Sodom & Gomorrah: State or Fate?

What happened to Sodom & Gomorrah? 

Why, these cities were restored to their original state weren't they?

[See Deut. 29:23; Isa. 13:19; Jer. 50:40; Amos 4:11; Jude 1:7]

These cities are going to be inhabited again, aren't they, and righteousness will prevail as these once wicked cities are restored to their original state?

Of course, this is only true if "destroyed" means "restored", doesn't it?

This "logic" really clarifies the Lord's statement about Sodom & Gomorrah in Matt. 10:15 doesn't it?

"Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city."

"More tolerable"??? Sodom and Gomorrah will be restored, but it will be "more tolerable" for any city (people) that fails to heed the teaching of the Lord and the apostles.

RESTORED or DESTROYED?

Peter wrote of the day of Judgment with similar language:

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be BURNED UP. Seeing then that all these things shall be DISSOLVED, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." ~ 2 Peter 3:10-13

MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT...BURNED UP...DISSOLVED...

Yes, according to some, these terms mean RESTORED TO THEIR ORIGINAL STATE...

If this be true, remember, when this happens, it will be MORE TOLERABLE for those who rejected the Lord's teaching and the apostles' teaching... does this make sense?

Don't be deceived... 'destroyed' does not mean 'restored'.

The destruction of the earth, is not referring to this planet, but to people.

For people who repent, this day of destruction will not come upon them as a thief; but for those who DON'T REPENT, the fate of (the people of) Sodom and Gomorrah will be "more tolerable" than for them.

Jesus taught:

"Take heed WHAT ye hear" ~ Mark 4:24

"Take heed HOW ye hear" ~ Luke 6:38

Why? Because DOCTRINE MATTERS!

6/30/2020

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The ‘Dark’ Lover

John 18:37 – Jesus said to Pilate, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

John 18:38 – Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

Could Pilate understand truth?

Jesus had stated earlier in His ministry, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (John 7:17)

Two questions for consideration:
~ Can we know truth (apart from error) today? If so,
~ Can we agree on what constitutes truth?

If ANYONE could have made it clear, would it not have been Jesus? In his teaching, could any human have been more convincing?

Now, consider, in regard to Jesus and His teaching:

DID THE LORD CONVINCE/CONVERT EVERYONE HE TAUGHT???

Of course not…but was it because Jesus was a poor teacher? Was the fault in His ability? Again, would you agree with me that it wasn’t because of the inability of Jesus to make truth clear.

To what then do we attribute the failure of people to understand/accept His teachings? His statement in John 7:17 has the answer….re-read it………

Notice also a related statement from the apostle Paul in regard to the need to have a love for truth in order prevent being deceived by false doctrine (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

Again, the Lord explained early in His ministry why some have no love for truth:
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” – John 3:19-21

How can you recognize truth? It will expose any sin in your life and call upon you to cease from it ASAP (i.e. repent);

If you don’t want your sin exposed……you will reject the message (and the messenger) in like manner as people did of Jesus.

People were divided over Jesus, as to whether or not He was the Christ… why? Because of His teachings! Those who wanted to be accepted, would repent and live differently; those who hated that their sin was “brought to light”, attacked Him and His teachings. Ultimately, He was put to death for condemning the sins that people committed.

To His apostles, Jesus described the characteristic of TRUTH: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause’.” – John 15:22-25.

If any preaching does not define and, condemn sin, based upon what Jesus and His apostles taught, and call upon every sinner to cease from that life, and “obey the form of doctrine” as preached by Jesus and His apostles, he is not preaching TRUTH, but TICKLING YOUR EARS, FOR HIS OWN GAIN! (Romans 6:17-18; 2 Timothy 4:2-4; Jude 1:16).

If you have a love for truth, you will appreciate the preacher who tells you the truth, for you stand to inherit eternal life if you will accept/obey that message. If you don’t, you will accuse him of preaching “how he understands” the Bible, reserving for yourself another “understanding” to excuse yourself from obedience to that “form of doctrine”.

Are you “on the side of the truth”? Do you listen to Jesus? Is truth absolute? Is it based upon the teachings of the Lord and His apostles? Can it be known? Can you and I agree on it?

6/30/2020

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Two Thieves Are Coming…

There are two thieves that are coming:
Job 24:1 – “they that know him not”

Job describes them as a thief in vss. 13-15
“They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief. The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me: and disguiseth his face.”

The other, is the LORD! Revelation 3:3; 16:15
His coming will be as a thief to SOME, but not ALL
1 Thessalonians 5:2-6:
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent…”

Which THIEF said this?

6/30/2020

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The Greatest Prejudice and Racism that exists...

No greater exercise of hatred, prejudice and racism is seen than that toward the disciple of Jesus. It comes from every facet of society, (red, yellow, black and white).

Jesus explained it as follows in John 15:18-25:

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause'."

If we really want to discover the truth about ourselves in terms of being prejudiced and a racist, follow Jesus in teaching what He taught.

If we really want to discover the truth about others in terms of being prejudiced and a racist, follow Jesus in teaching what He taught.

If we seek an answer to the question 'WHY DOES HATRED, PREJUDICE, AND RACISM EXIST?' Here is the Lord Jesus' answer:

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” ~ John 3:19-21

6/17/2020

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WHAT DISCIPLESHIP NEEDS!

 What words are missing from the text of Mark 10:29-30?

“…there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands; and in the world to come eternal life.”

The missing words reflect what comes TO a disciple for judging with righteous judgment. It comes FROM those who desire to live by doing what is right “IN THEIR OWN EYES” rather than what God commands. (Proverbs 14:12; Jeremiah 10:23; John 7:24).

