Drew Boswell

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“Being Thankful Changes How You Think” Romans 1:18-32

Being Thankful Changes How You Think

Romans 1:18-24

Introduction

Prayer

The Revelation of God’s Wrath (vv. 18-20)

“For the wrath of God is (constantly) revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

Wrath is the personal manifestation of God’s holy, moral character in judgment against sin. It is neither an impersonal process nor irrational and fitful like anger.  It is in no way a vindictive or malicious.  It is holy indignation – God’s anger directed against sin.[1]

All people stand condemned because of their sin.  (Romans 3:10-11 “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” )

God reveals His wrath in two ways: 1) indirectly through the natural consequences of violating His universal moral law.  2) directly through His personal intervention[2]

God has been revealing His wrath for a long time.  The first time was in response to Adam and Eve after they disobediently ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and caused themselves and mankind to fall under the curse of sin.

In the centuries that followed, humanity became so sinful that God released His wrath again through the Flood (Gen. 6:7).  God also demonstrated His wrath in destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, sending plagues upon the Egyptians, and instituting the sacrificial system.

God hates sin and will not put with it forever. The suffering death of Jesus upon the cross was the ultimate demonstration of the God’s wrath.  The Father’s hatred for sin is so intense that for the sake of sinners He poured out His righteous fury on His beloved, sinless Son, who took our place. So now mankind stands with a choice to either take the wrath of God upon himself or accept Jesus’ gift to take the wrath for us.

Some Old Testament words describe God’s holy response to human sin.  Some of these meanings include (charah) “to become heated up, to burn with fury,” (charon) “burning, fierce wrath” (Za’am) “furious.”[3]

Why is God angry at sinful people? Because they have substituted the truth about him with a fantasy of their own imagination (1:25).  They have stifled the truth God naturally reveals to all people in order to believe anything that supports their own self-centered life-styles.[4]

(v. 18) “Supress the truth” Although the evidence from conscience (1:19; 2:14), creation (1:20), and God’s Word is irrefutable, men choose to resist and oppose God’s truth by holding fast to their sin.[5]

Truth in the NT is not simply something to which one must give mental agreement (assent), it is something to be done.  When people act sinfully, rebelling against God’s just rule, they fail to embrace the truth and so suppress it.[6]

When people suppress and distort the truth of God, they run the risk of a darkened heart.  As part of the judgment of their sin, God confirms their rebellion by removing his light from their minds.  Then their confused thinking becomes a permanent mind-set and they are unable to turn to God.[7] When people suppress God’s will they will believe any lie that comes along to support their personal beliefs.

What can we learn about God from this revelation from nature (v.20)?  God is mighty and powerful, intelligence, intricate detail. He is a God of order and beauty.[8]

“without excuse”[9] If a person will respond to the revelation he has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God will provide some means for that person to hear the gospel (Acts 8:26-39; 10:1-48; 17:27).[10]

Rejection of the knowledge of God is repeated in every generation, by every individual.  Every person is “without excuse” because every person has been given a knowledge of God and has favored idolatry over this knowledge.

All stand under the awful reality of the wrath of God, and all are in desperate need of the justifying power of the gospel of Christ.

 Why then should we be involved in missions or even tell others about Christ?

  1. Although people know that God exists, they suppress that truth by their wickedness and thus deny him. We are to point out their error.
  2. Although people may believe there is a God, they refuse to commit themselves to him. We can help to persuade them. 
  3. We can try to convince people who reject God of the dangerous consequences of their actions.
  4. Even if nature reveals there is a God, people need to be told how to have a relationship with Him.
  5. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19,20).

Mankind has continually and consistently sought to escape accountability to God’s standard (Gen. 3:8).  Men and women would prefer that the biblical God not exist, even though there is an essential knowledge of Him placed within each person.

The Rejection of God’s Ways (vv. 21-24)

“21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. . . ,”

“knew God” Man is conscience of God’s existence, power, and divine nature through general revelation (vv. 19,20). The refusal of people to acknowledge and worship God (v. 21) explains why the revelation of God in nature leads to their being “without excuse.”

