Capital Punishment

God is a strong advocate of capital punishment.

"The wages of sin is death...

But let's be clear. Death by capital punishment comes to a swift end. God is not an advocate of cruel and unusual punishment like the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. God loves His enemies and after the death penalty is administered, He intends to give them eternal life.

...but the free gift of God is eternal life..." (Romans 6:23)

This "free gift" was one of the mysteries revealed by God to the Apostle Paul.

"When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations..."(Ephesians 3:5)

Down through the years only a few people have tortured others. Much of the torturing was done by political or religious leaders in their wrath against "infidels." But that behavior is how wicked men treat their enemies, not God. When God's wrath is poured out on wicked men it is swift and always ends in the death of its object (i.e. capital punishment). But death is not the end for its objects. Paul tell us...

"I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." (Acts 24:14-15)

God and religion differ on what happens to the righteous and the wicked after they are resurrected? Religion teaches the righteous go to heaven and the wicked to hell. God's plan, however, is to reconcile and save all mankind by His grace, both Jew and Gentile.

"For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly... This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel...To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church..." (Ephesians 3:1-9)

The "church" long ago ceased teaching this "manifold wisdom". It has become another religion teaching that the righteous go to heaven and the wicked to hell. But if you want to read a summary of God's plan, the good news that the church was intended to proclaim, it is found in 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 where it is revealed that "all die", and "all will be made alive" so that God ends up "all in all".

"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive...so that God may be all in all."

Capital punishment is good - it removes the wicked from society. Religion adds eternal torment to their sentence which is bad, but the mystery of God's grace is that He will raise both the "righteous and the wicked" up as a rehabilitated new creation, and give us all the "free gift" of eternal life.

"And He who sits on the throne said: Behold, I am making all things new. And He said: Write, for these words are faithful and true." (Revelation 21:5)

Don't be "Myth-taken"

“To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord...instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths… It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.” (1 Timothy 1:1-20)

You can search all you want but you will not find a single verse in the Old Testament that even hints of a penalty for sin consistent with Christianity’s morbid concept of “hell” (eternal conscious torment). It is a myth.  The penalty for sin is DEATH in the Bible.

In the New Testament the references of Jesus to Gehenna (translated "hell" in English) refers to the garbage dump outside Jerusalem where trash and some dead bodies were burned up. He was not talking about some never ending mythological torture chamber. In the garbage dump the worm does not die nor is the fire quenched until its job of consuming it contents is done.

Why Christians would make Gehenna a figure of speech for the Greek mythological hell is beyond my comprehension.  The only explanation is they were deceived by the one whose job it is to deceive...Satan.

Jesus came into the world to save sinners from DEATH - the penalty for sin. But for more than 1900 years there have been an abundance of leaders in the church like “Hymenaeus and Alexander” shipwrecked in regard to their faith by strange doctrines and myths. In embracing the myth of eternal conscious torment they blaspheme God it seems to me.  In effect they deny that Jesus is the Savior of the World.

It is not that anyone will escape judgment or condemnation.  It is just that all of God’s dealings with mankind in regard to judgment is with a view to the eventual reconciliation of ALL...even Hymenaeus and Alexander and their modern day counterparts. That is if you read and study the Bible, not some commentary or sermon of "Myth-taken" men (pun intended).

“…through Him 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...God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not counting their sins against them and has given us the ministry of reconciliation...” (Colossians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5)

There is absolutely no thought in the minds of the writers of Scripture with regard to eternal conscious torment in hell.  Such punitive retribution was introduced centuries ago by corrupt theology and is being passed on as truth by many today. Churches are full of good people doing some good things...but teaching myths and strange doctrine is not among them.

God will do what is necessary after the resurrection to set everyone right with God and changing us into His image.

I understand the frustration of Paul with these men, and why Paul simply had to hand “Hymenaeus and Alexander" over to Satan. They refused to listen to the Scripture and preferred their own religious doctrine to the truth. That is why I write this blog and quote Scripture to back up my thoughts. Too many are simply unaware of the mythological guilt trip these false teachers impose on people...

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness..." (2 Corinthians 11:13-14)

Capital Punishment and Judgment - According to God

Capital Punishment:  Liberal Democrats are against it and conservative Christians make it even worse than death.  

But the Bible is crystal clear that God invented it as the penalty for sin.

"...sin is the transgression of the law." (1 John 3:4)

"The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a)

"ALL have sinned...." (Romans 3:23)

Therefore...

"...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27)

God is for Capital Punishment - so I'm for what God is for!

Judgment:  Liberal Democrats think they are the gods in charge of it and conservative Christians think the Liberals are going to hell for thinking so.

But again the Bible is crystal clear that God is in charge of Judgment. And that Judgment is to save the sinners from death - all of them - by making them new and alive in Christ Jesus.

“For even as, in Adam, ALL are dying, thus also, in Christ ,shall ALL be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)

"Anyone in Christ is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)

This Judgment of God is the good news (the gospel) that is supposed to be taught in the Churches who proclaim Jesus is Lord. Here is some more of that good news from the Bible...

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not counting their sins against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)

“God our Savior…will have ALL men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4)

"God commends His love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His son.” (Romans 5:10)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

“And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile ALL unto Himself.” (Colossians 1:20)

"...there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who have himself as a ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:5-6)

“Trust in the living God, who is the Savior of ALL men.” (1 Tim. 4:10)

Son, in obedience to God I have determined to believe God and...

"Prescribe and teach these things." (1 Tim. 4:11)

Think about your worst enemy, or the most evil person you can think of. If it was in your power to torture them without their dying for as long as you want, how long would that be?

Truth is I am for killing all the low life, rotten excuses for men who prey upon others, especially children. I am for Capital Punishment.  And if there was a hell, I would cast my vote for throwing them into it to be tortured for a while....but maybe not forever.

But enough about me, what about God...He actually has the power to do what He wants with wicked, sinful mankind....

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, 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! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11)

Well, in case there was any doubt, I am obviously not God! He actually loves and saves His enemies.