe we are in the end times, and I look forward to Christ’s
return, but I dread what happens at the end times. It is a very bad time
for believers. It will be worse even than the first three centuries after
Christ. It is the antitype of the 10 plagues on Egypt and the antitype of
King Saul’s annihilation of the Amalekites. The end time plagues destroy
the earth like the 10 plagues destroyed Egypt. Believers will either
recant and serve the Devil (II Thes 2:11-12, Rev 13:14), die (Rev 13:15),
flee into the mountains (Lk 17:36), or go to Israel (Zech 14:2) before
Christ returns to save the remnant and destroy the wicked (Micah 2:12).

Christ will return when all seems hopeless and win a complete victory over the Devil and death. He will raise the elect, and we will participate
with Him in the destruction of the wicked earth (Rev 2:26-27, 19:14). The armies of Satan that are intent on destroying the last vestage of God’s people on earth at Bozrah (Jer 49:22) will be in for a very nasty surprise when Christ returns there with the armies of His saints to destroy the armies of Satan. The carnage will be very great (Rev 14:20, Isa 66:16).

He will destroy the 200,000,000 men and their perverted steeds (Rev
9:17-19) to the last man (Rev 19:21). He will then return triumphantly to
Jerusalem (Isa 63:1) where men will hail Him as “Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord” (Lk 13:35).

From the non-canonical writings (II Esdras 2:43) it appears that the
judgment of the righteous will be held at Jerusalem. He awards us our
crowns and our kingdoms there. Then the righteous depart to heaven, and the earth is burned (II Thes 1:7-9, II Pet 3:7). II Esdras 7:30 says that the world will then be in silence for 7 days. Afterward the resurrection of the nations and their Judgment (Mt 25:31ff) occurs. Thereafter the saved of the nations enter the new earth (Rev 3:21), and heaven, New Jerusalem, comes down from above the heavens to join the earth (Rev 21:1-3). New Jerusalem, heaven, will be the abode of the saints for ever (Rev 22:5). Christ will lead them in and out of there to their kingdoms (pasture) on the new earth (Jn 10:9). Christ will rule over the earth in peace for ever (Ezek 37:24-28), and God will then be all in all (I Cor 15:28). Christ will be our elder brother in one sense (Rom 8:29), and we will be married to Him as His bride in another (Eph 5:32). The earth will be a place of fatness and plenty (Jer 31:12-14). There will be no more curse (Rev 22:3). Wild animals will not harm any more (Isa 11:6).It will be a wonderful time for ever. I above all things want to get
there. I pray God that I will be successful in overcoming evil in my life
and that I will make it to the abode that God desires for me.

Posted in End Times, Eschatology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mercy at the Judgment

Posted on 15 Mar 2005 by James Johnson

I was reading an article entitled “Don’t You Know God Gives Second Chances After Death?” where Ralph disagreed with his correspondent about the possibility of mercy at the Judgment.

I appreciate the author’s reliance on the scriptures to provide authority for his beliefs. He cites Heb 9:27 that proves man is to be judged, and that of course is a certainty (Rom 14:10). I do wonder, however, at his conclusion that God can have no mercy at the judgment. Since we must all stand before the Judgment seat of God, there obviously is to be a determination of punishment or atonement at that time. Because it really is a Judgment and not just a sentencing, what prevents God from extending mercy at the Judgment? He has Christ’s blood at His disposal. Christians get mercy because they are purified by Christ’s blood (Mt 10:32, Rev 3:5, I Cor 6:11, Heb 10:22), but it is God who set the conditions for applying the purifying blood. With Christ’s blood at His disposal to satisfy His judicial wrath, God is able to mete grace out to whomever he chooses on whatever basis He chooses. Christ died for all (II Cor 5:14-15), and God is not constrained about how He uses the grace that Christ affords other than what He has specifically said. He affords Himself the opportunity to extend grace by His statement, “I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy” (Rom 9:15). How can we argue with that? God is able to make His servants to stand (Rom 14:4). We also find that the non-canonical writings make the fact of mercy at the judgment very clear (En 50:2-5), but we can find clear support for mercy at the judgment from the core scriptures themselves.

One verse that very plainly argues against a merciless judgment is Lk 12:48. In that verse it says that some people will be punished with few stripes. This verse plainly teaches the possibility of punishment in a temporary state, for “few stripes” cannot describe eternal punishment, no matter how trivial the punishment might be. We see the Rich Man (Dives) in this place of torment in Lk 16:23-24. He was torment in Hades in the flames. As your correspondent pointed out, that is not Gehenna hell. Gehenna is the lake of fire that is the fate of the wicked following the Judgment (Rev 20:15). Gehenna is the final destiny of the unrepentant and from a banishment to it, there is no recourse (Mt 25:46, Rev 14:11). At the Judgment God makes a determination as to who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. Lk 12:48 requires that some people who suffered their few stripes in Hades will not go to Gehenna. Lk 12:48 shows that some will be punished with many stripes in Gehenna, but some will only be punished with a few stripes. Who receives the few stripes? Those who were ignorant.

Christians do not receive stripes when they die. They go to heaven (II Cor 5:8-9, Php 1:23-24). Lk 12:48 cannot therefore be talking about Christians. Also Christians cannot be ignorant of God’s will because you have to hear about God to come to Him (Rom 10:14). The ignorant ones who receive few stripes will have suffered in Hades, but will receive mercy at the Judgment. No punishment, even if done with a wet noodle, if it is administered eternity, can be described as “few stripes”. Some people receive clemency at the Judgment, else it is not really a Judgment. As you would have it, everybody out of Hades goes to Hell, and the Bible says everybody who is a Christian has already gone to heaven. There is therefore really no Judgment if men do not actually receive a final determination of their destiny at Judgment.

