Sunday, January 10, 2016

Hell fire and damnation, truth or a lie?

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

Revelation  VERSE 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  5.   But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.  6.   Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Exaltation of the Saints. - From the devil in his gloomy confinement, John now directs our attention to the saints in victory and glory, - the saints reigning with Christ - their employment being to assign to the wicked dead the punishment due their evil deeds. From that general assembly John then selects two classes as worthy of especial attention:   first, the martyrs, those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus; and secondly, those who had not worshiped the beast and his image. This class, the ones who refuse the mark of the beast and his image, are of course the ones who hear and obey the third message of Revelation 14; but these are not the ones who are beheaded for the witness of Jesus, as some who
p 738 -- claim that the last generation of saints are all to be slain, would have us believe. The word rendered which, in the expression, "and which had not worshiped the beast," etc., shows that there is another class introduced. The word is the compound relative, ostiV (hostis), not merely the simple relative oV, and is defined by Liddell and Scott, "Whosoever; whichsoever; any one who; anything which;" and by Robinson, "One who; some one who; whosoever; whatsoever." As one class, John saw the martyrs, and as another, he saw those who had not worshiped the beast and his image. 

It is true that ostiV is sometimes used as a simple relative, as in 2 Cor. 3:14; Eph. 1:23, but never in such constructions as this, preceded by the conjunction kai.

Lest any one should say that if we render the passage "and whosoever had not worshiped the beast," we thereby include millions of heathen and sinners who have not worshiped the beast, and promise them a reign with Christ of a thousand years, we would call attention to the fact that the preceding chapter states that the wicked had all been slain, and the seal of death had been set upon them for a thousand years; and John is viewing only the righteous company who have part in the first resurrection.

To avoid the doctrine of two resurrections, some claim that the passage, "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished," is an interpolation, not found in the original, and hence not genuine. Even if this were so, it would not disprove the main proposition that the righteous dead are raised by themselves, in a "first resurrection," and that there is a second resurrection a thousand years later, in which all the wicked are brought from their graves. But the criticism is not true. All scholarship is against it. The Revised Version retains the passage.

Two Resurrections. - "The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." Whatever may be said to the contrary, no language could more plainly prove two resurrections; the first, a resurrection of the righteous at the commencement of the thousand years; and the second, that of the wicked at the end of that period. On such as have part in
p 739 -- the first resurrection, the second death will have no power. They can pass unharmed through the elements which destroy the wicked like chaff. They will be able to dwell with devouring fire and everlasting burnings (Isa. 33:14, 15); they will be able to go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against the Lord, as the quenchless fire and undying worm are preying upon them. Isa. 66:24. The difference between the righteous and the wicked in this respect is seen again in the fact that while God is to the latter a consuming fire, he is to his people both a sun and a shield.

The Wicked Raised to Life.. - The wicked who are raised at the end of the thousand years as really live again as they have once lived on the earth. To deny this is to do violence to this scripture. In what physical condition they will be raised, we are not informed. It is usual to say on this point that what we have lost unconditionally in Adam, is restored unconditionally in Christ. With respect to physical condition, this should not perhaps be taken in an unlimited sense; for we have lost greatly in stature and vital force, which need not be restored to the wicked. If they are brought back to the average mental and physical condition which they enjoyed during life, or the period of their probation, that would certainly be sufficient to enable them to receive at last understandingly the reward due them for all their deeds.

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Truth!

We cannot deny this is truth!

I amend that, we can deny it and to deny it is death.

Hellfire and brimstone, this is what I'm preaching - so to speak, and it's truth! Hellfire and brimstone isn't preached enough anymore.

Death awaits the unrepentant wicked.  Eternal death. 

The world would have us believe that when we die we automatically enter a new way of living. The world soothes us with this lie so we don't worry about repenting of our sins and surrendering our lives to Christ, the only One who can give us life after death upon His return to earth.

You say you have given your life to Christ, that He will save you even if you believe the lies told? You say your heart is in the right place and Jesus knows this?  I tell you that Jesus abhors lying and those who believe lies after they've been told the truth and given an opportunity to know truth.

Joh_8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Psa_32:2  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.
Cross References
Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."

True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--
Treasury of Scripture


NO LYING! NO DECEIT! We cannot tell our Savior that we are innocent because we loved the lies we cherish. We cannot tell our Savior that we are His followers when we choose to follow lies that come from the father of lies. 

The end is coming, and either we will be with the saints in heaven with Christ for a 1000 years, or we will be dead upon the earth left to rot, not off in some spirit form living. We will be dead only to be raised at the end of the 1000 years to face our punishment that will lead to our eternal, everlasting destruction.  One place or the other, these are our only two options!

Yes, hellfire and damnation awaits, but most assuredly, heaven awaits as well! We must believe the truth and NOTHING but the truth!

Please, Father….please.

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, now and forever, amen!

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