Jean Cousin, The Last Judgment
Today, reply is made to a question on accepting divine judgment against family members. Judgment pertains to the unshakable majesty and sovereignty of GOD. The saved do not become all-knowing and omniscient. In the same way we will not get to meet and be friends with every other person on the earth during our lifetime, we may not get to be in direct contact with, and come to know everyone in heaven during eternity. As witnesses to their righteous judgment, believers will see everyone sent to the lake of fire and the second death. Christ will declare them “workers of iniquity” and will say, “I never knew you.” Similarly, the saved will have selected recall of sins and suffering from the earth as though many never occurred. The changes made through resurrection will render those we loved on the earth knowable only as pleasant memories, and unrecognizable as those we may continue to love who also have eternal life. It is GOD’s revealed intent that none should perish, yet, the demands of divine law must go forward. GOD is no less divine when we as his children do not get to have our way. The authority, divinity and righteousness of GOD are immutable and remain unchanged; therefore, our obedience, respect, and reverence may increase, yet, should never become less. In the same way parents must acknowledge their own children may become defiant, incorrigible, and come under the punishments of law beyond the home that apply to the larger community and all humankind, children also must accept that their parents may come under the condemnation of divine law and the demands of GOD upon his Creation. One of the fighters at “Yahoo! Answers (India)” using the ID “Anonymous” (no profile information appears) posted the following:
Christians, would you still worship God if you knew your mother was burning alive in the flames of hell for eternity?
THE GOLDEN ARROW: My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of the Lord. Lord, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them. (Isaiah 26: 9-11, New International Version, NIV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: Temporal and Eternal Judgment (02/15/2017); Blame, Sin and Salvation? (02/13/2017); In Her father's House? (02/08/2017); Dead While We Live? (02/02/2017); Accepting the Divine Will? (12/06/2016); Hell and The Cross? (04/10/2016); Damnation And The Cross? (03/06/2016); Approaching Mothers Day (05/07/2015)
“Anonymous”, accepting divine judgment against family, friends, and even ourselves first requires we become transformed to acknowledge continually that GOD is spirit, and is not limited by frameworks of emotion, social conventions, time, and space as are created beings and living creatures. We could say, however, GOD is “limited” by divine law, and wrath against sin that are permanent aspects of his sacred makeup. Christian believers seek a continuing relationship with GOD, however, this requires they all gradually change, grow, and become mature (i.e., balanced, complete, consistent, stable) as vessels of “sacred knowledge” and spirit substance imparted from GOD. All start as sinners whose awareness and self-will regularly focus on expressing exaggerated pride, self-interest, self-promotion, and self-will. Following water baptism that depicts the death, burial, and resurrection of their inborn spirit, the believer is “born again” and can then “grow up again” as an offspring of GOD. Even then, having become lawful and legitimate as sons and daughters of GOD who are living on the earth and mortal, believers do not immediately arrive at a full acceptance of divine authority, the commitment to endure suffering for the name of Jesus Christ, correct understanding and obedience of divine law, or respectful submission to judgment and the multiple operations of GOD (e.g., atonement, chastisement, forgiveness, sanctification, suffering, the harvesting of believers from the earth at the Second Coming). Consider again the following from the holy writings that include the demands of the law and warning for the church (Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica):
(1.) Job 2: 7-10, NIV: 7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
(2.) Revelation 3: 19-22, NIV: 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
(3.) Luke 14: 25-27, NIV: 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
(4.) 1st Peter 4: 14-16, NIV: 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
(5.) Revelation 2: 21-23, NIV: 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (6.) Romans 7: 4-6, NIV: 4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
Washington, DC
No comments:
Post a Comment