(1) “they did not honor him as God” We glorify God through recognizing Him for who He is.  And following Him in obedience.  Given the opportunity to commune, and fellowship in the glory of God they reject him and turn to a god of their own making.

Adam and Eve when they were in the garden (Gen. 3:8) God would come in the cool of the day and spend time with them.  But they rejected his ways and believed the lie of Satan and were cast out of the garden.

(2) “or give thanks to him” Giving thanks to God has always been central to worshipping Him. “This sounds as though God’s wrath comes in response to bad manners: forgetting to say, “than you.” But Paul is saying that we are plagiarists. We take what God has made, and pass it off as our own.”[11]

We celebrate Communion as a way of thanking Him for giving His body (bread) as a sacrifice and the shedding of his blood (wine).  Tithing is also a way of thanking and recognizing God for what He has provided.

“they became futile in their thinking” Man’s search for meaning and purpose will produce only vain, meaningless conclusions apart from a biblical understanding of God.

“their foolish hearts were darkened” When man rejects the truth, the darkness of spiritual falsehood replaces it.

John 3:19-20 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

When man rationalizes his sin, he proves his utter foolishness by devising and believing his own philosophies about God and himself (Ps. 14:1; 53:1).

“for images” How could intelligent people turn to idolatry?  Idolatry begins when people reject what they know about God. Instead of looking to him as the Creator and sustainer of life, they see themselves as the center of the universe.

They soon invent “gods” that are convenient projections of their own selfish plans. Idolaters worship the things God made rather than God himself. Greeks invented gods that had humans sinful flaws. They each had their own weaknesses (jealously, anger, adultery, lust, etc..)

(v. 24) “God gave them up” It has been described as the sinner being in a boat and God lets the boat go to float down stream.  But not only does he just let it go, he gives it a good kick and sends it on its way.

Like a judge who hands over a prisoner to the punishment his crime earned, God hands over the sinner to the terrible cycle of ever-increasing sin.  This is not because God stops loving man.

It is His desire that the sinner would become aware of his or her situation.  His hope is that they will see the waterfall of destruction and cry out for help and forgiveness before they go over the edge.

These people chose to reject God, and God allowed them to do it.  God does not usually stop us from making choices against his will.  He lets us declare our independence from him, even though he knows in time we will become slaves to our rebellious choices – we will lose our freedom not to sin.

People who have refused to acknowledge God end up with minds that are “disqualified” from being able to understand and acknowledge the will of God.[12]

There is simply no human remedy for the problem of sin.  So, man continues to fall deeper and deeper into son. There is a progression that is given here: It all begins with the suppression of the Truth – No glorification of God, No thanks to God – Thinking became futile, hearts darkened – idolatry – sexual impurity – depraved mind – continuation of sin (knowing its wrong) – approving of others who sin.

The only hope for man to avoid the wrath of God is a Savior.

Conclusion

Cletus and Bosco

_____________________________

[1] Ronald Youngblood, General Editor, New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, Tennessee; Nelson Publishing, 1995) 1322.

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (La Habra, California; Word Publishing, 2006) 1660.

[3] John MacArthur, Nothing But the Truth (Wheaton, llinois; Crossway Books, 1999) 58.

[4] Romans. Life Application Bible Studies.  Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing. P. 7.

[5] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible,1693.

[6] Douglas Moo, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle of Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996) 102.

[7] Romans. Life Application Bible Studies.  Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing. P. 7.

[8] Romans. Life Application Bible Studies.  Illinois: Tyndale House Publishing. P. 7.

[9] Ps. 19:1-8; 94:9; Acts 14:15-17; 17:23-28

[10] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, 1693.

[11]Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You (The Good Book Company, 2018) 27.

[12] Douglas Moo. The New International Commentary on the New Testament,  The Epistle of Romans.

Michigan: Eedmans Publishing. P. 119.

 

“We Must Never Forget; Remembering What God Has Done For His People” Joshua 4

We Must Never Forget;

Remembering What God Has Done For His People

Joshua 4

Introduction

Picture of Jewish holocaust tattoo survivors.

