Tag: murders

34.d. “Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!”

 

Matthew 18:8  And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

 Deuteronomy 13:6-8   “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known,  some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other,  you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him.

 Ezekiel 18:31    Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die

 Romans 13:12   The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9    in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

 Revelation 20:15    And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 Revelation 21:8   But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

There are significant problems in taking these words as literal instruction instead of conveying an attitude. The problem is not only from the obvious physical harm that one might bring upon themselves, but more so in the problem that bodily mutilation does not go far enough in controlling sin. We need to be transformed from the inside out. Some people only keep from sin if it is easy or convenient to do it. Jesus warns us that we must be willing to sacrifice in fighting against sin, that nothing is worse than facing the wrath of a righteous God. It really is better to sacrifice in the battle against sin now than to face the punishment of eternity later. If I cut off my right hand, I can still sin with my left. If my left eye is gouged out, my right eye can still sin – and if all such members are gone, I can still sin in my heart and mind. God calls us to a far more radical transformation than any sort of bodily mutilation can address.

The meaning is, it is better to go to heaven without enjoying the things that caused us to sin than to enjoy them here and then be lost. The sense in all these instances is the same. Worldly attachments, friendships, and employments of any kind, that cannot be pursued without leading us into sin, be they ever so dear to us, must be abandoned, (Barnes)

It is more than implied in these scriptures that however strong the temptation(s), we are to abandon them with all urgency for everlasting eternal torment awaits those who do not. How many are lured away by a single look and allow thoughts of lust, hate, anger, or greed penetrate and reside in their hearts and minds, searing them, as it were, with a red-hot iron and forever leaving a scar on their soul, that, left unattended, will continue to fester and ooze more corrupt thoughts and actions into their life? 

There is no honor or glory given to Jesus Christ when any temptation is allowed room in our hearts and minds.

7.e. You will not know what hour I will come upon you.

Revelation 9:12   The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Make no mistake about the timing of God.  He has set a time for His wrath, anger, and judgment on those who do not and did not repent (But of this be assured, that if the master of the house had known the hour at which the robber was coming, he would have kept awake) and (Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.).  It is not as though He has not given promises of blessings and warnings of judgments.  Yet the heart of stone and unrepentant heart of many will experience the wrath of God in ways that unleash a flood of torment on their soul and physical bodies. We have already read of 1/4th of the earth’s population dying previously and now we read of another 1/3 dying.  This equals a total of 1/2 of the world’s population (3 to 4 billion) people dead.  No one with half a brain would want to experience the wrath and anger of God and yet they still reject His witnesses He sealed to proclaim salvation, redemption, and eternal life.  Can you imagine seeing an army of 200 million coming at you with intent to kill and torment you?  What chance would you have to withstand this force?  Remember this, an army of 200 million is nothing but an ant compared to the power, might, and strength of Almighty God.  If you understand and realize that you could not withstand an army of 200 million then how much more so standing up against God and rejecting Him.  Luke 17:28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,  but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—  so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 

Repent, believe, and cling too, rely on, and trust in Jesus Christ.  Live to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, follow, and obey Him.  The only thing that is keeping you from this right now is your heart choice to live for self rather than living for Him, thinking you do not need His redemption, thinking you are good enough, thinking you are not good enough, and thinking there will be time to do this later.  “For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”