When Do We Get To Heaven?

"...you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die...the wages of sin is death..."  (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23a)

Good old Grandpa Adam and Grandma Eve believed a lie....and it was Satan who told the lie.  Once we start believing that a lie is the truth, it is almost impossible to convince us otherwise...Christians included. And of course the whole purpose of lies is to hide the truth, right. Sooo....What was that first lie?

"...you surely will not die...but when you eat...you will be like God." (Genesis 3:4)

I was taught in Church that Christians go immediately to Heaven when they die. But after I began to seriously study the Scripture, I found that I was believing and teaching something that was not true...a lie.

The truth about when we get to heaven comes from Scripture, such as the following.  Note the "will be", the "after that" and the "at his coming":

"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all WILL BE made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, AFTER THAT those who are Christ's AT HIS COMING....The last enemy that will be abolished is death...the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ..." (1 Corinthians 15:22-26; Romans 6:23b).

Jesus was the "first fruits" and the rest of us are made alive "at his coming". And listen to "these words" of "comfort" in Paul's answer when asked specifically what happens to loved ones "who are asleep"...

"Now we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, about those WHO ARE ASLEEP, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope...For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout... and the dead in Christ shall be rising first, thereafter, we, the living who are surviving, shall at the same time be snatched away together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air...COMFORT one another with THESE WORDS." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 CLNT)

Paul's "words" of "comfort" were that we will be "made alive" when Jesus returns. He did not comfort them by telling them that those who had died were already in heaven...because that would have been a lie. Don't you think he would have told them that if it were true?

Now let's look at the two passages of Scripture used consistently in churches to teach that Christians go immediately to heaven upon death. Paul says...

"...I say and prefer, rather, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8)

and Jesus says to the man being crucified next to him...

"...today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43)

Paul was simply saying he preferred to be present with the Lord rather than continue suffering in this life.  The context shows that he wasn't teaching about what happens the moment a person dies.

And this is my paraphrase of what Jesus said "I assure you today, you will be with me in Paradise" (note the comma). He was assuring the man next to him that one day both of them would be in Paradise. Jesus himself did not rise from the dead for three days and three nights so he could not have been talking about that same day.

"...just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights." (Matthew 12:40)

Christians use these two verses to justify their believing a lie.  So what is the harm in comforting those grieving by telling them their loved is now in heaven? 

Well nothing unless you prefer the comfort of the truth to the comfort of a lie.

When I think of my Mom and Dad, I am comforted in knowing that they are at peace, resting in a long sleep, oblivious to the suffering of this present evil age. And when Jesus returns to wake them it will seem, to them, only as "the twinkling of an eye". 

"...the living know that they will die, but the dead don't know anything... I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (Ecclesiastes 9:5; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

In the "twinkling of an eye" Mom and Dad will rise with me and my family through the clouds to meet Jesus our Savior in the air, "at the same time"! 

That truth was given to Paul to comfort those grieving.  That truth is more comforting to me than the lie!

The Resurrection of Jesus Was A Miracle – But the Resurrection of Mankind Is Even More Miraculous

The resurrection of Jesus some 1984 years ago is the most important event in the history of mankind – up until now. But it is not the greatest event that will ever happen for mankind. 

Really, what could trump that?

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the chief messenger, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ wiil rise first, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

The truth is that if Jesus doesn’t return and raise us from the dead, the resurrection of Jesus makes no difference does it. Yep, the greatest day for mankind is yet to come – it is the return of Jesus to complete the plan of God. A secret hidden by God until He revealed the mystery to the Apostle Paul who told us about it.

“…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So, when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54)

I hear a lot of talk about the Kingdom, as if it is already here. It is not. For mankind is still “flesh and blood” and in this body we cannot see or enter the Kingdom. We must be “born again”. And I’m not talking about some religious doctrine that equates born again with being saved. I’m talking about what Jesus meant when he used the term – being born of the spirit, which occurs only at the return of Jesus to resurrect the dead.

“Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again…I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, you must be born again…So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam a life-giving spirit. The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so also shall we bear the likeness of the heavenly man.” (John 3:3-7; 1 Corinthians 15:42-49)

The transformation of the corpse of a fleshly sinful person into an immortal, spiritual, heavenly person is when we are “born again”. And it is that event which will be celebrated throughout eternity as the greatest event that ever happened to mankind!👋

Our Destiny - Sinning And Getting Saved

Following is a summary of what I was taught growing up in church…

When a child dies before reaching the age of accountability, that child goes to heaven.  However, if the child reaches the age of accountability he is lost and needs to be saved and it is the Church members Great Commission to save the lost.  The lost will be cast into hell upon death to be eternally punished and separated from God and that lost person's blood may be on the hands of a disobedient Church member who failed to tell them. To be saved the lost person must confess and repent of sin, and accept Jesus as his Savior by his own free will before he dies.  At that point the person becomes a new creature in Christ and will go immediately to heaven at death.  The church further emphasized that if a person is actually saved, he will want to join the Church, be baptized, observe the Lord's Supper, and fellowship primarily with others in the church, and of course, support the ministries of the church with a regular tithe of their income. 

I taught most of this for many years myself until I discovered from my personal study of the Bible over the past 20 years that none of the above is true. Obviously I am not invited to teach in churches anymore. 😃

For those who care, and it is perfectly fine if you don't, following is a brief SUMMARY of my thoughts about what the Bible actually teaches with regard to the history and future of mankind, backed up by some of the many Scriptures on point…

1. SIN of mankind: Eve sinned and Adam joined in that sin and God determined that they and all their progeny would die for their sin. So the dying process passed through to all mankind. Hard work to sustain ourselves was also the result of that original sin.  All are appointed to suffer and eventually die and return to the dust from which our bodies are made…

"...you shall surely die...because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, you shall not eat from it, cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you…By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return….Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind...” (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 5:12)

2. SALVATION of all mankind: It is God’s WILL and responsibility to save mankind from death, and reconcile all Creation to Himself. No one can prevent God’s WILL from being accomplished. God loves mankind and provided a Savior, His Son Jesus. God, through His Son, has shown us that He will give us eternal life after death. This abundant life will come only after the resurrection.  After the resurrection of all mankind, death, the grave, and sin will be abolished. God will then be All in all mankind and the whole Creation at peace with God.

“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...so that God may be All in all...God wills all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth...By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God...the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord...through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (1 Corinthians 15:22, 28; 1 Timothy 2:4; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23; Colossians 1:20)

God says plainly that He will save mankind and reconcile all Creation to Himself through His Son Jesus, and he will do so because of His Grace alone. Faith gives us the knowledge and hope of this...

"We have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us…we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him...While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life...Just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people…just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act (of Jesus) resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous…where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-28; Romans 5:1-20)

Since I am not holding my breath until asked to teach this truth in churches, I share my thoughts on Facebook.  A few years ago my daughter created a blog for me which can be accessed at jrwlakey.blogspot.com.  It is entitled Random Thoughts On The Really Good News and I post a link to that blog on my Facebook page from time to time. Thanks to those of you who are sleepy enough to read them. Nevertheless, I am not a fan of Facebook in general, or its founder, and I will most likely stop using it in the near future.  But you brave souls can still google my blogspot when you need something to put you to sleep. 😊💤

PS:  The Easter Bunny, Bambi and all pets are included in God's plan!

The Wisdom of God

“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)

The wisdom of God in planning the crucifixion of our Savior as part of the Salvation of every sinner, including the very sinners who had part in his crucification is an enigma. It is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greek philosophers and most everyone else. The Wisdom of God says...

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...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...to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven...one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself aa a ransom for all..." (2 Corinthians 5:19; Galatians 1:4; Colossians 1:20;1Timothy 2:5)

It is not that the Jews, philosophers of most others will never see the salvation of all mankind as the power and wisdom of God. Most of them will not be made aware of it in this “present evil age” as Paul calls this life. But after this age ends with the return of Jesus, all will know the truth that has made them free. 

“…after that time, declares the Lord, 
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, Know the Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:10-12)

For now, in this "present evil age", the wisdom of the mystery that God will save all sinners by His grace has been revealed only to Paul and those who believe what Jesus instructed Paul to teach about the "grace" of God. 

"...you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery...which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men..to me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things." (Ephesians 3:2-9)

Blindness, for now, has happened to the Jews who stumble over Jesus and his cross. The Greek Philosophers never had a clue and continue to think it all foolishness. And religious folks just keep preaching sermons, and writing books and commentaries which "oppose" the mystery of the reconciliation and salvation of all mankind.  Nevertheless, it is "the wisdom of God" and the "unfathomable riches of Christ".

"Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith, ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy 3:8)

Burn Up The Chaff

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: You brood of vipers! ...every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire…" (Matthew 3:7-10)

"Vipers" spew out poison from their mouths.  These "vipers" that John the Baptist is talking to are the religious leaders, not their congregations, or those outside which they termed sinners. Whatever they were spewing from their pulpits was not "good fruit".

“...after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire… “ (Matthew 3:11)

Of course John is talking about Jesus. Those religious leaders needed a strong dose of his Truth, not the poisonous "precepts of men" they were passing out.

“They worship me in vain, they teach as doctrine the precepts of men." (Matthew 15:9)

When Jesus returns he will "baptize" them "with the Holy Spirit" which will burn up these "precepts of men" in "unquenchable fire"...

"...he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:12)

The "chaff" John the Baptist is referring to were the venomous "precepts of men" that the Jewish religious leaders were teaching. It is the "chaff", not the wheat seed, which is going to be burned up. Chaff is the shell around the wheat seed. Even those "brood of vipers" are part of the "wheat" harvest, so they will be gathered "into the barn" and saved along with all the other wheat seed - all mankind. Paul puts it this way...

"For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed by fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man's work. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

There is much "chaff" around the "wheat" which make up Judaism, Christianity, and all other religions. The "good fruit", the truth, is that God through Christ Jesus has reconciled all creation to Himself at the cross, and will save all mankind out of death and into abundant immortal life. At that time all mankind will know the truth, even the "brood of vipers", and that truth will have set them free!

"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free."  (John 8:32)

AMEN to that!

Everybody Gets Depressed - Even Jesus

King David was feeling depressed when he wrote… 

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” (Psalm 22:1)

Ever been there – I have. There are just sometimes in each of our lives when we wonder if God really gives a damn. In those times all we have is prayer and whatever "faith" God has given to us…for most of us it is just a “measure”.

“...God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3)

Jesus never sinned and yet was crucified, and in the hours just before he died, he experienced the anguish and depression that Kind David and all mankind experience from time to time...

“My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death...And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground...God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 26:38; Luke 22:44; Matthew 27:46)

Breaks my heart, yet in that necessary moment, God Himself, through His only begotten Son, felt the anguish and depression that people feel from time to time!  

Jesus, as the Son of God, could have done something about his situation...

"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53)

So why didn’t he? – you and I would have. 

It was to identify himself with mankind and show us that what we experience, even if it results in death, is not the end. The "thief" of depression, suffering and death may sometimes steal our joy in this life but death will be abolished and immortal abundant life will replace it!

“The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, but I come that they may have life more abundantly....Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive… this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality…death is swallowed up in victory…thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 15:20-57)  

Jesus had faith that God would raise him from the dead so he endured the agony of the cross to reveal to mankind that all creation will be delivered from the "sufferings" caused by sin and death...

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us...the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God."(Romans 8:18-25)

Yes, the resurrection will come to mankind, it is "the work of the Lord" - death will be "swallowed up in victory"!

“Cosole one another with these words…become settled, unmovable, superabounding in the work of the Lord always, being aware that your toil is not for naught in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18; 1 Corinthians 15:58)

It is not our work, but the “work of the Lord” - which gives us assurance that our suffering in this life, with its resulting depression, is not in vain.

Can God's Patience Run Out?

Many famous Christians seem to think so.  I heard Billy Graham's daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, say so in an interview on YouTube the other day.  That did not sound right to me so I looked into the Scriptures to see what they have to say.

“God is Love...Love is patient.” (1 John 4:16; 1 Corinthians 13:4)

“God is Spirit...The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience…” (John 4:24; Galatians 5:22)

Since "God is love", and "Love is patient", His patience CANNOT run out. And since "God is Spirit" and the fruit"of the Spirit is...patience" – His patience CANNOT run out.

“…He is PATIENT with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance…Bear in mind that our Lord’s PATIENCE means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him…” (2 Peter 3:9,15)

And what was it that Paul wrote to them?

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense PATIENCE as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life...”(1 Timothy 1:15-17)

The reason all will eventually be saved is because God is “patient”, first with the “worst” sinner – Paul - then with all the rest of us. God"wills all mankind to be saved".  He has the "patience" so "bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation" for all who would otherwise "perish".