Prayer

Memorial Stones (vv. 1-14)

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever. 8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste. 11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the LORD and the priests passed over before the people. 12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.”

The whole nation was represented, as a man was selected from each tribe, “Every part of the nation must play its part.”[1] Every part of the nation would leave a memorial for the generations to come – each tribe would speak of what the Lord had done. All of the nation had crossed over the Jordan, therefore all of the nation should proclaim what He had done for them (not just the priests, or the leadership, everyone).

God does not want the past to be forgotten – On 12 different occasions in the OT we see the phrase, “I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.” These are covenants that God made with His people, special events, special words exchanged, that do not need to be forgotten.

These covenants, people, and events should not be forgotten because they serve as a memorial of God’s power expressed in the past, but it is also a promise to future generations that this same God is for them, and not against them, “Thus this promise was still a present reality for the exiles,”[2]

(v. 6) “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them. . .” – “God’s acts of salvation on his people’s behalf must be perpetuated in the memory of the coming generations.”[3] There is a redemptive significance to the events (Crossing the Jordan, the Red Sea Crossing, The Plagues of Egypt and eventual Passover). God is keeping His covenant With His people.

Deuteronomy 6:20 says, “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”

Exodus 12:26 is in reference to the Passover, “And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt. . .”

(v. 7) “So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” For the Hebrew people, to be a memorial means more than simply remember, “It involves remembering with concern; it also implies loving reflection, and where called for, a corresponding degree of action.”[4]

Also, there would only be one time when God’s people crossed the Jordan – God would do this miracle and it would not be repeated, “there is an economy of miracles in Scripture. Remembering was a way for future generations to participate in the great acts God had done for Israel.”[5]

(v. 10) “10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua . . The people passed over in haste.” “As the priests stood in one spot whilst all the people were passing over, it was necessary that the people should hasten over, lest the strength of the priests should be exhausted.”[6]

God is doing His part, the priests are doing their part,

and the people are doing their part – all working together.

(v. 14) “On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life” – There were two results that resulted from the wonder of crossing the Jordan. “That the Lord exalted (lit. made great) Joshua in the sight of all Israel and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses (4:14).”[7]

The Jordan Returns to Normal (vv. 15-18)

15 And the LORD said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

 In this chapter the ark is referred to by several titles, In vv. 5, 11 the ark of the LORD, v. 7, 17 the ark of the covenant of the LORD, v. 9 the ark of the covenant, v. 10 the ark, and here in v. 16 it is, “the ark of the testimony.” – “The ark contained the testimony, the tablets of the covenant”[8] The ark was a symbolic reminder of the promises of God that He had given to His people.

The Hebrew says of v. 18, “and the soles of their feet tore themselves loose upon the dry ground”[9] emphasizing that it was the ark of the covenant that was holding back the water of the Jordan and the water returned to their place “as before.”

God doesn’t work miracles in the Israelite camp every day – eventually the Red Sea will return to normal, and the Jordan will return to normal, the pillar of smoke and fire will disappear, and even in our lives God may do something spectacular, but life will return to normal.

(v. 15) “And the LORD said to Joshua,” . . . (v.17) “So Joshua commanded the priests,” . . . . (v. 19) “The people came up out of the Jordan.” the writer emphasizes that obedience is the prerequisite for God’s blessing.

Gilgal Encampment (vv. 19-24)

19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”

(v. 19) “on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho” – on the same day, forty years before, Israel had begun to prepare for going out of Egypt by setting aside the paschal lamb. In Ex. 12 we see God’s instructions for the people to prepare to leave Egypt (preparing a lamb, blood on the doorposts, how they should eat dressed in a certain way, etc. Ex. 12:14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations.”

“Subsequent generations are to be told the story as if the event had happened to them personally so that they could participate in all that God had done for Israel.”[10] This is what God did for His people, those that place their faith in Him are His people.

While they would still memorialize the Passover (meal) in the years to come – the crossing of the Jordan ended 40 years of wandering. There is a God who was the God of a group of freed slaves – their power was not in their might, but in the God who goes before them.

