Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

The word JUDGMENT is a scary word in the world of religious thought. So I decided to do some studying and thinking about what the Bible says about it. Here is what I found… The Greek word is “krisis” from which we get our English word crisis. And crisis simply means a critical time where something very important happens or is happening. In other words it is a turning point in time. It seems to me that the equivalent Hebrew word is “mishpat” and is used in the following OT verses… “…to keep the way of Yahweh to do what is right and duly just (mishpat)." (Genesis 18:19) “...the Judge of the entire earth, would He not execute right judgment (mishpat)?” (Genesis 18:25) Scripture views judgment as a turning point where the judge is suppose to do what is right. Judgment made by a human is not always right. But God has given the final Judgment to His Son, Christ Jesus who will do what is right. “For neither is the Father judging anyone, but has given all judging to the Son.” (John 5:22)...

"Do you suppose, O man…that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3) Paul is talking to everyone here, both believers and unbelievers. So, what judgment is he talking about that they will not escape? The Scripture says that the judgment of God on sinners is death. "For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a) The only reason we are not dead yet is His "kindness, tolerance and patience." "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) Understanding and acknowledging this "kindness of God" leads us to repentance in this present age. Repentance includes thinking differently about God. To think of Him as our Father who loves us and provides the final sacrifice for our sin. In Old Testament times, God laid all the sin of Israel upon a sacrificial animal once a year on the Day of Atonement, which cleansed them all from ...

"Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness" (Psalm 96:13) ALL rejoice when Christ Jesus the Lord comes to judge, not just a few Christians. The primary word translated “judgment” in the NT is from the Greek word "krisis". This Greek word “krisis” is where we get our English word crisis. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “crisis” as “a crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point.” Divine judgment is God's appointed “turning point.” At this turning point all will be made new and "free from the law of sin and death ". And this Divine turning point comes after our Resurrection. Note he above verse in Psalm 96 indicates it is a time of rejoicing for "all creation" . This is in great contrast to what Christians have been taught for centuries. They have been taught that the judgment is a day and time of alm...

Before the great worldwide flood described in Genesis God made this statement concerning mankind… "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually"   (Genesis 6:5) God had told Adam and Eve what the judgment for sin would be in the 2nd Chapter of Genesis… “…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:17) In His destruction of mankind by the flood God simply accelerated this judgment to rid the world of evil… "So the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth" (Genesis 6:7) But God also introduced His ultimate plan for mankind in the way He dealt with Noah and his family… "But Noah found GRACE in the eyes of the LORD"  (Genesis 6:8) Mankind has not changed and evil is still a part of our nature. The Bible tells us that the judgment of God ...

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) This was written almost 2000 years ago by the Apostle Paul. Several years ago I decided to learn from Paul’s letters exactly what he, the wise master builder, had laid upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Then compare it to the doctrines of Christianity, both Catholic and Protes...

“For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ of Lord” (Romans 6:23) I have been thinking about sin as that term is used in the Bible. It occurs in many forms and for individuals it ranges from innocently missing a free throw in basketball to murder in the first degree. But the greatest sin of the past 1700 years or so, in my opinion, is not individual sins, but the collective sin of most institutions of Christianity with respect to His plan in Christ Jesus to save the world. Jesus Christ was sent by God to atone for and take away the sins of the world and he is proclaimed in the Bible to be the "Savior of the world" . "John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world… he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world…we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world… ...

“Thus says the LORD God of Israel—because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, says the LORD…your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." (2 Chronicles 34:26-27) Seventeen years ago on October 4 I and several other men from Sayre stood together with over one million other men in Washington DC on the National Mall in an event sponsored by the Promise Keepers organization. It was termed a sacred assembly and labeled “Stand in the Gap”. An aerial picture of that assembly hangs on the wall of my office today. The purpose was for Christians and Messianic Jews to collectively confess the sin of our Nation to God and ask for His Mercy. I was convinced that God would hear our prayer and defer judgment on the USA like He had done for Israel....

“In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) The only way mankind will finally KNOW that the LORD is GOD is when the situation is such that they humble themselves before God and realize they are in trouble. Not many do so in this life. But there is coming an event when ALL mankind, collectively, will humble themselves before the LORD their GOD and wonder…are we in trouble? “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it…And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne…the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the graves gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.” (Revelation 20:11-13) Imagine if you can ...

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world...So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us…so that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment…There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (1 John 4:14-18) Let that sink in for a moment. John was most likely toward the end of his life when he wrote this. By that time he was familiar with the revelation of the salvation of all which Paul had received from the risen Jesus. And John was now certain that Jesus was the “Savior of the world” ...not just Israel. And not just a possibility of being saved if certain choices were made…Jesus IS the Savior…of the whole WORLD. And John says it is because God is LOVE. And there is no fear in the judgment that is to come when one actually understands and believes that God loves the world. When we come to realize and believ...

“24Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὁ τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων καὶ πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί με ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται ἀλλὰ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν. 25ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ἀκούσουσιν τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ζήσουσιν. 26ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἔχει ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὕτως καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ἔδωκεν ζωὴν ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ: 27καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ κρίσιν ποιεῖν, ὅτι υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν. 28μὴ θαυμάζετε τοῦτο, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα ἐν ἧ πάντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις ἀκούσουσιν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ 29καὶ ἐκπορεύσονται, οἱ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, οἱ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράξαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν κρίσεως. “ (John 5:24-29) This is the way the Greek reads which is the language spoken by  most when Jesus was born. What WE have is umpteen opinions of men as to how to translate those words into English. Here is what I believe to be the best unbiased translation of the above into English, the Concordant Literal New Testament. 24 "Veri...