The missing words are “WITH PERSECUTIONS”. We need to understand the significance of these two words because they are necessary to discipleship.

Here are some other passages which point out the relationship of discipleship to persecutions: John 15:20; Acts 14:22; 2 Corinthians 12:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Timothy 3:11-12).

The persecution that Jesus underwent was due to His doctrine [He called His teaching ‘TRUTH’] – He claimed to have authority from God to teach the things He taught (John 10:18; 12:49-50; 14:24). He taught that only obedience to truth would bring freedom from sin (John 8:32).

Persecution exists today over the same two issues – authority and truth. Those who preach a message claiming it to be TRUTH and proclaim it as the ONLY way to heaven will suffer persecution from those who do not want to acknowledge an absolute standard, but rather want to do “what is right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 21:25; Deuteronomy 12:8).

Persecution is necessary to discipleship, but so is God’s authority and truth.

5/10/2020
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IS IT FUTILE TO SERVE GOD?

Zephaniah described God’s people in his day and time as follows: “…men who are stagnant is spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad’.” (Zephaniah 1:12). Because of this attitude, God was bringing punishment upon His people Israel (Jerusalem and Judah). It begs several questions: ‘How could God’s people become stagnant? WHY would God’s people become stagnant? What factors contributed to this? More importantly, “Is this mindset prevalent among God’s people today?” Let us consider these matters in this article.

Stagnation is a failure to develop, progress, or advance. When water becomes stagnant, a foulness or staleness, emanates results. When people become stagnant, this concept of foulness or staleness is seen in their dullness of hearing and their senses unable to discern right from wrong. 

From Zephaniah 1:5-6 we see the characteristics of stagnant behavior in God’s people. They “…bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom.” They had “…turned back from following the Lord, and...not sought the Lord or inquired of Him.”

How had this happened? We find the answer in the record of their own lives. God’s people had persisted in disobedience to the Law of Moses. They were strictly warned not to imitate the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 6:14), yet they did this very thing! They had become “settled" in this way of living. Zephaniah said, “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil…” (1:12). This describes their complacency. Other prophets gave us similar explanations.

~ Ezekiel wrote, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land” (8:12).

~ Malachi revealed even more insight. He described their complaining and murmuring as follows: “You have wearied the LORD with your words. ‘How have we wearied him?’ you ask. By saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the LORD, and he is pleased with them’ or ‘Where is the God of justice’?” (2:17)

~ “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty’?” (3:14)

Stagnation is no respecter of persons. Complacency can ‘set in’ today when a person persists in disobedience. A stagnant life undergoes change in repentance.  The gospel message declares this necessity. When a child is raised in an environment of complacency, it presents the most difficult obstacle to overcome in giving one’s life to Christ. Herein we see the need for the training up of a child in righteousness by both word and example of the parents.

Complacency can return in the life of Christians. When Christians suffer from complacency, they become weary of standing for the truth! Read again what Malachi said: ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty’?” (Malachi 3:14). Weariness in well-doing is an ever-present threat. It wears on us. We see the parade-like atmosphere in the religious world about us on the TV and on social media as they praise the Lord for their blessings and prosperity, while we go about “carrying out his requirements, like mourners…” Enticed by the glitter many have sought to incorporate their practices into the worship of the Lord to “liven up” things. They see the proverbial “greener grass” among the denominational ways and desire to be fed with their ‘social’ food! They see the prosperity…the large numbers among them and conclude that there is not ‘justice’ with God. As the Psalmist stated of the wicked in Psalm 94:7 – “…they say ‘The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive’.” God answered with a reply that is still applicable today in Psalm 94:8-15:

⁸ 

Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.

Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.

5/10/2020

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LESSONS FROM JAMES 1:21

"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

"RECEIVE WITH MEEKNESS"...the implanted word...

The word of God is to be "implanted" in the sense that the change in one's life reflects that a new master rules. Sin no longer reigns because of repentance. What caused this change? The Word? Well, notice that the Word had to be "RECEIVED"...WITH MEEKNESS.

Who was to do the receiving? Would it not be the 'hearer' of the Word? Simple to understand isn't it? This shows that salvation involves two parties...God (the provider/source of the Word) and man (the one in need of being salvation).

God, because of His grace, offers man salvation thru His Son. Man has a choice; either to accept or refuse this offer. There are terms and conditions laid out by God in His gracious offer, one of which is to repent. Man, in "receiving with meekness" this Word of salvation, must comply with God's command to repent, for God has commanded all to repent (Acts 17:30).

Repentance is but one condition that God has, in His grace, called upon man to do. It is certainly not a work of merit, but simple obedience...or as James words it, the way to "receive with meekness" God's Word. Repentance never occurs without a reason. That reason for choosing to change how you are living, is belief in God's promise of eternal life thru His Son.

If your belief is to save, you will "receive with meekness" what God has commanded; you will repent, and live for Christ.

Saving faith obeys...this is what the phrase in the Bible "obedience of faith" means (cf. Romans 1:5; 16:26; James 2:17-22).

The "works" of James 2 that "perfects" faith, is obedience. Abraham's offering of Isaac was called a "work"...not a work of merit, but an act of obedience...obedience to a command of God. Abraham believed God, and did as God commanded. In doing so, his faith was made perfect.

This "receiving with meekness" is an on-going process. Faith and obedience therefore, are to continue. Paul expressed his thanks for the continued obedience of those in the church at Rome (Romans 16:19). Their obedience was "known by all", and therefore an encouragement to other disciples.

So will it be with you and I. Do we have saving faith? How can we be certain? Look at your obedience for the assurance. Obedience is your expression of love for God's word. It ensures your continued fellowship with the Father and with the Son.

As the apostle John stated, "He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." ~ 2 John 1:9

5/8/2020

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