God does not want them to forget – God brought them out of slavery, God split open the Jordan and held back it’s waters. It was the mighty hand of God that was with them. But there will come a day, when they will forget and think that all their success was because of their own strength, wisdom, and ability.

We must never forget that we were once slaves.

 The Passover meal where a lamb was slain and it’s blood shed over the doorposts of their homes, was forever linked to their entrance into the promised land. They were slaves, but now they are free. They had no home, but now they dwell in the presence of God. They had no power, but now the power of God goes before them, and he is their God.

“When the crossing has been completed and the people had established their camp, their first act was to erect the alter of the twelve stones which had been carried by the representatives of the twelve tribes.”[11] They must recognize the God who did this, and worship Him. He is worthy to be praised.

(v. 21) “And he said to the people of Israel” – The memorial has to be explained.[12] There was a design and plan to the miracle that the people experienced. God instructs Joshua to teach the people – when people ask, “what do these stones mean” there should be an explanation. God has done a powerful work in their midst – so He explains to them, when you tell the world what happened, tell them this. God expects His people to respond to the questions of the world.

God does His part, the leadership does their part, and the people do their part.

(v. 24) “so that all the peoples of the earth may know” – God’s blessing for this nation, was intended to be shared with all the nations. God’s mighty hand, His works, were to be shared with the nations. God’s memorial stones point the world to Him, they tell what He has done. “. . . the account is written not only for the benefit of Joshua’s contemporaries, but also, has in mind those who at a much later time, and often under much different circumstances, would need this reminder of God’s might acts.”[13]

The ultimate reason for the memorial stones was so, “that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” You here is indicating God’s people, but the context also means the entire world. God did a work among one group of people, but it was for all the people of the earth. Also, the peoples of the earth are to fear the Lord forever. The fear of the Lord was to shared, explained, and transferred from one generation to the next, to the next, forever.

Later at the beginning of chapter five, the enemies of Israel just gave up before they even struck a single blow, “their hearts melted.” “It was useless to try to stop the onward march of a nation who is led by God.”

When Jesus was crucified and laid in the tomb, you can put a massive stone over the entrance, you can double the guard, and you can seal it with the emperor’s signature, but you are not going to stop what God is doing. Matthew 27:65-66 “Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.” Jesus rose from the dead anyway.

In the upcoming chapters in Joshua the reader is introduced to Rahab when spies are sent in. She explains to the spies that “as soon as we heard it, hour hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). It was her fear of the Lord and hear the mighty deeds that the Lord had done, that caused her to place her faith in that God.

Everyone who the Lord has saved is a memorial stone, and we are commanded to tell of His mighty works that He has done in our lives. When we do, the people’s hearts of the world will melt before us. God does His part, leadership does their part, and the people do their part – tell of the wonders of God.

_______________________

[1] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 2 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1982) 568.

[2] J. Alberto Soggin, The Old Testament Library, Joshua A Commentary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Westminster Press, 1972) 65.

[3] Martin H. Woudstra, The Book of Joshua (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1981)  91.

[4] Woudstra, 92.

[5] Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 3 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1992) 269.

[6] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William b. Eerdsmans Publishing Co., reprinted 1984) 50.

[7] J. Gordan Harris, New International Biblical Commentary, Joshua, Judges, Ruth (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 2003) 37.

[8] Martin H. Woudstra, 94.

[9] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, 51.

[10] Frank E. Gaebelein, 272.

[11] Buttrick, 571.

[12] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, 52.

[13] Martin H. Woudstra, 95.

The Fundamentals of Our Faith; What We Believe Sermon Series “We Believe that Jesus Will Return” Miscellaneous Verses

The Fundamentals of Our Faith;

What We Believe Sermon Series

“We Believe that Jesus Will Return”

Miscellaneous Verses

 Introduction

“Both the Old and the New Testament contend that history is moving to a climax and that the sovereign God is in control.”[1]

In the Bible, God has revealed many things about the end of time. But if we don’t believe what God has revealed about the future, we may be fearful or depressed at the evil in the world, wondering how good can ever triumph. We may also, be tempted to live a sinful lifestyle, not believing that you will ever be held accountable for our actions. Also, if you don’t have heaven to look forward to, you may have little reason for joy in life and you lose a major reason for hanging in there when the going gets tough.