“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things.” (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

Ann Graham Lotz and her father are good people, relatively speaking, but neither of them “command and teach these things”.  Therefore, I will side with Paul and the Scripture written by him on this one.

It is true that at some point Jesus will return and complete God's plan for His creation - to be All in All.  Jesus does not return because God runs out of patience, but because it is time to complete His plan to be "All in All".

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man,the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive...For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death...When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be ALL in ALL". (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

Everlasting Destruction - Not Exactly

"He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed." (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10)

I had a friend who asked me to address some of the passages used to deny the eventual salvation and reconciliation of all, like the verses above. I wanted to say why? Most Christians only believe what they are told by theologians - and I am not one. And they sure don’t believe the clear teaching of the salvation of all, regardless of how many verses I show them that clearly teach it.

But for my friend, and the handful of others who give a damn about the damned, here is the explanation, in context, of the above verses.

Paul is speaking to his fellow JEWS who believed that Jesus was their Messiah.  These Jewish believers were being persecuted for their belief, being banned from the synagogues, and the non-believing Jewish leaders wanted them dead. He was not talking to Gentile believers.

"on the day he comes" is referring to the “Day of the Lord” (also known as the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble, and the 70th week of Daniel). It is mentioned often in the Hebrew Scriptures (old testament) and was well known to Jews as the time just before their Messiah appears to restore the Kingdom to Israel on this earth. At that time Jewish believers will be resurrected to rule over the entire earth with Jesus during this period. They are the “holy people”. All the unbelieving Jews will stay dead, along with all dead Gentiles, until the end of that age. They “perish” (stay dead) during that time only. And I mean DEAD, not confined in some mythological underworld of hell. The book of Revelation tells us that this earthy Kingdom will last 1000 years, at the close of which all dead people are resurrected and a New Heaven and Earth created. The Greek word mistranslated "everlasting" is “aionian” which means “pertaining to the age” and in this context is the 1000 year Kingdom age. The “destruction” is referring only to this period of time.

“They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years…” (Revelation 20:4-6)

However, even the unbelieving Jews who had Jesus crucified will eventually be saved when their blindness is lifted:

“Father forgive them, they don’t understand what they are doing…Blindness has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles is come, then ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED” (Luke 23:34; Romans 11:25-26).

God will save all mankind and He will be "All in All" at the close of the ages whether Christians like it or not. (1 Corinthians 15:20-29)

This teaching of the salvation and reconciliation of all is clear but has been hidden by the false teachers for 1700 years. And their students just don’t seem to care enough to question false teaching or study in detail the Bible for themselves. Guess that is part of the plan for now – but they will know someday!

Fear Less - Love More

”He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.” (Isaiah 33:6)

I found the phrase “fear of the Lord” 22 times in the New International Version of the Bible. It seems in each context that mankind is encouraged to fear the Lord as a conscious CHOICE. That choice to fear the Lord is the key to the treasure of finding a "sure foundation" in our Lord and Savior.

God does not GIVE us a "spirit of fear".

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7).

Nevertheless, our choice to fear the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom. It starts us on our journey to find that God need not be feared, for His only begotten Son has atoned for our sin on the cross - a demonstration of God's love and faithfulness.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear...He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not ours only, but for the sins of the whole world...God demonstrated his love for us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Proverbs 9:10; 1 John 4:18; Romans 5:8)

Unfortunately, the fear of God is where most Christians remain.  They try to avoid the wrath of God by their good works. But the "fear of the Lord" is just the "beginning" of wisdom, so we are not to continue in fear. We are to move on to an understanding of the perfect love of God. We are set free from fear as we come to "know" of His unconditional Love and Grace!

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment…There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because HE FIRST loved us.” (1 John 4:16-19)

The "punishment" is not the heresy of hell. It is the "punishment" a Father gives out to His children in order to discipline them.

"For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child." (Hebrews 12:6)

Fear and love are not intended to occupy the same ground. There will be some fear on our journey to the place where we find out who God really is - and that place will be where "love drives out fear". 

Because Of You

“...because of you the name of God is being blasphemed among the nations.” (Ezekiel 36:22; Romans 2:24)

Ezekiel told this to the Jewish religious leaders, not the ordinary like you and me. To blaspheme means to slander by saying false things about someone. The Jewish religious leaders were blind to their own unrighteous condition.  Much of their teaching "blasphemed" God. By the time of Jesus's birth the traditions taught by these Rabbis had been elevated to the status greater than the Word of God. Jesus accused them of...