Christians stand before the Judgment seat of Christ, but our judgment will be a determination of what we will get for eternity (Lk 19:15-17). Our Judgment is not one of life or death. The faithful are already passed from death unto life (Jn 5:24, I Jn 3:14). The people from Hades, however, will be judged (Rev 20:12, Mt 25:31). They will face eternal death or eternal life (Mt 25:46, Rev 20:15). Some of them will depart into everlasting fire (Mt 25:41). Some others of them will go to everlasting life as the nations (Mt 25:34). Those who are accepted as the nations will reside on the new earth in eternity (Rev 2:26, 3:21, Isa 61:4-6, Isa 45:11-14, Isa 14:1-2). They will not have access to heaven when it comes down so that God can dwell with men (Rev 21:1-3). They will be outside of heaven (Rev 21:27), but on the new earth (Isa 14:1-2, 54:3, 61:6, Ps 47:3, Zech 2:8).

Posted in Eschatology, Judgment | Leave a comment

Mercy at the Judgment

Posted on 15 Mar 2005 by James Johnson

Dear Ralph,

I was reading a post entitled “Don’t You Know God Gives Second Chances
After Death?” where you disagreed with your correspondent about the
possibility of mercy at the Judgment. I have a couple of comments
regarding that post.

I appreciate your reliance on the scriptures to provide authority for your
beliefs. You cite Heb 9:27 that proves man is to be judged, and that of
course is a certainty (Rom 14:10). I do wonder, however, at your
conclusion. Since we must all stand before the Judgment seat of God,
there obviously is to be a determination of punishment or atonement at
that time. Because it really is a Judgment and not just a sentencing,
what prevents God from extending mercy at the Judgment? He has Christ’s
blood at His disposal. Christians get mercy because they are purified by
Christ’s blood (Mt 10:32, Rev 3:5, I Cor 6:11, Heb 10:22). With Christ’s
blood to satisfy His judicial wrath, God is able to likewise mete grace
out to whomever he chooses on whatever basis He chooses. Christ died for
all (II Cor 5:14-15), and God is not constrained about how He uses the
grace that Christ affords other than what He has specifically said. He
affords Himself the opportunity to extend grace by His statement, “I will
have mercy upon whom I will have mercy” (Rom 9:15). How can we argue with
that? God is able to make His servants to stand (Rom 14:4).

One verse that very plainly argues against a merciless judgment is Lk
12:48. In that verse it says that some people will be punished with few
stripes. We see that happening to the Rich Man (Dives) in Lk 16:23-24.
He was torment in Hades in the flames. As your correspondent pointed out,
that is not Gehenna hell. Gehenna is the lake of fire that is the fate of
the wicked following the Judgment (Rev 20:15). Gehenna is the final
destiny of the unrepentant and from a banishment to it, there is no
recourse (Mt 25:46, Rev 14:11). At the Judgment God makes a determination
as to who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. Lk 12:48 requires
that some people who suffered their few stripes in Hades will not go to
Gehenna. Lk 12:48 shows that some will be punished with many stripes in
Gehenna, but some will only be punished with a few stripes. Who receives
the few stripes? Those who were ignorant.

Christians do not receive stripes when they die. They go to heaven (II
Cor 5:8-9, Php 1:23-24). Lk 12:48 cannot therefore be talking about
Christians. Also Christians cannot be ignorant of God’s will because you
have to hear about God to come to Him (Rom 10:14). The ignorant ones who
receive few stripes will have suffered in Hades, but will receive mercy at
the Judgment. No punishment, even if done with a wet noodle, if it is
administered for eternity, can be described as “few stripes”. Some people
receive clemency at the Judgment, else it is not really a Judgment. As
you would have it, everybody out of Hades goes to Hell, and the Bible says
everybody who is a Christian has already gone to heaven. There is
therefore really no Judgment if men do not actually receive a final
determination of their destiny at Judgment.

Christians stand before the Judgment seat of Christ, but our judgment will
be a determination of what we will get for eternity (Lk 19:15-17). Our
Judgment is not one of life or death. The faithful are already passed
from death unto life (Jn 5:24, I Jn 3:14). The people from Hades,
however, will be judged and their eternal desinties will be at stake (Rev 20:12, Mt 25:31). They will face eternal death or eternal life (Mt 25:46, Rev 20:15). Some of them will depart into everlasting fire (Mt 25:41). Some others of them will go to everlasting life as the nations (Mt 25:34). Those who are accepted as the nations will reside on the new earth in eternity (Rev 2:26, 3:21, Isa
61:4-6, Isa 45:11-14, Isa 14:1-2). They will not have access to heaven
when it comes down so that God can dwell with men (Rev 21:1-3). They will
be outside of heaven (Rev 21:27), but on the new earth (Isa 14:1-2, 54:3,
61:6, Ps 47:3, Zech 2:8).

The judgment scene in Mt 25:31ff shows the nations being judged according to their works.  Many people enter into life that did not even know who Jesus was during their lifetime (Mt 25;37), but Jesus grants them eternal life because they showed love and compassion to their fellow man.  Enoch 50:2 is also very clear that some will receive grace at the Judgment, even as Lk 12:48 implies.

Posted in Eschatology, Judgment | Tagged , , | Leave a comment