Bible prophecy matters the most, when things are the worst. It tells us that God is going to make everything all right, that justice may seem deferred but will not be denied, that the good and gracious purposes for which God created the world will all be fulfilled.

Bible prophecy helps us get a glimpse of the certainties of God’s future so that we may live wisely, righteously, passionately, and boldly today. If we know with certainty that Jesus is returning, then we will constantly be asking the question, 2 Peter 3:11 “what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness. . .”

Prayer

Prophecy and End Times (A Few Things To Consider)

 There is considerable disagreement among Christians regarding the end of time (the rapture, the millennium), nevertheless, among those who believe that the whole Bible is the inspired word of God, there are a number of things which we can all agree:

  1. Jesus is coming again, and when He does, God will set all things right. In the end all will be well for God’s people. In the meantime, we must live in light of His return.
  2. Jesus is the ultimate focal point of all prophecy. The Old Testament looked forward to His coming; the New Testament looked back at His coming; unfulfilled prophecy looks forward to His coming again.
  3. Holiness should be the end result of prophecy. The Bible was not given merely to satisfy our curiosity, but to tell us how to live.
  4. We must be personally committed to the Great Commission. If the end is coming, must we not warn others?
  5. God is sovereign, and, in spite of seeming evidence to the contrary, is guiding history to a meaningful conclusion, just as He said He would.[2]

Terms To Understand Regarding the End of Time (Nine Terms)

The first appearance of Christ is the nativity and his 3-year ministry on the earth. “at the second coming of Christ, he will come as the Reigning King: Isa. 9:6-7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, . . .”

Acts 1:10-11 “And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

When we discuss the end of time there are some key terms that we need to know and understand:

The Second Coming: this is the return of Jesus to the earth at an unknown time in the future, John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

The Rapture: this is the sudden departure of all Christians to meet Christ in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17). For more on this topic click here.

The millennium: This refers to a period of time in which Christ reigns on earth in righteousness (Rev. 20:1-10).

The Great Tribulation: this is a period of time in which there will be unprecedented suffering (Mark 13:19). “Satan’s longtime and persistent opposition to God’s work will accelerate to an extreme and be seen by all.”[3]

The Antichrist: This person embodies evil and is the key agent of Satan’s resistance to the plan of God in the last days (1 John 2:18-22). “Satan will empower the Antichrist to act supernaturally with a view to deceiving and persuading men.” Those that oppose him will face trouble so great that unless God shortened the days no one would survive (Matt. 24:21-22).

The judgment seat of Christ: this is the place where all Christians will receive their reward for the quality of their life on earth (2 Cor. 5:10). “This is a judgment, not for destiny, but for adjustment, for reward or loss, according to our works, for position in the kingdom: every man according as his work shall be.”[4]

The great white throne judgment: this is the place where all who have rejected God receive punishment for their unbelief and their life on earth (Rev. 20:11-15). “The purpose of the final judgment will not be to ascertain the quality of an individual’s character, but rather to disclose his character and to assign him to the eternal place corresponding to what he is because of his trust or lack of trust in God.”[5]

 Hell: this is the ultimate destination of all people who did not truly believe in God and commit their lives to Him (Matt. 10:28).[6] “The word translated “hell” in the NT comes from the Greek word Gehenna. It is derived from the name of the valley of Hinnom, located just south of Jerusalem, which was a city garbage dump that burned twenty-four hours a day every day.

In this dreadful place, human sacrifices were once offered to the god Molech (2 Kings 23:10). It was used as a burial for criminals and for burning garbage. It came to be a metaphor for the everlasting state of the unsaved.”[7]

The literal truth behind the horrible imagery created by the prophetic language is that hell is a place or profound misery where the unsaved are separated from the presence of God forever and suffer whatever is the opposite of God and heaven for eternity. The unsaved will be cast from God’s presence forever, without any hope of restoration experiencing an eternity of no peace, no love, no joy, no fellowship.