"... making the word of God of none effect through your tradition which you have delivered..." (Mark 7:13)

Christian religious traditions have also been elevated to the equivalent of Scripture. Most church members know a lot about tradition but not much about Scripture. Christian tradition generally promotes self-righteousness rather than humility.  Paul knew, for he had been "zealous" about those "traditions"...

"I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers."  (Galatians 1:14)

But Paul gave them all up to preach what Jesus had revealed to him...

"...God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles."  (Galatians 1:15-16)

 Paul was humbled by the truth that God will not save anyone according to the traditions of "Judaism", but as a gift of His Grace through Christ Jesus.

“For it is by Grace you have been saved...it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast... trust in the living God who is the Savior of all mankind...God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them...through him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace through the blood of his cross...who gave himself a ransom for all people." (Ephesians 2:8-11; 1 Timothy 4:10;  2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 1:19-20; 1 Timothy 2:6)

Christianity started with this message, but soon the traditions of men changed it to an "offer to save", an offer which must be accepted by a persons free will. That "tradition" lays the foundation for salvation on a person's free will rather than on "Jesus Christ".  Nevertheless, the truth remains that...

"...no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11)

A foundation built on mankind's "free will" manifests itself in the following "traditions of men"...

1)  God saves and rewards only those who join the Church.

2)  Faithfulness to the Church is equal to faithfulness to God.

4)  Worship happens at Church.

5)  The Church's great commission is to convert mankind to Christianity.

6)  Prayer changes the will of God.

All these things are sincerely done - but no one gets saved or pleases God by following "traditions" of men.  Instead, they will be...  

"...always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth..." (2 Timothy 3:7)

It helps me to think about the words of Jesus...

"...you did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit...This is my command to you:  Love one another. "  (John 15:16; John 15:17)

and to meditate on what Jesus revealed to Paul about bearing "fruit"...

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control."  (Galatians 5:22)

The salvation of sinners is the "gift of God". Teach the truth, not the traditions of men.

Do Not Love The World - Why Not, God Does?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...” (John 3:16-17)

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

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)

In my immature years I had a hard time with the above verses which seemed to contradict themselves. It did not make sense that it was okay for God to love "the world" and for Jesus to save "the world", yet we are NOT to love it and if we do the Father does not dwell in us. Made no sense to me at the time.

Now that I am in my mature years, I realize that John was simply stating the obvious. Since God loved the world and sent Jesus to save the world – we don’t have to love it or save it. When we try to do what God has already done, it just shows that we have not trusted God and therefore the love of the Father does not dwell in us.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)

Another Jesus?

“For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed…” (2 Corinthians 11:4)

“another Jesus” - Exactly who is this other Jesus Paul is referring to?

Well, it is the Jesus who will cast all unbelievers into hell to be eternally tormented. If this is the Jesus you go to church to worship, well it is not the real one and you’re wasting your time. There will be no "reward" for attending that church. The real Jesus you need to be worshiping proved God’s "LOVE" for us and did not proclaim God’s "WRATH" against us – that one you may hear about in some churches is “another Jesus than the one” Paul proclaimed.

“God proves his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through him…now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:8-9; 6:22-23)

I am sure some of you are offended. Sorry, but I would really like you to know the “real Jesus”, the one who is the “Savior of the world”. Not "another one" who condemns unbelievers to eternal conscious torment, but the real one that will raise us from the consequences of its sin – which is "death". I want you to worship the real Jesus and declare with the Samaritans...

"We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." (John 4:42)

I know many who are passionately in love with "another Jesus". They are good people and sincerely believe him to be the real Jesus.  They pray in his name and seek to know him personally - but if this Jesus is the one who consents to the torment of anyone for all eternity, then they will not be rewarded for building their lives on that fake Jesus.

"...if what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss.  He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire....". (1 Corinthians 3:14-16) ; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

The Jesus whom Paul knew and presented the good news about will pass out rewards when he returns to those who build on him...

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him (the real Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.." (John 3:17-18)

Those who proclaim "another Jesus" will lose rewards, yet "he himself shall be saved", but the message from the other Jesus will be "condemned" and burnt up because it is from "another Jesus than the one we proclaimed…".