Hell is a place described as everlasting fire (Mark 9:43; Matt. 25:41). It is spoken of as a lake of burning sulfur (Rev. 20:10). It is a place of darkness (Matt. 8:12). It is described as a place of eternal punishment and torment (Rev. 14:10-11). “If figurative language is involved, it is obviously symbolic of something so awful no one in his right mind could be indifferent to avoiding it.”[8]

Jude 13 “. . . for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

Some tend to shy away from these descriptions of hell by holding to annihilation (where we cease to exist at some point), or that over a period of time someone will cease to be in hell, but the same word, eternal, is used to describe both punishment and life. Matthew 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

God’s justice requires that sin be punished. Your sin must be punished – in His grace He provided through Jesus’ death on the cross the way for a person to be freed from that punishment (Jesus took the full brunt of God’s wrath against sin).

But a person is not made to receive this gift, he is presented with a choice – just as Adam and Even in the Garden were presented the choice to honor and obey God. But we only have the few days on this planet to make the choice – we are locked into our state in eternity (saved or lost, righteous or unrighteous). Therefore, God does not send anyone to hell – each person chooses it when they reject Christ’s gift of salvation.

Heaven: this is the ultimate destination of all people who truly believe in God and committed their lives to Him (Acts 1:9-10). Heaven is where God is. It is a place of rest (Heb. 4:9), of glory (2 Cor. 4:17, or purity (Rev. 21:27), or worship (Rev. 19:1), of fellowship with others (Heb. 12:23), and of being with God (Rev. 21:3).

Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

The Bible uses the word heaven in different ways. One is in reference to creation, or the entire universe. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Another way the Bible uses the word heaven is a synonym for God. When the prodigal son confesses his sin to his father, he says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you” Luke 15:18. When Jesus questions the Pharisees, “The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” Matthew 21:25.

The third way heaven is used, is to indicate where God lives. Jesus instructed the disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). Angels come from and return to heaven, and dwell in heaven.[9] They are also referred to as the heavenly host.

Heaven is also the ultimate place where followers of Christ will end up. Jesus even went to heaven to prepare a place for those that follow Him, John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Heaven is also a place where believers can store up treasure now, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matt. 6:19-20.

Heaven is also the place where, as children of God, they receive their inheritance. 1 Peter 1:4-5 “. . . to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”

Believers will receive crowns – the crown of life (James 1:12), the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4), and the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8). Those who have been won for Christ through our witness become our crown of rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19).

Eventually, those around the thrown of God will cast their crowns before the Lord. Revelation 4:11 “They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Also, everything in heaven will be new, 2 Peter 3:10, 13 All that we know in this world will be burned “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. . . But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

God’s kingdom will be established when Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

It’s hard for us to comprehend heaven in all its’ glory, but John Newton once said in his song Amazing Grace, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun.”

Ultimately, heaven is intended to be a word that helps us understand that it is where the presence of God dwells, and that those that place their faith in the Son of God, Jesus will have an rightful place with Him there (an inheritance, a job there, a special name will be revealed, gathered treasure, a place for you to dwell, etc.)

All of this revolves around a relationship – “God’s intention from the beginning, to have fellowship with man, led first to his creating the human race, then to his dwelling in the tabernacle and temple, then to his coming in the incarnation, and finally to his taking humans to be with him (heaven).”[10]

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[1] Paul E. Little, Know What You Believe, A Practical Discussion of the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith (Colorado Springs, Colorado; Cook Communications, 1999) 137.

[2] Anders, 172.

[3] Little, 140.

[4] Little, 146, quote by William Evans.

[5] Little, 146.

[6] Max Anders, New Christian’s Handbook, Everything New Believers Need to Know (Nashville, Tennessee; Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999) 166.

[7] Anders, 177.

[8] Little, 147.

[9] Matt. 28:2; Luke 22;43; Luke 2:15; Mark 13:32, heavenly host Luke 2:13

[10] Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1985) 1228.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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